Image courtesy of Phones4U.

Sony Ericsson isn’t exactly sitting pretty on top of the cell phone world at this point in time, but they aren’t down in the doldrums to accompany Motorola either. They’re tucked away safely in the middle, but I am pretty sure that Sony Ericsson executives can’t wait to hit the jackpot with one of their handsets - better sooner than later, of course. The Sony Ericsson X1 Xperia could be a potential winner here, creating plenty of buzz when it was announced back in February this year. The long wait (well, anything more than half a year in the world of technology is just too long, especially when the device is extremely desirable) will soon be over as it will be available in retail stores across the UK within one month from now. No idea on pricing though, but it looks set to be on the high end of the spectrum. More on the specifications and features of the X1 Xperia right after the jump.

Check out the features as shown below and get a Kleenex, since you’ll probably be wiping a fair bit of drool once you’re done.

• 256MB RAM
• 400MB internal memory
• 512MB storage memory
• 3″ TFT touch screen display
• Arc Sliding QWERTY keyboard
• 3.15 megapixel camera
• A-GPS
• Handwriting recognition
• Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system
• Office Mobile and Outlook mobile
• 3G and Video calling capability
• Wi-Fi connectivity

This feature packed smartphone not only looks good, it ought to keep just about anyone happy. The Arc sliding QWERTY keyboard might seem familiar to some, that’s because it is similar to that of the HTC Tytn. Good to know that you have a decent keyboard to compose your text messages, emails as well as long Office documents while you’re out of the office without suffering from any serious thumb cramps. When not in use, just slide the QWERTY keyboard back in and you’re good to go with a sleek-looking smartphone, ready to wow all and sundry who lay their eyes on it.

This might sound like a business handset from the specifications, but it also functions as a recreational device equally well. The 3.15 megapixel camera isn’t anything to shout about, since it doesn’t carry a well-known lens as found on other Sony Ericsson Cybershot models or Nokia’s N Series, but it ought to do a decent enough job when capturing impromptu moments - just make sure the subject is not moving about too quickly and there is ample light in the immediate vicinity. In addition, the X1 comes with a dedicated video chip that enables it to record video at 30 fps, capturing near DVD quality memories for posterity.

Do you happen to need to remain connected at all times, whether you’re at home, at the office or out from both places? The X1 Xperia is more than able to satisfy your lust for Internet connectivity, thanks to the Wi-fi capability which lets you leech off free wireless hotspots in a jiffy, while the HSUPA capability makes sure you get the best connection possible no matter where you are (dependant on the signal strength and coverage area, of course). It would be ideal to get an unlimited data account with the X1 Xperia if you plan to take advantage of its HSUPA connectivity, since we all know mobile data charges do add up to an insane amount if left unchecked on a pay-per-use basis.

As for the user interface, the highly customizable 9 panel interface makes it a snap to navigate through a plethora of applications, and good thing the X1 Xperia is no slouch when it comes to processing power, allowing you to run multiple applications simultaneously without suffering from any lag or slowdown. If you are looking to upgrade your smartphone experience, would you choose this over the iPhone 3G? After all, the user interface here might not live up to Apple’s iPhone experience, but it is definitely much more dummy-proof compared to a plain Jane Windows Mobile 6.1 system.

Source: Dial a Phone.