Aside from a sleek design, this Android 2.3 smartphone comes with a wealth of high-end features including a very capable camera.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc was announced at CES this year and is already available for sale. Measuring 8.7mm at its thinnest point, this smartphone is one of the sleekest high-end Android handsets around. Furthermore, Sony Ericsson has loaded it with the latest Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and equipped it with the latest Exmor R camera sensor for better image capture. It is available now with a retail price of S$888.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc was announced at CES this year and is already available for sale. Measuring 8.7mm at its thinnest point, this smartphone is one of the sleekest high-end Android handsets around. Furthermore, Sony Ericsson has loaded it with the latest Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and equipped it with the latest Exmor R camera sensor for better image capture. It is available now with a retail price of S$888.
The Arc is only 8.7mm at its thinnest point, which is somewhere in the center of the device. Even if you measure it at its thickest, this smartphone is just slightly fatter than an iPhone 4. Even then, the Arc doesn't appear fragile when held in hand. The chassis is constructed mainly out of plastic and has a glossy finish. Because of that, it can feel somewhat slippery for those with sweaty palms. This isn't a big issue, especially for those who use a protective case with the phone.
With a footprint of 125 x 63mm, the Arc may appear quite large to some. However, given its large 4.2-inch display, we say Sony Ericsson has actually kept it very compact. This screen has a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels and has been given the name "Reality display with Mobile Bravia Engine", riding on the fame of the television brand owned by the Japanese half of Sony Ericsson's parent companies. Marketing speak aside, we did find this LCD to be very good, displaying text, images and videos clearly and with vibrant colors.
Below the screen are three physical buttons--Back, Home and Menu. Physical volume controls are found on the right edge together with a camera shortcut and micro-USB port. One nice touch about this charging/syncing connector is its accompanying LED that lights up in red or green to tell you when the phone is charging or fully charged, respectively.
The Arc has a 3.5mm audio connector for connecting a headset. We didn't like that this was found on the left edge as sticking in a pair of headphones will make the device difficult to place in a pocket comfortably. On the top is where the power button and a mini-HDMI port are found.
An 8-megapixel camera coupled with an LED flash is on the back of the Arc. Further down the back, there's a tiny hole which acts as a microphone that picks up ambient sounds for the phone's noise cancellation feature. Pulling out the entire back cover will reveal the battery and the microSD and SIM slots, accessible only by removing the rechargeable cell.
Features
As expected from any high-end Android phone, the Arc comes with a wealth of connectivity features. These include HSPA for high-speed cellular data transfers, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and A-GPS for satellite navigation and location services.
One of the highlights of the Arc is the inclusion of Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). This makes Sony Ericsson one of the first manufacturers to offer a smartphone with the latest version of Google's mobile operating system (OS).
An important user enhancement in this version is the ability to finely place a cursor without a physical directional pad. This is achieved using an onscreen marker that lets you move the cursor without the user's thumb covering the text. It is also possible to bring up a second marker for the purpose of selecting text--the user will be able.
asia.cnet.com
