Pocket money
Prices for unlocked versions of LG's Optimus 3D and Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play handsets have been spotted on Play.com's website.
The popular UK e-tailer has started taking orders for two of the hottest handsets unveiled at MWC last week, revealing pricing and release dates.
LG's 3D handset carries a 25 April release date on the site and a PAYG price tag of £514.99, the same date and price that popped up on Expansys' UK website just days ago.
Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play ‘PlayStation phone' is currently priced at a marginally more expensive £519.99 with a release date of 28 March, although obviously the details could change prior to launch.
It appears Play.com is stocking the black flavoured Xperia Play as O2 has bagged the white colour as an exclusive. HEXUS has previously reported that all 5 of the UK's big mobile networks will stock the PlayStation phone.
The handheld console/smartphone mash-up has a hidden game pad with digital D-pad, 2 analogue touch pads, shoulder buttons and 4 PlayStation icons. Sony Ericsson said that Qualcomm's optimised Snapdragon processor with a 1Ghz CPU and embedded Adreno GPU graphics processor "deliver silky smooth 60fps play-back 3D mobile gaming and web browsing with minimal power consumption."
The handset will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread and is the first PlayStation certified phone, giving users access to game content through the PlayStation Suite, which is currently under development and is due to launch later this year.
Meanwhile, LG's Optimus 3D attracted a lot of attention at MWC and HEXUS was quite smitten with its 3D capabilities.
The LG Optimus 3D is the first 3D smartphone on the block and lets users record, view and share 3D content. It features a dual-lens camera that enables users to capture any moment in true 3D which can then be viewed immediately on the 4.3-inch WVGA glasses-free display. There are also plenty of connectivity options including HDMI and DNLA. The handset also includes a dual-core, dual-channel and dual-memory architecture.
While many people will no doubt be more interested in the price of these handsets on contact, the PAYG costs doe not seem ridiculous when compared to other offerings which are arguably not as ground-breaking, without extra gaming or 3D functionality.
