The Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 is a very important release for both the mobile world in general and Sony Ericsson in particular. It could herald the re-emergence of this manufacturer as a leading light in the smartphone market. Alternatively, it could prove to be just another Windows Mobile smartphone that shows its manufacturers struggling to overcome the limitations of the platform with a unique interface solution.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 is well presented and stylish enough to avoid visual obscurity. It has a black and silver body, with the emphasis on black, although when you slide the screen sideways to reveal the QWERTY keypad, silver is dominant once more. The keypad itself is a welcome addition and whilst each key is relatively small, the pad is angled and the spacing around the keys makes typing easier than on some of the larger smartphones with this feature.

The strongest offering of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 is the interface. Sony Ericsson has developed its very own navigation style called ‘Panels’. This is, in a sense, like having multiple home screens which you can view simultaneously. It also allows you to run several applications at the same time and swap between menus easily. The biggest problem with other Windows Mobile handsets is the poor interface and menu systems, but the X2 should hopefully circumvent all of the previous issues.

Because the Panels idea is totally unique, Sony Ericsson is having to work with app developers in order to create apps which will fit into this environment without too much bother. They have also developed the technology to retro-fit existing apps with Panels compatibility, so you should not see a shortage of useful programs that integrate seamlessly into the X2s interface.

The Windows Mobile platform allows for some useful apps and compatibility right out of the box, including scaled-down versions of popular office programs such as Word and Excel. The X2 should also have good email and web support and there are always going to be developers looking to build useful apps for such a common platform. Much of the promotional material surrounding the X2 seems to hint at its prowess as a mobile gaming machine and while judgement will have to be reserved until after it is launched, Sony Ericsson could do with a smartphone that also appeals to the youth market.

Getting to grips with all of the functions will require use of the 3.2 inch touch sensitive display. While not the largest in its class, it is high resolution and so suitable for web browsing, media playback and menu use whist maintaining the cutting-edge look that Sony Ericsson is aiming for. To get you connected, the X2 has built in GPS, Wi-Fi and a 3.5G network connection, which in any phone of this type should really be considered a mandatory inclusion. Sony Ericsson has also boasted of a 6 hour 3G talk time from a full charge, though obviously real-life results will vary depending on your levels of personal use.

A particularly impressive feature of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 is the 8.1 megapixel camera. This trumps most other phones of this kind, though it is let down slightly by the lack of a decent flash, so users will have to make do with only average low light performance. The X2 will cope with any video or audio file that you throw at it, even though this is not a phone with a multimedia-centred ethos. Pleasingly, there is also a full 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 will be available in the UK on Vodafone from November 2009, with Windows Mobile 6.5 pre-installed.