Sony Ericsson unveils Android smartphone

Sony Ericsson today officially entered the smartphone market by unveiling an Android-powered phone, joining the wave of new devices recently announced that will be powered by the Google mobile OS.

The X10 smartphone, formerly known by codename Rachel, is powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4-inch wide touch screen, Android 1.6, and includes an 8.1-megapixel camera including LED photo light and autofocus.  Due to its processor, the X10 may turn out to be one of the fastest Android smartphones available, and will use that power to use phone apps from the Sony Ericsson PlayNow store as well as the Android Market.

The Sony X10 will launch in North America and Europe at the start of 2010, and will roll out in additional markets at a later date.

Sony Ericsson has struggled due to its music phones continually losing marketshare to smartphones and other media phones, analysts indicate.  The company’s sales fell a whopping 45% during the third quarter, which is a trend expected to continue if the company didn’t make drastic changes.

I don’t think it’s too late for Sony Ericsson’s entrance into the smartphone market, but it will be extremely difficult for the company to battle the likes of Research In Motion, Apple, HTC and other more established companies.  If Sony Ericsson can quickly learn from their initial smartphone mistakes and make necessary adjustments in future product launches, it should still be able to remain relevant as the smartphone industry continues to explode.

Would you turn down an iPhone or BlackBerry for the Sony Ericsson X10 smartphone?  Why or why not?