After parting ways with Ericcson, Japanese manufacturer Sony hit it big with its Xperia line of phones. The range of smarthphones top-billed by the Xperia S has a sibling for the lower end, the Xperia U. The phone features a dual core that is perfect for its segment.

Hardware

When you open the box, you will have the earphones, USB cable, charger, and the of course the Xperia U. The phone measures 4.4×2.1×0.5 inches and tips the scale at 110 grams. This Android device aimed to compete with other midrange phones has a very elegant design. The designers gave the matte plastic casing with a rubberised feel. It also feels good on the grip with its curved back.

The Xperia U has a dual core 1GHz CPU linked with a 400MP GPU. At the back, you have a 5MP camera while the front has a VGA. The phone has a 4 gigabyte storage. It depends on a 1320mAh battery. The smartphone has a good set of features but its non-expandable storage is one of its big thumbs downs. It does not even have a slot for a microSD.

The phone has a 3.5-inch LCD display with 480×854 pixels and a 280 ppi. The viewing angles are quite limited but the display is quite sharp and bright.

Performance

Sony equips the Experia U with its own user interface atop the Gingerbread. Overall, the designers did well in terms of putting some eye candy into the equation without compromising the phone’s performance.

The reception is strong most of the time and the quality of calls are very good.

The refreshed music player of Sony has a very nice layout. It offers some options for its settings and equalizer. The phone supports AVI, 3GP, and MP4. The Bravia Engine specifically for the mobile platform improves the quality of picture. Clearly, this phone is built for watching your favorite movies.

LG and design house Prada has a history of teaming up to come up with classy phones like their first collaboration which came out around the same time as the original iPhone featuring a slim footprint and a 2MP camera. The Prada II sport a QWERTY keyboard and a 5MP camera. The latest partnership between the two companies is their first attempt on an Android device. The new Prada phone comes with a 4.3-inch display, 8MP camera, and a processor with dual core. This phone has now rolled out in Korea and across Western Europe.

Hardware

The Prada design theme in collaboration with LG has done a good job for this Prada phone. The phone has a removable battery and with a plastic back cover but it feels solid. We can say that the Prada phone is better designed than the Optimus line of phones by LG. The attention put into the details like the metal buttons, cover of the USB port, the capacitive buttons, and the display makes the phone standout from the rest.

The 4.3 inch screen occupies the front plane of the phone together with the Prada branding and the 1.3MP camera. The back cover has the Saffiano pattern which forms part of the Prada branding, and somehow helps the user to keep the grip on the slim phone. The configuration of the buttons is still very LG using the 4-button arrangement, and we are curious how this will be updated in the future.

Overall the design is a bit too safe for a Prada LG collaboration in the time when attractive designs are coming up for smart phones. Perhaps they could have used more of the high end elements or a mental finish instead of the shiny paint job.

Software

The Prada 3.0 also makes use of its own interpretation of the Android environment. Users will still be very comfortable using the system as it has the same feel as the Android Gingerbread just without all the colors. The Prada 3.0 runs on Android 2.3.7 but can be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich in the near future. You will not fail to notice the line drawing icons plus some shades of grey for the notification bar. There are also built apps from LG for media streaming and options for the display.

Conclusion

Prada is Prada and it is a brand which can convince anyone. Add to the logo the specs which makes the phone worthy of your hard earned money.

I know for a fact that Acer is not a brand that I was all familiar with in the beginning of this particular blog but now – now this is a brand that I have come to know and absolutely come to love. Acer – just a few weeks ago finally announced that they are coming out with the Acer Liquid Android Smartphone.

This is a breakthrough for them in my mind! Not only are they going to feature this particular phone all over but it is also one phone that I want. A touchscreen, some awesome connect ability and definitely incredible looking – all of the technology and style in one phone.

If you have been awaiting the Acer Liquid Android Smartphone – it’s almost here guys, just hold out hope!

It seems that every other week, Samsung is coming out with another brand new phone.  This time though, it is a phone that I could actually see myself getting.  Currently, I think I have a Nokia phone, but Samsung is slowly but surely climbing to the charts as my number phone cell phone company.  The Samsung OmniaPRO B7330 is actually the latest phone that Samsung has released and it is shaping up to be a great phone!

This is a smartphone that features a full QWERTY keyboard, a 320 x 320 display, a built in FM tuner, a 3-megapixel camera, and 7.2Mbps HSDPA/ 2Mbps HSUPA connectivity.  All of this in a sleek and fashion-forward cell phone really makes this a tempting, tempting phone to get!

So if you are in the market for a brand new smartphone, maybe you should wait it out for this incredible Samsung smartphone!