So the launch day of the Arc and Play is tomorrow, a lot of people are dying to get their hands on these new devices that will be offered from Rogers.
$99 on a 3 year contract and $549.99 with no contract.
Thankfully we were lucky enough to get our hands on them early and are in the process of uploading some videos to Youtube for you all to watch and enjoy (at least hold you off until tomorrow).
So lets do a little review for each, first up, the Play (and be sure to check out our gallery at the bottom)
Xperia Play
At first glance, this Android phone could pass off as any regular QWERTY keyboard phone. It’s thick, and heavy, much like the LG Shine Plus, but not so much to be a real pain. But closed, it’s just a regular Android phone.
It’s running Gingerbread 2.3.2 Googles latest and it’s 1GHZ processor speeds everything along quite well. There’s no real noticeable lag when changing home screens or scrolling, webpages load quickly and are a joy to browse.
The real beauty of the device is when you slide it open and it reveals the full suite of PSP controls. Set all on a brushed metal look, there are the usual 4 directional buttons and the 4 regular Sony Buttons, Triangle, Circle, X and Square.
Inbetween these buttons are two circular dots that are meant to simulate the dual analog control sticks. These work by touching the center middle metal pieces and directing your fingers in either direction to move.
The buttons are quite clicky and responsive, we found trying to use the virtual joysticks to be more of a pain than it was worse, but we can see where Sony was trying to go with this and imagine playing a shooter game would probably be a lot easier.
The weight balances perfectly when slid open in the hands and doesn’t feel topheavy like you would expect it to.
As far as software goes, it’s running Google’s newest baby Gingerbread 2.3.2. Sony has kept modifications to a minimum compared to the X10 and has only created their own new launcher and a few different applications that allow access to the quick gaming features.
Overall the phone is pretty solid and for any mobile gamer is almost a must have. The dedicated controls are awesome and make playing games a wonder.
Xperia Arc
The Arc like the Play is running Androids latest, 2.3.2, and is fast and snappy. The main appeal with this new device is it’s slim appearance, it’s larger 4.2 inch screen and it’s 8 mega pixel camera.
The Arc despite being a very thin phone, doesn’t seem much thinner than any other phone like the Galaxy S for example because of it’s “arc” shape. It is super slim in the middle but bubbles out at the top and bottom of the phone making it seem almost the same size as most other phones it compares to.
It runs very fast and smooth and the camera is for sure the area that this phone shines. It takes great quality pictures and has a decent amount of features and customization that allows you to capture the moment perfectly. Videos also look incredible on this device and for any media junkie this is the phone to get.
Take a look at our hands on video of both for more details and get ready for both the Play and Arc’s launch tomorrow at Rogers stores near you!
EDIT: Arc video will be up soon, technical difficulties!!
EDIT: Its up now!
