The Sony Ericsson XPERIA brand is giving birth to an Android platform monster smartphone with the codename Sony Ericsson Rachel. The Release date in Australia may be late 2009 or the early part of 2010. Rachael’s retail price is still a mystery, but it is competing with the HTC Hero, the iPhone 3G S, as well as the Samsung Galaxy, so it may be in the AU$1,000 range more or less. The Rachael is the first smartphone in the XPERIA line to offer the Google Android platform. It is powered by a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The Rachael also has a MicroSD slot instead of M2 and it is equipped with a mini USB port. The Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon chipset runs at 1 GHz and has 3D graphics, which means that it will be faster than the new Apple iPhone 3G S. The 8.1 megapixel camera with auto focus and flash should keep photo lovers in a state of euphoria and the 3.5mm headphone jack at the top of the phone will make music lovers extremely happy. Rachael’s keyboard is the standard numeric keypad, which is available on the XPERIA X1. We think the phone is too thin to have a sliding keyboard.
What’s New?
The addition of Google’s Android platform and Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon processor puts the Rachael in fine company. Sony Ericsson is planning to run the new 2.0 version of the Android operating system, which will be available at the end of 2009. With Wi-Fi, GPS, 3G and HSDPA connectivity, Rachael can perform and even out perform the other smartphones in her class. The full-touch 4” 800 x 480 pixel WVGA resolution screen is big enough to enjoy all the media features of a Sony Ericsson phone, as well as the 3D graphic features incorporated into the system. The 8.1 megapixel camera is the most powerful model used on any Android handset to date. The HTC Hero and the Samsung Galaxy offer a 5 megapixel camera and the iPhone 3G S has a 3 megapixel model. The Rachael may also have an Adobe flash, but that has not been announced. Snapdragon has some amazing specs; HD Video recording, GPS, Wi-Fi support and broadcast TV are all part of the operating system. The actual dimensions of the Rachael have not been released, but it appears it will not have a sliding QWERTY keyboard.
It’s safe to say that the Rachael, which may be called the XPERIA X5, will have all the features of the XPERIA X1. The Rachael should have the XPERIA panel interface, push email, multiple navigation, RSS feeds, video clips and video calls, as well as handwriting recognition. XPERIA offers easy access to the web, as well as Microsoft Exchange for business applications. These features should be included and may even be updated in the Rachael model.
Conclusion
Speculation can be dangerous, especially when it comes to new smartphone features. The Rachael sounds like it could outperform the Hero, the Galaxy, the 3G S and just about any other smartphone on the market today. Smartphones are personal assistants and they are only as good as user thinks they are, in terms of functionality. Reviewing and rating a new mobile phone is a subjective exercise for the most part. All of them offer features that are useful, although some tend to be impractical. It appears that Rachael will be practical, simple and useful for business as well as for pleasure. We feel that Sony Ericsson has demonstrated the ability to develop smartphones that appeal to a broad customer base. The Rachael is a good example of how quickly mobile phone technology and our perceived needs are advancing.
