Those of you that saw the teaser site already knew exactly what Sony Ericsson was launching today: the XPERIA X10. What you ay not have known is that Sony Style would be selling the gadgets with subsidy from AT&T, although we here at DroidDog had a pretty good idea last November. Then again, I was just a tad skeptical of the September launch rumored a few days ago.

Regardless of the chain of events that brought us here, the X10 is finally available for pre-order from Sony Style for $129.99 on contract with AT&T. I’m not finding an official ship date at the Sony Style site, so perhaps mid-September is the window, but the official press release (added at the bottom of this post) specifies August 15th, as well as a $149.99 price point, as opposed to the $129.99 at Sony Style. One thing missing from the “General Overview” section of the product page is what version of Android the phone will be running. 2.1 is the general consensus.

AT&T and Sony Ericsson Announce the Xperia™ X10

Smart meets entertaining – Sony Ericsson’s flagship Android smartphone offers an open and integrated world of communication, entertainment and social media

DALLAS and ATLANTA, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — AT&T* and Sony Ericsson today announced a dynamic multimedia experience with the Android™ based Xperia™ X10, available August 15. The Xperia™ X10 introduces Sony Ericsson’s unique and entertainment-driven Xperia™ platform to U.S. customers in a cutting-edge, beautiful and fun package.

The Xperia™ X10 comes fully loaded with a 4-inch crystal clear touch display, superfast 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a GPS. The smartphone also features an 8.1 megapixel camera with smile detection, face recognition, autofocus and LED flash. The device comes with 8 GB of on-board memory and a 2 GB in-box memory card, with expandable memory up to 32 GB.

Sony Ericsson’s custom user experience is great for the intersection of communications and entertainment. Two signature applications, Mediascape and Timescape™, build on the Android platform to enhance the experience for users.

Mediascape on the Xperia ™ X10 gathers music, photos, videos and content from your phone’s memory card and online, letting you browse, search, listen and share your media from one unified view. For example, view photos taken on the device as well as your Facebook® and Picasa™ web albums. Or, when listening to a favorite song on your phone, press Sony Ericsson’s infinite button to access related content about the artist pulled from the phone’s memory as well as albums, songs and video content from YouTube™ and search results from Google.

Timescape™ is a unique communication application that automatically organizes social interactions in chronological order, leaving users free to concentrate on keeping in touch on-the-go. From Facebook® and Twitter® updates to photos, emails and text messages, a scrolling menu offers easy viewing and organization of all communications. Additionally, tap the Timescape™ infinite button to bring up and view all communications from a single person in a single place.

“Sony Ericsson has created a unique choice for our smartphone customers looking for a fun and smart device,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets.

“Sony Ericsson is raising the bar for entertainment-rich phones with the launch of the Xperia ™ X10,” said Paul Hamnett, senior vice president, Sony Ericsson North America. “With the convergence of our user experience platform and the Android OS, we are bringing consumers a smartphone experience that is not only exciting, but also very refined. Following the successful global launch of the Xperia™ X10, we are pleased to partner with AT&T to launch this phone in the U.S. market.”

Pricing and Availability

The Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10 smartphone will be available in black at AT&T stores, authorized retailers and www.wireless.att.com on August 15 for $149.99 after a two-year service agreement and minimum smartphone data plan.

Via Sony Style

Today Sony Ericsson officially announced the X8 – a device that fills the tiny gap in between the X10 and X10 Mini models. The X8 was previously leaked with the title, Shakira, and sexiness is a strong point. Available flavors of the phone, reported to sell for a little over $300, are: White, Dark Blue/ White, Aqua Blue/ White, Pink/ White, and Silver/ White. Physical design and software appearance have been the primary selling points for the company’s Androids, which currently run version 1.6 of the operating system. The outdated software has been one of the primary detractors for potential customers, but SE also announced today that their XPERIA Androids (”in select markets”) will see 2.1 in the third quarter of the year rather then the fourth, as was previously planned. The update will bring new features to the X10, such as the ability to view content from a users television on the device.

The X8 features a 3″ screen and 3.2MP cam, powered by a 600 MHz processor. It will launches in Q3.

Press Release:

Sony Ericsson delivers the most entertaining smartphones

· Sony Ericsson brings together the very best of communication and entertainment in its Xperia™ collection

· The Xperia™ X10, X10 mini and X10 mini pro will all receive software upgrades from Q3 onwards in selected markets. Additional features to be added to the X10 in Q4.

· The Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X8 extends the range of the most entertaining smartphones

Singapore – June 16, 2010 – Xperia™ brings consumers the best communication and entertainment experiences, delivered in a collection of smartphones to give consumers choice in size and style.

The Xperia™ X10, X10 mini and X10 mini pro smartphones will all receive software upgrades during their lifecycle to improve performance and add new communication and entertainment experiences. From Q3 2010 onwards, the Xperia™ X10, X10 mini and X10 mini pro smartphones will be upgraded to run on the Android 2.1 operating system in selected markets. The Xperia™ X10’s position as the best multimedia Android smartphone will be strengthened through the addition of HD video recording as part of the same Q3 upgrade. A further upgrade to the Xperia™ X10 in Q4 will make it possible to connect wirelessly to and display content on your television and enhance the Timescape™ and Mediascape applications.

Xperia™ smartphones add best-in-class entertainment on top of smartphone fundamentals such as applications (apps), maps, email and fast internet connection to create the most entertaining smartphones. The Xperia™ X10 is the flagship of the Xperia™ collection and has an 8.1 megapixel camera and 4-inch screen for best in class multimedia creation and viewing. Signature applications such as Mediascape and Timescape™ help you to organise content and bring your multimedia and communication alive.

In addition to features and applications, design is essential to the entertainment experience. Sony Ericsson’s human curvature design philosophy is applied across the portfolio to package the technology into products that look and feel great. Using design innovation, Sony Ericsson makes the Xperia™ smartphones available with a choice of size and style.

Steve Walker, Head of Product Marketing at Sony Ericsson, commented, “Sony Ericsson’s vision is to be the communication entertainment brand. We are focusing strongly on the smartphone market and specifically on creating the most entertaining smartphones. Sony Ericsson is uniquely positioned to do this thanks to our experience in creating Walkman and Cybershot phones and the strong collaboration with our parent company Sony.”

Today Sony Ericsson announces the Xperia™ X8, which will build on the success of the X10 and the mini products and extend the most entertaining smartphones collection to an even broader audience.

Introducing the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X8

The Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X8 is a great entertainment smartphone that extends the appeal of the Xperia™ collection to new market segments. The user interface is similar to that of the Xperia™ X10 mini, with the four-corners that give easy one hand use and can be customised for one touch access to your favourite applications. The Xperia™ X8 also includes Timescape™ for easy access to all your social networking and the infinite button for one click access to a world of content. The open Android operating system delivers great smartphone functionality and access to thousands of applications on Android Market™. Timo Maassmann, Product Marketing Manager for XperiaTM X8, said, “We are delighted to be able to bring the full experience of our XperiaTM smartphones to new consumers by delivering a fully featured device at a more accessible price point.”

The Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X8 is perfect for enjoying multimedia entertainment. Whether it’s a game from the Android Market™, the latest funny clips on YouTube™ or browsing the web, the 3-inch screen means you won’t miss a thing. Discover and download songs from PlayNow™, then listen to all your music using the 3.5mm headphone jack. If you are feeling more creative, there’s a 3.2 MP camera and video recording functionality.

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X8 – Key features

· Four corners for easy one hand use and one touch access to applications

· Customise the four corners with your favourite apps and add widgets to your homescreens

· Enjoy games, video, internet and more on the 3-inch screen

· Timescape™ shows all your communication in one place for ultimate simplicity

· Android Market™ – thousands of applications to keep you entertained

· 3.2 MP camera – snap away and upload instantly to Facebook™

The XPERIA™ X8 supports GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, UMTS HSPA 900/2100 and UMTS HSPA 800/850/1900/2100

The XPERIA™ X8 will be available in selected markets from Q3 in the colours White, Dark Blue/ White, Aqua Blue/ White, Pink/ White, Silver/ White.

Log on to The Sony Ericsson Product Blog for more information: http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/products

Via SlashGear

While we in the States don’t have any specific, reliable information on the X10 launch on our side of the boarder, Canadians just got a shot of news that will force a decision for many a fence sitter. The phone – apparently along with all of the bugs we’ve seen in review units – will reportedly launch on Rogers Wireless on April 15th for $149.99 on a three-year contract and $549.99 outright. Those are Canadian dolars but the exchange rate is pretty even right now, for those US readers looking to import and run the phone on AT&T’s 3G. Personally, I would say wait to see what happens with bug fixes and possibly even Android 2.1 before ordering from another country at full price.

Via Android in Canada

Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X10 has been taking a bit of a beating in tech blogs lately for various reasons, the primary one being that the software doesn’t seem to have improved all that much since an ill conceived luncheon presser in New York that left virtually all attendees wondering why on Earth they were allowed to test a phone so far from being ready for consumer release. While the launch seemed far away at the moment, it’s right on top of us now (at least for UK readers), and it’s a bit disappointing to tap a key on the virtual QWERTY to see it change colors but not register, or to tap around the homescreen with no reaction for a few seconds and then have the wrong item selected. We are told that these issues will be resolved – that software updates will address the problems. I certainly hope so, because it would be a damn shame for a company like Sony Ericsson – who is known for elegant hard and software – to watch a flagship sink on their maiden Android voyage.

UPDATE: HTC’s Desire is also free on a similar contract, but with 1200 minutes!

While we still don’t have any details on the American release, we know exactly what customers will be paying to get their hands on the phone on T-Mobile across the pond: nothing. That is, on a two-year contract at £35.00 a month ($currently around $52) for 900 minutes and 500 texts, the phone is included. That’s a comforting price point. Considering what SE handsets usually run, I’ve been a bit worried about the X10. I realize I’m running pre-release software, but I just couldn’t see justification for the numbers people have been tossing around, generally between $800 and $900. OUCH! Perhaps this is an indication of what to expect stateside.