14 DAY TRIAL // Although Xperia arc has already been confirmed by Canadian carrier Rogers, there hasn't been any piece of news about a possible release of the smartphone in the States.
However, this is about to change due to the recent statement of a Sony Ericsson official who confirmed that the Xperia arc will be jumping overseas sometime during the summer.
When asked by a user on the Sony Ericsson Product Blog about the arc’s availability in the United States, Rikard Skogberg, responded to the user by saying:
“I just got something from my US colleagues and the current plan is to have an “a”-variant available at retailers this summer. This version will be optimized for use in the US (GSM/UMTS). I’ll keep you posted as I get more details.”
Even though no precise release date has been specified, it is expected that more information will leak once the manufacturer decides on the network operators that will carry the Xperia arc in U.S.
Xperia Neo, another Android-powered smartphone from the same new Xperia lineup introduced by Sony Ericsson at the 2011 Mobile World Congress, back in February, has been spotted at the end of March at the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) with North American 3G radio.
This is another fact that confirms Sony Ericsson's intentions of releasing its entire Xperia family in the United States in the coming months.
However, the U.S. market might prove a tough nut to crack for Sony Ericsson, as some of the most prolific handset makers have already launched their products introduced at the beginning of the year.
The Swedish-Japanese joint venture is likely to face a tough competition for its Android smartphones from other manufacturers such as Motorola, HTC and LG.
It will be interesting to find out how much of the suggested retail price will be subsidized by carriers to make the Xperia handset more appealing than other brands.