Sony Ericsson has unveiled its first Android phone, which could represent a new level in multimedia for Google's open-source platform. The catch: The phone won't be out until the first quarter of next year. The company said the phone, called the Xperia X10, introduces a new user experience platform "where communication truly becomes entertainment," and it is part of its "make.believe philosophy" to push new boundaries.

Mediascape, Timescape

New applications in the X10 include Timescape, where all communication with one person can be managed from one place. Communications in Facebook, Twitter, e-mails and text are brought together, and an "infinite button" guides a user through the connections with that individual.

Another new app called Mediascape lets content be accessed from the phone, YouTube and other sources. Mediascape and Timescape can automatically recognize connections between contacts, content and media. As an example, face recognition can identify up to five faces in a photo and connect the image to those people's contacts and communications.

The phone features a four-inch touchscreen with 480x850 resolution, an 8.1-megapixel camera with up to 16x digital zoom and geo-tagging, Bluetooth stereo, GPS, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, and, being Android, a host of Google applications, such as Gmail, Calendar, Maps with Street View, Talk and Voice Search.

The X10 supports GSM GRPS/EDGE and UMTS HSPA, can utilize applications from either the Android Market or Sony Ericsson's Play Now Arena, and is built around a 1-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

'Rather Gorgeous' Music Interface

Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said the X10 seems "terrific" in its described capabilities, but the key problem is that "it won't be out until first quarter" and Sony Ericsson will miss the holiday season.

The company has "had trouble keeping up with the industry," he said, particularly Apple, but also other handset makers. Greengart noted that it's unusual for Sony Ericsson to announce a model like this now -- especially since it steals thunder from the rest of the company's lineup for the holidays. In particular, sales of Sony Ericsson's top model, Satio, could be hurt if buyers decide to wait for the X10, but apparently the company decided it wanted to show it has a media-centric Android device coming up.

The hardware specs are "absolutely off the charts," Greengart noted. Although he hasn't had an opportunity to try one out, he noted that the X10 appears to be "the first Android phone designed specifically for media," including "a rather gorgeous music playback user interface."

But, he added, the X10 is "still at a very early beta stage" and there are industry reports that implementation of its features is "slow." And Greengart noted that, while it now appears to be new and promising, "by the time it gets here, who knows that will be in the market?"