Microsoft and Sony Ericsson have announced a new partnership at this year's World Mobile Congress, and today we got a first look at the fruits of their labour, the Xperia X1.
Originally codenamed "Venus", the Xperia X1 looks set to be what no Windows Mobile device has been in the past: a very cool handset.
Pictures on the SEMC site show a touchscreen phone with a QWERTY keyboard under the hood. We also catch a glimpse at the heavily modified Windows Mobile interface, featuring a colourful menu system displaying thumbnails of nine applications.
In addition to cool factor the Xperia X1 also packs a hefty punch in regards to features; with quad-band roaming, assisted GPS, a 3.2-megapixel camera and, depending on its release, it could be one of the first phones in this region with HSUPA as well as HSDPA data speeds. Here's hoping it also packs the processing power required to handle it all.
Also surprising is Sony Ericsson's choice to include a Micro SD card reader instead of the Sony patented M2 memory stick slots we usually see on SEMC handsets.
In terms of an Australian release we've been told "sometime in 2008" but the addition of the phone to the SEMC Web site is an encouraging sign that we may see the device sooner rather than later.
Check out all the pictures of the Xperia X1.
Discuss: Xperia X1: Windows Mobile with sex appeal
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