Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 to soft-launch on Rogers on June 9

While it certainly has been a while, the long wait for the Sonly Ericsson XPERIA X1 to finally hit the Canadian market may be over soon.

It’s not surprising that Rogers will be offering it in Canada as it was part of their leaked 2009 line-up, but only Q2-Q3 was listed as its release date.

Now we’ve got a more definite date to look forward to as Rogers will be soft-launching this long overdue Sony Ericsson smartphone nationwide on June 9. It was noted, however, that only stores with consistent high data sales will participate in this soft-launch. Rogers is planning to roll this out in all stores by June 30. The exact retail price of the XPERIA X1 isn’t known yet, but it was mentioned that it could be offered with an introductory price of either $249.99 or $299.99 on a 3-yr contract. Contract-free pricing is expected to range between $649 and $749.

If the numerous products that have been launched since Sony Ericsson first introduced the XPERIA X1 have already made you forget what the fuss is all about with this one, this is the company’s first QWERTY-equipped slider and Windows Mobile powered device that features their new Panels interface.

Unfortunately, due to manufacturing delays and other problems, Sony Ericsson couldn’t capitalize on the XPERIA X1’s hype while it was still hot. It was a very compelling and promising device when it was first unveiled to the public, but as with most mobile phones, its novelty quickly faded.

The question now is: does the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 still interest you guys, or are you planning to just get the HTC Magic instead?

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