At launch, Sony Xperia X10 will only support 65k colors. Android 1.6 to blame.

Oh the horror. Sony has been teasing us for days on end with Xperia 10 slideshows and videos of a UI that is simply gorgeous and now we come to find out that it’s only capable of 65k colors. Before you get too upset and cancel your date with Rachel, you must know that this is a limitation with Android 1.6 that is scheduled to ship on the device at launch — not the hardware itself. The OS simply can’t make use of all the hardware stuffed under the X10′s hood.

There is hope. Android 2.0 bumps up color support to 16m (Like the Droid) meaning happier, richer images. For now we don’t even have a release date for the X10 let alone any news on 2.0 updates. Thankfully we have some relief that Android 2.0 is in fact coming to the X10. At a recent Q&A meeting, Global Marketing Manager for the Xperia X10, Sumit Malhotra, said that the X10 will evolve to Android 2.0 over time. I sure do hope over time means they’re working on it now! I’d much rather wait a few extra weeks and even a month for Sony to cease development on 1.6 and start working on making the X10, Rachel, and 2.0 all get along in digital dreamland.

I know that the difference in colors isn’t exactly noticeable outright without something to compare it to. Still it saddens me just a tad that Sony is spinning their wheels working with outdated software on a piece of hardware that simply begs for more. Then again, we all know Verizon did strike an exclusive deal with Google to be the short term, exclusive provider of Android 2.0. Think that has anything to do with it?

Phandroid

Sony Xperia X3 X10 “Infinity” coming out party goes down November 3rd.

The Sony Xperia X3 is so far my favorite device leading into the end of the year. While the X1 and X2 were pretty sweet devices, the fact that it was running WinMo pretty much killed it for me. However, with Android and a tweaked UI dubbed “Rachel” coming on the X3, this latest Sony device has got my attention front and center. Hmm, now about that X3 moniker, well, not even a couple a days ago, the X3 became the X10. Why skip so many numbers? No idea. Not exactly sure what kool-aid Sony is sipping on. Whatever flavor it is, they really need to back off as the just renamed X10 has been giving yet another name to go by. Though this time, the name is actually somewhat presentable. Ladies and gents I introduce the Sony Xperia X3 X10 “Infinity”.

The new name is a big step up from the cryptic and stupid letter/number combo that so many manufacturers fall victim to. At the same time, the Sony Xperia Infinity isn’t a name that is so far “out there” as to draw criticism and become the butt of jokes. We could spend forever going over the few specs and pictures we’ve already seen, or we can wait until November 3rd for it all to go down. My vote is for some new hotness sometime mid-week next week. You?

Phandroid

Sony Xperia X3 gets unboxed!

One of the most lusted after Android handsets on many Android fans’ lists is that of the Sony Xperia X3. While the X2 is still brand spanking new and not even available yet, the X3 brings in a much nicer looking and functional Android core, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and that much hyped “Rachel UI” that have many second guessing their current phone of choice. So far, the unverified specs for the X3 include:

• 4″ WVGA display

• 1GHz Snapdragon processor

• Android Donut

• 8.1 megapixel camera w/ LED flash

Definitely a looker and one that has my eye for sure. But no one wants to see a bunch of text right now. They want pictures! And pictures there are. Come on in.