Both QWERTY and PURTY
The 2011 update of last year’s
Xperia X10 mini Pro, this is no standard Smartphone. In fact considering its bundled nature, compact screen, impressive processor and sliding keyboard, it’s difficult to discern who precisely this device is aimed at.
But who am I to judge. Apparently, some like it hot. So it stands to reason some must like it hodgepodge!
But while not as obviously professional as say, a blackberry, or as obviously consumer driven as the iPhone 4S, the
Xperia Mini Pro offers a convenient middle ground, offering the best of both but truly excelling at neither.
Smartphone fundamentals can usually be boiled down into Display, OS and Processor. A decidedly petite device, the
Xperia Mini Pro was never going to lead the market in this regard. However with a 3” Capacitive Touchscreen, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and a 1GHz Snapdragon, all significant improvements on last year’s predecessor, this compact Smartphone has its basics down!
This is just as well because the remaining functionality is so slapdash it’s bound to splinter customer approval.
For example, its GreenHeart rating and nifty 320x480 HVGA Resolution should impress. However its chunky, physical ‘Home’ button might annoy touchscreen enthusiasts.
Similarly Sony Mobile BRAVIA and the DLNA Media Server (which should see you availing of networked devices i.e. PS3, HDTV) will delight videophiles. Unfortunately, these self same aficionados will baulk at the poor performance of its 5MP camera and lacklustre 720p video.
Less likely to divide prospective buyers is the sub-par Wi-Fi reception, buggy firmware and less than stellar 1200mAh battery which requires a daily charge. Nobody’s going to be a fan of that!
Nagging issues aside the Xperia Mini Pro’s appeal is more significant than its stature, thanks in no small part to its Gingerbread OS. Sony Ericsson have complimented this already perfectly customizable OS with their own banded ‘Hot Corners’: Four transparent tiles, customizable with your preferred apps and widgets, fitting a minimum of 16 onto any given homescreen.
Utilizing these is not essential and by emptying these Hot Corners they’ll conveniently disappear when not in use, or overridden by a placed widget. Simply, but supremely effective.
Sony Ericsson are sticking with
Timescape, their own brand of social influx, compiling what’s important from your Facebook, Twitter, MSN and SMS feeds. This may not be to everyone’s taste but Social Network Junkies usually eat what their given.
With only 320MB of storage, there’s not much scope for media of any kind, particularly when roughly 10% of those are soaked up with fairly useless, forgettable apps. Mercifully this space can be freed up by binning them, and there is scope to expand the experience with an SD card slot.
Finally, though small and initially awkward (but in fairness, show me a sliding keyboard which aint) the
Xperia Mini Pro’s effort is admirable, with decently spaced keys on a dark background and white backlight. After extended use, agile digits will crank out far more words per minute than on a capacitive counterpart.
As stated, with excellent fundamentals and a diverse range of functionality, this year’s
Mini Pro makes marked improvements in all the right areas.
And honestly, who isn’t a fan of progress?