Sony Ericsson packs big features into the ultra-thin, curvy Xperia Arc
The days of teasers and rumors are over. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Sony Ericsson unveiled the sleek and sexy Xperia Arc. Hell, I thought my Nexus S was bendy-looking with its curved screen. Curved doesn't aptly describe Sony Ericsson's new handset. It truly is arced.
The Xperia Arc has a curved 4.2-inch screen and measures a slim 8.7 mm, which makes it thinner than yesterday morning's CES hotness, the LG Optimus Black. Oh, how quickly these phones are outdated. ;-)
Unlike many other handsets announced over the last few days, Arc will ship with the newest Android version -- 2.3, or Gingerbread. The smartphone packs a 1GHz Qualcomm processor, 8GB microSD (upgradable to 32GB), 8.1-megapixel camera with LED flash, FM radio and all the expected goodies, like Bluetooth and assisted GPS. Surprisingly, there is only 512MB internal phone memory, which looks paltry compared to many other new handsets. The phone captures 720p HD video, and the display has 854 x 480 resolution.
The phone measures 125 x 63 x 8.7 mm and weighs 117 grams (4.9 x 2.5 x 0.3 inches; 4.1 ounces).
Operation frequencies: UMTS HSPA -- 800, 850, 900, 1900, 2100MHz; GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz. That's good for AT&T subscribers looking for 3G data. T-Mobile is DOA without 1700MHz support.
According to Sony Ericsson's Arc product website, there is "possible limited market availability." Generally, the manufacturer's hottest phones release internationally before ever reaching the states.
My colleague Tim Conneally plans to offer hands-on, first-impression experience with the Arc -- photos, too -- later today. Watch for it.