In the UK, it’s not long until the Xperia Neo is released, hopefully any way. Vodafone have added the Xperia Neo to their list of coming soon handsets but, only the red version. Vodafone will be the exclusive retailer in the UK for the red version and should also be selling the blue version which the other UK networks will be selling. For now though, Vodafone only have the coming soon page available for the red model. You can register for updates so that you’ll be notified when the handset is available to order. Whether you’re interested in the red version or not, registering for updates should give you an idea of when the Neo is coming to the UK regardless of network or color.

Those who pre-ordered the Xperia Arc or Play on Vodafone will, unfortunately have to wait a bit longer till they get their hands on Sony Ericsson’s latest handsets it seems. Vodafone have announced that they are experiencing stock issues with both the Xperia Arc and Xperia Play. Sony Ericsson were unable to meet the demand for the devices due to freight issues and so they are working with Vodafone to ensure handsets are delivered as soon as possible. A specific timescale is as of yet unknown though.

Likewise, Three are also experiencing the same issues, with the Xperia Play at least. The earliest expected delivery date for the Xperia Play with Three is Friday 15th April, although this has already changed from April 8th.

O2 on the other hand, haven’t announced any problems with stock but, are delaying the handset. According to the O2 blog, while testing the handset, they’ve found several bugs in the software which affect the Xperia Play’s usability as both a gaming device and as a phone. O2 are the only network to have suggested there are problems with the software, leading many to believe it may be down to O2′s own firmware on top of the Sony Ericsson firmware.

Despite the handsets not being available through Vodafone or Three, many customers have managed to still acquire the Play or Arc  through third party retailers such as Phones4U or Carphone warehouse, who have some handsets in stock. The stock given to Phones4U and Carphone Warehouse is unbranded so for those who can’t wait to get their hands on Sony Ericsson’s next Xperia handsets, may be better off going through a third party retailer any way, as network branded handsets have had their problems in the past, specifically with Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X10 and it’s software updates.

While Vodafone and O2 can’t offer the Xperia X10 Mini in lime green, they are however offering the handset up for free. Neither the Vodafone or O2 website state which color X10 they have in stock but, it appears to be the basic black model. Both networks are offering the handset up for free on 18 or 24 month contracts from as little as £20 a month. The other major UK network T-Mobile is yet to offer the handset and there’s no mention on their website of the X10 Mini. They do however have the X10 Mini Pro listed, which is set for a July release. While there’s no sign of the QWERTY-less Mini X10 on T-Mobile, the other networks don’t have any information regarding the X10 Mini Pro, so it looks like the X10 Mini Pro, could be a T-Mobile exclusive.

If however you were after the X10 Mini on T-Mobile, all is not lost. Third party retailers, such as Mobiles.co.uk have the handsets in stock and they dispatch unlocked handsets, with the X10 Mini being no exception. Because of this, they can offer the handset on the networks it is available on, along with T-Mobile and Three.

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Vodafone may have cancelled the Xperia X2 from arriving on their network, it hasn’t stopped them from offering up the Xperia X10. The Android powered handset is due to hit Vodafone UK sometime in April. Hopefully there won’t be any delays but, with previous release dates pushed back, I wouldn’t set the April release date in stone just yet. There’s no tariff pricing information available either at the moment, but hopefully we’ll see this soon.

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Yesterday we reported that UK online retailer Play.com had listed the Xperia X2 up for pre-order with a release date of January 29th. We also found that the X2 page on Vodafone had disappeared and instead returned a page not found error. The reason for this is because, Vodafone UK have dropped the X2.

In an internal email, staff were informed that they would no longer be selling the Xperia X2. Other websites are reporting that the X2 will now not be sold in the UK at all as the X2 was to be exclusive to Vodafone. However Play.com and other websites still have the page up for pre-ordering. Also the X2 was only to be exclusive to Vodafone for a short while. Others are reporting that O2 will stock the handset when it’s released on their network. As of yet though, O2 haven’t confirmed this, so we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed that they can bring the handset to the UK subsidized on a contract.

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While some lucky guys have already got hold of the X2, the retail version at that, the rest of us have to wait even longer. The Xperia X2 was due to be released exclusively on Vodafone in the UK sometime in November. With tonight bringing a close to November it’s clear a November release is not happening. Currently Vodafone still have the X2 as listed due November, while the official Sony Ericsson store have updated their listing to December. However it still is only an expected release date, not a guaranteed one. Hopefully we will see the handset before Christmas though and hopefully, the delay of the X2 won’t have an impact on the X10 February release.

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