UK retailer Argos are selling the Xperia X10 Mini for a price of £179.99 on Pay as You Go and what makes it a great deal is that it comes with a free pack of useful accessories valued at £49.97 if purchased separately.

The Xperia X10 Mini comes on the O2 network, on their PAYG tariffs and for £179.99 buyers will receive the X10 handset, a 4GB SanDisk microSDHC memory card (in addition to the 2GB card that should come with the phone as standard), a pack of screen protectors and a Mobile Phone Drive Pack which includes a bluetooth headset, a car charger and a vent holder.

The special offer ends on the 21st of January 2011 so plenty of time to get those free goodies if you are looking for an X10 Mini.

In partnership with China Mobile, Sony Ericsson chief executive Bert Nordberg has announced that they will be releasing the A8i smartphone in the country, its first TD-SCDMA smartphone.

“China is a hugely important market for Sony Ericsson and we are committed to maintaining our strong position and driving growth by continually introducing new and exciting products into this market”

Looking a lot like an Xperia X8, the A8i will use the Android based China Mobile’s Open Mobile System 2.0 and has the following feature list:

3.5 inch (854×480) display

5MP camera (LED flash, auto focus)

WLAN, Bluetooth

200MB internal memory and supports Micro SD cards

3.5mm headphone socket

CNMB mobile TV, A-GPS, eCompass

Tha A8i will also feature TrackID which will be linked to the entertainment download service already provided by China Mobile.

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There are a couple of videos showing how the problem happens, courtesy of the Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog.

It is noted that the low camera resolution at just 3.2MP with no autofocus option is disappointing for what se-first describe as an ‘entry level’ Xperia handset and this is an understandable disappointment as it seems like a step backwards for the range, especially when even the X10 Mini has a 5MP camera to it’s name.

Here are more images from the comparison and hands-on:

More images are available from se-first.com.

We also know the Xperia X8 as the ‘Shakira’ handset which is Sony Ericssons latest smartphone, expected to be released in the fall. The photos show that it is, as predicted, a mid size handset, a mix between the full sized Xperia X10 and Xperia X10 mini in size. Technical details arent confirmed yet, nor is pricing or exact release date information although, specifications are expected to be similar to those of the Xperia X10 Mini.

UK release news for the Xperia X10 Android smartphone has been announced by Vodafone today. The UK carrier have taken their pre order page live on their website and have dated release as the 6th of April.

The handset is available on one of two price plans, both of which include a free X10 handset:

• £35 a month – 900 minutes, unlimited texts, 500mb data + 300 minutes and unlimited landline calls if bought online
• £40 a month – 1200 minutes, unlimited texts, 500mb data + 300 minutes and unlimited landline calls if bought online

Interested UK buyers can take a look at the deals in more detail here on the pre order page.

A handset which looks surprisingly like the Xperia X10 has surfaced through several images. The handset is codenamed Robyn. The handset resembles the X10 in design and features. It also runs on Android and features a touch screen, albeit smaller because it is a mini X10. Robyn also has an impressive camera but, not quite as good as the X10 at 5 megapixels. The handset is currently unannounced by Sony Ericsson. One image shows that Robyn will be available in a variety colors, consisting of white or black, like the X10, as well as being available in yellow and pink. Hopefully an announcement will emerge at the Mobile World Congress event on February 14th.

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