On paper, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro sounds like it’s living in the past. It runs Android 1.6, but its ingenious custom interface more than makes up for this, as we found out when we took a pre-production model for a spin. Read on for more.

Verdict — Sony Ericsson’s Android enhancements have improved leaps and bounds since the original X10: this is a quicker, more seamless experience, and well worth a look

We love — Smart and speedy Android additions that you’ll genuinely use every day

We hate — A few features have been dropped in the transition from the larger Xperia X10

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The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro is stuffed to the gills with smart software additions. From the highly-tuned UX interface to the Android operating system lurking underneath, Sony Ericsson has done wonders with its diminutive handset. More impressive still, it’s made every single smartphone feature usable despite the X10 Mini Pro’s tiny screen.

The secret to Sony Ericsson’s success is the most inspired X10 Mini Pro enhancement: hot corners, giving one-touch access to common features with a simple jab where any of the phone screen’s edges meet.

Those hot corners are customisable and, more importantly, easily reached with a thumb, making this one of the few Android mobiles that’s possible to use one-handed.

More after the break..

Hot corners are far from the only enhancement though. Sony Ericsson has re-worked the most important Android apps to make the most of its limited screen space. The browser has had a tweak, and now features more refined menu options — still thumb-friendly — while taking up less space.

Even the notepad and calendar are refined, with the former producing large thumbnails of each note, pinned to a virtual corkboard.

Lastly, there are Sony Ericsson’s flagship software additions: Timescape and Mediascape. Last seen on the full-size Xperia X10, they offer one-touch access to all your contacts’ latest updates and messages, as well as linking your own media collection to wider entertainment sources on the web.

Both work very well, even on the small screen. Timescape has been slightly watered down in its transition to the smaller screen, losing the ability to simply swipe between your different social networking accounts, although it is still possible to refine what’s displayed manually.

Likewise, Mediascape no longer sports a central menu, but rather sits subtly within the X10 Mini Pro’s music player.

All of Sony Ericsson’s enhancements deserve praise. In a rare feat, they’re valuable additions to the standard Android toolkit, a joy to use, and actually faster than their counterparts on the larger Xperia X10.

MORE SONY ERICSSON XPERIA X10 MINI PRO REVIEWS —

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