Sony Ericsson launches two Android smartphones

Xperia Ray will be available in the second week of September while Xperia Active may hit the markets in the 4th week of the month and are expected to be priced between Rs 17,000-Rs 20,000.

Sony Ericsson has launched two new smartphones in India under its Xperia brand. Both phones - Xperia Active and Xperia Ray - were announced in June during the CommunicAsia 2011 event in Singapore and feature the latest Android 2.3 operating system along with a 1 GHz processor. With this, the Xperia brand will include nine phones and there are more to come.

Xperia Ray will be available in the second week of September while Xperia Active may hit the markets in the 4th week of the month. Both the handsets are expected to be priced between Rs 17,000-Rs 20,000.

Xperia Active has a 3 inch reality display with Sony's Mobile Bravia display technology, and a 5 megapixel camera with HD video functionality. It is a dust and water resistant phone, and incorporates wet finger tracking which means that the phone works perfectly even when the screen or the user's fingers are wet.

Sony Ericsson's Xperia Active is for health conscious people and comes pre-loaded with sports apps that enable consumers to easily track their fitness levels. Users can set their ideal training route using the built-in GPS, barometer and compass. The on-screen heart rate and pulse can be monitored in real time (enabled by ANT+ wireless networking technology), while the iMapMyFitness app can monitor day to day performance. In addition, Facebook inside Xperia allows consumers to share their progress and experiences with friends.

The phone comes with a changeable soft-touch back cover, and detachable ear hooks for the portable handsfree that ensure the earpieces remain in place while you are running. It is packed with a wrist strap and arm case for use during workouts as well.

The phone is not the lightest - it weighs about 110.8 grams. Besides, the battery has a capacity of 1,200 mAh, which is measly for smartphones. We hope that Sony Ericsson has some tricks up its sleeve to make the battery last a full day.

The other new Sony phone is called Xperia Ray. Aimed more at style conscious consumers the phone comes with a sleek aluminium frame, reality display, mobile Bravia engine, and a 3.3 inch screen.

Xperia Ray, which also runs on the latest Android platform for smartphones (Gingerbread 2.3), is powered by a 1 GHz processor. The phone is quite sleek, with a thickness of 9.4 mm, and it looks gorgeous.

Besides, it has an 8.1 megapixel camera with Exmor R Sony camera technology and HD video functionality, which means that the camera will be one of the best, if not the best, in its class.

Xperia Ray incorporates a front facing camera and a scratch resistant screen with excellent resolution and brightness, and integrated touch keys. The phone is light at just 100 grams. All the other bells and whistles of the smartphone such as WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth and DLNA are all present.