http://www.bncxe.org/ en Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:09:00 GMT vBulletin 60 http://bncxe.org/images/andromeda/misc/rss.jpg http://www.bncxe.org/ http://www.bncxe.org/showthread.php?t=42005&goto=newpost Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:16:15 GMT My SE X10 Mini Review Part One

I'll start off the review by stating my initial conclusion of the phone, and then expounding on each point later.

I'm very satisfied with the unit, but I do have some issues with it, all of it related to the the software (the X10 Mini is using Android version 1.6). Some Android users will find some features to be lacking from the unit, while first time Android users will find the experience to be less than what it should be (though they won't necessarily know what's missing).

The issues aren't necessarily a "showstopper", though they do result in a "lesser" experience than what I have been the HTC Hero. I guess that sort of thing always comes up when you switch to a new model, or manufacturer.

I will be making some comparisons of the software with the HTC Hero (using Android version 1.5), which I feel has the superior Android integration than the one Sony Ericsson has at the moment.

On a positive note, I think the unit is a great engineering feat. In terms of the hardware, the unit is really, really good overall.

'Chinese Keyboard Space Bar Issue'
The first major issue I have the phone, is the chinese keyboard, which is the default keyboard that came with the unit. What the keyboard does, is relegate the space bar on the second level of the keypad, meaning to access it, you need to press a button, then press the space bar, then press a button again to go back to the alphanumeric keypad.

Highly irritating, and slows texting down to a crawl. The problem is, you can't disable the damn keyboard, nor can you uninstall it. However, there is a solution, thanks to the "interwebs", which I found on this link: http://talk.sonyericsson.com/thread/...1922C8DE.node0

If you encounter the same problem with your unit, the solution is relatively simple, once you know it. Go to "Messages", and then long press on the text box (the box where text is inputted). Some options will then show, then press "Input", and choose "Default Keyboard", which will then use the standard alphanumeric keyboard (with the space bar on the correct place) as the default keyboard.

'Social Networking Linking to Contacts'
On the HTC Hero's Android software, there is a section on the "Settings" page named "Social Networking". This allows you to link your contacts to your Facebook and Twitter sites. When you activate this feature, it allows you to have the option to link each contact to your FB and Twitter contacts when you go to them later.

The software will then download the pictures, status, etc. automatically into each contact. This is one main feature of Android which I really like, but it is not present on SE's version of the Android.

They instead have an alternative called "Timescape". With Timescape, you can link your contacts to your Facebook account individually, but only if they update their FB account. If they don't update their FB status, then you cannot link it to your contacts.

To explain "Timescape", it basically consolidates all your communications (i.e., SMS, E-mail, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) into one software, presented in a nice, "Aero-style", or "floating" board per message, which you can then flick easily up or down. Here is a video on Youtube about using Timescape: YouTube- Using Timescape on Xperia™ X10 mini
Though you can choose to sort or filter only by SMS, or Facebook, etc. the updates, I still find it to be cluttered with too much information. I prefer the separate widgets for the SMS, Twitter, etc. found on the HTC Hero.

Overall, I consider "Timescape" to be a poorer alternative to the HTC Hero's Android version when it comes to linking your contacts to the social networking sites.

'Sony Ericsson's Version of the Android'
Aside from the one above, there are also other subtle differences to Android that SE has introduced to the phone, at least compared to the HTC Hero. I don't think the differences are there because of the difference in software versions, I feel they are more like customizations that SE introduced into the unit with respect to the Android OS.

For example, the widgets page only allows one widget per page. This is good for large widgets that cover the whole screen, but superfluous for small widgets, like a simple Bluetooth toggle, for example. You end up with having too much space around one small widget.

Also with the widgets: The available stock widgets on the phone are limited, so you need to rely on the Android Market (AM) to get them. For example, no stock weather widget. There are, of course, gorgeous widgets from the AM, but you need to download it. The HTC Hero has a stock, animated, "HD" widget for weather.

Another is that I noticed the available software on the Android market seems to be a lot less. It seems that the softwares are screened to show only those applicable to the unit. For example, when I type "Bluetooth" on the Android Market when I search for it on the HTC Hero, I would get a couple of hundred hits. With the X10, I got only around 50.

One thing that I miss, are the options when you type a word. On the HTC Hero, as you type a word, you are shown a couple of word options horizontally above the word you are typing. You then only have to select the correct word to complete it. It results in faster and more convenient inputting of text into the unit.

Here is a Youtube video showing this feature: YouTube- htc hero keyboard test
This feature is not present on the X10 Mini. The word prediction software shows you a word, but you need to push a "down" button beside the word to show the other word options, which is a lot slower than on the HTC Hero.

(To be continued) ]]> Reviews rhk111 http://www.bncxe.org/showthread.php?t=42005