Yes it may be made out of cheap plastic but that doesn’t mean this phone isn’t a looker. The XPERIA Arc from Sony Ericsson is one of the rare Android 2.3 Gingerbread-ready phones in the local market today (the other one being the HTC Desire S). This is an “Acceptance Unit” which simply means that it is, like us, waiting for someone to accept us for who we really are.
OK seriously, more photos after the jump.
Not all phones are created equal, especially when it comes to finding device drivers for the Macintosh. If you’re running a Sony Ericsson or Nokia phone you may have an easier time finding licensed plugins to sync your phone with Apple’s iSync app.
If you’re on a Nokia, all you need to do is head on over to their corporate website and download the appropriate device driver that unpacks to iSync depending on your phone’s brand. It’s really easy to install. If the phone isn’t listed, you will need to wait a few days. Nokia always releases a new update whenever a new phone is released.
However if you own other brands and want to use a third party sync tool, you can check out Mactomster. This iSync plugin also supports a number of S40 phones from Nokia. Here is a list of devices they support, taken from their site:
Nokia iSync-PlugIns for 10.4 Tiger & 10.5 Leopard
* N-Series: N75, N76, N77, N78, N81, N81 8GB, N82, N92, N93i, N95, N95 8GB, N96
* E-Series: E50, E51, E60, E61i, E65, E66, E70, E71, E90
* Series40: 2600 Classic, 2630, 2760, 3109 Classic, 3110 Classic, 3120 Classic, 3500 Classic, 5000, 5200, 5220 XpressMusic, 5300, 5310 XpressMusic, 5610 XpressMusic, 6085, 6125, 6151, 6233, 6234, 6263, 6288, 6300, 6300i, 6301, 6500 Classic, 6500 Slide, 6555, 6555d, 7280, 7373, 7390, 7500 Prism, 7710, 7900 Prism, 8600 Luna, 8800 Arte, 8800 Sapphire Arte
* Series60: 3250, 5320 XpressMusic, 5500, 5700, 6110 Navigator, 6120 classic, 6220 Classic, 6290
* Series80: 9300, 9500 Communicator
SonyEricsson iSync-PlugIns for 10.4 Tiger & 10.5 Leopard
* C-Series: C702, C902, C905
* F-Series: F305
* G-Series: G502
* K-Series: K320i, K330i, K510i, K530i, K550i, K630i, K660i, K770i, K810i, K850i
* P-Series: P1i
* S-Series: S302i, S500i
* T-Series: T650
* V-Series: V630i, V640i
* W-Series: W310i, W350i, W380i, W580i, W610i, W660i, W700i, W710i, W880i, W890i, W910i, W960i (!), W980i
* Z-Series: Z310i, Z550i, Z555i, Z710i, Z770i, Z780i
Samsung iSync-PlugIns 10.5 Leopard
* D-Serie: SGH-D520, SGH-D520, SGH-D800, SGH-D820, SGH-D830, SGH-D840, SGH-D880, SGH-D900i
* E-Serie: SGH-250, SGH-E390, SGH-E530, SGH-E620, SGH-E720, SGH-E730, SGH-E770, SGH-E900
* F-Serie: SGH-F300, SGH-F480, SGH-F490 (V)
* G-Serie: SGH-G800
* i-Serie: SGH-i520, SGH-i550, SGH-i560
* P-Serie: SGH-P300, SGH-P310
* U-Serie: SGH-U700, SGH-U900
* X-Serie: SGH-X700, SGH-X800 Serene, SGH-X828, SGH-X830
* Z-Serie: SGH-Z150, SGH-Z370, SGH-Z630
Sadly I wasn’t able to take a photo. I was in the middle of a meeting when a friend pulled out a Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1, SE’s latest Windows Mobile enabled device. The phone was smaller than I had anticipated, although heavier than my Nokia N82. It is perhaps the most elegant Windows Mobile devices I’ve ever held, with the slight sexy curve that tilts the screen and keyboard for easier viewing.
The XPERIA X1 is a matured device in the sense that it runs on one of the most popular operating systems (Windows Mobile 6) and yes, it does have a good camera. I got the shock of my life. Perhaps Sony did lend it’s imaging technology to make Windows Mobile imaging a better place.
What I found a little off was the usability of the menu system that was haphazadly inspired by the iPhone and HTC Touch. The menus would move around in a cascade or column but the truth is, I found this to be eye candy than utility, because I’d always end up on the Windows Mobile “Start” screen if I wanted to find something.
The XPERIA X1 is a conversation piece because of its elegant looks. It is also expensive, at above the P40,000 price range, which is typical for the higher end devices powered by Windows Mobile. If you’ve been meaning to upgrade your WM6 smartphone to something more elegant, this may be the device for you. Nice camera too.