The Japanese are a high-tech people. Droves usually gravitate to buy whatever new piece of gear is launched. Pictured here is a long line-up for the Sony Xperia X10 at a Docomo store.

Sony Ericsson has processed over 50,000 Xperia X10 pre-orders, and with ample consumer interest as evidenced by crowds like the shot above, Sony’s first Android smartphone for Japan is an instant smash hit.

At roughly the same price as top phones like Google’s Nexus One and Motorola’s Droid, the X10 pales in many technical comparisons. Sony’s Android 1.6 is not winning the votes of many reviewers, and neither is the supposedly unresponsive screen and flimsy build quality.