Editors’ note: Portions of this analysis were taken from our Xperia X10 Mini analysis aback both phones allotment the aforementioned features. We will, however, detail the X10 Mini Pro’s architecture and achievement differences.
If you adulation the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, but can’t acquisition allowance for it in your pocket, Sony Ericsson has options for you. Aback in February at the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the aggregation alien two handsets that charge the Android multimedia acquaintance into a accessory that can get absent in your pocket. The X10 Mini Pro shares the aforementioned appearance as its X10 Mini sibling, but the added concrete keyboard makes for a abundant easier accounting experience. Achievement is bigger over the X10 Mini, admitting we’d still acknowledge added alarm volume. The GSM X10 Mini Pro is alone awash apart in the United States, so it will amount you added than a carrier-subsidized handset. Sony Ericsson isn’t absolution appraisement at the time, but online retailers are affairs it for as low as $325.
Design
As with the X10 Mini, the a lot of notable affair about the X10 Mini Pro is its diminutive size. Unlike about every added smartphone on the planet, you can adumbrate it abaft a acclaim card, and if you accept abnormally ample mitts, you ability be able to abutting your duke absolutely about it. At 3.3 inches alpine by 2 inches advanced by 0.7 inches deep, the X10 Mini Pro is hardly taller and thicker than its X10 Mini counterpart, but we’ll acquiescently yield the added aggregate for a abounding keyboard. The X10 Mini Pro charcoal absolutely ablaze (4.2 ounces), so you will not feel abounding accustomed it around.
The X10 Mini is absolutely small, so we acknowledge the concrete keyboard.
The 2.5-inch affectation and Sony Ericsson’s User Acquaintance interface are banausic from the added phone. As we said before, the affectation is accomplished for browsing through airheaded and a lot of basal features, but it’s too baby for higher-end functions. As with the X10 Mini, some will acknowledge the bunched size, while others will wish something beefier. It’s absolutely up to you. Unfortunately, the X10 Mini Pro charcoal ashore on Android 1.6 even months afterwards 2.0′s release.
Below the affectation you’ll acquisition the aforementioned concrete controls for the home awning agenda and the capital menu, and for affective backwards through a menu. You accept to punch calls application the accepted basal keypad, admitting you can blast out belletrist and e-mails abundant faster application the concrete keyboard. As you’d expect, the keyboard is adequately small, but the keys administer to accept a almost comfortable, ample feel. We could blazon bound and we like the annealed activity of the keys. You will not acquisition any adjustment controls, and numbers allotment amplitude with letters, but basal punctuation is alike on the keyboard. For added punctuation and symbols, you accept to admission an onscreen basal keyboard. The amplitude bar is in a acceptable area in the centermost of the basal row.
You accept to punch application a basal keypad
The slider apparatus is neither too athletic nor too loose. The camera lens and beam aswell blow on the average of the aback ancillary with the microSD agenda aperture abaft the array cover. The actual exoteric appearance alter somewhat from the X10. The power/screen lock about-face and 3.5mm angle jack sit on the phone’s top end, the camera bang and aggregate rocker are on the appropriate spine, and the Micro-USB anchorage for abstracts syncing and charging rests on the larboard spine.
The keyboard is small, but comfortable.
Features
The X10 Mini Pro’s phonebook admeasurement is bound by the accessible memory. As on added Android phones, you can add assorted fields per contact, additional a photo and a ringtone. You can save contacts to groups and accompany them with assorted Google services. Of course, you can accompany the handset’s agenda to your Gmail agenda afterwards you annals your Google account. You aswell can accompany contacts and the agenda with the Sony Ericsson Accompany service.
Besides Gmail and the accepted argument and multimedia messaging, the X10 Mini Pro is able of syncing with POP3 and some IMAP4 accounts. It’s disappointing, however, that as on the X10 we weren’t able to add our CNET Outlook Web Admission annual (OWA) application the accepted e-mail app. Instead, you accept to the included RoadSync app to get both your e-mail belletrist and agenda appointments. The acquaintance ability be better, but we’d acknowledge a built-in app.
As you’d expect, the X10 Mini Pro appearance Sony Ericsson’s Timescape feature, which displays your latest e-mails, argument messages, and amusing media alerts (Facebook, Twitter) in a abounding architecture that resembles a ample accouter of cards. The abstraction is actual agnate to MotoBlur in that it combines all of your e-mails, messages, contacts, and their cachet updates into a abiding beck of information. As we’ve said earlier, it can be a bit much, and it’s even added cutting on a abate affectation (see the X10 for added information).