Right after Sony Ericsson made the XPERIA X10 (AKA Rachael/X3) official, the rumor mill threw out another leak at us. This time it is as model called the Kurara. Kurara seems to be the basic version of the flagship model Satio. For those who don’t know, Satio is a new phone from Sony Ericsson that centers around a 12.1megapixel camera and a 3.5inch screen 16:9 aspect ratio. Over all, it is pitched as a multimedia phone that has a great camera and a great screen that allows you to immerse yourself in the experience.

So the Kurara offers an experience that is more like a toned down version of what you get on the Satio. The rumors peg the camera on this phone at 8.l megapixel and screen is said to be 3.5inch. The other interesting part about this phone is the fact that the screen is apparently AMOLED. The OS is Symbian S60 5^thGeneration, again as per the rumors.

The camera is apparently capable of recording HD video. I agree with SlashGear’s Chris Davies here – it probably means that it does 720p video. From the side, you can see the phone has an oblong shape, plus there are dedicated buttons that make it look like a point and shoot instead of a phone. The teardrop profile also makes it look pretty sleek and stylish. That is one thing that Sony has always tried to keep up through almost all its phone – good looks.

The big question is what the UI would be like. Sony Ericsson has already declared that they are making a whole new line around the X10. They have also said that the new UI and UX (User Experience) is going to be cross-platform, so that means it is coming to their Symbian phones as well.

So, to make two plus two, this phone might have the new UI built into it. Won’t that be fun – to have a nice amd basic camera phone with the new fangled UI. In any case, the Kurara does seem like it will be ready for a show ‘n tell at the WMC (World Mobile Congress) 2010.

Sony Ericsson has declared that the Satio will not receive any updates and hence will remain excluded from this new UI endowment. One more bad news is that it looks like the Kurara will not have an USB port. That means yet another phone with the proprietary port. It is called a Universal Serial Bus for a reason you know.

After the initial leak, the phone got a new set of photos where its size was put into perspective by propping it up against a beverage can. The close up of the device further confirms the HD imprint on the back of the device.

Whether these leaks are hurting SE’s development cycle can only be speculated about. It did look like the company was hurried into announcing the X10. Since they are going to bring it out way after the holiday season, there was no reason to make it official so soon. They could’ve taken their time and sprung a more finished product on us.

But our expectations tend to get pretty wild with such continuous leaks and that can hurt the product instead of help it. So companies are always forced to taken some kind of measures to curb the unreasonable expectations. Apple seems to have done that by intentionally hinting at things about the tablet without really leaking anything. So SE perhaps thought it best to let everyone know what they were doing, set an ETA and then get back to working on it. All in all, this year’s WMC is shaping up to be a promising one device-wise.

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So here we have some of the more high profile Snapdragon phones that are coming our way.

HTC HD2

After that big a whispering campaign courtesy of the leaks and the high anticipation during the launch, there is no way you can forget this mobile phone. Arguably the first device to bring the processor to the limelight, this is the phone that in a way started it all.

If you are not too impressed by the 4.3inch screen, then you might be impressed by the custom UI made by HTC. The UI has been demoed on video and it looks really great and responsive. The acceleration, the transitions and the rendering – all look smooth and fast. That is definitely where the Snapdragon shines its brightest.

But the phone might fail to generate the traction and sales that it deserves simply because of its platform. It is a Windows Mobile device and it runs Windows Mobile 6.5 underneath that great UI. What that means is a (ridiculously) low number of apps and low third party interest, which again translates to a not-so-good user experience when compared to the fast-moving Android or the trend-setting iPhone OS.

HTC Dragon/ Passion [?]

This was rumored to be the Android version of the HD2 but now it has been (almost) ID’d as the new HTC Passion. This would be more like a CDMA version of the HTC Dragon, which is a GSM phone. It has also been revealed that the HTC Passion is heading for Verizon and we could be seeing it in the flesh metal by the end of this year. Well, if they want to sell something this year they have to bring it out before Christmas.

But if this phone does materialize, this would be another Android phone that will be jostling for space at the top rung of things. Now that we have the Droid and the X10, this would likely become the third super-specc’d Android phone. [read]

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10

If you still do not know about the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10, you are clearly not coming out from underneath your rock often enough. The XEPRIA X10 was leaked and discussed frenetically before it was finally unveiled on November 3^rd.

It features a custom UI on top of Android and it is know as the ‘Open OS’. The features to be highlighted are the Timescape and Mediascape features, that give you smarter ways to stay connected with your contacts, communications and media. If you want a hands-on review of a pre-production unit, you can check out this post. Over all, Sony Ericsson has something that is pretty sleek and stylish. If they can deliver on their promises (Timescape and Mediascape), this might become THE Android phone to get. Hopefully it will be up to Android 2.0 when they finally get around to selling this phone in the first half of next year.

Acer Liquid A1

Acer’s Liquid A1 is the company’s venture into Android smartphone field and it has so far received a lukewarm response at best. After announcing the Snapdragon processor and the Android OS base, it became the first phone to bring those two together.

However, as we have seen and heard from the folks who got their hands on the device  – Acer is clearly lacking on the UI development. Plus, the physical design of the phone leaves much space for improvement. Acer’s inexperience in the smartphone category shows through too clearly for this to be a compelling device. Sorry Acer but it looks like you need to step up your game here. [read]

Unnamed Nokia Smartphone For AT&T

Nokia is rumored to be making a new smartphone for AT&T that will be powered by Snapdragon. It is not the N900 and it is something that will be up against the likes of the Droid, the HD2 and the X10. This is a little sliver of a rumor, so more details are currently unavailable. [read]

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Yes people, say hello to Sony Ericsson’s first ever Android phone – the XPERIA X10. Not named X3 after all and thankfully not Rachael, the X10 is exactly what we have all been hoping for. And since this is Sony, you can expect stellar aesthetics and build quality.

Update: Found a hands on video. Embedded below.

Update 2: UK Unlocked price – £460 on pre order. [read]

When I refreshed the page today, I knew the X10 was here because it started redirecting me to a complicated URL that looked like a product page. Sure enough, I saw the X10’s name pop up on the title bar moments before the page became visible. The photos that we have been showing you so far have been absolutely accurate, down to the last details. It looks like Sony has been sitting on the finalized version for quite some time now.

So what is it like in person? I wouldn’t know because I haven’t gotten my hands on it yet but on the surface of it, the thing’s a stunner. The screen is 480×854 pixels (WVGA) but for some reason, it displays only only16,536 colors.

As for the form factor, the thing is pretty thin – only half an inch. The dimensions are 4.7”x2.5”x0.5”. So you can imagine how large the phone is. It is almost like an MID in your pocket. A rather slim one at that. The actual screen size has not been provided individually but according to my calculations it should be around 4.0″-4.1”. The online stores are listing this as a 4″ screen. Now that is a large screen!

Features include a capacitive touchscreen, the impressive Mediascape media browser that reminds us of the Zune HD’s UI and face recognition in photos integrated with your contacts. It has an 8.1-megapixel camera with auto focus, face recognition, flash, smile-detection and video recording with video light. Most of the Sony Ericsson phones that I have seen and reviewed have had above average image quality when came to the camera. So I would bet on this one being a pretty good camera as well.

As we had been informed by the rumor mill, the infinity symbol is part of the X10’s UI. It signifies the Timescape feature. Timescape is a feature that consolidates your conversations and communications with a person. Be it on Facebook, text, phone or email, you can view them all in one place per person using Timescape. I personally like this feature because it sounds like something we all need. I hope it has threaded SMS conversations. Given the myriad communication platforms we use today, features like this one are fast becoming necessities. Although, I am not sure of how well Timescape works. If you have tried it out, let me know in the comments section below.

For those of you who were hoping for a physical QWERTY keypad – sorry to disappoint you. As I had mentioned in my X10 round up some time back, there is no way this thing is hiding a QWERTY keypad in that slim a profile. And the images would’ve shown it off anyway, given the amount of excitement that surrounded this phone.

As for the overall performance of the phone, I will be betting on the side of great rather than just good. That is my confidence in Android, which this phone is running beneath all that custom UI.

The Internal memory is 1GB minus whatever the software is taking up (not announced yet). You can put in a MicroSD card, which come in a maximum of 16GB right now. They include a 8GB card when you purchase it.

Networks supported are – GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900,            UMTS/HSPA 900/1700/2100. It has aGPS, Bluetooth A2DP, Google Maps and WiFi. No word on the processor, although we are pretty sure that it is the Qualcomm Snapdragon. The clock speed is unknown at this point though.

As for price, I could find only one website through Google. It has the X10 listed at $799. Check out the search right here. the official product page is here.

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Just about a day ahead of the big launch, a video showing off the XPERIA’s media capabilities was leaked. Seems like it will pose a definite threat to the iPhone. It looks a lot like the Zune HD’s UI and no one thnks it is a coincidence. Still, even that is a good thing because the Zune HD is another device that dare threatens Apple’s supremacy. Over all, I am tempted, very.

Do check out the XPERIA X3/Rachael rumor round up while you wait for SE to release the thing already.

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So you know, the fact that we are almost completely skipping the X2 in our minds is probably a really good thing. We get to ignore the flashy, not-so-useful phone and get to something that will be as powerful as the HD2 (Snapdragon FTW) and will be running a mobile OS that is leagues ahead of the Windows Mobile OS that is found on the XPERIA X2.

Yes, I am talking about the XPERIA X3/Rachael/X10 – basically the next full touchscreen phone in the XPERIA line by Sony Ericsson. It is rumored to be powered by the industry’s current favorite powerhouse – the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. And SE has itself declared that the next XPERIA may not be running Windows Mobile. In corporate speak, that is almost like saying “well, we don’t want to raise your expectations but we too are tired of Windows Mobile.”

There was this leak early in July this year that raised the issue and called our attention to this mysterious SE phone that didn’t look like any of the current phones. Not fully anyway. Those who leaked it said that the internal code name is Rachael. The photos showed a sleek phone with a minimalist face – a dead giveaway that the entire focus is on the touchscreen even if they don’t show you the side. [read]

There was that leaked live image too. That was pretty interesting. That showed us that the phone is further in the development cycle than we thought it was. [read]

So far, we know very little about the device but we do have some pictures as you can see. These were leaked thanks to a prematurely posted expansys product page. That is also the source from which we get the specifications of the phone. Here’s what we know so far: -

Display – 4”, touchscreen, capacitive, WVGA (800×480)

Camera – 8 megapixel, autofocus, LED flash, image stabilizers, smile and face detection

Networks – Quadband GSM/EDGE/GPRS, HSPA/HSUPA (900/2100 MHz)

Connectivity – Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi b/g, aGPS

OS – Android (probably 2.0/Eclair), Custom UI

Processor – Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz

Colors – Full black exterior and full white exterior (from the photos)

[read]

Okay, so may be we know a bit too much for something that has not been made official yet.

The expansys page was obviously taken down after that. And then we had the UI demoed for us. The UI definitely looks like a custom job and it does look like it is Android. The focus of the UI is mainly online communication and networking, which are major parts of what we do with our phones these days. The other major part is talking to a person over the cellular network, that obsolete thing that we still do. [read]

Initial reports pegged it at January 2010 but that was probably an estimate because now we have this suspicious looking product launch page that has the mysterious stylized infinity symbol and talks about something magical. This was announced just a day back and the Internet is buzzing with it. [read]

The infinity symbol is (believed to be) associated with the custom in-house UI that we saw in the video earlier. And hence, we all think that this upcoming event is going to be the official launch of Rachael/X3/X10. In the meantime, we have another leak and this is purported to be the brochure of the device. It does feature the Snapdragon but then anyone can print something out and take a grainy video of it. So take these things with a nice helping of salt. [read]

Update: Sony has posted a teaser video for the November 3 event. Check it out.

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That’s bad for the environment either way as you end up with two different phone chargers or two similar ones as they are always sold with cell phones. It is also bad if you need to recharge the battery of your cell phone at a friends house only to find out that the phone charger is not compatible with your cell phone.

Cell phone suppliers like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Apple, Motorola and LG have agreed to produce cell phones that are compatible with standard charging devices in Europe. First cell phones are expected next year which is expected to reduce the waste that phone chargers produce each year. About 180 million cell phones are sold in Europe each year which also means the same amount of phone chargers.

According to the New York Times only data-enabled phones (which will account for about 50% of all cell phones sold in 2010) will be compatible with the new chargers which are in the beginning sold with the cell phones. Plans are to remove the cell phone chargers later on and sell them separately. It is likely that other countries will join the initiative.

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Microsoft Phone Data Manager is not a full blown backup solution like the software that comes from the mobile phone company directly which can backup data like sms, games or protocols. It is a beta product on the other hand that could see those features implemented in later versions.

The major advantage of using the Phone Data Manager is that it works with phones from different mobile phone manufacturers. That is handy for a family that possesses different phones but only one computer and basically everyone else who is using phones from different cell phone manufacturers.

The list of working mobiles include phones from Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. About 30 mobiles in total are listed on that page that have been tested and are working with the Microsoft Phone Data Manager but there are also a few that are not working. Most cell phone owners will probably have to try and find it out for themselves if their mobile phone is not listed on that page.

Microsoft has posted a user guide on their website that walks the user through the process of installing and working with the Phone Data Manager.

It supports and can identify bluetooth and usb cable connections. While it lacks on features it could be a viable alternative for users with multiple phones from different manufacturers.

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I was surprised that a very effective way of dealing with mobile phone theft was already available. All of the applications that I took a look at support sending a SMS whenever the SIM card of the mobile gets changed. The SMS will contain information about the new phone number and, depending on the software and phone, other relevant information like GPS coordinates.

This makes it very easy to track down your mobile phone with the help of law enforcement agencies who simply contact the phone company asking them to reveal name and address of the person behind the new phone number.

Most anti-theft software is not free unfortunately and I was only able to find two free ones that unfortunately work only on selected mobile phones:

mGuard

mGuard is a anti-theft software for Sony Ericsson phones and provides a way to send an SMS to another mobile phone whenever the SIM card gets changed. It operates silently in the background and it should be very hard to spot. Even if the thief spots the application the SMS has already been send out.

Guardian

Guardian is a advanced anti-theft software for Symbian S60 devices. It starts automatically when the mobile phone is turned on and checks the SIM card in the process. A SMS will be send containing information about the new phone number, GSM cell ID, country ID and current network). The current user will not be notified about the SMS and it will not appear in the logs or send SMS folders.

Guardian will automatically switch to invisible mode when a SIM card is entered that is not authorized which makes it impossible to access the application. It also comes with a hard reset protection that protects the application when the user performs a hard reset which basically means a return to the default phone settings. (works 90% of the time according to the developers)

Users who donate money to the project, from €3 to €500 get a few extra features. The remote control plugins sound very interesting. Once an unauthorized SIM card has been placed in the phone it is possible to send remote commands to the phone to

• Recover your sms and your Phonebook’s contacts from your stolen mobile
• Gain informations about the thief, monitoring his activities like sent and received sms, incoming and outgoing calls, phonebooks contacts added
• Track the movements of your mobile, using the gsm cell-id localization
• Protect your Privacy deleting contents from your stolen mobile (sms, contacts, images, videos, audios)
• Lock your Phone or your SIM to avoid anyone using it

This version can also store up to ten different SIM cards that are authorized which is great if you happen to change SIM cards every now and then.

Guardian is a pretty sophisticated tool and I would definitely recommend to donate to get the additional features.

Now of any other free tools for mobile phones that add anti-theft protections to them ? Let me know about them please.

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Two download options are available. You can either download the Skype for your mobile client directly by using your mobile phone or by downloading it to your computer first and transferring it afterwards to the phone. My Nokia N73 is not currently supported but shown as coming soon which means I cannot try the application yet.

You do get access to your Skype contacts which means you see when a contact is online. Chat is supported as well as calling contacts and other phone numbers. This is in the beta limited to the following countries: Brazil, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Poland, Sweden and UK. Anyone can receive calls however which makes this client useful even if you cannot use it to call others yet.

You pay the normal national or local rate if you want to call Skype contacts and an additional Skype-out fee to your destination. This does only make sense if you make international calls. If you receive calls on your mobile phone with Skype for your mobile installed you pay the Skype-out charge for a mobile call in your country.

Add to those the data rate charges of the phone operator. Skype is giving an example:

A person with 20 contacts, who’s online for 1 hour, IMs for 10 minutes and has a 20 minute call each day will use about 1MB of data per month. The more data you use, the higher your charges may be.

I first thought this was a bit low but then I realized that the phone calls do not seem to use any data.

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I tried to delete the icon by selecting it and hitting Del and was puzzled that the file was still on my desktop afterwards. Right-clicking the icon revealed that many menu entries were missing. There was no way to delete the file or take a look at the properties. Moving the icon into the recycle bin had no effect as well.

After some frantic researching on the internet I found a way to delete the icon directly in the registry. The icon – and many others – is located in the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\. The key was {A5110426-177D-4e08-AB3F-785F10B4439C} but could be different for your icon. All I had to do was to delete the complete key (starting with A5..) and restart the computer afterwards.

Finally, after restarting the computer, the icon was no longer on my desktop. Hope this helps everyone else who is having troubles with the Sony Ericsson icon or icons from other companies.

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