Smartphones tend towards having large screens. It makes sense, really. If you are keen on Web browsing, a bigger, higher resolution screen is better than a small one. If you want to stream video or watch it stored locally, ditto. And even if you are interested in mobile email, the more words you can see on screen at once, the better.

But there is currently a trend for packing smartphone functions into smaller handsets, the theory being that not everyone has the desire for, or pocket space for, a large screened mobile.

Sony Ericsson has come up with a superb take on the idea of a small format smartphone. At first glance it seems simply too tiny to be of any use at all. A 2.25-inch screen really isn't large enough for Web browsing.

But it is plenty big enough for a whole host of things, and such is the appeal of the Xperia X10 mini that arguably many users will be happy to forego the activities that do demand a big display, or simply learn to make the most of them on the smaller screen.

One problem that most people will have to face on this small screen is dealing with text entry. There is not the space for a full QWERTY keyboard, so you have to use a standard number-pad style system. It works well enough, just don't expect to break any texting speed records.

At 83 x 50 x 16mm and weighing 88g, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is an extremely easy handset to pocket. The build quality is good: this feels like a solidly made phone. We aren't sure we like the curved back that is a feature of the Xperia range, though. It means the handset rocks around on the desk and we really don't find it helps the ergonomics of holding the phone at all, so it is a negative for us.

The main specifications are strong. The Xperia X10 mini is 3G, it has built-in Wi-Fi and GPS, and it offers a 5-megapixel main camera. This little lot is let down somewhat by the fact that Sony Ericsson has opted for version 1.6 of the Android operating system. However, a little redemption comes in the skin that has been put on top of it.

Sony Ericsson calls its main skinning innovation Corner Control. There are customisable shortcuts to four applications in the corners of the main screen. Put there they take away very little of the screen area, and don't distract the eye at all from the centre of the screen, which is where the main information content is presented.

This is a handset with multiple home screens, up to seven of them. Like any Android handset you can put widgets on the home screens. But the screen here is small, and so the limit is one widget per screen. As you add more, new home screens pop up till you reach the limit of seven. A flick upwards on the main home screen takes you to the full applications menu.

Sony Ericsson has resurrected its Timescape application, which first saw the light of day on the original Xperia X10. It brings together Facebook messages, tweets and missed calls in one place. You flick through a timeline to find out who said what. We didn't really take to it first time round and aren't fans here, but using it is not compulsory.

Just like any other Android handset, you can add to the built-in apps via the Android Market, and you get a reasonable array to start off with including Google Maps, an FM radio and YouTube client.

Verdict
You really do have to see the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini to believe that it is a viable size. Of course there are compromises dictated by the small screen, but apart from the obvious error of limiting the handset to Android 1.6, Sony Ericsson has done an excellent job with this phone.

Company: Sony Ericsson

Contact: 08705 237 237

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