More and more cell phones appear in the market as shrunk-down versions of other mobiles that have been launched earlier. The Nokia N97 Mini is just one example of this, the HTC HD Mini will be another. In a few weeks, Sony Ericsson will also ship the Xperia X10 Mini Pro smartphone to stores in Germany, which is a small version of the Android smartphone Xperia X10. The Xperia X10 Mini Pro runs on Android 1.6 and has a physical slide-out QWERTY keyboard for heavy texters which makes it well-suited for using Google web services, social networks and messaging functions on the way. The new mini smartphone by Sony Ericsson will be available in Germany for a purchase price of EUR 349.00 without contract.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro, Pictures: Phone Guide Germany

One of the key findings of my review of this smartphone are its user friendliness and its many possibilities to personalize the phone – despite the small size of the smartphone: With 90 x 52 x 17 millimeters it fits into your palm and it can either be used one-handed or with two hands. It is quite easy to type in longer emails, messages or other kinds of text with the four-row QWERTY keyboard of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro. The tiny keys are well distinguishable and have a good pressure point. The small, scratch resistant touchscreen is very responsive and the screen automatically rotates to landscape mode when the device is turned sideways.

In the four corners of the display, the UX user interface designed by the handset manufacturer offers several shortcuts for certain features or applications the user can select. There are several homescreens with one widget each between which the user can scroll by finger swipes. Two important features of the UX user interface are the “Timescape” and “Mediascape” functions which integrate all communication channels for each contact into one view (Timescape) or show additional information and content of artists on the phone or on the Play Now Arena (Mediascape). These two features can be activated by tipping on the virtual infinite button on the touchscreen.

Naturally, Google web services such as Search, Maps, Mail, Talk and Youtube are installed on the Android smartphone. Emails, contacts and calendar entries will be synchronized automatically with the Google server when the mobile phone is connected to the internet. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro does also support Microsoft Exchange Activesync. Additional applications can be downloaded from the Play Now Arena of Sony Ericsson or the app store Android Market. Sony Ericsson says, there will eventually also be an upgrade from Android 1.6 to 2.1 for users of the Xperia X10 Mini Pro.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro supports data transfers with GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and HSPA speed with up to 7.2 mbps (download) and 5.76 mbps (upload). It also supports WiFi for accessing the internet at hotspots. Other features are a 5-megapixel autofocus camera, a media player with Bluetooth stereo sound and a 3.5-millimeter headset jack, an FM radio, an integrated GPS receiver for location based services and a expansion slot for MicroSD cards with up to 16 GB.

Product Summary of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro:
Processor: Qualcomm MSM7227 with 600 MHz
Operating System: Android 1.6 with UX user interface
GSM Networks: 850, 900, 1,800, 1,900 MHz
Data Transfer: GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA 7.2 mbps, HSUPA 5.76 mbps, WiFi (b/g)
Connectivity: Bluetooth (A2DP), USB
Screen: 2.55-inch TFT-touchscreen with 240 x 320 pixels resolution and 16.7 million colors
Keyboard: QWERTY
Camera: 5-megapixel with autofocus
Other: media player with 3.5-mm headset jack, A-GPS
Storage: 128 MB + 16 GB MicroSD
Size: 90 x 52 x 17 mm
Weight: 120 g
Speaking Time: 4 hrs (GSM) or 3.5 hrs (UMTS)

Read more about the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro at www.teltarif.de (in German).