14 DAY TRIAL // At the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Sony (who bought Sony Ericsson several months ago) unveiled two new handsets in the Xperia family, namely Xperia ion and Xperia S. Both of them are powered by Google’s Android operating system, but Xperia ion also packs LTE connectivity, and was announced as an AT&T exclusive for later this year.
However, those users who would like to acquire the new device contract free and unlocked will be able to do so, it seems.
The smartphone has started to make its way to the websites of various retailers around, and can now be seen listed at only $569.50 (442 Euros) at Negri Electronics.
The website is already accepting pre-orders for the device, and interested users can go there and secure one unit for when it is put up for sale.
Another online retailer, cellhut, lists the new Android-based mobile phone at $799.99 (620 Euros), which seems quite a lot.
The Sony Xperia ion arrives on shelves with a large 4.55-inch touchscreen HD display and is powered by a fast 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon application processor.
The phone’s specifications list includes 1 GB RAM, along with 16GB of internal memory, complemented by a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 32GB of additional storage space.
Moreover, the new handset sports a 12-megapixel photo snapper on the back, with LED flash, auto focus and support for full HD video recording. It is complemented by a 1.3MP camera on the front, great for making video calls.
When it comes to connectivity, Xperia ion has to offer Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot; HSDPA, 21.1 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.8 Mbps; LTE; Bluetooth 2.1; and microUSB v2.0.
The smartphone is powered by Google’s Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, but will get a taste of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the near future.
No specific release date for the device has emerged for the time being at the retailer. AT&T hasn’t announced a launch day for it either.