14 DAY TRIAL // Xperia arc, the first Android-based smartphone that Japanese-Swedish mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson launched during the ongoing year, is expected to become available for purchase in Australia in the very near future.
The smartphone was already known to be on its way to the market in the country, but no specific release date for it emerged until now.
However, some of the latest news around the Internet suggest that it might be released in early April, fact confirmed by the arrival of dummies handsets at local retailers.
According to a recent article on Ausdroid, not only would Sony Ericsson Australia note on its Facebook page that the handset is set to make an appearance on the market in early April, but an email they received from Vodafone stated the same thing.
All in all, it appears that Australian mobile phone users interested in the purchase of this device might be able to grab it in a matter of weeks, though a specific release date was not unveiled for the time being.
When made available next month, the mobile phone would hit the airwaves of both Optus and Vodafone. Previous rumors suggested it might sport a $799 price point, though it should be put on sale subsidized on monthly contracts as well.
The mobile phone was launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January, and comes with Google's Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system on board.
Xperia arc comes to the market with a 1GHz application processor inside, 512 MB of internal memory, and a 4.2 inch (854 x 480 pixels FWVGA) Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine.
The handset also includes a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 32GB of additional storage space, and comes with an 8Gb card in the package.
On the back, the new device would include an 8.1-megapixel photo snapper (Exmor R for mobile CMOS sensor) with LED Flash, auto focus, and HD 720p video recording capabilities.