Sony Ericsson launching first round of XPERIA X1 on September 30

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Sony Ericsson today announces 30 September 2008 as the official launch date for the highly anticipated Xperia™ X1 – initially available to consumers in the UK, Germany and Sweden. The handset will be available in other markets across Europe, Asia and Latin America throughout Q4 2008.

APAC

Indonesia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam
Western Europe

Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal
Central Europe

Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic
Middle East

UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait
Africa

South Africa
Latin America

Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia
Availability dates for North America, China, Australia and Russia along with other countries not mentioned above will be announced by local markets in the coming months.

Webcast

To start the countdown to the launch of Xperia™ X1, Sony Ericsson will host a live global webcast on September 15 at 13:00 GMT + 1, offering viewers the first in-depth demonstration of the handset. The web cast will also premiere the first episode of an alternative reality thriller Johnny X. To register to view the web cast and Q&A session with Xperia™ X1 Senior Product Manager Magnus J Andersson, please visit: www.sonyericsson.com/premiere.

“We are extremely pleased with the innovation and new user experience we have created for consumers on the Xperia™ X1,” said Rikko Sakaguchi CVP and Head of Creation and Development at Sony Ericsson. “The in-depth demonstration on the web cast will showcase how this handset is truly unique. The nine panel eco system puts the user in total control of the primary experiences available on the phone and allows consumers to personalise the panel interface to suit their needs and lifestyle. The Xperia™ X1 has the highest quality screen on the market, four-way navigation keys and optical joy stick to give a stressless browsing experience and, with its super fast processor and network speed the Xperia™ X1 really bridges the gap between personal, entertainment and work mobile needs.”

Johnny X Alternative Reality Thriller

Johnny X is about a young man with amnesia desperately piecing together his identity. The webisodic thriller comprises of nine episodes, created to demonstrate the rich, immersive and experiential elements of the Xperia™ X1.

The storyline follows Johnny X on his mission to rediscover his identity. As he finds out more about his lost life in a race against time, he updates his Xperia™ X1 with new content to piece together his personality and identity, reflecting how the phone can be personalized to suit users’ individual lifestyle and needs. Will Johnny X find out who he really is before it’s too late?

“Producing the Johnny X thriller has given us an engaging platform to demonstrate all the capabilities and features a user can experience with the Xperia™ X1 phone,” said Lennard Hoornik, Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “The panel interface is a perfect way to reflect your personality and can be tailored and changed to suit your exact needs at any given time. No two Xperia™ X1 will ever have the same combination of panels on the phone; we are all individuals and deserve to have a phone that reflects that. ”

Over a three week period, one new episode of Johnny X will be posted online at www.sonyericsson.com/Johnnyx every Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting on Monday, September 22. Check out the trailer for the series at www.whoisjohnny-x.com

Global Launch

The official global launch of the Xperia™ X1 will take place at Tent London as part of London Design Week between September 18 – 21st. Journalists are invited to attend the official Tent London opening party on Friday evening 19 September 2008 to see the Xperia™ X1 and meet with Sony Ericsson spokespeople. To register, please email: sonyericsson@bm.com

Tent London is one of the most comprehensive and diverse design events of the year. It is a multi-disciplinary event in an exciting location that will appeal equally to designers, media and consumers - embracing art to architecture, vintage to contemporary and raw talent to established trend-setters.

Open to general public from 18-21st September, from 10am, with admission prices starting at:

Public & Students £7.50 in advance £10.00 on the door
Child (under 16) £5.00
Child (under 5) FREE
For advance ticket purchases, visit: www.tentlondon.co.uk
Address: Circa at Tent London, The Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London, E1

Xperia™
The Xperia™ X1 is the first product under Sony Ericsson’s new premium sub-brand Xperia™. Designed to meet consumers’ needs for a converged entertainment and mobile web communication experience, the Xperia™ X1 is an extremely stylish handset encased in a real stainless steel body, with a striking arc-slider design, supported by a powerful multimedia ecosystem.

Consumers can access a world of experiences by tapping on one of the unique customisable panels on the three-inch high resolution touch-widescreen. Windows Mobile® lets you choose from a dynamic range of activities anytime and anywhere; from enjoying your music, watching a video, checking email, shopping online or working with Windows Mobile Office on-the-move. The full QWERTY keyboard and quality metal casing completes this premium handset. For more information please visit: www.sonyericsson.com/x1

About Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson is a top global industry player with sales of over 100 million phones in 2007. Diversity is one of the core strengths of the company, with operations in over 80 countries including manufacturing in China and R&D sites in China, Europe, India, Japan and North America. Sony Ericsson was established as a 50:50 joint venture by Sony and Ericsson in October 2001, with global corporate functions located in London.

Camera

• Auto focus
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• Photo light
• Video recording

Music

• Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
• Media player
• Music tones
• Windows Media Player™ Mobile
• 3D games
• FM radio
• Java
• Video streaming
• Video viewing

Internet

• Internet Explorer Mobile
• Opera 9.5 browser
• RSS feeds

Communication and Messaging

• Polyphonic ringtones
• Speakerphone
• Vibrating alert
• Video calling
• Email
• Picture messaging (MMS)
• Predictive text input
• Text messaging (SMS)

Design

• Xperia™ panels
• Optical Joystick navigation
• Navigation key
• Picture wallpaper
• Touch navigation

Organiser

• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Document editors
• Document readers
• Flight mode
• Handwriting recognition
• Notes
• Phone book
• Tasks
• Touchscreen

Connectivity

• aGPS
• Bluetooth™ technology
• Modem
• Synchronisation
• USB support
• WLAN

Windows® Mobile® Operating System 6.1

• Microsoft® Outlook Mobile: email, contacts, calendar, tasks
• Microsoft® Office Mobile: Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Internet Explorer® Mobile
• Windows Media Player™ Mobile
• Windows Live™
• Exchange ActiveSync®
• Utility Applications: file explorer, calculator, pictures & video, notes

Facts and Figures

• Size: 110 x 53 x 16.7 mm
• Weight: 158 grams
• Available colours: Solid Black and Steel Silver
• Main screen: 65,536 color TFT
• Resolution: 800 X 480 pixels
• Size: 3 inches
• Memory
• Phone memory: up to 400 MB
• microSD™ memory card support
• Availability and Versions

Networks

• UMTS 900/1900/2100
• UMTS 850/1900/2100
• EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• HSUPA/HSDPA

Legal Information
1) Facts and features may vary depending on local variant.
2) Talk and standby times are affected by network preferences; type of SIM card, connected accessories and various activities e.g. games. Kit contents and color options may differ from market to market. The full range of accessories may not be available in every market.

Pending its release still scheduled for September 30 (in some countries only…), here's a video showing XPERIA X1 for 16 minutes. Enjoy !

I remember many years ago in Tomorrow Never Dies, James Bond uses an Ericsson JB988 cell phone to drive a BMW 7 Series, and this time round, fiction is turned into fact as the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (prophetic, isn't it?) can be used to control the Saab 9-X Air. While you won't be able to steer the vehicle and have as much fun with the BMW as Bond did with his phone, the Xperia X1 is still able to do more with the Saab 9-X Air compared to other phones. Connected via Bluetooth, the Xperia X1 is able to control ambient lighting, front and rear seat settings, lock the car, open the trunk and even turn on your signal lights as well as headlamps. Take that, iPhone!