Sony Ericsson pins XPERIA delay on Win Mobile

Sony Ericsson today confirmed through talks with Engadget the existence of a delay for the XPERIA X1. A company spokesman at the IFA technology show indicates that the company's first primarily touch-driven phone has moved from its generic launch window in the second half of 2008 to December or potentially January 2009, delaying the launch to almost a year after it was first announced.

Without entering into specific details, the representative specifically attributes the delay to implementing Windows Mobile 6.1. The X1 is Sony Ericsson's first device to use the Microsoft operating system and is different from stock uses of the software through the use of a customized "panel" interface at the top level instead of the default Today screen. It's unclear whether this or the core Windows Mobile framework is the cause.

Multiple demo units at IFA have either crashed or failed entirely, according to the report.

Sony Ericsson has posted significant drops in revenue in recent quarters and for 2008 has repeatedly expressed hope that the X1 would turn around fortunes for its high-end phone business, which has suffered in light of new or improved competition, particularly in Sony Ericsson's European home.

The company has invested in touchscreen devices for longer than competitors such as Apple but until now has relied only on partial control rather than a full touch interface as with the iPhone or LG's Viewty.

Filed under: industry, mobile phones
Other story tags: Windows Mobile, Sony Ericsson, XPERIA