arc

Telling no one but its Web site, Sony Ericsson has begun offering the Xperia arc to U.S. consumers with an unlocked, no-contract $599 price tag.

Listed as having support for AT&T's 3G bands (850MHz/1900MHz/2100MHz), it's very possible that it may arrive later at at the carrier. T-Mobile subscribers can pick up an unlocked Arc as well, though it won't support T-Mobile's 3G network.

Sony Ericsson started off the year with a bang, announcing the Android 2.3-powered Xperia Arc at CES 2011. As one of the first Gingerbread-powered phones after the Nexus S, hopes were high and things looked good. Here was a super thin, gorgeous handset with the latest version of Android.

Hardware was impressive as well, with a 1GHz processor, 4.2-inch display, 1GB internal storage, an 8.1-megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth support.

So at the time, it appeared as if Sony Ericsson had learned from past mistakes and could rise to Android greatness. Six months later, however, I'm not so confident. … Read more

A good, fast file converter is a handy thing to have in your PC toolkit. ArcConvert is a small, flexible, free tool that is completely portable, so it can travel along with you on a USB drive or other portable device or media.

ArcConvert converts 7-Zip, ACE, ALZ, APK, Arc, ARJ, BEL, BH, BZ2, CAB, DEB, DZ, GCA, GZ, HA, HKI, IMP, LFB, LZH, MSI, Noa32, PAQ7, PAQAR, PMA, RAR, RPM, RS, SPL, SQX, TAR, TGZ, UCL, UHARC, YZ1, YZ2, Z, ZIP, ZLIB, and ZOO into 7-Zip, ACE, BGA, BZ2, CAB, DZ, HA, HKI, LHA, Noa32, PAQAR, RAR, TAR, TGZ, … Read more

Canadian carrier Rogers might be a week from delivering the one-two punch that is the Xperia Play and Xperia Arc, but that doesn't mean the tech press will stop digging up details.

As we learned last week, the carrier is accepting preorders for both handsets with as little as $50 down at local Best Buy stores. At the time, pricing was rumored, but not confirmed, to be 99 Canadian dollars ($103) with a three-year commitment. Tech blog MobileSyrup has obtained a couple of internal Rogers documents, verifying the three-year pricing as well providing other options.

As previously reported, the $… Read more

Sony Ericsson saw its profits cut in half during the first quarter, but the company managed to stay in the black despite a drop in shipments and a blow to its supply chain from the Japanese earthquake.

For the quarter ended March 31, the mobile phone maker reported net income of 11 million euros ($15.7 million), down from 21 million euros in the year-ago quarter. Despite the drop, results beat the average of analysts' estimates, which had called for a loss of 27.1 million euros, according to Bloomberg. Sales fell 19 percent to 1.145 billion euros from … Read more

Our Canadian readers will be happy to learn that Rogers has begun taking orders for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Xperia Play. According to recent reports, both Android 2.3-powered handsets are expected to arrive later this month on April 28.

Pricing is consistent other high-end Rogers smartphones at 99.99 Candadian dollars ($103) with a 3-year commitment or 549.99 Canadian dollars ($571) outright. Effective today, interested customers also can go to their local Best Buy and preorder either phone with a $50 down payment.

As a refresher, the sleek Xperia Arc features a 4.2-inch super LCD … Read more

After a less than perfect start to its Android efforts, Sony Ericsson has hit the ground running in the new year. The company already has introduced four new smartphones since January and CEO Bert Nordberg told CNET at Mobile World Congress that Sony Ericsson is aiming to be the No. 1 Android player in the world.

That's a lofty goal for any company, but especially for Sony Ericsson. Can it really put the Xperia X10 and its software problems behind it and start anew? And, more importantly, what are the tools it needs to claim that top spot?

Given … Read more

Sony Ericsson is busting out all over in the run up to Mobile World Congress. First, the company teased us with a peek at the long-awaited Xperia Play, and now we catch a glimpse of another handset called the Xperia Neo.

Android Community posted photos today of a candy bar smartphone that looks not unlike the new Xperia Arc. Like the Arc, the Neo should run Android 2.3 Gingerbread, though on a slightly smaller 4-inch touch screen. On the outside it also promises Mini-HDMI and Micro-USB ports.

According to Android Central, other features should include a 1Ghz Qualcomm processor, … Read more

After two years of lightly treading in the Android waters, AT&T is finally ready to start swimming for the deep end of the pool. And almost as if it were pure coincidence, the carrier's broader ambitions come into light as it prepares to lose exclusivity of the iPhone.

Looking ahead, AT&T has plenty of Android on the roadmap for 2011, confirmed by a recently leaked internal document. The details uncovered by Phandroid indicate that the carrier plans to offer at least 12 new devices in the coming year, including a pair of exclusive smartphones.

Looking at AT&T's current lineup of Android phones, it's hard to get very excited. Sure, the Captivate is a great device, but it doesn't stand out from the other Galaxy S models of its time. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is fantastic hardware, but it's hindered by the outdated software. The rest of the roster is a lesson in smartphone mediocrity with assorted handsets from HTC and Motorola.

The near future looks to take sharp turn for the positive, however, with three new phones deserving of your attention.… Read more

Sales of its Android phones and internal cost-cutting helped Sony Ericsson returned to profitability in its fourth quarter. But overall sales were down, and results missed analysts' expectations.

For the quarter ended December 31, the Swedish mobile phone maker saw its net income hit 8 million euros ($10.8 million), a healthy swing from 2009's final quarter, which was hit by a loss of 167 million euros. Results were similar for all of 2010 as net earnings reached 90 million euros following a loss of 836 million euros in fiscal 2009.

Seeing 2010 as a turnaround year, the company … Read more