14 DAY TRIAL // Sony Ericsson and Saudi carrier STS have just announced the availability of the Xperia Play in the country. The smartphone is available for purchase starting this week for SR 2,999 (about $800).
At first glance, the device may seem overpriced, but the carrier also throws in connection vouchers for free Wi-Fi service that can access more than 2000 sites through a dedicated portal for 12 months, as well as a 250MB Quicknet SIM card every month for half year.
“Relations between STC and Sony Ericsson as a strategic partnership that enables the company to offer its customers advanced products such as the latest smart devices,” said Jameel Bin Abdullah Al-Molhem, vice president of the Personal Sector at STC.
Advertised mainly as a gaming device, Xperia Play offers users a whole new experience of 3D gaming thanks to its PSP-like gaming controls.
However, the handset was delayed a few times due to several software issues that have been reportedly corrected last month.
As a reminder, the Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play has a large 4.0-inch LED-backlit LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16 million colors support and 480 x 854 pixels resolution.
The device allows users to play PlayStation Suite games and is equipped with a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, touch focus and image stabilization.
Commenting on the launch, Rudiger Odenbach, general manager of Sony Ericsson in the Middle East, said: “Without doubt the advanced XperiaPLAY will be very popular in the Middle East markets since video games are enthusiastically played throughout the region. By launching this new device, we are enabling people to enjoy their favorite games over their mobile smartphone, which will definitely raise the video gaming experience to an exciting new level.”
Equipped with a single core 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon processor (with Adreno 205 GPU), the Xperia Play packs a medium amount of 400 MB internal memory.
The phone is powered by a standard 1500 mAh Li-Ion battery that should provide up to 425 hours of standby time or up to 8 hours of talk time.