G1 News

Sony Ericsson’s Android-packing XPERIA X10 has just been unveiled for US journos to salivate over, and whilst the reception has been a touch less than rapturous, one real concern from Gizmodo is for the high-end handset’s pricepoint.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the phone will come in at £528 ($879.99) SIM-free, seemingly a huge deal on the side of the Atlantic accustomed to heavily subsidised handsets.

Networks over there are not as willing to take the hit on the cost of the smartest of smart phones, hence the occasional delay before reaching US soil at a reasonable price (see XPERIA X1, HTC Touch Pro etc.).

Still, the X10’s pricing really isn’t out of sync with devices residing in the VIP lounge of the mobile phone party…if anything, it’s a bit of a bargain.

A cursory glance over the eXpansys site has the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 available for £605, whilst the Palm Pre retails at a steep £499. The less said about the iPhone 3GS’ heart-stopping £879.99 ($1,463!) price on Play.com, the better…

The pricing for the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 seems entirely justified given the superfast 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4.1″ capacitive touch screen, 8.1 megapixel camera and impressive user interface.

The X10 is the first phone from Sony Ericsson to sport their propietary new graphical overlay, now officially dubbed ‘Nexus’ and engineered to seamlessly work over a range of operating systems.

Nexus UI is a heavily graphics-driven amalgam of the best of a user’s on- and offline content, with SocialScape scouring tweets and status updates and presenting them on your home page, whilst MediaScape explores your movies, music and photos suggesting artists you might like.

The X10 seemed in better shape, with Nexus certainly working far smoother and more responsively than demoed at the initial announcement, but it still has a little ways to go before being ready for public consumption early in 2010.

For a more detailed explanation of the XPERIA X10, see Omio’s coverage from the UK event, as well as taking a gander at the video below.

After doing the rounds on operating systems from Symbian to Windows Mobile, fring has finally been made available for mobiles running Google’s Android platform.

fring is a great application which combines the best of both instant messaging and VoIP, allowing users to make calls on Skype, Google Talk and MSN over both 3G and Wi-Fi, as well as type away on AIM and Twitter through an integrated contact list.

Whilst fring is compatible with all versions of Android, there are already some teething problems as noted by Unwired View, even on the shiny new Motorola DROID.

The DROID cannot accept SkypeOut calls (those using credit to connect to landlines etc.), and ending calls on any Android phone might cause fring to go a little wild and repeat the ‘disconnection’ tone multiple times.

Point your phone in the direction of the Android Market to try it out now, and be sure to let us know how you find it.

Check out their informercial-quality video explaining fring on Android below…

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