Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 review: Another one in

Typical old school organizer

Windows Mobile offers several time-management features and all of them are a breeze to synchronize with MS Outlook. It offers daily, weekly and monthly view. You can have the week start on either Monday or Sunday. Weekends can be hidden from the Calendar if you use it for business strictly.

As you may have guessed, this entire interface hasn't changed a bit since the dawn of the mobile OS and Sony Ericsson didn't bother to touch it either.

The Windows Mobile Calendar

The To-Do list allows you to add tasks and assign them priority. The Notes also come in handy, as you can either type or directly write the text down on the screen. The Voice recorder and Calculator go without saying.

To-Do list • The Notes app allows handwriting too, as well as QWERTY input • the aging calculator

The Alarm clock has three alarm slots. Each Alarm can have its own repeat pattern. Due to the little customization options in the default Alarms application, we suggest you check out some free third-party alternatives.

A mobile office and applications

Among the other WM core applications is the Office Mobile package featuring support for viewing and editing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. With the latest version of Office Mobile, you also get the OneNote application.

Office Mobile allows viewing and editing Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote files

Thanks to the Adobe Reader LE, there is also support for viewing PDF documents. We are pleased with the performance of the X2 in this area and with the TV-out support and the TV cable in the package, the XPERIA X2 would be ideal to present important docs wherever you like.

Opening PDF documents with Adobe Reader LE

The rest of the apps include MSN Money and Weather, Windows Messenger, a YouTube client and a Search app. All of them are standard Windows Mobile stuff and we won't cover them in detail. You can also find a shortcut to the Windows Marketplace in the Start Menu.

GPS would be better off coupled with a satnav app

The XPERIA X2 features a built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support. The assisted GPS allows for a much faster satellite lock upon cold start thanks to current satellite data downloaded over Wi-Fi or the network.

Unfortunately, there is no navigation software preinstalled on the X2 so you will have to get one at your own expense. Of course, Google Maps comes preinstalled and it had no issues recognizing the receiver. Judging by this, we also reckon using it with a third-party app of your choice will be as easy as pie.

As usual, GPS navigation software is a regional thing and on your local market the XPERIA X2 can be pre-bundled with some sort of satellite navigation, but don't count on it.

WinMo gaming is possible

There are four games onboard the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2. The first two are the all too familiar Windows Mobile Solitare and Bubble Breaker, while the other two are way more interesting.

Bubble Breaker and Solitare

Xtrakt is a very good 3D racer with accelerometer control which is really responsive. Targets are touch optimized, so don't bother taking out the stylus. You can make impressive 3D stunts too using the accelerometer at the appropriate points in the game.

The second preinstalled game on the X2 is Experiment 13, a 3D logical puzzle. You play a professor who needs to collect shining spheres to activate teleport to the next level. No accelerometer control here.

Xtrakt and Experiment 13

Both games run smoothly and feature very nice graphics. We are sure there will be a lot more to come with the new Marketplace.