Sony Ericsson Xperia Active
After the Xperia X10 accident, Sony Ericsson started to be quite preoccupied with ensuring its phones with the latest versions of Android Operating Systems. Thus, the Xperia Active comes with an Android 2.3 Gingerbread O.S. installed (to be more exact, with the most recent iteration – 2.3.4.
Along with this recent update, the system is now capable of making video calls by using the phone’s front facing camera and the Google Talk app, along with various other enhancements and minor bug fixes.
The Xperia Active is also running a modified version of Sony Ericsson’s very own Timescape U.I. (user interface). This is an interface we have already had the pleasure of testing on the Xperia Ray and Xperia Arc S models, and honestly, we came to be very impressed with the improvements brought by the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active. I’ll offer as an example, the new and very great swipe-to-type functionality found in the onscreen keyboard. This is an invaluable feature for the Active model, since it has such a small display. Another feature I loved on the Active phone is the fact that you can now, via your menu command, take screenshots of your phone’s display. Of course, this is a common feature for most of Apple’s devices (for example the iPhone and iPod touch), but this is a relatively new feature, which very few devices can boast with.
Pros
The new Sony Ericsson Xperia Active has a design which is both dustproof and waterproof, an Android 2.3 O.S., the phone is also capable of recording video content at a rate of 720p; the final aspect we really enjoyed during our testing session was the fact that the touchscreen was extremely responsive (we rarely get to test such a great phone).
Cons
Unfortunately, what we didn’t like about the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active was the size of the screen – only 3 inches-, and for such a great phone it is a pity that you can’t really view images or videos at their best. Also, the case may seem a bit on the chunky side for some of the users, so choose according to your preferences if you’re very involved in the phones’ aspect.
Review Conclusions
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Active model is a very tough smartphone which is running an Android 2.3 O.S. We liked the fact that it was a very sturdy handset, being both water-resistant and dustproof; the phone has an impressive 5-megapixel camera (capable of doing a great job when shooting HD videos at a 720p rate) and also boasts microSD expansion capability. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Active will drag out of your pockets about £250 if choose to buy it SIM-free.
To be sincere, I am really tired of seeing the same type of smartphones all over the market, no matter what its producer may be. These handsets are mainly stereotypical, svelte devices; but rarely do we get to see an admirable phone such as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active, which may appeal to all those of you who don’t care for unusually thin phones, but who want to feel a bit of substance on their smartphones’ part..
Specs
- Form factor: Candy-bar
- Screen size: 3 in
- Touch screen: Yes
- Camera resolution: 5 megapixels
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, 3G, Wi-Fi
- Operating system: Google Android
- Size (WxHxD): 92x55x16.5 mm
- Weight: 110.8 g
