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In the wake of the first Android smartphones from Samsung, Motorola and LG, Sony Ericsson (SEMC) has unveiled its own candidate for Google phone of the year, the Xperia X10, formerly known as Rachael. Like the Motorola Cliq and HTC Hero, the key differentiator is in the user interface that overlays the native Android/Google user experience, rather than in hardware specs, though as we would expect from SEMC, these come in a the high end, with a strong focus on multimedia.

One surprise is that the initial release will run Android 1.6 rather than the new - and far superior - Android 2.0, which made its debut on the Motorola Droid/Milestone. SEMC had made much of waiting for release 2.0 before it took the Android plunge, because earlier releases have limited multimedia support, but may have hit some problems with optimizing performance, since it appears to be settling for 1.6 as a stopgap in order to get the X10 on the shelves quickly - though it will not ship until early next year, after the key holiday season. Upgrades with release 2.0 will follow in the second quarter, sources indicate and the X10 is designed to be the first of a series of Android phones for 2010.

On the apps front, the X10 will support both the Android Market and Sony Ericsson's PlayNow Arena. The key differentiator, as for all Android phones, will be the user interface, and how well it tunes into customer behaviour and ease of use. SEMC's UX platform integrates social media services and a rich graphical user interface. The first in a series of planned signature applications includes Timescape, which manages all a user's communication with one person in one place, including browsing across Facebook, Twitter, photos, emails and texts. The X10 also introduces Mediascape, which accesses music, photos and videos from contacts and favorite artists, integrating content from the phone itself plus the PlayNow portal and web sites like YouTube.

Both these apps rely on intelligence capabilities that automatically recognize connections between contacts, content and media, recommending alternative ways to communicate and suggesting new media options. There is even face recognition, and if UX lives up to its promises, it could offer a user experience that is significantly different to those created by Motorola and the others, and far more sophisticated for heavy users of social networks, multimedia content and open web services.

But lack of Android 2.0 puts SEMC somewhat on the back foot, especially with regards to the high end Motorola phone, launching in Germany and Italy, and maybe the UK, before year end. Although SEMC has far stronger brand awareness and market share than Motorola in Europe, carriers are expected to make a splash for Milestone, which has a similar high level of functionality as users associate with the Sony venture. The X10 will also be coming in behind other high end holiday phones, whether Android or not, like the Samsung Jet and i7500, Nokia N900 and HTC Hero and Leo.

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