Living the active life? These are the 'droids you're looking for

Sony unveils dust-, water-resistant Xperia Android smartphones

MANILA, Philippines – Sony recently launched two new smartphones under the Xperia range. The two new handsets — dubbed Xperia go and Xperia acro S — are designed for people who live the active and sporty lifestyle and boast dust-, scratch-, and water-resistant construction.

The Xperia go (available in black, white, and yellow) offers a blend of features that include a 3.5-inch Reality Display with Sony Mobile Bravia for superb viewing, a 5MP fast-capture camera, and pre-loaded Fitness and Sports applications, all encased in a sleek and stylish 110-gram package.

It runs on a fast 1GHz Cortex-A9 dual-core processor and operates with Google’s Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and has an 8GB internal memory storage expandable to 32GB via microSD card.

TV personality, dancer, choreographer and percussionist Gab Valenciano shares, “Sony’s Xperia go is ideal for someone like me. I tend to carry my phone even while dancing, so I have had many previous experiences where I have dropped my phone during rehearsals. I love that the go is so light and sturdy — it’s sleek, smart and durable.”

Style blogger and avid traveler Laureen Uy says, “Traveling isn’t the same without a handy, durable smartphone to capture spontaneous moments, and the Xperia go has exactly what I need. I love documenting great sights — even looks I love — while roaming in the streets, and the phone’s fast-capture camera does the job well for me.

Xperia acro S

“The camera goes from sleep to snap in less than two seconds so I never miss a great photo op. Plus, it helps that I can still bring it out in the rain and keep in touch my family and friends, all without worrying about damaging my phone,” she adds.

Meanwhile, the Xperia acro S (available in black and white) is a fitting option for discerning photography and video enthusiasts.

The HD smartphone boasts of a 4.3-inch 720p scratch-resistant HD display powered by Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine, a stunning 12MP fast-capture camera, and full 1080p HD video recording capabilities, allowing its user to take and view photos and videos in razor-sharp clarity.

It likewise features quick and seamless connectivity via an HDMI port for easy multimedia viewing on the big screen, as well as built-in Sony media apps (Album, Walkman, and Movies).

Director Paul Soriano says, “The camera and video quality of the Xperia acro S is really impressive. Off duty, I still enjoy recording moments with family and friends, and this phone has all that I need to be able to take amazing HD footage wherever I am.”

“I can also easily enjoy viewing them on TV since the phone can be connected to it directly through an HDMI port,” he adds.

The 147-gram acro S runs on a fast 1.5 GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor and has a 16GB internal memory storage expandable to 32GB via microSD card. It runs on Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS.

The Xperia go possesses the highest level of water- and dust-resistance in a smartphone, and the Xperia acro S, the highest level of water-resistance in an HD smartphone, making both extremely durable options for today’s active lifestyles.

Both likewise feature Wet Finger Tracking, allowing one to use each phone even with wet fingers as well as enable the user to enjoy taking underwater photos and videos with ease.

“The Xperia acro S and Xperia go are smartphones that you can trust will work even after getting wet or being dropped,” says Patrick Larraga, head of Mobile Business for Sony Philippines.

“They also connote the kind of lifestyle that Xperia challenges Filipinos to enjoy — one that is meaningful, freeing and rewarding,” he adds.

He cites the catchphrase “dare to get wet” as one of phones’ underlying key messages.

“It can mean literally being able get the phones wet, yes; but figuratively speaking, ‘daring to get wet’ is all about living in the moment and enjoying the things that are meaningful to you — experiences that are refreshing and liberating,” Larraga says.

“This is something that we hope to communicate to Filipinos via the Xperia go and acro S. We want them to really live life and savor every moment; to do things that they love and not get stuck in a routine; to find a balance between work and play, and make substance a priority,” he adds.

The Xperia go has a suggested retail price of P14,490, while the Xperia acro S retails for P26,990.

The new Xperia smartphones are available at the following Xperia concept stores: Metro Manila — Glorietta, Robinson’s Galleria, Robinson’s Midtown, SM Fairview, SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, and SM North EDSA; Luzon — SM Bacoor, SM Baguio, and SM San Fernando; the Visayas — Ayala Center Cebu, and SM Cebu; and Mindanao — Abreeza Davao, and Gaisano Mall Davao.