14 DAY TRIAL // Sony Ericsson Xperia arc, the first smartphone that the Japanese-Swedish handset vendor unveiled to the world this year with Google's Android 2.3 Gingerbread platform on board, is now being shipped to retailers around Australia, some of the latest reports on the matter suggest.
Initially, the mobile phone was expected to arrive on shelves in the country sometime in April, but it got pushed back to early May, and then delayed again to early June.
Sony Ericsson has had some issues with the supply chain for its Android-based mobile phones, as a result of the earthquake that hit Japan in March, and was forced to delay the release of these devices in certain markets around the world.
Following the said wave of delays the Xperia arc suffered in Australia, the first units are currently being shipped to stores, a recent article on Ausdroid reads.
This means that the mobile phone should hit shelves in the very near future, although nothing was officially confirmed for the time being.
The phone was announced as being on its way to Optus' airwaves in the country, and both the carrier's stores and partner dealers are receiving Xperia arc smartphones, it seems.
The high-end Android-powered mobile phone should hit shelves at the wireless operator for $0 upfront on the $79 Cap, though chances are that it would see a price cut soon.
Starting tomorrow, Australian mobile phone users would be able to purchase another highly appealing smartphone, namely the Samsung Galaxy S II, also set to be released on Optus' network at $0 on the $79 Cap.
Galaxy S II has a great advantage in front of Xperia arc, especially when it comes to the level of performance it can offer, and the latter would not see too much traction at the same cost with Samsung's flagship device.
Optus has yet to make a formal announcement on the availability of Xperia arc, and would certainly provide some info on its pricing as well at that time, provided that anything changed.