Sony Ericsson launches world's smallest Android smartphones

MANILA, Philippines - Sony Ericsson has announced that it is releasing the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini and X10 mini pro, touted as the world’s smallest Android smartphones, in the Philippines this month.

The Xperia X10 mini has dimensions of 3.2 by 1.9 by .63 inches, while the X10 mini pro with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard is 3.5 by 2.05 by .67 inches. Both are approximately the size of a credit card, but are bursting with numerous features.

As Google Android smartphones, the duo can be customized with directly downloadable applications from Android Market.

Both phones have a 2.55-inch, scratch-resistant TFT touch screen supporting over 16 million colors. 

Their five-megapixel camera for stills and video comes with auto focus, geo tagging, photo and video light and the Sony Ericsson album application, a feature that organizes image files.

Their user experience platform was specifically designed for a smaller form factor with a one-hand touch experience. Users can quickly access their most used and favorite applications through a unique and customizable four-corner user interface.

Sony Ericsson says the phones are true compact versions of the highly popular Xperia X10. The Xperia X10, which made a solid global debut earlier this year, was Sony Ericsson’s first smartphone in the Android platform. It has since become one of the company’s bestsellers, and has been recorded as Japan’s top-selling smartphone.

The new Xperia X10 mini and X10 mini pro both feature the Sony Ericsson signature application Timescape, which brings all communication together in one place. 

Users will be able to see Facebook and Twitter updates, text messages and missed calls from a specific contact. By organizing communication events this way, one can easily choose how to respond.

The phones specifically support Facebook status updates from friends, friend’s photo, inbox messages and friend requests. For Twitter, users will see tweets from people they are following, tweet replies and direct messages. Incoming SMS and MMS messages and missed phone calls can also be easily viewed.

Like the popular X10, the X10 mini and X10 mini pro have an infinite button for Timescape and for the interactive music player. The music player uses the infinite button to find music content related to the artist one is listening to by searching YouTube, and an online music store.

“The Xperia X10 mini and X10 mini pro are aimed at consumers who live for today rather than tomorrow and use their phones as much for show as for communication. They target the consumers who want a compact phone but do not want to compromise on rich communication entertainment experiences,” says Dennis Manzano, Sony Ericsson general manager.

The X10 mini will be available in black, pearl white, lime, pink, red and silver, while the X10 mini pro will be in black and red. 

The phones will be available in Sony Ericsson Experience Shops and authorized dealers nationwide this month.