Sony have unleashed a sleek and stylish smartphone with the Xperia Arc and if you like slim smartphones then the Xperia Arc could just be what you are looking for. It measures a mere 8.7 mm from front to back and in a novel design twist the back panel of the Xperia Arc actually arcs inwards. But enough of design features here are the spec numbers on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc
* 4.2 inch LCD screen
* Android 2.3 Operating System
* 8 megapixel camera
* 125 x 63 x 8.7 mm
* 117 g
* GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900, UMTS 900, 2100 networks
* Data networks - HSDPA 7.2 Mbit/s HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s
* 4.2 inch TFT 480 x 854 pixel multi-touch display
* 6.91 hours talk time
* 430 hours standby time
* Qualcomm MSM8255 1000 MHz processor
* 1280×720 (720p HD) video capture
* Supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV, AMR, OGG audio formats
* Supports MPEG4, H.263, H.264 video formats
* FM Radio
* Supports IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Microsoft Exchange email
* microSD, microSDHC card slot (32 GB max)
* 2.1 Bluetooth, Wi-Fi connectivity
* microUSB 2.0 port
* 3.5 mm headphone socket
The net seems to rave about the Xperia Arc with it receiving glowing reviews on many sites, here are few for you to peruse at your leisure
Trusted Reviews - 9 out of 10 enGadget
CNet - 4 out of 5 TechRadar - 4.5 out of 5 phoneArena - 8.5 out of 10
Pros
* Brilliant screen
* Camera has shutter button
* Wafer-thin, curved case
* Gorgeous wide-screen display
* 8.1-megapixel camera with innovative sensor
Cons
* Doesn’t have a dual-core CPU
* Almost too slim
* Battery life still not great
* Thin, plastic case seems delicate
* No privileged access to PlayStation content or Sony’s music and film catalogues
Overall, Sony seem to have a winner with the Xperia Arc with all the cons either being similar cons on the competition or relatively minor issues. If you’re really keen you can grab an unlocked Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc over at Amazon currently for a bargain price of $375.
Sony Ericsson have just unleashed the T707, a stylish clamshell mobile phone with gesture control. And just in case you don’t believe them as to how good the T707 is, Sony Ericsson have employed tennis ace Maria Sharapova to market it! Here’s some more hype, we mean marketing blurb from Sony Ericsson
The T707 truly interacts with the user – it lights up when you receive a call and you can personalise the light settings to each of your friends, so you always know who wants you. If you are too busy to answer, simply end the call with a wave of your hand over the screen – you can also do the same gesture to snooze the alarm – your very own magic wand!
We’re not so sure about magic wands, but the T707 does sound kinda funky, here are a few more details on the unit
* GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSDPA 2100 support
* 2.2 inch 240×320 res internal display
* 1.1 inch 128 x 36 res monochromatic external display
* 3.2 megapixel camera
* Media player
* Access NetFront™ Web browser
* Email
* Text messaging
* Picture messaging
* Bluetooth connectivity
* 93 x 50 x 14.1 mm
* 95g
* Up to 10 hours talktime (GSM/GPRS)
* Up to 4 hours talktime (UMTS)
* 400 hours on standby
* Up to 2 hrs
And for those of you more concerned about looks than numbers, the T707 will be available in three colours, namely Mysterious Black, Spring Rose, and Lucid Blue when it’s finally released in 2009 Q2. Obviously the T707 is aimed at a certain market niche so its pricing will be intriguing, we’re guessing low but we’ll have to wait to get the final details on that.
Sony Ericsson have just announced that the Xperia X1 will be available on their Sony Style website from the 28th of November for US customers in an unlocked form. Are Sony being kind to their customers by offering the unlocked version only or did the likes of Sprint and AT&T decide they weren’t gonna touch this sucker with a proverbial barge pole? Well the X1 certainly stacks up in the spec front with the following array of features and numbers for you to drool over
* 800 x 480 res display
* 400 MB Phone Memory with MicroSD slot
* Networks - GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900, EDGE, UMTS tri-band, HSPA
* 110.5 x 52.6 x 17.0 mm
* 158g
* 3.2 mp 3x digital zoom camera
* Windows Mobile OS with Outlook Mobile
* Windows Media Player for your tunes
* Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
* IM, MMS, SMS and email
* 500 hours of battery life on standby
* 10 hours of talk time
* QWERTY slider keyboard
This all looks very impressive, but then you’re brought down to earth with a big bump when you check out the price tag of US$800. Well the Xperia X1 is unlocked and does sport all the expected bells and whistles, but even so … 800 smackers? Not quite sure what Sony are playing at here, as there are plenty of cheaper smartphone options around at the moment. So we’re going to have give the X1 the thumbs down even with its slider QWERTY keypad!
AT&T have just unleashed the Sony Ericsson W760 handset on their 3G data network. The W760 is a sort of hybrid Walkman/cellphone with Wii handset aspirations. You can control game functions by tilting the unit and change tracks by shaking it. These intriguing functions aside here’s the hard facts on the W760
* Network connectivity - GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900, EDGE, UMTS 850, 1900, 2100 and HSDPA
* Standby time of 350 hours
* Talktime of 4 hours
* 320 x 240 res display
* 103.0 x 48.0 x 15.0 mm
* 103 g
* 40 MB memory expandable up to 4 GB with a M2 memory card
* 3.2 Mp camera with 3.2 digital zoom
* Bluetooth stereo connectivity
* Media Player with Shake Control
* Web Browser
* PC Synchronisation
* USB connectivity
* IM, SMS, MMS and email
* GPS functionality
AT&T are offering this sucker at around US$130 with the usual two year contract. On the surface, the W760 doesn’t like a bad little unit if you’re into music and games with your cellphone. However the more serious cellphone may shy away from it. But we think it looks OK, and kinda funky if only for the novelty factor of seeing users shake the unit to change tracks.
I haven’t banged on about a mobile phone in quite awhile, mainly due to the lack of new releases post-iPhone. So I decided to have a dig around and see what I could find out about an oldy, but goody, the Sony Ericsson K750i. Although it’s been out for a couple of years now this little beauty is still as popular as ever and is currently retailing at around the US$180 mark.
The unit boasts a 176×220 res screen with 34 MB of memory plus a 64 MB card slot so room for a few tunes to blast out over the speakerphone. It’s GSM network enabled, so no EDGE or 3G network connectivity and consequently your web browsing experience will be a bit limited to say the least. There’s a 2 mega-pixel camera with video capabilities as well.
Here’s a full video review from the guys at MobileSift
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