Sony Ericsson lights up Xperia Arc
Android handset announced - no mention of PlayStation
CES 2011 The PlayStation Phone hasn't (yet) made an appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), so Sony Ericsson fans will have to make do with the Xperia Arc, a very slim Android smartphone that, as its name suggests, is curved.
The metal backed, chrome plastic sided handset is built around a 4.2in, 480 x 854 capacitive multi-touch screen. There's a 1GHz Qualcomm processor on board, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and an 8.1Mp camera. The Arc has no on-board storage, but Sony Ericsson will slip an 8GB Micro SD card in the box.
You're looking at dual-band HSDPA 3G and quad-band GSM/Edge cellular connectivity, plus Wi-Fi, Bluetooth. It has HDMI output and can stream content using DLNA technology. It has GPS too.
OK, PlayStation isn't one of them, but Sony is using some of its other brands to promote the Arc: Bravia for the handset's "reality display" - shades of Apple's "retina display" there - engine and Exmor R for its image sensor.
Says SE: the Arc's display offers "exceptional visual brilliance and a crystal clear image which enhances the overall entertainment experience". Hyperbole, of course, but to what extent was impossible to say under the harsh lighting above Sony's CES booth.
Arc comes in a 125 x 63 x 8.7mm casing. Insides and outsides together weigh 117g. The Arc will go on sale later this quarter. ®
COMMENTS
iPhone no longer "the world's slimmest smartphone"
Haha - iPhone is 9.3mm thick, so Apple won't even be able to claim that any more in its increasingly desperate advertising.
SE + Android = FAIL
SE has a very hard time getting their act together. We will see this phone in the market in Q4 when every spec on this phone is out of date. Plus to top it off they will not release any updates for it. BTW: The x10 is already being discontinued by AT&T. Think the Arc could make it at least 6 months? I don't think so.
I think and/or hope
I think and/or hope the author means "no onboard storage of meaningful size". My SE Satio, like all recent SE handsets has a tiny but functional amount of onboard storage (presumably for the OS, apps etc.) and then they supplement that with a freebie removable SD card for the big stuff.
It's looks like a damn tempting contender for my next phone, any clues regarding battery life yet?
internal storage
Can you check this El Reg - go back to the stand and pretend you lost your car keys/child or something and have a nosey on the menu - I do like SE designs for their android phones they have really sorted some of the production issues they were having out of late,and they just look finished.
Good looker
that's the best looking SE Android mobile phone by some margin, esp. in black.
