MWC 2009: The top 7 things we wish we took home

Sony Ericsson Idou 12 megapixel camera

There was no XPERIA X2 this year, but as the Sony Ericsson Head of Marketing Lennard Hoornik said, the next XPERIA is only a matter of time and finding the right product. For now, the Sony Ericsson Idou should be enough to keep us busy.

XPERIA or not, the Idou created as much hype as the X1 and got catapulted to the top of the most popular phones in our database.

Sony Ericsson Idou

Not only is it the first 12 megapixel GSM cameraphone, but it's also the first announced device to ever run on the brand new open source Symbian UI that's still being developed by the Symbian Foundation.

The 3.5" qHD touchscreen, GPS and Wi-Fi and the relatively compact size are just an added bonus to an already impressive novelty.

Check out this live video demo of the Sony Ericsson Idou:

Of course, the Sony Ericsson Idou is nowhere near complete - they haven't even come up with a proper model designation yet - Idou is still its code name. The demo units that the Sony Ericsson staff had at the event varied from graphically rich dummy phones to basic early prototypes. Some even argue that it wasn't a 12 megapixel camera sensor on the Idou units that were on display.

Nonetheless, the Sony Ericsson Idou is the first cameraphone to claim ownership of the 12 megapixel mark and even though we are not really into the megapixel race, we can't help but be impressed.

Sony Ericsson Idou - focus on details

We'll have to wait and see though if the Sony Ericsson Idou will actually be the first 12 megapixel cameraphone to hit the market. Much like the XPERIA X1 last year, it may take Sony Ericsson at least half a year to get Idou rolling. Actually, we bet it won't be before October or November that we see an actual retail unit.

Another interesting thing about the Sony Ericsson Idou is the presence of a microSD card slot instead of the regular M2 one. Our first though was that it must be some OEM making the Idou for Sony Ericsson - just as it was for the XPERIA X1.

Then we got word that it's actually the first sign of a major shift to microSD card slots at various levels in the SE portfolio. We are yet to see about that, but our hopes for a universal memory card solution are high.

Related stuff:

Sony Ericsson coverage at MWC 2009