Vodafone adds to Android line-up with X10 Mini and Wildfire

The X10 Mini ships with Android 1.6

Vodafone has strengthened its Android-based smartphone range with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini and the HTC Wildfire.

The X10 Mini, available now, is "smaller than a credit card" and comes with a 2.5in, 240 x 320 pixel QVGA touch screen with up to 16GB of storage via MicroSD cards.

The smartphone will ship with the outdated Android 1.6, but Sony Ericsson said in a blog post that the operating system will be upgradeable to Android 2.1 in the fourth quarter of 2010.

This could hinder the success of the device, considering that several Android handsets are already shipping with version 2.1, including the HTC Desire and Motorola Milestone, while Google's Nexus One can be upgraded to the newer 2.2 'Froyo' update.

In an attempt to compensate, Sony Ericsson has made improvements to its TimeScape and MediaScape applications, allowing users to "easily view text messages, missed calls, and Facebook and Twitter updates".

The X10 Mini is available to buy from Vodafone, and is free on a £20 a month, 24-month price plan including 100 minutes, 500 texts and 500MB of mobile data.

Vodafone also plans to offer the HTC Wildfire at the end of the month, which is being marketed as a "compact device" featuring HTC's Sense user interface and Android 2.1.

The Wildfire weighs in at 118g and comes with a 3.2in 240 x 320 resolution QVGA capacitive touch screen with pinch-to-zoom capabilities.

The device features a 5-megapixel camera, an app-sharing feature and HTC's Friend Stream, which brings together content from social networks. The web browser supports full Flash.

UK customers can pre-order the HTC Wildfire, which will be free on a £20 a month, 24-month price plan, including 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB of mobile data.