Windows Mobile coming soon on Sony Ericsson mobile phones

It has been announced at the Mobile World Congress 2008 that Sony Ericsson will deliver a new Windows Mobile phone based on the Windows Mobile platform from Microsoft.

The new sub-brand from Sony Ericsson is called the XPERIA™ and will release the XPERIA X1 mobile phone sometime in the second half of 2008.

The XPERIA line of mobile phones will be geared towards a multimedia rich experience for both consumers and business users.

“XPERIA is our promise to think foremost about user experience and to deliver on our goal of providing a true premium experience - anytime, anywhere, anything, with anyone,” said Rikko Sakaguchi, head of Portfolio and Proposition at Sony Ericsson. “By working with Microsoft on the XPERIA X1, we have been able to couple our excellence in creating compelling consumer propositions with the productivity capabilities of Windows Mobile to deliver a seamless blend of mobile Web communication and multimedia entertainment within a distinctive design.”

Sony Ericsson is now among the other big names of handset manufacturers that carries the Windows Mobile platform. Samsung, Motorola, HTC and I-mate are among the other manufacturers using the Windows Mobile platform.

The XPERIA X1 features include the following:

• Unique arc slider with wide-pitch, easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard, 3-inch clear wide VGA display and high-quality high-finish metal body
• Windows Mobile, HSDPA/HSUPA and Wi-Fi™ support so customers can enjoy their favorite entertainment and work efficiently on the move
• XPERIA™ panels to navigate Web, multimedia and other applications with the tip of a finger

As we all know, Sony Ericsson also has manufactured Symbian OS (majority owned by Nokia) based mobile phones so it will be interesting to see the effect of such a deal.