One of the best deals you can find for the Xperia X8 comes from T-Mobile UK. The major mobile network is including the CardioTrainer app pre-installed and includes a free armband as well. Fitness buffs would love to get the X8 since it has a compact feature and can be easily carried when you jog or go to the gym. The inclusion of the armband only makes the deal more irresistible.

A lot has been happening in the Xperia line in the past week due to the CES 2011. With new models being unveiled and planned to be released in the coming days it is easy to overlook the older models. Here’s something that should interest you if you are looking for an Xperia X8.  Three UK is now offering the Xperia X8 for only £99. The black version of this Android phone is the one being offered and the deal already comes with a PAYG top up of £10.

Despite all the uproar about Sony Ericsson’s flagship Xperia handset having an outdated OS when it launched with Android 1.6 and when the company released Android 2.1, when 2.3 was just around the corner, the company have announced that they will not update the Xperia X10, X10 Mini, X10 Mini Pro, or Xperia X8 past Android 2.1. Sony Ericsson have already come under fire for the delay of Android 2.1 on the handset and several petitions were started online asking Sony Ericsson to skip Android 2.1 and go straight to 2.2. This wasn’t to happen though, as 2.2 aka Froyo, will not be making it’s way to the Xperia X10 range of handsets. For the US particularly, this has given the handset a minimal lifespan, consisting of less than 6 months. Unfortunately, Sony Ericsson don’t see it this way. They have promised further minor updates to the handset, such as the multi touch update, coming sometime this quarter but, the Android version will not be going any higher.

Virgin Mobile, one of UK’s leading mobile carriers, announced that they will be releasing a limited edition red and black Xperia X8 on January 1, 2011. The unit which will be available exclusively for Virgin subscribers is available for free with their £10 plan. This plan comes with 50 minutes of voice calls, 250 text messages and a data cap of 500 MB. There are no details yet on how long the contract period would be but I’m guessing there would be a 24 month lock-in period. This is actually a great deal coming from Virgin Mobile and Sony Ericsson and will definitely increase the number of Xperia X8 models in the UK.

For some, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 has been available for a couple of months now, however South Africa haven’t received the handset which, according to Sonja Shear, Sony Ericsson’s market unit head, was due to the “result of global constraints on the product”. The delay in the handset arriving in South Africa however, does mean that Sony Ericsson will ship the Xperia X8 with Android 2.1, which has recently been released for the X8, instead of the very outdated Android 1.6. This is something many consumers felt Sony Ericsson should have done any way.