UnBoxing Sony Ericsson Xperia™ Ray


Last Holiday season of December, I got to unbox this really cool android powered Sony Ericsson Xperia™ Ray!! Though I really prefer the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ Active, this one still packs the same power but in a much more sleek, elegant and with a bigger screen kind of way!

Stand-Out Features:
  • 3D Sweep Panorama is a camera shooting mode where users can capture a scene in true 3D with a sweep of the camera. When pictures are played back on a compatible 3D TV, the images come alive with depth, clarity and realism.
  • Despite the fact that Sony Ericsson Xperia™ ray was basically designed for girls, it still packs an 8.1-megapixel camera with Exmor R™ for mobile, a technology that makes pictures a little bit awesome even in dim lighting situations. (IN WHICH MAKES THIS REALLY AWESOME for mobile Photography!!)
  • Add to that a Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine from their TV-line, you can literally view awesome videos in it!

DESIGN:
Compared to other or "REGULAR" Smart Phones in the market, the RAY is somewhat smaller or you could consider using the word 'Thinner' or having a smaller waistline if you compare it side-by-side with an iPhone4S or the Samsung Galaxy; And once again, I find the steel-ish color casing awesome but for this one I got, it's tooo girly.

very slim!!

On a positively-manly note, I find the minimalism of the design soooooo awesome! It's like a dream come true for Minimalistic people like me. There's 1-2 buttons on the right side (which is used for the camera zoom), then the power button up top and 1 home button at the bottom of the touch-sensitive screen for menu/home. That's l;ike less than 4 buttons!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Well on the left side there's this 1 HDMI port (YES It's HDMI DAMNIT or is it a micro hdmi?!).



HARDWARE:
The Ray has a 1GHZ processor with a 3 inch-so screen which I one can find a bit small and cramped if your used to the normally bulky-standard size of a smartphone. After I was able to hold a Sansung Galaxy S and the iphone 4S, the screen is indeed quite small (but you'll get used to it) otherwise, it's amazing!

The screen is very nice to use and it's easy to do SMS on it. Calling was also one of the Xperia Ray's strong points, with conversations conducted without any groaning or moaning, simply put-good sound quality.

BATTERY:
I was able to handle Smartphone support when I was working for a local BPO firm and just like then until now, I'll still say this; the more you use it the higher the energy consumption and the more power it will drain the battery. Though there are apps that can help manage multi-tasking and what-not, energy consumption and battery life will still vary on usage.

So if you use too much browsing, and photo-video usage is too much the device does heat-up considerably. Other than that, it's stand-by mode is relatively awesome.

SOFTWARE:
Under that hood, you'll find a not-too-shabby Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread with five home screens (or what others may also call--extendable desktops). Pre-loaded software/s are pretty basic, if what's in there isn't enough, well--go download apps for it via the Android Market.

User-Interface for the Photo-video
 CAMERA:
It has a 8 mega pixel camera which I will prefer to use as a substitute for my current point and shoot camera and even sometimes my DSLR! On this note, I'll let the pictures speak for itself:

You may click on the image to see a larger version of it! xD [outdoor shot]


the front Cam is usually not the same with the one at the back~same here with the RAY
[Indoor shot] - via the atrium of the Santo Niño Basilica
[Night-Shot]
mmmmmm
 On videos, well HD is already awesome, but to have that power in this small device? seriously? See below for a sample [1st impressions] review from a female blogger friend {myfruitsbasket.com/} taken with my FLIP MINO HD CAMERA:



Now compare that with a video I took during a Novena Mass during the Sinulog 2012 pre-activities at the Basilica de Santo Niño using the Xperia Ray:



Usage Critique:
  • The camera gives you scene modes, although curiously, only three: Normal, Smile Detection and Automatic. All seemed to work OK, but we just kept it on Automatic for best results.
  • You can also select the photo size (8MP, 6MP and 2MP) but, for some reason, you can pick between 4:3 and 16:9 in 2MP mode but not the others. You take pictures by tapping the screen :).
  • Annoyances--I figured that there was a zoom after a while; the camera software will automatically change modes for you; Can't seem to turn off the shutter sound (I WANT MY NINJA MOVES!); also I want to take 'snap photos' in video mode in which I can't do in this one [I thought it was built-in :-(]; And for some weird reason, although you only get three basic scene modes to pick from in the standard camera app, when it comes to the video camera, you're presented with lots more (Landscape, Beach, Party, Portrait, Night and Sports modes).

~other than that, with some degree of skill+patience, the photo-video results are to die for!!!


Xperia™ ray is ideal for a mainstream user with particular appreciation for meticulously crafted design and finish in a sleek format. For me, I desire it's media features but I still want the Xperia Active :3

Check out these posts wherein I took video shots using the Xperia Ray:
UnBoxing Sketchers GoRun! & ProSpeed SRR running shoes
UnBoxing Sony Ericsson Xperia™ Ray UnBoxing Sony Ericsson Xperia™  Ray Reviewed by Vernon Joseph Go on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Rating: 5

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