Earlier in the year we published a review of the Xperia X1, an eagerly-anticipated touchscreen smartphone from the people at Sony Ericsson, stating that it was slated for release sometime late this year.
Well, late this year is upon us, and the Xperia X1 looks to be hitting Sony Style stores on November 28 (just in time for the holidays) selling for $799 unlocked.
The strange thing about this rollout, however, is that the device comes with no carrier.
Buyers benefit in that they can choose which carrier to use, rather than being locked in to Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, etc.
But Sony Ericsson loses in that they won’t benefit from the major marketing push and widespread distribution a wireless carrier provides its smartphones. That is no doubt why the price tag for this device is so high.
Sony Ericsson is hoping that potential users will be willing to pay a premium for receiving the X1 unlocked.
This week Barcelona, Spain hosted the 2008 GSMA Mobile World Congress. One of the highlights of the international conference, as always, was the unveiling of several new smartphones, among the top contenders for leading spots in this year's marketplace, the following:
the HTC P3470 - a GSM mobile phone running Windows Mobile 6 with the TomTom Navigator 6 built in;
the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 - a touch screen smartphone with 100 adjustable panels poised to become the iPhone biggest competitor this year;
Also announced was the first mobile phone processor from Nvidia, world leading maker of visual computing, graphics processor technologies. The new technology, dubbed APX 2500, is - as you might expect - designed for handheld devices with multimedia capabilities.
Stay tuned here throughout the year for reviews of the above-mentioned products and many more of the latest and greatest new releases debuted at the event.
Music lovers rejoice! Because now you can listen to the music on your smartphone through your FM radio without the need for any extraneous external devices.
Whether it's downloaded tunes stored in your smartphone's memory or streaming internet radio you prefer, smartphone makers like world leader Nokia are now integrating FM transmitters into their handheld devices, allowing users to enjoy all the music they love over their home stereos and - best of all for you commuters out there - car radios.
One of the first smartphones to be built with an integrated FM transmitter is the Nokia N78, though many more are sure to follow in its pioneering footsteps.
Sure, those Belkin FM transmitters are nice, but who really wants to deal with all that bulky and cumbersome extra gadgetry when you can get it all built in to your favorite mobile device?
Of course, if it's actual FM radio stations you seek through your smartphone, there are also obliging products like the Sony Ericsson P1i.
We're all used to the typical promotion where you get a free cell phone in exchange for signing up for a set period of service. So it should come as no surprise that the same phenomenon has begun with the product representing the evolution of the cell phone - the smartphone.
CNET reported today on the Samsung BlackJack II being offered for free on Buy.com for anyone signing up for a two-year AT&T contract. While not the fastest or easiest phone to use, the Samsung BlackJack II nonetheless has some impressive qualities, including:
a GPS
a 2- megapixel camera
and AT&T HSPDA network support
Researching this phenomenon further, I found that Buy.com actually offers several smart phones for free with activation, including:
From here, I checked into how commonly this phenomenon occurred at competing cell phone and smart phone vendors and found that everybody's doing it. In addition to more of the aforementioned brand names, I also found all sorts of other smartphones (such as Sony Ericsson, Nextel, and Nokia) offered for free by all the major carriers:
AT&T (and the former Cingular)
Verizon
T-Mobile
and Sprint
Now there's a way that people on a limited budget can still afford to get a smartphone of their own (though maybe not the latest and greatest model), just by signing up for the wireless service they're going to need to get anyway.
To boot, most of the participating smartphone vendors will even throw in free shipping with the deal.
With such great deals flooding the net, and every phone manufacturer and wireless carrier competing for your hard-earned dollar, we may soon see the day when you never have to pay to obtain a smartphone again.
