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Sony Xperia V review

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Sony Ericsson Xperia neo (V): stylish handsome man with a fashionable "axis"

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Review of handset Sony Ericsson W580i

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Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S - just add ... Sony!

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Review of Sony Ericsson J108i Cedar mobile phone

Despite the immense popularity of touchscreen phones, conventional phones such as the Sony Ericsson J108i Cedar are in demand among a certain target audience of buyers. It belongs to the budget segment, but has established itself as a solid, modern and practical solution for work and entertainment ...

When things aren't going well for a manufacturer, management will do its best to cut down on all kinds of costs. The last year gap of almost ten years of cooperation between the Swedish company Ericsson and the Japanese Sony, is one of the clearest examples of this. What began as a successful cooperation that gave a huge impetus to the development of the mobile industry, remember at least the Cyber ​​Shot and Walkman devices, eventually ended in a complete fiasco. And so, contrary to logic, instead of concentrating its attention around a small number of verified models, in 2012 Sony releases 15 new devices. The lineup is becoming so uniform that not all sellers, let alone potential buyers, can distinguish one device from another. Why are smartphones similar in appearance so different in price? It seems that we will never know the answer to this question. It remains only to try to figure out all the Sony models ourselves and help our readers with this. In this review, we are considering one of the most affordable Sony models - the Xperia J. You can find out what interesting things the Sony Xperia J can offer to the user from the review.

Continuing the theme of the bloated lineup, one cannot but say that all 15 models released last year have several body color options. The total number of offers on the Hotline is 44 devices. It doesn't seem like Sony is having a hard time. Of course, 44 models are better than five, because the circle of their buyers is much wider, but what are the costs of maintaining and servicing such a number of equipment? Whatever one may say, it turns out that not everything is so bad in the Japanese kingdom. Therefore, the brand should be perceived not as someone who needs help and indulgence now, but as a completely flourishing company.
Since, every subsequent smartphone that came to our editorial office left a worse impression of itself than its predecessor. I was at the very top. A phone that can easily be compared to the 4th generation Apple iPod Touch. True, there is only one thing in common between them - the back panel, it instantly loses its presentation, becoming covered with a cobweb of scratches. A pleasant exception is the interesting one as well as the Xperia S,. And now, almost a year after the appearance of the first "new" Sony, we are testing the Sony Xperia J. You will not find any interesting characteristics in it, its main trump card is an unusual appearance and a relatively affordable price. By paying 2,400 hryvnia, the user gets a smartphone running the Android 4.0 operating system, which, in the foreseeable future, should receive an update to Android 4.1. In addition to the popular operating system, the Xperia J has a place for a 4-inch TFT screen with a resolution of 854x480 pixels, a 5 MP camera, a processor with a clock speed of 1 GHz, 512 MB of RAM and a 1750 mAh battery. With the exception of the latter, the parameters are inferior to the above-mentioned Xperia Neo L, but the Neo L will cost you 550 hryvnia less. What is the salt? Is this a price to pay for novelty and a slightly slimmer body? There are more questions than answers. But first things first.

Design and ergonomics

The appearance of the smartphone resembles smartphones of the 2011 model year, the concave back of the case and the bevels of the ends are especially striking. Thanks to these design refinements, the Xperia J feels like a glove in the hand. Soft-touch spraying also contributes to pleasant sensations.

On the front panel there is a recess for the earpiece, an indicator of missed events, a front camera lens, a proximity sensor, a screen and three touch keys. The top and bottom edges of the front panel are chamfered. A silver insert runs along the perimeter of the case. It divides the smartphone into two parts, front and back. At the bottom there is an LED that can change its color depending on the chosen theme. There are not many keys on the sides of the case, all of them are located on the right side - this is the power button and the double volume rocker. On the opposite side there is a MicroUSB connector. Finally, a headphone jack is located at the top end. The volume key is easily searched for blindly, but the power button takes some getting used to. The problem is not that it is difficult to detect, but that you need to press it a little from the bottom, this is how it responds best to pressing and emits a characteristic click. If you press it directly in the center, you have to put in more effort, and you will not hear a click. The last thing to talk about is the notch for removing the back panel. It is located on the right sidewall, near the bottom end.

The back side is completely coated with soft-touch coating. It prevents the phone from slipping in your hands. In the upper left corner are the camera lens and, to the right, the flash LED. Approximately in the center of the case is the XPERIA inscription, and closer to the bottom end, on one of the protrusions, there is an oblong slot for the speaker. Under the removable cover there is a 1750 mAh battery and two slots for a SIM and a memory card. Access to them closes the battery, so you cannot install or replace one of the cards without removing it.

Fitting quality is excellent, while squeaks are present throughout the body, which does not add to it in the fight against the competition.

Interface and software

The smartphone runs on the Android 4.0.4 operating system with the Xperia UX proprietary interface installed on top.
The lock screen is greeted with two icons - unlock and launch the camera. From here you can get to the Notification Panel, for this you need to pull the status bar located at the very top of the screen down.
The desktop consists of five windows, which can be moved both to the left and to the right. You cannot add or remove them.
The bottom panel consists of five icons. The central one is used to call the list of applications, and the ones on the sides are responsible for dialing numbers, going to messages, Google Play and a set of multimedia functions collected in one folder. The process of creating folders is simple, for this you need to drag one shortcut to another and select the name of the new directory. Five rectangles are displayed under the Notification panel, which you can use to find out which of the desktop windows you are on. The Notification Panel itself has minimal functionality. All it is designed for is displaying events and going to Settings.

Scrolling through windows is slow, which is not surprising given the type of processor and operating system used.
The numeric keypad consists of both numbers, Latin letters and Cyrillic. Unfortunately, when dialing a number, the letter search does not work. But the full-size keyboard is one of the most convenient. Typing is a pleasure. The number of erroneous clicks is minimal.
The Smart Connect app has become a nice addition to the modest capabilities of the device. In its capabilities, it resembles the context pages in the Premium Suite in Samsung smartphones, with the only difference that in Sony, users can create actions to be performed when certain events occur. By default, the set consists of three events: connecting the charger, headset and headphones. In the event of any of these events, the smartphone can launch the installed application, change the sound profile and activate or deactivate wireless communications, or open a specific page in the browser, send a text message or publish information on social networks.

Hardware platform

The Sony Xperia J has an old gigahertz Cortex-A5 processor - Qualcomm MSM7227A with an ARMv7 instruction set and an Adreno 200 graphics core. It's hard to imagine a smaller one. Together with the processor, 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of constant work, of which 2.8 GB are available to the user.
Despite the rather modest parameters, the Xperia J works much faster than the same Prestigio Multiphone 4300 DUO, which also uses a gigahertz processor, but with a more powerful graphics core and a lower screen resolution. This suggests one thing - optimization on the part of one developer and the inability to optimize processes on the part of the second. Confirmation that Sony was able to achieve more of what they had, are the results of synthetic tests. They are higher than those based on the MTK6575 system-on-chip.

Most importantly, it's the energy efficient Cortex-A5 processor. With its help from a battery with a capacity of 1750 mAh, we managed to achieve excellent results. More than 4 hours of work at maximum load in Antutu Tester, which allowed to score 763 points, taking the second line in the rating.

The volume of the multimedia speaker is low, the sound output is lacking in volume. When using high-quality headphones, you can achieve good sound quality, including volume, which, however, is the merit of a special xLOUD setting that increases the volume. In general, the musical capabilities of the device can be estimated at a solid four points out of five possible. If it were not for the sound quality from the speaker, then at 5 with a minus.

Video playback is assigned to an application created in collaboration with Gracenote. This allows you to get extended information about the video content. The search works only if the file name is correct in English. The application does not accept transliteration or Cyrillic. Given the modest capabilities of the application for playing various types of files, it is unlikely that anyone will use it constantly. The most convenient way is to install a third-party player that can handle a wider set of codecs, and although this will not help in playing video in 720p quality, the processor is simply unable to pull out such a stream of information, but you will not have to worry about which container the video file is in.

Display and camera

The 4-inch display with a resolution of 854x480 pixels (245 PPI) has excellent viewing angles. Colors do not change their saturation at any angle. At maximum brightness, colors do not appear washed out like other Sony models. The minimum brightness is comfortable for working in complete darkness, including reading. Taking into account the diagonal, the screen of Sony Xperia J can be placed on a par with HTC models. There is no light sensor and automatic brightness control.
The main camera is capable of taking photos with a maximum resolution of 5 MP, the front camera is 0.3 MP, video recording is carried out with one resolution - 640x480 pixels. The viewfinder interface includes four icons on the left side of the screen and a shutter button, a mode switch and gallery entrance on the right half. There is automatic focusing when photographing and recording video. The quality of both is average. Better than HTC One V, but inferior to Samsung Galaxy S Duos.

Examples of 5 MP photos taken with a Sony Xperia J smartphone

An example of a video recorded by a smartphone Sony Xperia J

Outcomes

At first glance, it seemed that the Sony Xperia J had nothing to offer the user, especially against the background of the Sony Xperia Neo L. In fact, everything turned out to be not quite so. Yes, technically the model is inferior to its predecessor, but the overall impression is much more positive. Slim and tactile body, good display and camera, excellent battery life and sound quality in the headphones. It is these qualities that make the Xperia J the preferred smartphone, unless you are concerned with the resolution of the video you are recording. This is the only advantage of the Neo L over the model in question. As for the competitors, there are more than enough of them, and here the Xperia J will not be easy. If we take into account the main opponent in the face, then on the side of the latter there will be only a display, and even then the difference between them is almost imperceptible. In all other respects, the advantage is on the side of Sony. Works on a similar platform. It has an excellent 4.3-inch IPS screen, but is inferior in camera quality. The most serious competitor can rightfully be considered. Despite the fact that it has a display with a slightly smaller diagonal, 3.8-inches, in all other respects it does not leave a chance for Sony Xperia J Of course, many will wonder which is better, a device from a well-known brand, but with limited functionality or something more technologically advanced but from lesser known manufacturers. You can argue about this for a long time, but the answer is simple - it all depends on how important the brand is to you. If prestige is in the first place, then it is worth choosing from the listed models. In a situation where a rational approach to buying will turn out to be the best alternative. Except for battery life, it outperforms the Xperia J.

Video filming is possible only with a resolution of 640x480 pixels. You can install less (for example, if you still use MMS), but nothing more. It looks a little strange and is definitely a marketing limitation, since the hardware platform can handle HD video recording and playback. The quality, however, is pretty good - you can judge it yourself from the above video.

Interface, performance, autonomy

The smartphone "out of the box" runs Android 4.0, which is about to be replaced by Jelly Bean. In fact, the version of the platform does not really matter, all the same, from time to time, the proprietary interface in smartphones remains practically unchanged.

The unlock screen with the activation slider remains in place. The ability to create folders on any of the five desktops, as well as in the quick access menu, has not disappeared anywhere. Well, just in case, Sony offers a number of pre-installed applications that should make life easier for the user. There is a service for recognizing music tracks, a file manager, an office suite, clients of popular social networks, including Timescape, and much more. We have talked about all this more than once - we will not repeat ourselves.

Recall that the Sony Xperia J is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7227A platform with a single gigahertz processor, Adreno 200 graphics and 512 MB of RAM. This chip was not top-end a year ago, and even more so now. The same platform is at the heart of Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus, Galaxy Mini 2, Nokia Lumia 610, HTC Desire V. Of course, one should not expect high performance from such a chip. So you have to put up with lags when working with the menu, forget about demanding games and HD video - a smartphone is not suitable for such tasks. Although on Angry Birds its power is enough, and thanks for that.

The 1700 mAh battery made it possible to hope for a long battery life of the Xperia J. This is not to say that it is too low, but it cannot be called super-long. On a single charge, the smartphone confidently lasts from one to two days, depending on the intensity of use. Although you still need to navigate for a day of more or less active work with the device. One of the main competitors - Samsung Galaxy S III mini - lasts less on a single charge.

Competitors

The Sony Xperia J has a lot of competitors, especially if you take into account last year's flagships, which have become significantly cheaper over the past time. Most of the alternatives are traditionally offered by Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2

Strong smartphone, successor to the super popular Ace. The model is noticeably faster than the Japanese, because it is based on a dual-core NovaThor U8500 chip and has 768 MB of RAM.

Then phones from Sony appeared in the face of the NXT line, where the middle-class solutions camp was represented by a model, and then also. Updating the assortment, the manufacturer brought on sale another model of a similar level, it was the Sony Xperia J.

This is a candy bar with a 4-inch screen and a 1 GHz processor with 512 MB of RAM, which runs on Android 4.0 paired with a proprietary shell. Multimedia capabilities are quite standard: a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, a front-facing camera, and a fairly large 1750 mAh battery. With all this, the smartphone received an original design in the spirit of more expensive Xperia smartphones, which compares favorably with its classmates.

Contents of delivery

• Smartphone


• Battery


• Power Supply


• USB cable


• Brief instruction

Design

Like many other Sony products, the new model comes in a variety of colors. Available in four color options: black, white, pink and gold.

Therefore, it is easy to choose the most attractive option for yourself, taking advantage of such a wide variety. In any case, the front part will be black, only the back surface is colored.

In terms of its dimensions, the device turned out to be average, not the smallest, but also not very large: 124.3x61x9.2 mm, weight 124 g.

Before us is one of those cases when the smartphone is not very expensive, but it has an original design. The upper and lower ends are beveled, plastic surrounds the screen from all sides. The sides are slightly raised to protect the display when it is laid down on the surface. By the way, this smartphone does not have a factory protective film, only a decorative one, which is a pity, it was usually found in many Sony models and served as a useful means of protection.

A thin silver insert runs along the perimeter of the case, and then there is a removable plastic panel.

Above the screen, you can see the front camera and proximity sensor, as well as the earpiece. There is a light indicator, but there is no sensor for automatic brightness control.

At the bottom there will be a block of three touch buttons: back, home, functions that are backlit. A microphone is also located here.

There is a 3.5mm headphone hole in the center of the top end.

There is nothing on the lower part, only a strap mount is present at the corner of the case.

On the left side there is a microUSB connector.

On the right, there is a small screen lock button with a modest profile, so it's not very convenient to press it. Below is the volume rocker with a more convex profile. There is also a recess on this side for removing the back panel.

The part is made of matte plastic and has an original concave profile that repeats the features of the Xperia V. So if you put the phone on the table with the screen down, it will look more original from the side.

In the upper left corner there is a camera lens and a flash. Below is a slot for the ringer speaker.

The assembly is excellent, everything is assembled tightly, no creaks or backlashes of the body parts. There is a battery inside the smartphone, it blocks the slot for the SIM-card and microSD, which lies next to it.

Screen

The diagonal of the display is exactly 4 inches, the resolution is 480x854 pixels, up to 16 million colors are displayed. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass, but, as I said, there is no film here.

Only manual brightness level adjustment is possible. On the street, the behavior is normal, the picture fades under the bright sun, but in normal lighting everything is fine. The capacitive sensor detects up to 5 simultaneous touches, the sensitivity is flawless.

The display has a rather strange color rendition, the colors are somewhat embellished, as the contrast will be artificially increased. This is reminiscent of Samsung phones with first generation Super AMOLED screens - bright but not natural. As for the rest, there are no complaints about the TFT screen, the viewing angles are normal for a screen of this class. Examples include Highscreen Alpha GT at the top and Sony Xperia J at the bottom.

Filling

The model runs on Android 4.0.4 operating system. The smartphone has a single-core processor with a frequency of 1 GHz Qualcomm MSM7227A, a graphics accelerator Adreno 200 and 512 MB of RAM. In addition, it offers 4 GB of internal memory, of which 2 GB remains for the user, and a slot for a memory card with a capacity of up to 32 GB inclusive.

The performance results can be seen in the screenshots, the operating speed is not the highest. It happens that the smartphone starts to hesitate, it is annoying. Against the background of more efficient devices with MTK chips, the model from Sony does not look so interesting. The previously used U8500 NovaThor was also quite good. It is a pity that they abandoned it, deciding to save money and choose a cheaper solution.

Menu

At the top of the screen there is a service line, which displays the time, battery charge, signal reception level indicator. Active connections and other data are also displayed there. By clicking on it, you can find out in more detail what programs were downloaded, what messages and letters were received, or what files were received via Bluetooth.

Preset images or wallpapers from Sony, as well as your own favorite pictures are used as design elements. There are seven different colored menu themes available. Depending on which theme is chosen, a small strip located at the bottom will change color.

Shortcuts and folders, as well as widgets are placed on the desktop. They are selected from a vertical list that scrolls quickly. Five desktops are available, their number does not change. At the same time, an interesting function works: you can swipe with two fingers from different angles, all desktops will be reduced and displayed on one screen.

There are 5 icons at the bottom of the screen. These are multimedia, messages, menu entry, contacts and dialing. If you click on a folder, for example, with media data, then an additional menu will pop up with those applications that are in this category. The task manager is invoked by holding down the center key.

When the screen is locked, the display shows the date and time. To unlock the screen, you need to slide your finger along from left to right. If you do it the other way around, then the silent mode is turned on, as evidenced by an additional icon. Additional information about unattended events is displayed here.

The smartphone menu consists of several working areas, initially there are three of them. If you install additional applications, then over time there will be more such areas. There are 12 icons on the screen on a translucent background, under which you can see the wallpaper set on the main screen. The icons can be arranged in a way that is convenient for the user. There is also a sorting by several criteria: alphabetically, frequently used, recently installed.

Phone book

The smartphone has a convenient assistant for importing contacts both from a SIM card and from Facebook and Google accounts, they are displayed in a single list. A backup copy of the list of numbers on the memory card is created, later the data can be restored. Sorting by first and last name works.

When adding a new contact, many fields are created. These are various types of phone numbers, e-mail addresses, means of quick communication (AIM, ICQ, Gtalk, Skype and others), residential addresses and others (alias, note, Internet call).

Your smartphone has a list of alphabetical letters located on the right side of the screen. If you press your finger on this line and move down or up, then a letter pops up on the screen - a kind of quick search that helps in cases when the phone has several hundred, or even thousands of contacts. The search works by the first letters of the contact name for both language layouts.

There is a menu of favorites where you can add the most requested contacts. A quick menu is available: you need to click on the place for the icon with the contact's photo, after which you can call, send a message by SMS or e-mail, see the data on Facebook.

Call log

Directly from the phone book, you can access the call log, it is highlighted in a separate tab. There are a single list of dialed numbers, received and missed calls, for clarity they are marked with icons of different colors. By clicking on a line, you can delete a number from the call log, add it to a contact, or perform some other actions. If you select a number from the list, detailed information about the call is displayed.

From the call history, you can not only make a telephone conversation with the selected subscriber, but also send him an SMS or e-mail from this list without going to another menu. The number is dialed using a convenient virtual keyboard. An automatic search for numbers that match numbers is working.

Posts

For SMS and MMS, there is a shared folder where received messages go. When sending, adding various objects to the SMS, you can automatically convert it to MMS. Messages are grouped by addressee in the message feed. By dialing the subscriber's number, the phone displays a list of suitable numbers by alternating digits.

While typing, a small field will be displayed for characters. The longer the message, the more the space allocated for the character set increases. The device can copy, cut and paste text. A convenient cursor is used for navigation, which helps to correct typos, highlight the necessary sections of the text.

Predictive text input is available, where correction and word completion systems help you type, so you don't waste time correcting mistakes. Possible word suggestions are shown on a separate line above the keyboard. Copying and pasting of fragments is supported. Sony supports fast text input similar to Swype. There is a lot of space on the screen, the keyboard is comfortable, so typing messages is comfortable.

Email

To work with e-mail, the automatic configuration of the mailbox is launched (if it is not Gmail, which connects immediately after the mail address was entered during the initial activation of the phone). It includes entering basic information (login, password). The phone perfectly understands various encodings, supports downloading attachments in familiar formats.

It is easy to attach pictures from the device memory to a new letter. The function of copying text and automatic mailbox checking (the interval is set manually) is also working. The device simultaneously operates two applications - Gmail and Email. The only difference is that in the first, mail comes only from the gmail.com server, while the second application works with any mail storages.

Camera

The smartphone uses a 5-megapixel module with autofocus and LED flash. There is no separate button here, so the application is launched either from the lock screen or from the menu. The interface is designed not only for landscape, but also for portrait mode. Auxiliary icons are displayed on the screen to facilitate the conditions of photography. In the upper left corner is the settings mode, at the bottom the flash is turned off. At the top right there is a lever for switching between photo and video, then there is a shutter button. Below that is a stack of thumbnails that show thumbnails of recent snapshots. If you click on it, you can go to the gallery.

Various options are available:

Shooting conditions: normal, portrait, landscape, night photography, night portrait, beach and snow, sports, party, document.

Photo resolution: 5M (2592x1944), 3M (2048x1536), 2M 4: 3 (1632x1224), 2M 16: 9 (1920x1080 pixels).

Flash: Auto, Off, Fill In, Red-eye Removal.

Timer: 2, 10 seconds.

Focusing: single autofocus, touch focus, infinity.

Exposure number.

White balance: auto, indoor lighting, fluorescent, daylight, cloudy.

Measurement: center, middle level, point.

Geotags.

Shooting method: on-screen button, touch shooting.

Shutter sound.

Photo save location.

My sample had problems with the camera, the pictures turned out to be strange: very blurry, with very mediocre details. Also, during photographing, autofocus did not always work correctly.

Gallery The smartphone offers an updated gallery, where pictures are sorted by month, displayed as a list of thumbnails. Each line will contain five small images, and the section itself will begin with one large image. The gallery works both vertically and horizontally. The speed of work is good, it is convenient to use it. The image opens in full screen, scaling works with the help of multitouch. Files can be sent via email, Bluetooth, SMS, or posted on Picasa. Images are assigned as desktop wallpaper or assigned to a contact. Rotation of images, reduction of their size is supported, as well as additional information about a specific file is displayed, the place where the picture was taken is also shown if geotagging is working. The built-in photo editor function allows you to apply various effects, crop the picture and perform other actions. Built-in video support is very limited, only videos in 3GP and MP4 are played, so you can't do without an additional player if you want to watch a movie on your smartphone screen right after downloading it from the Internet. Radio The smartphone has a radio that has an automatic station search function, you can also switch manually. Also, several dozen frequencies are stored in the phone's memory. You can easily switch between your favorite stations by clicking on the small icons that will move between waves. While listening to the radio, you can record a snippet of a song, identify track information using Track ID, and post the information to Facebook. Player The player menu has been redesigned, it repeats the models of the new line. It now consists of a couple of tabs. The first one is reserved for the song being played at the moment, and the second contains all the information about the music in the device's memory. To listen to music, you can select tracks organized into several categories: artist, album, tracks, lists, SenseMe, and favorites. Each group is highlighted in a separate box, under which the number of data is indicated. A search function is available, which is useful for working with a voluminous music storage. The information is sorted in alphabetical order, for fast scrolling, you can use the cursor that appears on the screen, and at the same time the initial letters. Separately, I would like to highlight the SenseMe function, which came from Walkman players. It allows you to select tracks to suit your mood, which is very convenient. For this, an application that is installed on a computer comes in handy and with its help you can analyze the entire media library by adding the necessary data to the file tags. From the list with music, you can add songs to a playlist or send them via MMS, Bluetooth or e-mail, as well as to the cloud service. The mixing mode is provided. The screen displays the name of the artist, the name of the album and the song being played. In the music playback mode, the album art is displayed (if it was assigned earlier), there are playback control buttons on the screen. Tracks are switched not only by pressing buttons, but also by scrolling through the album cover. If desired, the song is installed as a ringtone, and you can also find additional information about the song using tools from Google, YouTube, or download additional modules through Google Play. Equalizer settings are available. The presets are: Normal, Hard, Pop, Jazz, Unique, Soul, Easy, Bass Boost, Treble Boost, Special. The last profile allows you to set your own parameters for music playback. The xLOUD function allows you to get very loud sound from the speaker. Surround sound emulation turns on: concert hall, club, studio. The function of editing data is available directly in the phone. You can take a song, make changes to tags, correct the title, the smartphone will find the cover itself or offer one of the options. Now, on the lock screen, there are buttons to control the player during background music playback. Previously, there was a lack of them, now it has become much more convenient to control the player. TrackID allows you to identify the melody sounding on the radio in your smartphone or somewhere nearby. Not only the song title will be displayed, but also the album title, artist name, and cover art. The following formats are supported: AAC, AAC +, eAAC +, OGG, WAV, MIDI, MP3, AMR-NB, AMR-WB. Volume margin, in a noisy metro, it may not be enough. In terms of sound quality, the smartphone did not surprise with anything, it plays flat, the lower frequency range is greatly reduced, nothing interesting. Applications The calendar The calendar can be configured to display information for the whole month, week, or a specific day. You can customize the type and tone of alerts for recorded events and appointments. There is a division of information by storage location, each option has its own color label. The new record is given a name, a period, a place. It is indicated with which of the calendars it will be synchronized, you can send invitations to contacts from the notebook. The snooze period is set (every day, weekly, monthly, yearly). A reminder will help you not to lose sight of the recording - the signal will be triggered in advance. Alarm The smartphone allows you to store multiple alarms in memory. The repetition is set both once and for every day, only for working days or weekly. You can also set specific days. The alarm melody is set, you can add a vibration alert and a text file to it. The period of repeated signal triggering is set. Weather forecast and news are useful every day. The calculator works in both portrait and landscape orientation. YouTube is a standard application for most modern devices that allows you to watch videos and search among them. The application runs in full screen mode. The built-in version of Office Suite can work with Word, Excel, PDF, Power Point files. It is presented as a demo version without editing function. The Facebook application will allow you to communicate on the network of the same name directly from your mobile device. A separate application is responsible for watching videos. It is beautifully designed, but given the limited smartphone support for various formats, you need to use an additional player if you want to watch an unconverted movie. Google search starts. Google Talk chat is working. An application is provided for broadcasting data from a smartphone to other devices. The SMS counter is running. Google Play will be a useful source for installing new applications. There is a convenient search function, as well as dividing programs into categories, which greatly simplifies browsing. You can look at the reviews, rate the rating and express your opinion about the software. Each application is provided with a short description and images for better clarity. Purchased applications are displayed in a separate list, which is convenient: if a new phone was purchased, you can immediately install those applications that were previously purchased. Browser A standard application is used for surfing the Internet. The navigation bar is displayed at the top of the screen, to the right of it there is a shortcut that allows you to bookmark the page. The phone remembers the most visited pages, there is a log of the pages viewed. The mode of simultaneous work with several windows is supported, the search for words on the page, the selection of text, as well as the practical function of changing the brightness of the screen directly from the browser are included. Thanks to multitouch, pages are easily scalable. Chrome is also installed, so you can choose the most convenient application for yourself by trying both in work. GPS navigation Google Maps is used for navigation - the standard software for all android phones. Traffic jams are displayed, thus, the application has become fully functional and convenient not only for pedestrians, but also for car owners. There is a function of determining the current location, calculating the route from the start to the end point, and the way of movement is set: by car, on foot or by public transport. The route is laid on the map, while key places are indicated in the form of text messages that are displayed on the screen in the form of a column, you can switch between them: view the route in advance or vice versa, go back and pave another path. Scaling works using multitouch or virtual buttons. Terrain data is clearly displayed thanks to the convenient Google Street View option. Connections The smartphone operates in the ranges GSM 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS 900/1700/2100. There is Bluetooth 2.1 with support for EDR and A2DP, not counting support for other generally accepted profiles. The operation of the Wi-Fi b \ g \ n module is implemented at the usual level. The smartphone remembers the entered passwords for networks, is able to automatically connect to them, being within their range. The device can work as an access point, serve as a source for Internet access for other devices. Using a microUSB connector allows you to connect your phone to a computer for synchronization and battery recharging. Working hours A lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 1750 mAh is installed. Official data on the operating time are as follows: up to 7 hours 20 minutes of talk time, up to 618 hours of battery life in standby mode, up to 39.5 hours in music listening mode, up to 8.5 hours in video mode. In the mode of continuous video playback at maximum brightness, the device worked for 5 hours 44 minutes. In normal mode, the smartphone works for a couple of days with normal load. If there is a little mobile Internet, then it turns out already 3 or even 4 days, a smartphone with good autonomy. Conclusion The speaker is good, it betrays the voice pleasantly. The vibration signal is average, it is not always felt. The melody is heard well, the call is loud, especially if you turn on xLOUD. The price of the smartphone is set at 10,990 rubles, for the start of sales this is a normal indicator. At the same time, if you look at what else you can buy for this money, you can find many other devices. For example, Sony Xperia Sola, LG Optimus L7, Huawei Honor, Philips W732, as well as more modest offerings from Alcatel, Fly, Highscreen. Therefore, if we compare Sony with less eminent brands, then the model may not seem very interesting, but against the background of the upcoming HTC Desire X, which will cost at 14-15 thousand rubles, the smartphone looks very good. The main rival is Samsung Galaxy Ace 2, which turned out to be a very interesting solution for its money. In my opinion, the novelty from Sony is interesting primarily for its design in the spirit of older models, and there is no complete borrowing of ideas, which was well traced in the NXT line at the beginning of this year. At the same time, it is felt that they have saved on hardware, respectively, in terms of operating speed the device is in the middle positions, not the most powerful solution for its money. On the other hand, this allowed us to reach good results in terms of battery life. © Alexander Pobyvanets, Test laboratory Date of article publication - November 20, 2012