Sony Mobile Xperia U camera samples

I have been testing the Sony Xperia U's camera more and the conclusion I came up in my review of the device still stands. Images are good enough for posting on the web (like on here), Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. But upon closer inspection, details are lacking and often fuzzy in nature revealing an over aggressive use of post processing. The quality of pictures taken are just average at best, colours are dull and the dynamic range is poor. It isn't a fast camera as well, taking time to focus particularly when shooting close ups. So good enough for web shots but don't try to get it on paper.

Sony Mobile Xperia U review

The Xperia U is Sony's newest entry level smartphone aimed at replacing the demunitive Xperia Ray. For a small smartphone, it is rather well equipped with specs that would make more expensive and bigger phones blush with envy. However is a small smartphone now a handicap? Read on to find out. But first let's get those pesky specs out of the way, shall we?

• STE U8500 NovaThor SoC with dual core 1GHz processor
• Mali-400MP GPU
• 512MB RAM
• 8GB Flash Storage
• 3.5 inch LCD 'Reality Display' with 480x854 resolution
• 5MP camera with autofocus, 720p30 video recording
• Quad band GSM
• Dual band/Tri band 3G (depending on model) HSDPA 14.4Mbps
• WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1

Part of Sony's new range of 'NXT' Xperia 2012 smartphones, the Xperia U features a similar design to the flagship Xperia S and Xperia P. Equipped with a 3.5" display, it is also quite a bit smaller, but with a resolution of 480x854, it is also pretty sharp. While the LCD screen does not perform well under strong sunlight and the maximum brightness isn't quite as bright as it should, it is powered by Sony's BRAVIA engine enhancing contrast and colour saturation.

Sony Mobile Xperia S camera samples

Here are more image and video samples taken with the Sony Xperia S. For a camera phone, the 12MP Exmor-R sensor has really impressed me with the amount of detail captured. With an aperture of f/2.4, the lens is fast and offers almost no barrel distortion. There are issues with dynamic range, but all digital cameras with small image sensors suffers from this. Even my Nikon D7000 does.

Sweep panorama

Sweep panorama

Sony Mobile Xperia S sound quality review

The sound quality of a smartphone is something I have often ignored, but one I will revive for the Xperia S, mainly because this device is built by Sony, the creator of the Walkman and also the best DAP I ever owned, period. Because of the sheer size of the Xperia S, it isn't a device I would have used personally as a portable audio. The iPhone 4S and Lumia 800, in my opinion, are perfect digital audio players. Shame that the Lumia 800 sounds awful, and the iPhone 4S isn't actually mine.

Out of the box the Xperia S supports a variety of audio codecs. Because of the open nature of smartphones however you can easily download replacement music players with different codec supports. The one that I would recommend using is UberMusic, but there are other competent apps to suit anyone's different needs. For the purpose of this review however I will be sticking to the default music player by Sony. FLAC lossless is not supported by the player, and while this may disappoint a few people, the vast majority will carry on fine with listening to high quality MP3 files.

Sony Mobile Xperia S review

This past couple of months has seen plenty of changes within Sony Mobile. Formerly Sony Ericsson, Sony has completed their buy Ericsson's shares from the company. I am sure they will be glad to see such distractions behind, but I have a feeling that the restructuring of the mobile unit will go on for quite a while.

The Xperia S is the new Ericsson-less Sony Mobile's first ever smartphone. While I wouldn't go far as to call it the first real Sony smartphone (development no doubt began more than a year ago), it is the first Sony branded Android device to hit the market. Like previous Xperia devices, rather than going all out brute force with big numbers and specs, Sony is counting on good designs and software differentiation to make an impact.

Sony (Ericsson) has improved tremendously over the past year offering devices that not only performed well despite the specs handicap, but also being more open to software updates and development. With devices like the Xperia Play and Xperia Ray, they have also successfully differentiated more than their Android OEM competitors have. Read on for the review of the Xperia S.

Sony Mobile Xperia S unboxing

It took its time, but Sony Mobile's flagship Xperia S has finally arrived at this HQ. I will spare you the unboxing of the frivolousness giant candy-filled box filled, that accompanied this phone courtesy of Sony PR. Instead, marvel at this most beautiful of Android smartphone, part of Sony's NXT line up, running on Gingerbread and its lovely 4.3" Bravia-powered LCD 720p display in the video unboxing of the retail box below.

Sony Xperia Ad is Powered by Tiny Robots

Were there any doubt that Sony would once again triumph when it comes to creative TV ads? Hardly. It seems that Sony has proven once again that when it comes to commercials at least, they know a thing or two. A couple of days ago I blogged about Sony's teaser of their new Imaginative TV ad for the Xperia NXT range.

For the new stop motion animated ad, Sony seek out a young kid and turned his imagination into an inspiration. It tells the story of small Iron Giant-inspired robots who work tirelessly inside each Xperia handset in order to bring it to life. It is a creative ad, lovable in fact and one of the best I have seen this year yet. Check it out below.

Sony XPERIA NXT S, P & U hands-on

Last year Sony made clear their intention to combat Apple through a four screen strategy, by leveraging their services across four core product line ups - Bravia (TV), Xperia (smartphone), tablets and laptops - into a single integrated platform. We have already seen Sony rebranding their PlayStation Network (PSN) service to SEN where the ID can be used across their other services. With the rise of Samsung and cheap Asian OEMs, Sony has seen their market share eroded. Sony's strategy on winning back customers is clear: promote integration and make smartphones with memorable and distinctive designs.

Sony announced two new Xperia NXT, the Xperia P and Xperia U smartphones at Mobile World Congress a couple of days ago and today I had a chance to go hands-on with the new devices at a press briefing in London. Available for hands-on are the Xperia P and Xperia U, alongside the previously announced Xperia S. With these new devices comes a new design language, and boy did Sony finally get it right. The translucent bar that separates the main device with the antenna gives it a floating frame view. It may serve no purpose, but it gives the devices a unique look among the sea of boring Android phones.

Do check out my hands-on preview here. In the meantime I will be getting a Xperia S review unit soon so do hit me on Twitter if you have questions.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Ray review

Oh, what's this here, a smartphone that doesn't have a large 4.3" display? Well it is the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Ray. Don't be fooled by the demunitive and petite size. This phone is so smart it eats other larger smartphones for breakfast. In fact, despite having only a single camera module, this phone can take stereoscopic 3D images.

Packing inside that slim 9.4mm plastic and metallic body, the XPERIA Ray has a 1 GHz Snapdragon S-o-C, Adreno 205 GPU, 512MB RAM, Quad band GSM, Tri band 3G, GPS receiver, HDMI out and 8.1 Megapixel backlit sensor AF camera with a fast f/2.4 lens. The 3.3" display has a resolution of 480 x 854 - giving this is pixel density of 297 ppi, only three pixels per inch shy of Apple's definition of a "retina display". All this for £270 unlocked - what a bargain.

Read on my review of the XPERIA Ray on FoneArena and find out what I love about this little fella.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Party

On Wednesday I was invited to Sony Ericsson's XPERIA Party at the swanky and glamorous Aqua Nueva roof terrace in Soho London. This was the same venue where I stalked Pamela Anderson for her autograph almost a year ago.

The purpose of the event was to showcase two new Sony Ericsson products - the recently launched XPERIA ray, a slim but powerful Android smartphone for those who has no interest on the current supersized smartphones; and the recently announced XPERIA arc S - which itself is a refresh of the rather excellent XPERIA Arc.




We were also shown a demo of the latest Android 2.3.4 update by Sony Ericsson, which introduces 3D sweep panorama ability - a feature that intrigued me because Sony Ericsson has no smartphones with two camera modules. Curious to see what I thought about it? Read my thoughts on how well it works here.

For the evening, Sony Ericsson commissioned two artists to entertain us. The first I can't remember who it was (apologies, I probably should but I am not a fan of R&B) and the second was Dynamo the Magician, who I have to admit I have never heard of him. Well apparently he is quite a popular magician who recently 'walked' the Thames in London.

I was chastised by Nick (of the Average Gamer)'s cool mum for being so ignorant. I have an excuse, my interest with magician sort of ebbed away ever since I saw David Copperfield when I was twelve - and to me nothing can ever top David Copperfield, hence my disinterest with modern magicians like Derren Brown and David Blaine. Still Dynamo was rather good and I was impressed by his card tricks.

I had a good night with many fellow mobile tech bloggers/journalists. Thanks to Sony Ericsson UK and Brando World for the invite.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play review

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play is one of the first attempt to make a genuine gaming smartphone. Nokia has attempted this before with the N-Gage, which ended up as a spectacularly fail. The closest convergence device I can think off that almost pulled it off was the PalmOS Tapwave Zodiac, but it wasn't a smartphone and the lack of application support killed it.

The XPERIA Play is an Android smartphone, equipped with the latest Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) with Sony Ericsson customisation. I won't dwell on this section much, and you can read my XPERIA Arc review to get a gist on what the XPERIA Play can do as a smartphone. The only difference between the two as far as I know are the camera on the Arc is superior (8MP Exmor Vs regular 5MP) and the Arc's screen is significantly brighter than the Play. Even the software is identical, right down to the recent Facebook integration update that was announced with the XPERIA mini and mini pro. The only thing missing are the XPERIA Play exclusive app store and games launcher.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA mini and mini pro hands-on

Sony Ericsson yesterday announced the XPERIA mini and mini Pro, successors to the XPERIA X10 mini and X10 mini Pro. I was at the London press conference where I had the chance to go hands-on with the newly announced devices.

Both the XPERIA mini and mini Pro are powered by a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with Adreno 205 GPU, the same processor speed that powers their flagship XPERIA Arc and Play, and 512MB RAM. They will run on the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. The phones features a 3″ LCD display (up from 2.55" from the X10 mini) with HVGA resolution (480 x 320) powered by Sony’s Mobile BRAVIA Engine - a software that optimises the contrast and colour. The 5MP camera on the back (not Exmor-R) is capable of 720p video recording. Both will have the same 1200mAh battery. The XPERIA mini Pro will also feature a front camera with VGA video and four-row slide-out keyboard.

I personally found both the XPERIA mini and mini Pro to be rather cute. Despite being rather thick, they are both comfortable to hold and use. The screen is delightfully responsive and the 3″ screen did not feel as cramped as on the old X10 mini variants. In fact the small screen makes it easier to use Android one-handed as every corner of the screen is within reach. The HVGA resolution ensures that the screen is sharp. The homescreen corner touch UI is similar to the one that came with the XPERIA X10 mini, and is optimised for the small screen. It also contains the same Overview mode that début with the XPERIA Arc, Neo, Play and Pro.

The XPERIA mini Pro’s keyboard was a delightful surprise, in that it was a joy to use. The width of the keyboard is similar to that of a typical candybar QWERTY smartphone (e.g. Blackberry) and is very comfortable to type on. Keys were well spaced and gave good amount of feedback. Both devices are fast to operate thanks to the fast single core 1 GHz Snapdragon processor with Adreno 205 GPU having only to power a HVGA display. The fact that it comes with the latest and greatest Android optimised for smartphone also helps.

With the XPERIA mini and mini Pro, Sony Ericsson has made wide promises on how they will integrate services from other companies deeply into the operating system in order to differentiate from their competitors. Deep Facebook integration that will début with the new phones will allow users to enjoy Facebook features without using a client. If you are tagged in a picture, the picture will be automatically be available from the Gallery application. Similarly all your Facebook photo albums will also be one-tap away. A ‘like’ button in the music player will allow you to share tracks on your Facebook wall. 

Sony Ericsson were keen to stress out that the XPERIA mini and mini Pro are not ‘Facebook phones’ and integrations are also being planned for other social media services like Foursquare and Twitter. They will never put a Facebook logo on the device, nor create a dedicated button like how HTC did with the ChaCha. These integrations will also be made available as an OTA update for Sony Ericsson other XPERIA phones, like the Arc and Pro.

No price or availability has been announced yet but both to go on sale August of this year.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc review

The XPERIA Arc is Sony Ericsson’s latest assault on the ever growing Android smartphone market. Unlike other manufacturers such as HTC and Samsung, Sony Ericsson has gone for a single core processor for their flagship smartphone. Rather than going with brute specifications, they are counting on the design and software optimisation to gain customers.

In the past Sony Ericsson has been criticised for slow updates and performance issues. With the Arc and their new line of XPERIA smartphones such as the XPERIA Play, Sony Ericsson has promised that they will be one of the first to update their phones whenever a new Android version is released. Sony has even posted a website dedicated at rooting the device's bootloader.

As far as smartphone goes, the XPERIA Arc sports a typical slate candybar design. At a glance the Arc looks incredibly similar to the XPERIA X10 as it shares the same design language. Sony Ericsson has tweaked the design a little, but it is obvious that overall the Arc retains the same design language as the rest of the XPERIA family. A large 4.2″ LCD display with 480x854 resolution dominates the front of the device. The screen is powered by Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine, a software that boost the colour and contrast of whatever is displayed on screen. This sounds nice but in real life it doesn't seem to make much difference. I turn it off to save on battery life.

Just above the display you will find the earpiece, proximity sensor and an ambient light sensor that does not work. Three hardware buttons (back, home and menu) can be found below the display. In an age where almost every manufacturers have moved to capacitive touch sensitive buttons, it is reassuring that Sony Ericsson has designers who still recognise the appeal of hardware keys. Dear HTC, Motorola et. al, some people actually prefer devices that were built with usability and function in mind rather than form.

On the left side you will find a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. A power button and micro HDMI port (protected by a flap) can be found on the top of the Arc. Sony Ericsson has informed me that all XPERIA Arc will be bundled with a micro HDMI cable. On the right side of the device resides a microUSB port for charging and connecting the device to a PC, a volume rocker and status LED. Near the bottom of the same side, you will find a very small camera shutter button. The microphone and lanyard loop can be found on the bottom of the device.

Over on the backside you will find the 8 megapixel Exmor-R camera with a single LED flash that sits a little too close to the edge, the loudspeaker as well as a small microphone for active noise cancellation and audio recording. Removing the large battery cover will allow access to the 1500mAh BA750 battery, microSDHC slot and SIM card slot. Unfortunately both the microSDHC and SIM card slots are not how-swappable. A 8GB microSD card is included.

Quite how Sony Ericsson got a battery that big into a phone that slim (8.7mm at the thinnest point), I do not know, but they did. Sony Ericsson claimed that the battery is able to provide 430 hours of stand by time. I find that I am able to use the Arc for a day before the battery gives up. This is with 3G and twitter and Gmail pooling for updates every 10 minutes. It isn’t bad for a smartphone, but still a far cry from the days when phones can last 2-3 days with heavy use.

The Arc felt great in my palms due to the curved design. The light weight is all thanks to Sony Ericsson’s decision to use plastic. Despite that I can’t help think that the XPERIA Arc would be better off being made of metal. Still, at least the built quality is good and the device felt solid at all times. The tiny shutter key isn’t optimally placed, but at least there’s one. Users may find issues with the placement of the camera near the top edge of the back. There isn’t a front camera so forget about video calling.

The XPERIA Arc runs on the Qualcomm MSM 8255 Snapdragon Silicon-on-Chip (SOC) that features a single core 1 GHz Scorpion CPU and Adreno 205 GPU backed up with 512MB of RAM and 320MB of built-in storage. While this may seem inadequate in today’s world of dual-core phones, I actually found the XPERIA Arc to be an excellent performer. Sony Ericsson has obviously learned their lesson from the issues that plagued the original XPERIA X10. They got rid of Mediascape UI, but retained Timescape. Obviously the fact that it runs on the latest Android optimised for smartphone, version 2.3 Gingerbread, helped.

As I mentioned earlier, the XPERIA Arc runs on Google’s latest Android Gingerbread optimised for smartphones (Honeycomb was made for tablet), more specifically, version 2.3.2. Like every Android manufacturers, Sony Ericsson has customised the Android launcher in order to differentiate themselves from other manufacturers. The launcher here looks almost like Launcher Pro. Four application shortcuts can be found on the dock of the homescreen and in between them a shortcut that takes you to the app drawer. Shortcuts and folders can be dragged from the dock to the homescreen and vice versa. There is a total of five homescreen panes to swipe around, which is plenty for most users.

Timescape now exists as a separate application and widget. While it looks cool and fluid, I actually question the need for Timescape at all. It doesn’t seem to be a terribly efficient way of looking through Facebook newsfeed, Twitter status updates and text messages. There is a new Overview mode that is accessed by the pinch-to-zoom method. It works a like HTC’s Leap View, but rather than being presented with an overview of the homescreen panes, the widgets are zoomed out giving the user and overview of any widgets currently active on the homescreen. Click on any widget and you will be brought to the homescreen pane where the widget resides.

Most Android power users will prefer if the XPERIA Arc runs on vanilla (uncustomised) Android, but for the majority of users the Arc works well. Despite the use of an outdated single core processor, the device feels snappy and quick. In fact it feels far quicker than any other similar Android devices I have used like the similarly spec’ed Motorola Milestone 2. The only other device that I thought felt faster was the Google Nexus S, and that runs on vanilla Android. What Sony Ericsson are doing is similar to what the other manufacturers are already doing. Personally I like this far more than Motorola’s BLUR UI and HTC’s Sense. Being an Android phone you can always hack it. Sony Ericsson has even published a guide on how to root the XPERIA Arc, though they have warned that this may invalidate the warranty of the device.

In order to get the best out of the Arc, you will first need a Googla/Gmail account. This will allow you to sync your emails, contacts and calendar while also giving you access to the Android Market. Sony Ericsson has also added their own section on their Android market where you will be able to find a smaller section of curated apps optimised for their phones. These are mainly applications and widgets made by Sony Ericsson themselves (such as the LiveView application) and a handful of third party applications.

Being an Android Gingerbread phone, the XPERIA Arc works as you would expect it to. Messaging is a breeze thanks to the built-in support for threaded conversations. A dedicated Gmail app is available for email, and unsurprisingly is one of the best email clients you can find on any smartphone ecosystem today. A more generic email application is also available to handle POP and IMAP email accounts. The phonebook is very social friendly as you can link each contacts with their own Twitter and Facebook accounts, thus giving you an easy way to view any of your contact’s latest social updates. Linking the contacts is easy and painless, though isn’t as straight forward as Microsoft’s approach with Windows Phone 7.

For text input, the Arc only offers the standard default Gingerbread keyboard, though you can always install any third party keyboard you find on the Android Market. In portrait mode, the keys are large and easy to hit, though I do find that the Android’s default setting on auto-correct to be annoying at best. Typing is even better in landscape mode. While I struggle to use the default portrait keyboard, typing on the landscape keyboard was almost effortless thanks to the large 4.2″ screen. Unfortunately the large screen also makes using the Arc one handed to be a chore. The Arc is certainly not a device for people with small hands who prefer to use their devices one handed.

Web browsing is a breeze thanks to the high resolution screen. Zooming can be done via either double tapping or pinch to zoom. Tab browsing is also supported, as is text reflow. The UI is clean with only the address bar and bookmark icon visible when first entering. Pressing the menu button will bring up six keys allowing you to open a new tab, access the bookmark, switch between tabs, go forward, refresh pageand enter the options where you will find the browser’s settings. Here you can change the text size, disable JavaScript or images, clear cache and cookies, enable sites to access your location etc. Flash 10.2 is available for the Arc, enabling you to play Flash games and watch YouTube videos within the browser itself. Overall the browser does a great job at mimicking a desktop browser. The large 4.2″ screen certainty makes browsing a joy on the Arc.

Notifications are displayed on the top of the screen where you will find the usual assortment of icons which indicates the battery level, time, wireless activities and network signal strength. In addition to that, notifications from applications will appear on the left side of the notification bar which can get busy at times. Notifications that appear here will include missed calls, new Facebook messages, emails and Twitter mentions, Foursquare and Gowalla check-ins etc, all of these will appear on the top unless you specifically asked the applications not to have notifications. You can pull down the notification screen by swiping down from the bar to have a more detail overview of the notifications or dismiss them.

Equipped with an eight megapixel Exmor-R backlit sensor and f/2.4 lens, the XPERIA Arc is more than capable of capturing fast action even in areas with very little ambient light. I recently attended a gig and the Arc outclass the Nokia N8 when it came to capturing the action. The Arc does excel in low light no flash photography, for a smartphone. While the images were usable, the image quality were still no match for a decent digital compact like the fast-lens equipped Canon S90 and S95.

In comparison to the Nokia N8, it doesn’t perform as well when it comes to daylight photography. Colours are washed out and images look dull, and like all mobile phone camera with small sensors, it suffers from lack of dynamic range. If only the default photography app has the ability to capture images in HDR mode. The camera menu isn’t intuitive to use and the small shutter button is quite possibly the worst I’ve ever used.

The XPERIA Arc is also a capable HD video recorder. Unlike most of the newer Android flagships by other manufacturers which records at 1080p, the Arc tops out at 720p and 30fps. It features continuous autofocus, but does not support digital zooming like how the Nokia N8 does with video capturing. Still the quality of video recording is good and smooth with hardly any dropped frames. Unsurprisingly, the Arc captures video well in low light.

I genuinely like the XPERIA Arc. Sony Ericsson has made a device that works great, is fast for a device with single-core and has a great camera that works decently in low-light situations. With the XPERIA Arc, Sony Ericsson has made big changes in the way they market their Android devices. Against the trends, they’ve not locked the boot loader, and have made big promises regarding future firmware updates.

To top it all, it features a design that looks just darn gorgeous.There is little doubt that the Arc is a great device, but with the HTC Sensation and Samsung Galaxy S II due to be released soon, it isn’t quite as future proof as those devices.

The XPERIA Arc is available now sim-free from around £399.99. 

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc excels in low light photography

Yesterday I attended an event in London showcasing new artists. It provided me with an opportunity to test the XPERIA Arc's camera. What can I say? The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc excels in low light no flash photography. It won't be replacing your DSLR or high-end compact yet, but it is able to provide usable images like the one above. I will be posting a post in due course where I compare the XPERIA Arc's camera with that of the Nokia N8. For good measure I will throw in samples from my Canon S90 as well. ;)

Finally, check out the 720p video below of a set by Tiger Love. I've removed the audio track due to copyright and also because it sounded awful (not the band - but the audio recording quality from a tiny microphone). Still the video recording demonstrates the continuous auto focus of the XPERIA Arc's camera, as well as its ability to record in low light situations.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc preview

Oh boy are you in for a treat today. Here is the third phone I am previewing in as many days - the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc. The XPERIA Arc is the Japanese-Swedish mobile phone manufacturer's latest assault on the smartphone market.

Unlike Samsung, HTC, Motorola etc., Sony Ericsson has decided to go with a different route to their new flagship Android smartphone. While every Android manufacturer has unveiled ever more powerful flagships that runs on dual-core processors, have the latest GPU and even including features we do not need like 3D cameras and displays, the XPERIA Arc's specifications is modestly 'so last year'.

The XPERIA Arc runs on the Qualcomm MSM 8255 Snapdragon SOC that features a single core 1 GHz Scorpion CPU and Adreno 205 GPU backed up with 512MB of RAM. While this may seem inadequate in today's world of dual-core phones, I actually found the XPERIA Arc to be an excellent performer. Sony Ericsson has obviously learned their lesson from the issues that plagued the original XPERIA X10. They got rid of Mediascape UI, but retained Timescape. Obviously the fact that it runs on the latest Android optimised for smartphone, version 2.3 Gingerbread, helped.

With the Arc, Sony Ericsson has introduced a new Overview mode on the homescreen. Normally on a regular Android homescreen when you pinch to zoom the homescreen, it brings up a screen with an overview of all the installed tiles. On the Arc (as well as the XPERIA Neo, Pro and Play), doing so brings up a new tile displaying all the widgets currently installed across all five homescreen tiles. This makes it much easier for the user to quickly locate a widget.

Sony Ericsson has gone to great lengths into designing the XPERIA Arc. It simply looks stunning. The design is obviously a slimmed down version of the XPERIA X10, and retains elements from the model such as the three hardware keys. In a time when manufacturers are moving towards using capacitive soft keys, it is a relief that Sony Ericsson designers recognises the advantage of having physical keys. While the keys are thin in shape, I did not find them a problem to use.

Above the keys you will find a large 4.2″ LED-backlit LCD capacitive touchscreen display with 480 x 854 resolution, apparently powered by Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine, a software that boost the colour saturation and contrast of whatever is displayed on the screen. The display is a joy to use. While it doesn’t have the same pixel density as the HTC Sensation, images are sharp and the resolution is still good enough for comfortable web browsing.

Powering the Arc is a massive 1500 mAh battery. Quite how Sony Ericsson got a battery that big into a phone that slim (8.7mm at the thinnest point), I do not know, but they did. Sony Ericsson claimed that the battery is able to provide 430 hours of stand by time. Whether this is true will depend on the user's own phone habits, and one I will be testing. The microSD and SIM slot can be found by the battery. These are not hot-swappable. A moderate capacity 8GB card is included in the sales package.

The Arc felt great in my palms due to the curved design. The light weight is all thanks to Sony Ericsson's decision to use plastic. Despite that I can't help think that the XPERIA Arc would be better off being made of metal. Still, at least the built quality is good and the device felt solid at all times. The tiny shutter key isn't optimally placed, but at least there's one. Users may find issues with the placement of the camera near the top edge of the back. There isn't a front camera so forget about video calling.

Having been using the Arc for less than a day, I am already considering getting one for my own personal use. It feels quicker and easier to use than my similarly spec'ed Motorola Milestone 2. The larger screen helped, and even despite playing with the HTC Sensation yesterday, I appreciate the slimmer design of the Arc more. The closest competitor to the Arc is the Samsung Galaxy S II, which is even slimmer and has a dual-core processor. But the price may be too prohibitive for some.

Will I still be appreciating the Arc's form factor after a couple of weeks? Or will I wish that it had a more powerful brain by then? Ask me again in a couple of weeks.

The XPERIA Arc is available now sim-free from around £399.99.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play Launch Party in London

Last week Sony Ericsson launched their latest salvo of Xperia smartphones. The Xperia Play went on sale in the UK on Friday, while the Arc a couple of days before. If you have read my impression of the Xperia Play, you will know that the Xperia Play is a PlayStation certified Android phone that has an integrated gaming pad and access to PlayStation Suite. Android games optimised for the Xperia Play as well as old PlayStation classics will be available on the market.

As part of the launch Sony Ericsson set up a pop up gaming room at the Old Sorting Office, New Oxford Street in Central London, where the public was able to go hands on with the Xperia Play. The warehouse was transformed into a video gaming scene set in the Far East (Vietnam), decorated with props that are lifted out of gaming scenes such as a helicopter, sport car, rocket launcher and a crashed car. Sony Ericsson reps were dotted around the venue and were ever so helpful when demoing the devices to guests. A competition to win a Xperia Play was also held for guests checking in via Foursquare.

In the evening the warehouse was transformed into a party venue. All the props remained, but the area was now cordoned off to the public. VIP guests were then treated with (very) loud music, free drinks, hawker-style Chinese chow mein noodles and a free gig by a certain Tinchy Stryder.

Win a Xperia PLAY with Three UK

Read my preview of the Xperia PLAY? Still interested? Well the great people from Three UK has informed me that on Wednesday 23 March, they will be giving people a chance to win it. The challenge is simple: consumers will have to crack a lock and key combination in order to get their hands on the phone. 30 padlocks and 900 possible key variations will stand between the public and the Xperia PLAY.

In order to enter you need to join twitter, and tweet the hashtag #WinThreeXperiaPLAY followed by the key and padlock combination you think will unlock it. The lovely Sedge will then attempt to unlock it live on video. Correctly guess and you will win the phone with a Pay As You Go sim card preloaded with All You Can Eat data. You will also get to attend the Xperia PLAY launch party in London and rub shoulders with people like me! Yes, I will be there. :)

For more information including the terms and conditions, please visit their blog here.

Also thanks to Three, I will also be holding a competition here soon. The prize? A Three MiFi v2 with one year's worth of 12GB data. So keep your eyes peeled.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play, Arc, Neo, Pro impressions

Yesterday evening I had a hands-on with Sony Ericsson's latest Xperia phones, the Play, Neo, Arc and Pro at the London #XperiaMWC event. I have already covered my impressions of the Xperia Play here.

The four (including the Xperia Play) Xperia are a triple assault by Sony Ericsson on the Android market. Each has its own distinguish features. The Xperia Arc represents Sony Ericsson new Xperia flagship, an ultra slim smartphone with a large 4.2" screen. Sony Ericsson has also catered for users wishing for a hardware QWERTY keyboard - in this case, the Xperia Pro. Finally the Xperia Neo is a mid-range phone that shares many of the features found on its more expensive sibling, the Arc.

Apart from the Xperia Play, the three Xperia shares identical DNA - a Sony Bravia reality engine, HDMI port, 512MB RAM, 320MB internal storage, 1 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon SoC and a slim 8MP Exmor R backlit sensor. All four runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and are fitted with Sony Ericsson's own User Experience Platform UX.

Of the four devices, I spent the most time with the Xperia Play, hence why I thought it deserves its own post. There were only one or two Xperia Pro in the event, so I only got to play with it for a couple of minutes. The slide out QWERTY keyboard feels good and the keys had good travel. I also like that the keys are well spaced. However I can't comment on how well the keys are in real life usage. Hopefully I will be able to acquire a review unit.

The Xperia Arc and Neo are basically the same device with a different size screen and design. The Neo looks and feels like Sony Ericsson's last Symbian device, the Vivaz, and features a human curvature back design (as indeed the Pro) and a smaller screen like the Pro. It feels more comfortable in my palm compared to the wider Xperia Arc.

Both the Arc and Neo has similar performances. There were slowdowns but the Sony Ericsson rep has told us that this was because the units were running on preproduction firmware. They all run on Sony Ericsson's Timescape UI which works well. The homescreen can be zoomed out, but unlike other Android launchers, you get an overview of all the widgets currently active. Press any of the widget and you will be brought to the correct homescreen tile.

Sony Ericsson has not confirmed pricing for any of the devices. The Xperia Arc, Neo and Play are said to be launching in March 2011, with the Xperia Pro arriving in April.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play first impression

Yesterday evening I had a hands-on with Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play (the "PlayStation" phone) at the London #XperiaMWC event.

The Xperia Play is the only new Xperia not to share the same DNA as the Pro, Arc and Neo. It doesn't have a Bravia reality engine, nor does it have the cracking 8MP Exmor R backlit sensor that graces the back of the other Xperia phones.

As a gaming device, the Xperia Play houses a slider that contains the gamepad, not too dissimilar to Sony's PSP Go. Here you will find the four directional pad, dual touchpad (to simulate dual-analog on PS1 games), four action buttons (with classic none-coloured PlayStation shapes), start/select buttons and a another button that I assume emulates the analog button of the original PlayStation Dual Analog controller.

I found the buttons to be small. In fact smaller even than those you find on the original DS Lite. Tactile feedback isn't particularly good, particularly the shoulder trigger buttons. It isn't the most comfortable portable console out there, though I do have to stress that it is the only modern (and small) smartphone with a built-in gamepad.

The body was mainly made of plastic (in fact all the Xperias were mainly made of plastic). This was likely a design decision to not only keep costs down, but also to keep the weight down. Fortunately while it felt cheap, the built quality was great. The slider was solid and did not wobble or creak. How long will it last is another matter.

The Xperia Play contains an ageing Adreno 205 GPU and 1Ghz Scorpion processor. While no slouch by itself, the effect of using such an outdated architecture was immediately felt when gaming. Games like Asphalt 6 was slow to boot and suffered from frame drop outs. Not only that but I took issue with how Gameloft did not optimise the interface to be used with the gamepad. At times I am required to use the d-pad to navigate and sometimes I am forced to use the touchscreen.

On the upside it was obvious how much the gamepad (however bad it is) improves upon mobile gaming. Touchscreen gaming gaining traction lately, but the lack of controls has always hindered gameplay. Even a simple Gameloft game (and people know how much I hate Gameloft games), was much more enjoyable because I do not have to resort to on-screen buttons to do tasks, or use the dreadful accelerometer to move. I see more of the screen as well as it isn't blocked by the large thumbs.

No doubt by the time the Xperia Play launches, games optimised for the Xperia Play's architecture and unique gamepad will appear. Only time will tell if gamers will be tempted to ditch their PSP and DS, or away from the 3DS and pending PSP2/NGP for the Xperia Play, but for everyone else - the lure of the PlayStation brand could sell them this device, or at least that is what Sony Ericsson are hoping.