Now that Android has scored winning goals with the release of the HTC Desire and Google Nexus One- it seems manufacturers have set themselves the task of packing the power into even tinier form factors.( Kind of like Ronaldo- he’s tiny)

Expansys have issued a press release announcing that they are going to be stocking the forthcoming Htc Wildfire ( The “mini me” HTC Desire) as well as the Sony X10 Mini ( the “mini me” Sony x10 funnily enough) Both Handsets fall into the pocket friendly category sporting mini QVGA capacitive screens. 

The only drawback when it comes to QVGA screens, is that currently App developers need to set up their app to support the screen size.  Hopefully with the looming increase in handsets of this size, the number of apps should also swell to support it. (Developers get coding now!)

For more information on the HTC Wildfire- feel free to check out our HTC Wildfire preview here. 

With Motorola releasing their MOTO Flipout, also coming into the market soon, it definitely looks like small is beautiful when it comes to smart phones at the moment.  Both the Motorola Flipout and HTC Wildfire will support the new Android 2.1 release, with the Sony Ericsson, left languishing on old Android 1.6 at least until the end of the year.

Given that the vast majority of Android phones will be on Android 2.1 before the end of the month, and as a result more new apps will be released for Android 2+, I am not sure why manufacturers aren’t speeding up their upgrades.  This fact along will make me suggest pre-ordering the HTC Wildfire or Motorola Flipout whilst waiting for Sony too play catch up.

Here are a breakdown of the specs for each phone confirmed by Expansys :

Following on from their larger 4” screen counterparts, HTC’s Desire and the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, both the HTC Wildfire and Sony Ericsson X10 mini manage to pack in a whole raft of similar features including the 5MP camera with LED flash, but in a more condensed offering.

Key Sony Ericsson X10 mini features include

• Android 1.6
• Dimensions 83mm (L) x 50mm (W) x 16mm (T) / 88g (Weight)
• 600Mhz Processor
• Standby Battery Time: 360 hrs
• 240 x 320 pixels, 2.5" Capacitive Screen
• Camera: 5 mega-pixels (auto-focus) with LED Flash
• FM Radio (RDS)
• 3.5mm Audio Connector
• Quadband
• GPS
• Digital Compass
• Office Document and PDF Viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Key HTC Wildfire features include:( link to expansys page here)

• Android 2.1
• Dimensions 106.75mm (L) x 60.4mm (W) x 11.99mm (T) / 118g (Weight)
• 528Mhz Processor
• 690hrs Standby Battery Time:
• 240 x 320 pixels 3.2" Capacitive Display
• 5 mega-pixel (auto-focus) Camera with LED Flash
• FM Radio
• 512 MB (internal)/microSDHC (memory card)
• Quadband
• 3.5mm Audio Connector
• AGPS
• Sensors including Accelerometer, Proximity and Light Sensor
• Office Document and PDF Viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

eXpansys offering the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini SIM free and unlocked for £249.99 while the HTC Wildfire is available for £234.99- however if you opt for a new contract with Vodafone you will be able to get both free.

More information on the Sony X10 mini can be found on the Expansys Page here

More information on the HTC Widlfire can be found on HTC’s Page and the HTC Wildfire Expansys page

Related posts:

1. Xperia family getting bigger and smaller