14 DAY TRIAL // Unveiled back in June, Sony Ericsson Xperia active has finally arrived in the UK. The smartphone is now available for purchase unlocked and SIM free for only £240 (370 USD or 280 EUR).
But there’s more to it, as major retailer Clove is selling the smartphone bundled with a free Sony Ericsson LiveView worth of £45 (70 USD or 53 EUR).
The Sony Ericsson LiveView is small gadget, the size of a watch, which can be strapped to the wrist. The device interacts with the Xperia active and allows users to check their Facebook and Twitter updates, as well as any RSS feeds.
Furthermore, any music stored on the phone can be controlled using the Sony Ericsson LiveView device, so users will be able to take advantage of quick functions, such as play, pause, as well as next and previous track. This is all possible without having to get the phone out of the pocket or bag.
The device features a small 1.3-inch OLED display and is compatible with any device that runs Android 2.0 and up. The sales package includes a special clip, a wristband and a microUSB charger.
The Xperia active is a water and dust resistant Android smartphone aimed at active people, hence the name. It runs Google’s Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and Sony Ericsson’s Timescape user interface.
Sony Ericsson confirmed earlier this month that it would upgrade all its Xperia phones launched in 2011 to Android 4.0, so it’s possible to see Ice Cream Sandwich on Xperia active sometime next year.
In the hardware front, the Xperia active is powered by a standard 1 GHz single core processor and packs 1 GB of internal memory (320 MB user available), 512 MB of RAM and microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB).
There’s also a 5-megapixel camera on the back, which features autofocus and LED flash, as well as HD (720p) video recording capabilities.
