Sony Ericsson has announced that its first-ever Windows Mobile handset, the Xperia X1, will launch in the UK, Germany and Sweden this September 30th - just twenty days from now.
The long-awaited device has been subject to rumoured delays, but it will officially arrive sooner than expected. However, though the UK will be among the first to get its hands on the Xperia X1, other regions may be left waiting. Sony Ericsson expects the handset to roll-out throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America in Q4, but launch dates for North America, China, Australia and other areas won't be announced for another couple of months.
Still, we're not complaining, how often does the UK get a product launch before our friends across the pond?
So, what can we expect from the Xperia X1? Having been announced back in February, many may have forgotten what all the fuss is about, so here's a gentle reminder. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is a Windows Mobile-powered device that features a 3in 800x480 TFT touch screen, a curved QWERTY keyboard, a 3.2 megapixel camera (with auto focus and light), aGPS, Bluetooth, WLAN and up to 400MB of onboard memory with a microSD slot for further expansion.
That's quite a healthy hardware specification, and Sony Ericsson has done its very best to make Microsoft's clunky Windows Mobile interface more user friendly. Though Microsoft's aesthetically-displeasing operating system will no doubt appear in places, Sony Ericsson has built a custom UI to offer a level of finesse similar to that of Apple's iPhone.
Clearly proud of its device, Sony Ericsson will be launching a global countdown for the release of the Xperia X1 in the form of a live webcast beginning on September 15th at 13:00. The webcast will offer in-depth demonstrations of the handset, and viewers can register at sonyericsson.com/premiere.
We're not sure any mobile phone warrants a global countdown of 15 days, but we're looking forward to seeing what the Xperia X1 can do.
Official press release: Sony Ericsson announces launch dates for Xperia™ X1
Official product page: sonyericsson.com/x1
