Friday, July 23, 2010

big things come in small packages...

I FINALLY got my X10 Mini Pro (currently the smallest Android phone on the market). Thanks to Sony Ericsson's Expo at the Megatrade Hall, I was able to get a hold of one of the first few units that were sold here.

Will give a much more detailed review once I get all the apps and settings done the way I want.

Granted the most annoying thing is that Sony Ericsson went with 1.6 (Donut) and is still "promising" 2.1 (Eclair)... by the time they release 2.1, (FroYo) will be out already.

Ok, initial impressions:
It's REALLY small. But surprisingly, the screen size isn't that much of a hindrance. Coming from using an iPod Touch as my primary PDA, there are a few things to get used to, but going from iOS to Android opens up way more flexibility.

Oddly enough, the Gmail app is the most limiting app on it... allowing only 1 Gmail Account to be registered. Hopefully future software updates of Android will fix this limitation.

Camera is quite decent, 5 megapixels, LED flash. Response time is pretty good, although video recording is a bit slow to start.

Now, onto the keyboard. It's very well built. Keys are well spaced and feel sturdy. For those that surf the web a lot, or blog, the Mini Pro is better than the regular Mini... but if you only check email, facebook, and twitter... and don't type a lot... the Mini is slightly smaller... a whole lot lighter... and comes in more colors.

I'm also very impressed with the GPS reception on the X10 Mini Pro. Granted, I'm impressed that it can get a decent lock for a phone... anyone who really needs a navigation system, please get a Garmin instead.

If anyone has any tips, or questions about the X10 Mini Pro, or Android, please feel free to post it here.

I will be posting a more in depth review on this in the days to come... so stay tuned...

9 comments:

  1. hi. been waiting for the minis for a long time. do you have the prices for both mini and mini pro?

    ReplyDelete
  2. msrp for the mini is P16k & P17k for the mini pro

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  3. Hi, i have an x10 mini pro. As advertised, this unit operates in HSDPA 850/ 2100. I'm a Smart subscriber and smart's HSPA operates at 850 and 2100.Here in my place, the nearby cellsite has an HSPA node w/c operates in 850 but i doubt that my unit can access the 850Mhz band. Can you tell why?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi! Thanks for reading my blog! :)

    Which version of the X10 Mini Pro do you have? The U20i or U20a?
    -------------------------

    There are 2 versions of the X10 Mini Pro, an HSPA 900/2100 (U20i) and an 850/1900/2100 (U20a). Both versions have EDGE on all 4 bands.

    Look at your box on the side with the sticker, you'll see text that says:

    GSM/GPRS/EDGE - 850/900/1800/1900

    UMTS/HSPA bands 1/8

    *The 1 & 8 stand for 2100 & 900 respectively. If yours says 1/2/5, then you SHOULD be able to use the 850 HSPA band, and either your phone has a problem, or Smart's HSPA node isn't working.

    --------------

    The Philippines' GSM network was built primarily over the 900/1800 band, so I'm only assuming that the models brought into the Philippines are the 900/2100 (U20i) international versions.

    The 850 band is extremely rare here (since this is primarily a North America standard, don't ask me why they even bothered with this band here) and is only used for auxiliary services such as Smart's HSPA, but their primary GSM service is based on the 900/1800 band.

    Most HSPA in the Philippines are forced over the 3G WCDMA 2100 band, rather than the lower frequencies which usually just carry EDGE or GPRS.

    Ok, sorry it got a bit technical, but I hope I got to answer your question.

    May I ask a few questions?

    1) How do you know your unit is not accessing the HSPA 850 band? Which app are you using to display CelID connectivity? The one I have doesn't show which frequency I'm using, just the tower ID.

    2) How do you know that Smart has an 850 HSPA node in your area? Do you have a link of area coverage of telco towers? Would love to have it! Hehehehe!

    3) How do you know that the Smart node is even active? (I know telcos sometimes shut off services in low traffic areas to save power)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi,
    How are the games in this phone?
    Have you tried the PS emulator app for android?
    Thanks

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  6. No I haven't tried the PS emulator. But with the screen size, I wouldn't recommend it as a gaming machine

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  7. Hello John, I have a weird problem with a newly bought x10 mini pro. When in camera mode and you press the power/screen lock key, the phone shuts down. I was hoping it would lock the screen. Also, when you take a photo, view the photo and lock the screen, upon unlocking the screen and pressing the arrow key the phone reboots. Is this normal behavior or is this a bug? Will this go away after installing the update or should I just return the phone and ask a for a new unit? Thank you very much.

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  8. Hey Vic, thanks for reading! No, that doesn't sound normal. But do try to install the update first because that is a firmware problem more than a phone defect.

    Have you rooted your phone? What other apps do you have installed? It might be a defective app.

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  9. Thanks for the reply John. The update did not help. I am now on 2.1. Still shuts down and reboot when in camera mode. I will have this replaced.

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