| Sony Ericsson releases Xperia X1 SDK |
Sep. 04, 2008
 Sony Ericsson announced a free SDK (software development kit) for its first Windows Mobile-based smartphone, the Xperia X1. The "Sony Ericsson Beta SDK for Windows Mobile 6.1" includes a device emulator, and tools for creating "Xperia panels," the company says.
(Click here for a larger view of Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1)
Sony Ericsson's first Windows Mobile device, the Xperia X1, was first announced in February. Shown above and below, it features an 800 x 480 display, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and an optical joystick.
Sony's Xperia X1 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard
The Xperia X1 is based on Qualcomm's MSM7201A chipset, with a CPU clocked at 528MHz. Other features include WiFi, GPS, and a 3.2 megapixel camera. For more details, see our earlier coverage, here.
Originally said to be available "during the second half of 2008," the X1 is apparently experiencing something of a protracted gestation period. One reason -- potentially addressed by this week's announcement -- may be that Sony Ericsson wants to ensure third-party support for the phone's "Xperia panels" feature.
Xperia panels are described by the company as "Windows Mobile applications that extend the Today Screen API [application programming interface] in order to provide a full-screen immersive experience." The finger-operable panels can be arranged by a phone's user at will. Reportedly, as many as nine of them can be placed on the X1's screen simultaneously, allowing their contents to be viewed via live thumbnails.
The Xperia X1 panels are full-screen applications that can also be displayed via live thumbnails
The default Xperia panels supplied with the X1 are said to include:- Sony Ericsson -- provides news, weather, finance, world clock, and shortcuts to communication and applications
- Media Experience -- allows playing multimedia files
- Slideshow -- delivers a slideshow of recently taken videos and photos
- Microsoft Today -- the actual Microsoft Today screen
- 3D Fish -- a fish tank with 3D fishes, intended to showcase the 3D features of the phone
- FM Radio -- for accessing the device's FM radio
- Google -- provides access to Google services
The "Sony Ericsson Beta SDK for Windows Mobile 6.1" released this week is a set of tools, Visual Studio plug-ins, and documentation that will let developers create, test, and debug their own Xperia panels, according to the company. Permitting development of both "native" panels and those written in HTML, the SDK supports C, C++, HTML, and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), says Sony Ericsson.
The Xperia X1 SDK includes the following, according to the company:- An Xperia X1 device emulator that runs on Windows desktop PCs
- Visual Studio templates, for both native and HTML panels, that create basic project containers and preliminary items
- Developers' guidelines, with overviews, setup information, and walk throughs
- An API reference guide
- Tutorials
- Sample projects
Further information
According to Sony Ericsson, the Xperia X1 is now set for release during the fourth quarter of 2008. Meanwhile, the Russian website Smape.com recently obtained a sample of the device for testing. Claiming that the X1 is actually manufactured by HTC, reviewer Dmitry Ryabinin criticizes its keyboard and anticipated high price, but calls it "a balanced solution, one of the best in its class." To read his review, visit the Smape.com website, here.
The Sony Ericsson Beta SDK for Windows Mobile 6.1 is available now from the company's developer website, here. A 9.1MB download, it is said to require the Windows Mobile 6 Professional SDK and Visual Studio 2005, Service Pack 1.
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