The MWC 2008 - Live Report

During the show, Sony Ericsson announced total of six phones, and three new lines: X-, G-, and C-.



Considering Sony Ericsson’s history with Symbian, and the UIQ interface, it is sure they surprised us with the announcement of the new XPERIA X1. The X-series device is Windows Mobile 6 Professional smartphone with high-end functionality. It is the first of the brand to use this operating system, but will most probably the start of a line of such devices. Unlike Cyber-shot and Walkman series, the XPERIA is a name that is not coming from Sony, but is a brand of the phone manufacturer (Sony Ericsson) only. XPERIA stands for ‘ultimate user experience’ and will consists of PREMIUM converged devices, not ones targeted to only camera, music, etc.

The phone is scheduled for release in the second half of the year, and the units that were showcased are prototypes, which were kept away from the press. We were able only to take pictures and (don't tell anyone) hold it only for a second. However, there were a few things that were shown: the design of the device itself, and a part of its personalization. Although its specifications are top-notch, the design is stylish: it will be available in two color variants, brushed aluminum and piano black. The few keys below the huge display are with triangular form, reminding of the PRISM Nokia phones and the Z555. The D-pad in the middle reacts to touch; called “Optical joystick” and can be used for scrolling – just sweep your finger from top to bottom or vice verse.



The operating system is Windows Mobile 6 (not 6.1) but it seems that Sony Ericsson will heavily personalized it. Unfortunately, at this stage only a few screens were shown, as the manufacturer is keeping the rest a secret. Once a shortcut is pressed, a menu with what is called ‘panels’ appears. It shows differently personalized environments, suitable for different tastes. The way the icons are scrolled and shown, reminds of the iPhone - everybody nowadays is inspired by the popular phone. These panels offer different interfaces as a whole, however, some menues will remain the standard Windows Mobile.

Similar to many high-end devices with this OS, the XPERIA is a side-opening slider, with QWERTY keyboard. However, it has ‘arc slider design’, which situates the display at a slight angle and according to Sony Ericsson leaves more space for the QWERTY keyboard.
As we said earlier, we were not really able to use the phone, so our impressions are limited. However, the features on paper look very nice: quad-band GSM and quad-band UMTS/HSDPA, 3-inch 480x800 pixels display, 3.2-megapixel camera, and all the bells and whistles of the WM6 Pro OS. Untypically for the manufacturer, the phone doesn’t use the proprietary connector (but miniUSB) and has standard microSD slot in the place of the M2 one.


Sony Ericsson expects to launch the X1 in the second half of the year, which for us means most likely fourth quarter or later…



Sony Ericsson introduced its G-series with two similar phones: one from the high and one from the middle class. Both are candybars with pocket-friendly dimensions, use Symbian UIQ and have standard hardware keypad, which can be used as the only navigation method. However, although they are smartphones, the G-series are advertised as easy to use phones, for the average customer, yet with enough organizer options. They are touted for the option to draw something in a note (is that the only purpose of the touchscreen?) and send it to another person – for example a St. Valentine’s card to your beloved, or reminder memos one would usually put on the refrigerator. The interface is personalized to be more user-friendly and a few shortcuts are added to the homescreen. On the other hand, the whole functionality of the UIQ smartphone is present, even things such as business card reader. Unfortunately both are only tri-band GSM phones with only 2100MHz UMTS, so there usage in the States will be limited to regions with 1900 MHz coverage.


G900 is the more advanced of the two models. It has 5-megapixel camera with auto-focus and option to change the focusing area by tapping anywhere on the screen. The feature set for the camera is also pretty rich, with only a few options such as ‘best pic’ missing, to differentiate it from the Cyber-shot devices. Unlike it, the G700 lacks WiFi, and has a less pretending 3.2 megapixel camera with fixed focus. Its design is pretty similar but instead of touch sensitive, the software keys are standard buttons. Both will be available in two color variants (each) and are expected in the second quarter of the year.




C … yes, Sony Ericsson announced the C-line. While we had a few wild guesses on what it is for, the answer is the most logical: the C stands for Cyber-shot. The camera-dedicated models of the manufacturer will now be positioned in this line and these two start it.

As its first digit shows, the C902 is the high-end model of the line and in this aspect can be considered as the successor of the K850. It has slimmed down to 0.4” (10.5mm) from 0.7” (17mm) which is 40% less – Great Success! While the resolution for the photos isn’t increased from 5-megapixels, the interface has evolved. Previously the right column of keys (four) was dedicated to camera functions once its interface was turned on. Now, there are two rows that are also illuminated in blue – one above and one below the display (left and right when in vertical orientation). These keys are touch sensitive and conceal when the camera isn’t used; they cover pretty much the most commonly used features, and going to the setting menu will be limited. However, if you do, you will notice the new feature called ‘Face recognition’. Just as in the ‘old’ Samsung G800, it detects human faces and locks the focus on them, preventing you from focusing by mistake on a surrounding object.


Unlike the K850, the C902 lens cover is manually opened and closed. Its mechanism is very interesting though, as the whole upper part (including parts of the left and right) slides out to the top. However, this is comfortable procedure. In this phone the 3-way mode camera mode switch is replaced with a button which changes to either camera or camcorder only.



We were surprised the high-class C902 uses LED flash instead of Xenon, which proved to be much better in our tests. However, Sony Ericsson claims this is not the standard LED we are used to and is called by them ‘PhotoFlash’ (the ordinary is ‘PhotoLight’). In the tests of the manufacturer (according to them), it proved equal or better than the Xenon – we will state our opinion after our tests.



The C702 is also Cyber-shot but its camera is only 3-megapixel. It is touted for its rugged body that is dust and splash resistant and the GPS capabilities (the second for the manufacturer). This shows its target group, young people. The combination of camera and GPS leads to a feature called GeoTagging. If the GPS can lock position (and you haven’t turned it manually off), it will add the coordinates of the location where the picture is taken, to its EXIF data of the JPEG file. It can then be seen from the phone, or from any software (on computer) which supports this feature. For example, Flickr.com reads this data and shows it. Additionally, the GPS can be used for navigation, either through Google Maps or the Wayfinder, which preloaded on the phone will have full functionality for three months, after which a license should be purchased (just as in the W760). While the rugged body won’t work if you want to take a shower while on the phone, or drop it in the beer, it should be enough for a short call in the rain. We guess it would also help to keep the phone in a good condition when you drop it, which isn’t rare for the young and active people.


Both phones will have two color variants and are expected to be available in the second quarter “in selected markets”, which basically means Europe, due to the single band 2100MHz UMTS support. However, the US press release mentioned the C702 also for the North American market, where it will be available in EDGE variant (removing the UMTS). There is no information on carrier availability.



It’s not only the cameraphone line that gets new models during the show. There is also a new Walkman which should intrigue most of the music fans of the brand. The W980 is a high-end model in clamshell form-factor, which is untypical for Sony Ericsson. It has the third version of the Walkman player and 8GB of memory, for “up to 8000 songs on board” (our calculations say about 2000 but that is still a lot!). If these are not enough, the surprises are not over: the phone has FM radio … well, there are many with one, but this is the first that can use it without attached wired headphones, thanks to the integrated antenna. Great Success!


In addition to the choice of two sources, Sony Ericsson also gives you options when it comes to how you will listen to the music. We are not fans of the proprietary connector (and that you must use the adapter from the box to attach anything with 3.5mm jack) but appreciate the innovations. You can now broadcast wirelessly not only using Stereo Bluetooth A2DP profile, but also through FM frequency, which you can choose from the phone. Don’t expect to make your own one-man-show: the signal is so weak that it will be enough for an in-car or indoor usage, but not enough to reach another vehicle or room.



The second phone in this form-factor is the Z770, which is basically a folding variant of the K660, which we previewed back in January. It is targeted as a phone for Internet browsing, and although the lack of WiFi, we may say it is fine. The stylish design is definitely a plus. It is expected in the second quarter, and the W980 is scheduled for the 3rd one.





Sony Ericsson also showcased the budget Radio-dedicated phones: the R306 and th R300. We are disappointed they must have the wired headphones attached, in order to start the key feature. Sony Ericsson, please look at the W980 - in the same size you were able to integrate antenna and high-end features, don't leave those empty!