Sony Ericsson Xperia Active review

Android for the exercising socialite

Reviews
By Gary Cutlack
last updated
Sony Ericsson Xperia Active
A rugged Android handset - but it's still smart and modern

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Sony Ericsson's technicians claim the Xperia Active is good for 5.5 hours of talk time and 335 hours of standby time on 3G, which is all well and good when it's sitting on a test bench in a Swedish laboratory.

Sony ericsson xperia active

In real terms, the battery's a pretty good performer. We easily made it through a day with all the phone's settings left on their defaults, with the average day comprising absolutely loads of Twitter use, several email sessions, a few text messages and quite a chunk of web browsing over Wi-Fi.

Sony ericsson xperia active

Although the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active contains a 1200mAh battery, which is at the low end of what we see in smartphones today, it's a solid performer. Treat it nicely and you could get two days from it, while even hammering the thing should see you make it through a full day.

Sony ericsson xperia active

There's no HDMI output on the Xperia Active, but you do get Sony Ericsson's usual Connected Devices app, which is its way of making DLNA support sound a bit more exciting. It works well, streaming photos and videos to any other DLNA devices you have suckling on your home Wi-Fi account.

The Wi-Fi connection supports 802.11b/g/n connections, while, technically speaking, the handset supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA for data.

One big extra thing for the active Xperia Active user is ANT+ connectivity. The ANT+ system opens up a world of health gadgets, such as heart rate monitors and bike speedos, which connect wirelessly to the phone, opening up a new world of sporting app use.

Sony ericsson xperia active

And, as ever with Android these days, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active can work as both a wired modem through USB, or be turned into a personal Wi-Fi hotspot, for easily sharing your mobile data allowance with other Wi-Fi gadgets.

Sony ericsson xperia active

There's an FM radio in here, too, complete with integration with Sony Ericsson's TrackID system, which can record a tune off the radio, ping it off to its server for identification, then come back with the title and the option to buy it on the phone though 7digital or Sony's own PlayNow shop.

The radio also integrates Facebook, so you can ID a track then post about it to Facebook. It's all very clever.

Gary Cutlack