This year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona commenced on Sunday, with the unveiling of three new smartphones - Xperia X10 mini; Xperia X10 mini pro; and Vivaz Pro – by mobile phone manufacturer Sony Ericsson, which is a joint venture between the Japanese Sony Corp. and the Swedish L. M. Ericsson Telephone Co.

Evidently, the announcement of the new Sony Ericsson handsets highlights the company’s efforts to fortify its presence in the lucrative high-end market segment – with the Xperia X10 mini, the Xperia X10 mini pro, and the Vivaz priced at EUR350, EUR375 and EUR450 respectively. These new phones will likely be launched worldwide in the 2010 second quarter.

Both the new touchscreen Xperia X10 models – the 4.2-ounce ‘mini’ and the 3.1-ounce ‘mini pro’ – feature the Android 1.6 operating system; 2.55-inch touchscreen; 5-megapixel camera; and boast built-in access to Google services like Gmail, Google Maps, and the Android Market.

Meanwhile, based on the Symbian operating system, the Vivaz Pro features a QWERTY keyboard; a 3.2-inch touchscreen; a 5.1 megapixel camera; and an 8GB microSD card. To be available in black or white, the Vivaz Pro is capable of video capture in 720p HD.

Other than announcing the three new phones at the MWC, Sony Ericsson also announced ‘Creations’ - a new online user platform that will enable users to create and publish video, audio and images from their mobile handsets.