I’m reposting part of what I wrote on Betanews today. The Xperia X10 looks very strong. 4″ screen, 8.1 megapixel camera, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, but “Android” is not the talking point of the device. That’s okay.

Meanwhile, my G1 has prevented me from doing anything exciting and testing out apps. It crashes when I switch apps. I don’t get many incoming calls, but every one crashes the phone process. Any time I open the Android Market, it refuses to go back to the home screen. I’ve uninstalled almost all my apps, I’ve cleared every cache, deleted my extraneous SMS conversations. And it’s still performing like fuck. My patience is waning.

I requested to be put on the waiting list to test the Motorola Droid, but they didn’t get back to me yet.

Here’s what I have to say about the Xperia X10. I have more at www.betanews.com, but I’m just giving you the gist here.

–Sony Ericsson took the wraps off of its first Android-based handset, the 1 GHz Snapdragon-powered Xperia X10. With a huge 4″ touchscreen, an 8.1 megapixel camera and the elegant custom user interface named “Rachael,” Sony Ericsson moves the Android platform a step further by giving it almost no mention in announcements and commercials.

Sony Ericsson mentions the Android Market, and notes in the spec sheet that the operating system is Android Donut 1.6, but otherwise it does not ride the point, and strives to make the device stand out as a distinct product.

This is where Android is headed, and it’s a good thing.

As anyone with a zealous interest in technology is sure to tell you, most people don’t give a damn what version of which operating system their phone is running. They only care if it works and their signals are strong. So rather than try to start an “I’m an Android / I’m an iPhone” battle like Verizon did with its Motorola Droid “iDon’t” advertising campaign, Sony Ericsson avoids even mentioning Android and the X10 in the same breath.

Instead, it gives its custom Android build its own name (UX Platform “built on top of the Open OS”) and talks about the uniquely Sony Ericsson experience it can provide with it.

It’s owning the Android experience, and in doing so, it’s giving the user less to think about and more to drool over.