Sony Ericsson's X1 Xperia Smartphone Gets SDK And Final UK Release Date

Sony Ericsson's hotly anticipated X1 Smartphone, which will apparently be released at the beginning of October in UK, US and Germany, received good news as its software developer's kit (SDK) was pushed out of the door.

The SDK, which can be downloaded on Sony's own dev website, will be used by developers to add more functionalities to Windows mobile like the nine touch surfaces that can start a number of applications on the phone.
Why limit it to nine is an unsolved story... The iPhone doesn't even limit the number of surfaces or icons you can access. It is rumoured that the phone will also be an excellent gaming platform, something that should make it a nimble competitor to Sony's own PSP.
The SDK will also come with a useful emulator which will enable developers to build and test those panels straight from their computers (on Windows and using Visual Studio only).
The phone, which is expected to cost nearly GBP 600 unlocked, comes with Windows Mobile 6.1 and a rather large 3-inch touchscreen display and is said to be Sony Ericsson's most promising (only??) answer to Apple's popular iPhone.
Sony Ericsson has had a pretty miserable year with sales of its phones affected by the current credit crunch and the launch of the iPhone. As one of our writers put it, the joint venture appears to be Sleep walking into disaster by launching uninspired products and ended up sacking hundred of employees.