Sony Ericsson just unveiled a couple of Android smartphones at the CommunicAsia expo in Singapore that fills certain specialized niches. The Xperia Active, which is obviously built for active, outdoorsy types, and the Xperia Ray, a compact touchscreen phone that looks combines an average spec with an above-average built-in camera.
The Xperia Active has a feature set that focuses on… well, active people. No way anyone would miss that, especially not on a phone that’s highlighted by a dust, scratch and water-resistant case and features that include GPS and a built-in barometer and compass. To give it a more specialized touch, the Xperia Active also comes with an iMapMyFitness app that lets runners track performance, and supports ANT+ technology, which will let it hook up to a number of health and fitness products (like heart rate and pulse monitors).
Sony Ericsson also designed it to work with active hands, giving it a touchscreen that’s listed to recognize touch input even when a user’s hands are wet, and comes bundled with a wrist strap and arm case in case a user’s hands are busy.
The phone comes with a capable smartphone spec if you don’t mind a comparatively small 3-inch, 320 x 480 touchscreen. The Xperia Active features a 1GHz processor, a 5MP camera that’s capable of 720p recording, and a 2GB microSD card for storage. It runs on Android 2.3 and features SE’s four-corner interface featured on their other compact Xperia models.
The Xpera ray is a little more average, coming with a 3.3-inch display and relatively high 480 x 854 resolution, a 1GHz processor, Android 2.3 OS and 4GB microSD card. Pretty common spec compared to other mainstream Android devices, but this phone rocks an eight-megapixel cam with Sony’s Exmor R CMOS sensor to give it good low-light performance, HD video recording, image stabilization, and face recognition.
Sony Ericsson didn’t give out pricing info yet, but they’re both due out in the summer.
Tags: Mobile Phones, Sony Ericsson, XPERIA, Xperia Active, Xperia ray
