SE X10 mini: a true story of creation
Users of high-tech devices rarely become aware of the history of the creation of a product. Once Eldar Murtazin sometimes writes an exciting story about the creation of Motorola V3i or one of Vertu.
I invite everyone to familiarize themselves with the half-joking history of the creation of the SE X10 mini, which was revealed by an engineer who had a dream on a starry summer night. You will learn about the “people's” communicator, which did not become one without the fault of Sony Ericsson Pureness and Vertu, the world influence of the Ukrainian customs.
In the spring of 2009, Sony Ericsson was confronted with major challenges. An incredible amount of money has been invested in promoting the Xperia X1, which is finally being sold, but, as it turned out, a little more than not at all. Among the rest of the assortment there is not a single iconic model. Any model of the company does not sell well, and sad jokes have even started to circulate among the sales networks that SE phones are now distributed only after being tipped in as a gift to a flash drive to a store buyer. None of the SE devices have such a hunt as for the iPhone of any generation or (most offensively) Samsung Star.
The company's top management is aware of the need for change. New products with a high margin are required, but there is no time for development. In addition, SE recently ordered a rebranding worth of space amount. Unfortunately, the company’s reckoning that the new logo will provoke a new interest in products has failed. And the management realizes: there are no products to confirm the new logo, there are no products to pay for the new logo, there are no products to place the new logo.
Most of all, the company’s pride beats the huge profits received by semi-legal (in the world) Chinese manufacturers. It turns out a paradoxical situation: in China they produce a lot of fakes for iPhone and other phones and distribute them around the world. Without any recognizable trademark and other attributes of the Big Brand, such manufacturers receive significant profits and are popular.
In Aprila party with secret samples of competitors' products was delivered to the central office of the company. It is no secret that all manufacturers vigilantly monitor the planned products of other companies. It is necessary for survival. You don’t have to go far for examples from the recent past: Apple’s missed threat in the form of the iPhone being developed in 2005 cost the company at least 2 years behind its competitors and now the situation is only getting worse. For some time now, special attention has been paid to Chinese manufacturers by industrial espionage departments - both Sony Ericsson and other major players are still feeling a ghostly, but inevitable threat from this side.
But this time something unusual happened. Among product samples, marketers saw a rescue. Looking at the piles of fakes under the iPhone, his eyes fell on the Sciphone N19.
Surprisingly, the company saw huge potential in N19. It turned out that in China the phone is already on sale at retail and costs $ 95-130. The cost of such a device should be close to $ 60. And Sony Ericsson decides to take an unprecedented step - to steal from the Chinese manufacturer the idea and scheme of the device. The company is aware of the incredible risk, but if successful, the sheepskin is worth the candle. At a general meeting, the idea of creating an affordable communicator was approved. The task was simplified by the fact that the schemes of the future apparatus were already on hand: the industrial espionage department already had all the documentation for the Sciphone N19, it only remained to change the case. Head of the mobile phone division reluctantly and under the condition of high secrecy gives the green light to the development of the project.
The following specifications are approved:
Display 2.8 inches, 320x240, touch
Camera 2 megapixels
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
OS-Android 1.5
RAM / ROM: 128/128 Mb
Retail price € 100
The project is called “LKD”
These characteristics are destined to be adjusted many times.
Engineers have begun to create a case; the appearance must definitely be Sony Style.
Designers in India have been commissioned to create new icons for the interface.
At the insistence of the marketing department, adjustments are made to the specification. In the new product, for connecting to a PC, not only a non-standard connector was used (and users negatively relate to the standard one for FastPort), but also a new one for the company, inherited from the original. Recommended to use miniUSB. A 3.5 jack connector should also be provided. Surprisingly, the use of microSD-cards in the Sciphone N19 turned out to be in the hands of SE: users also have a negative attitude to the standard ones for the company MemoryStick.
It was possible to introduce a 3.5 mm connector, but due to the peculiarities of the extra-budgetary design of the original, the headset microphone will be connected to separate contacts - this is the design of the printed circuit board.
It was also decided to use a non-removable battery; this will allow you to hide under the eyes of users marking chips and boards.
Meanwhile, the company is good news. As a result of the inventory at the BMC factory, a large batch of unused camera modules of 5 megapixels was discovered. These modules were purchased at the time for the G900. At one time, this phone became famous as the owner of the most low-quality 5-megapixel camera. It is easy to guess that they did not cost much and therefore will not significantly affect the cost. It was decided to install them in LKD.
In July , the development of SE Pureness is completed. This model is worth playing a role in pricing the X10 mini.
In August, the LKD project overtook the first problems. An incredible flood occurred in the main management building of the company. It is still unclear why the sewer broke through in several places at once. But the fact remains that in the rooms of all the directors the mahogany parquet warped and the oak tables swelled. Huge amounts of money have been thrown into restoring the company's prestige and purchasing tables, fireplaces and handles. It was decided to compensate for the costs by increasing prices for the future X10 mini due to its promise and budget. Price rises to € 135.
Meanwhile, the developers of the case decide to leave only 3 buttons on the front panel and slightly reassign the functions to create a stronger Sony Style. The fourth button will remain hidden under the plastic.
August 28th - Great news from India from the icon-making bureau. It turns out that the design bureau has not just developed new icons. By an incredible mistake, a new device interface was drawn for the company. But the good news is fading into the background: the phone is undergoing a second serious modification. The marketing director decides and reports strictly secretly: a cheap communicator exists to be bought by the poor. For more affluent buyers, there are other expensive models. You should install a screen with a diagonal of 2.6 inches (but capacitive) to curb competition with prestigious models.
However, this is only the beginning of a string of bad news.
On November 13, 2009, the head of the Sony Ericsson mobile phone development division presents his wife with the Sony Ericsson Pureness wedding anniversary. Because of the gift, a great scandal occurs in his family. The wife categorically refuses to use SE Pureness and threatens with a divorce. The way out is to give the Signature Kissho spouse a cost of $ 215,720. Cost compensation falls on future buyers of the X10 mini - a lot of them are provided.
Incredibly good news - enthusiasts for the Sciphone N19 adapted OS Android 1.6. SE immediately transferred the future device to a new version. The estimated importance of such an update allows the price of the device to be raised to € 160.
January 19, 2010.The first closed presentation of the product. The company gathers the most free-thinking, unbiased and independent journalists. Despite all efforts, good reviews cannot be achieved — all experts as one speak of the archaic nature of the device. Nevertheless, unofficial versions of such a reluctance to cover the product are also appearing, Samsung feeds better, entertains more interesting and encourages more. Of course, this version is untrue and only denigrates journalists.
January 24, 2010.The company decides to give a fair journalist a little more time to get to know the device and therefore gives each incorruptible one phone. This not only allows you to get a lot of independent positive reviews but also, given the large number of expensive presentations, makes you raise the retail price to € 220
February 2010.Unbelievable, but it is a fact. Ukrainian customs played a role in setting the world price for devices. It turned out that due to the eruption of a volcano in Iceland, deliveries could not be made by air. The main batch of phones followed by road transit through Ukraine to Europe. At customs, the chief specialist Lyudmila Fedorovna refused to let the goods pass further, citing the fact that the documents indicated low prices. Not accustomed to such a triumph of the Law and justice of the Constitution, the representatives of SE decided to challenge the decisions of Lyudmila Fedorovna - because in the rest of the world (apparently, much less civilized than Ukraine) there were no questions to the documents. Unfortunately, the employees - Grigory Yakovlevich, Victor Filipov, Anatoly Bondarenko and other specialists in their field supported the colleague.
A happy ending. By the summer of 2010, we have a lot of positive reviews about the X10 mini and as many negative reviews about the N19, and sometimes on one site. We have a price for N19 110 $ and X10 mini in the amount of $ 370 (i.e. N19 + N19 + N19). And we have reason to think
I invite everyone to familiarize themselves with the half-joking history of the creation of the SE X10 mini, which was revealed by an engineer who had a dream on a starry summer night. You will learn about the “people's” communicator, which did not become one without the fault of Sony Ericsson Pureness and Vertu, the world influence of the Ukrainian customs.
In the spring of 2009, Sony Ericsson was confronted with major challenges. An incredible amount of money has been invested in promoting the Xperia X1, which is finally being sold, but, as it turned out, a little more than not at all. Among the rest of the assortment there is not a single iconic model. Any model of the company does not sell well, and sad jokes have even started to circulate among the sales networks that SE phones are now distributed only after being tipped in as a gift to a flash drive to a store buyer. None of the SE devices have such a hunt as for the iPhone of any generation or (most offensively) Samsung Star.
The company's top management is aware of the need for change. New products with a high margin are required, but there is no time for development. In addition, SE recently ordered a rebranding worth of space amount. Unfortunately, the company’s reckoning that the new logo will provoke a new interest in products has failed. And the management realizes: there are no products to confirm the new logo, there are no products to pay for the new logo, there are no products to place the new logo.
Most of all, the company’s pride beats the huge profits received by semi-legal (in the world) Chinese manufacturers. It turns out a paradoxical situation: in China they produce a lot of fakes for iPhone and other phones and distribute them around the world. Without any recognizable trademark and other attributes of the Big Brand, such manufacturers receive significant profits and are popular.
In Aprila party with secret samples of competitors' products was delivered to the central office of the company. It is no secret that all manufacturers vigilantly monitor the planned products of other companies. It is necessary for survival. You don’t have to go far for examples from the recent past: Apple’s missed threat in the form of the iPhone being developed in 2005 cost the company at least 2 years behind its competitors and now the situation is only getting worse. For some time now, special attention has been paid to Chinese manufacturers by industrial espionage departments - both Sony Ericsson and other major players are still feeling a ghostly, but inevitable threat from this side.
But this time something unusual happened. Among product samples, marketers saw a rescue. Looking at the piles of fakes under the iPhone, his eyes fell on the Sciphone N19.
Surprisingly, the company saw huge potential in N19. It turned out that in China the phone is already on sale at retail and costs $ 95-130. The cost of such a device should be close to $ 60. And Sony Ericsson decides to take an unprecedented step - to steal from the Chinese manufacturer the idea and scheme of the device. The company is aware of the incredible risk, but if successful, the sheepskin is worth the candle. At a general meeting, the idea of creating an affordable communicator was approved. The task was simplified by the fact that the schemes of the future apparatus were already on hand: the industrial espionage department already had all the documentation for the Sciphone N19, it only remained to change the case. Head of the mobile phone division reluctantly and under the condition of high secrecy gives the green light to the development of the project.
The following specifications are approved:
Display 2.8 inches, 320x240, touch
Camera 2 megapixels
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
OS-Android 1.5
RAM / ROM: 128/128 Mb
Retail price € 100
The project is called “LKD”
These characteristics are destined to be adjusted many times.
Engineers have begun to create a case; the appearance must definitely be Sony Style.
Designers in India have been commissioned to create new icons for the interface.
At the insistence of the marketing department, adjustments are made to the specification. In the new product, for connecting to a PC, not only a non-standard connector was used (and users negatively relate to the standard one for FastPort), but also a new one for the company, inherited from the original. Recommended to use miniUSB. A 3.5 jack connector should also be provided. Surprisingly, the use of microSD-cards in the Sciphone N19 turned out to be in the hands of SE: users also have a negative attitude to the standard ones for the company MemoryStick.
It was possible to introduce a 3.5 mm connector, but due to the peculiarities of the extra-budgetary design of the original, the headset microphone will be connected to separate contacts - this is the design of the printed circuit board.
It was also decided to use a non-removable battery; this will allow you to hide under the eyes of users marking chips and boards.
Meanwhile, the company is good news. As a result of the inventory at the BMC factory, a large batch of unused camera modules of 5 megapixels was discovered. These modules were purchased at the time for the G900. At one time, this phone became famous as the owner of the most low-quality 5-megapixel camera. It is easy to guess that they did not cost much and therefore will not significantly affect the cost. It was decided to install them in LKD.
In July , the development of SE Pureness is completed. This model is worth playing a role in pricing the X10 mini.
In August, the LKD project overtook the first problems. An incredible flood occurred in the main management building of the company. It is still unclear why the sewer broke through in several places at once. But the fact remains that in the rooms of all the directors the mahogany parquet warped and the oak tables swelled. Huge amounts of money have been thrown into restoring the company's prestige and purchasing tables, fireplaces and handles. It was decided to compensate for the costs by increasing prices for the future X10 mini due to its promise and budget. Price rises to € 135.
Meanwhile, the developers of the case decide to leave only 3 buttons on the front panel and slightly reassign the functions to create a stronger Sony Style. The fourth button will remain hidden under the plastic.
August 28th - Great news from India from the icon-making bureau. It turns out that the design bureau has not just developed new icons. By an incredible mistake, a new device interface was drawn for the company. But the good news is fading into the background: the phone is undergoing a second serious modification. The marketing director decides and reports strictly secretly: a cheap communicator exists to be bought by the poor. For more affluent buyers, there are other expensive models. You should install a screen with a diagonal of 2.6 inches (but capacitive) to curb competition with prestigious models.
However, this is only the beginning of a string of bad news.
On November 13, 2009, the head of the Sony Ericsson mobile phone development division presents his wife with the Sony Ericsson Pureness wedding anniversary. Because of the gift, a great scandal occurs in his family. The wife categorically refuses to use SE Pureness and threatens with a divorce. The way out is to give the Signature Kissho spouse a cost of $ 215,720. Cost compensation falls on future buyers of the X10 mini - a lot of them are provided.
Incredibly good news - enthusiasts for the Sciphone N19 adapted OS Android 1.6. SE immediately transferred the future device to a new version. The estimated importance of such an update allows the price of the device to be raised to € 160.
January 19, 2010.The first closed presentation of the product. The company gathers the most free-thinking, unbiased and independent journalists. Despite all efforts, good reviews cannot be achieved — all experts as one speak of the archaic nature of the device. Nevertheless, unofficial versions of such a reluctance to cover the product are also appearing, Samsung feeds better, entertains more interesting and encourages more. Of course, this version is untrue and only denigrates journalists.
January 24, 2010.The company decides to give a fair journalist a little more time to get to know the device and therefore gives each incorruptible one phone. This not only allows you to get a lot of independent positive reviews but also, given the large number of expensive presentations, makes you raise the retail price to € 220
February 2010.Unbelievable, but it is a fact. Ukrainian customs played a role in setting the world price for devices. It turned out that due to the eruption of a volcano in Iceland, deliveries could not be made by air. The main batch of phones followed by road transit through Ukraine to Europe. At customs, the chief specialist Lyudmila Fedorovna refused to let the goods pass further, citing the fact that the documents indicated low prices. Not accustomed to such a triumph of the Law and justice of the Constitution, the representatives of SE decided to challenge the decisions of Lyudmila Fedorovna - because in the rest of the world (apparently, much less civilized than Ukraine) there were no questions to the documents. Unfortunately, the employees - Grigory Yakovlevich, Victor Filipov, Anatoly Bondarenko and other specialists in their field supported the colleague.
A happy ending. By the summer of 2010, we have a lot of positive reviews about the X10 mini and as many negative reviews about the N19, and sometimes on one site. We have a price for N19 110 $ and X10 mini in the amount of $ 370 (i.e. N19 + N19 + N19). And we have reason to think