In this smartphone review, we lift the hood on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play mobile device. Is it road-worthy, or a lemon? Read more to find out!
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is labeled the world's first PlayStation certified smartphone, which immediately should open some eyes and ears among gaming fans. Its design includes a slide-out game pad that is ideal for gaming, but the Play also functions as an everyday smartphone with all of the standard perks. The Xperia Play is available for Verizon Wireless users for $199.99 after rebates and a two-year contract.
The Xperia Play ships running on the Android 2.3 operating system, more commonly known as Gingerbread. As you might expect, then, there are plenty of Google-related services to enjoy, such as Google Calendar, Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Talk, and YouTube. You can access the Android Market to browse through and download your choice among thousands of apps as well. Besides the Google services, the improvements of Android 2.3 are evident when using the Play. You should notice a smoother, faster keyboard experience overall. Another commonly executed task that is improved is copy and paste. Download management and Internet calling are just two more ways in which Gingerbread impresses on the Play.
The basic phone features of the Xperia Play include a speakerphone, calculator, calendar, voice recorder, voice commands, voice search, a document reader/editor, and more. When using the speakerphone, be sure to speak loudly, since it does not seem to pick up volume that well. Besides that, the overall call quality is satisfactory on both ends.
There's plenty of room for all of your contacts, and managing them is easy. More advanced features of the Play begin with Bluetooth that allows you to pair the phone with hands-free car kits, stereo headsets, etc. The integrated GPS helps when you need voice-guided directions or other local data. Internet connectivity comes through Verizon's 3G network, or you can use the built-in Wi-Fi. Once connected, surfing is done via an Android Webkit browser. You can also convert the phone to a hotspot to provide connectivity for up to five other devices. The lack of 4G is a bit surprising, and a letdown when you consider the phone's price tag.
Verizon packs the Play with several services of its own. Backup Assistant provides an automatic backup of all of your phone's contacts, just in case your phone gets lost or stolen. The service also provides easy management of contacts online right through your computer. Visual Voice Mail is another plus from Verizon that lets you view your voicemail messages in an email format. Doing so allows you to skip straight to the important ones first. VZ Navigator is included for navigational help, and My Verizon is another service that the carrier provides on the Play.
Sony Ericsson offers various ways to keep in touch with others on the Xperia Play beyond simple phone calls. There's threaded text, picture, and video messaging, as well as email through Gmail and other popular providers. Instant messaging is another option, and you can also access social networks like Facebook and Twitter through the phone. Skype Mobile is the final communication method on the Play that bears mentioning.
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