Sony Ericsson Play is world’s first Playstation-certified phone.
Sony Ericsson Play is unique. The world's first Playstation-certified phone, it pairs a mobile gaming console with an Android smartphone. It is a treacherous territory Play is expected to navigate. In the past, several phones tried to flaunt their gaming credentials — Nokia N-Gage comes to mind — but failed to impress hardcore gamers as well as phone users looking for some occasional fun on the move.
Sony Ericsson, of course, believes that with Play, which is equipped with a gamepad, it can break into untrodden ground. We take out Play for a spin to see how worthy it is of the faith that Sony Ericsson (SE) puts in it.
Play as a phone
In the world of slim and slick high-end phones, Play stands out. But not necessarily for good reasons. Because it incorporates dedicated gamepad in the bottom half that slides out, Play is thicker — 16mm — and heavier — 175grams — than all high-end Android phones. Given the fact that it's a phone with half of Playstation built in it, there was little SE could have done as far as the design is concerned.
The same cannot be said about the build quality. Here, SE has to take the rap. Play is constructed out of glossy plastic, complete with plastic buttons that have been given chrome finish. While it feels sturdy and is comfortable to hold and use, the overall build quality doesn't do justice to the stature of the phone. A little less plastic could have been better.
Similarly, buttons could have been fitted a bit more snugly and use of rugged rubber might have given it a more compact look.
Timescape, SE's own user interface, running atop Android 2.3, aka Gingerbread, is elegant on Play. It is not as bold as HTC Sense but is neither as understated as Samsung Touchwiz. Functionally, Play's hardware – 1Ghz processor, 512MB RAM and Adreno 205 GPU – does a good work to make sure that Timescape UI is fluid and its animations, which have exceptional flourish, work as they are meant.
Play functions well enough as a phone. Call quality is clear and decent. Keyboard is not the best available on an Android phone but we have seen worse. Messaging UI offered by Timescape is minimalistic and functional. And so are the mail and contact apps. Browsing is generally fast. When it comes to scrolling and pinch-to-zoom, Play is no speed demon but it's functional.
As a multimedia device, Play is a mixed bag. In terms of audio playback, it's up there among the best. The sound is clear and detailed and the two speakers are decently loud. But in video playback, the phone falls short. If you are someone who doesn't like to convert videos before uploading them on devices, you won't like Play's temperamental nature, which it exhibits with different codecs.
Location-based services are a very important part of Android experience and a good GPS performance is vital for any smartphone. On SE Play, GPS is accurate and locks without much fuss. We drove around a lot with Play and its GPS never gave us any reason to complain.
Battery life is average for a smartphone. After full charge, the phone lasts for around eight to nine hours on 3G with moderate use and a little bit of gaming.
Two deal-breakers
This doesn't mean that Play is without its faults for there are two glaring problems with it. One is the screen. Play ships with its 4-inch screen set to maximum brightness. The reason is that once you go lower than that, it is almost unusable.
Colours are decent and so are viewing angles, but a below average brightness ruins the whole experience. The second big flaw is a mediocre camera. Play comes equipped with a 5 megapixel camera. The quality of still photographs is average. The real problem, however, lies in videos. Nowadays, 720p video capture is a standard fare on high-end Android phones. But Play supports videos recording only at 800 x 480 resolution.
Play as a gaming device
Gamepad is Play's real appeal and SE has made all efforts to make sure that gaming experience is flawless. Overall, the company succeeds. When you slide out the gamepad, the phone automatically opens the game hub from where users can access their installed games. In India, Play ships with just one game, Tetris. Crash Bandicoot, Fifa 10, Sims 3, Star Battalion and Bruce Lee are installed but users will have to download game data before they can play them.
Gaming experience on Play is nice as far as you do not try it outdoors where the screen with its low brightness is a problem. People familiar with gamepad control will feel at home with Play. Other users will take some time to get used to buttons but when they are comfortable, they will appreciate the kind of difference physical buttons can make for anything that is not an Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja.
A note on 3G trouble
When play reached TOI test lab, it cooled its heels for a few days. Reason: it refused to play nice with Vodaphone 3G connection. The same connection worked fine with Samsung Galaxy S.
Even as we were trying to figure out what is wrong, we came to know about a user having problem with SE Arc, another high-end phone launched by SE along with Play. We went back to SE. The company promised to look into the matter.
SE later admitted to the problem and had it fixed on the evening of April 14, seven days after the phones were launched in Delhi. But the fact remains that if the company would have been a little careful before launching Play and Arc, it might have saved a lot of heartburn to users.
Worth the money?
Play is more or less what SE wanted it to be. Build quality could have been a little better. It also falls short in multimedia performance. But other than that, the phone works as specified. The question, however, is — does it deserve your money?
The answer depends on how crazy you are about mobile gaming. If you pack PSP whenever you step out, Play makes some sense. But for the average users, there is little merit in the phone. Play is more of a gaming device than a phone. Users, who primarily want a smartphone will do well by staying away from Play.
SE play has been launched in India at an MRP of Rs 35,000. The street price is expected to be around Rs 30,000.
Sony Ericsson, of course, believes that with Play, which is equipped with a gamepad, it can break into untrodden ground. We take out Play for a spin to see how worthy it is of the faith that Sony Ericsson (SE) puts in it.
Play as a phone
In the world of slim and slick high-end phones, Play stands out. But not necessarily for good reasons. Because it incorporates dedicated gamepad in the bottom half that slides out, Play is thicker — 16mm — and heavier — 175grams — than all high-end Android phones. Given the fact that it's a phone with half of Playstation built in it, there was little SE could have done as far as the design is concerned.
The same cannot be said about the build quality. Here, SE has to take the rap. Play is constructed out of glossy plastic, complete with plastic buttons that have been given chrome finish. While it feels sturdy and is comfortable to hold and use, the overall build quality doesn't do justice to the stature of the phone. A little less plastic could have been better.
Similarly, buttons could have been fitted a bit more snugly and use of rugged rubber might have given it a more compact look.
Timescape, SE's own user interface, running atop Android 2.3, aka Gingerbread, is elegant on Play. It is not as bold as HTC Sense but is neither as understated as Samsung Touchwiz. Functionally, Play's hardware – 1Ghz processor, 512MB RAM and Adreno 205 GPU – does a good work to make sure that Timescape UI is fluid and its animations, which have exceptional flourish, work as they are meant.
Play functions well enough as a phone. Call quality is clear and decent. Keyboard is not the best available on an Android phone but we have seen worse. Messaging UI offered by Timescape is minimalistic and functional. And so are the mail and contact apps. Browsing is generally fast. When it comes to scrolling and pinch-to-zoom, Play is no speed demon but it's functional.
As a multimedia device, Play is a mixed bag. In terms of audio playback, it's up there among the best. The sound is clear and detailed and the two speakers are decently loud. But in video playback, the phone falls short. If you are someone who doesn't like to convert videos before uploading them on devices, you won't like Play's temperamental nature, which it exhibits with different codecs.
Location-based services are a very important part of Android experience and a good GPS performance is vital for any smartphone. On SE Play, GPS is accurate and locks without much fuss. We drove around a lot with Play and its GPS never gave us any reason to complain.
Battery life is average for a smartphone. After full charge, the phone lasts for around eight to nine hours on 3G with moderate use and a little bit of gaming.
Two deal-breakers
This doesn't mean that Play is without its faults for there are two glaring problems with it. One is the screen. Play ships with its 4-inch screen set to maximum brightness. The reason is that once you go lower than that, it is almost unusable.
Colours are decent and so are viewing angles, but a below average brightness ruins the whole experience. The second big flaw is a mediocre camera. Play comes equipped with a 5 megapixel camera. The quality of still photographs is average. The real problem, however, lies in videos. Nowadays, 720p video capture is a standard fare on high-end Android phones. But Play supports videos recording only at 800 x 480 resolution.
Play as a gaming device
Gamepad is Play's real appeal and SE has made all efforts to make sure that gaming experience is flawless. Overall, the company succeeds. When you slide out the gamepad, the phone automatically opens the game hub from where users can access their installed games. In India, Play ships with just one game, Tetris. Crash Bandicoot, Fifa 10, Sims 3, Star Battalion and Bruce Lee are installed but users will have to download game data before they can play them.
Gaming experience on Play is nice as far as you do not try it outdoors where the screen with its low brightness is a problem. People familiar with gamepad control will feel at home with Play. Other users will take some time to get used to buttons but when they are comfortable, they will appreciate the kind of difference physical buttons can make for anything that is not an Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja.
A note on 3G trouble
When play reached TOI test lab, it cooled its heels for a few days. Reason: it refused to play nice with Vodaphone 3G connection. The same connection worked fine with Samsung Galaxy S.
Even as we were trying to figure out what is wrong, we came to know about a user having problem with SE Arc, another high-end phone launched by SE along with Play. We went back to SE. The company promised to look into the matter.
SE later admitted to the problem and had it fixed on the evening of April 14, seven days after the phones were launched in Delhi. But the fact remains that if the company would have been a little careful before launching Play and Arc, it might have saved a lot of heartburn to users.
Worth the money?
Play is more or less what SE wanted it to be. Build quality could have been a little better. It also falls short in multimedia performance. But other than that, the phone works as specified. The question, however, is — does it deserve your money?
The answer depends on how crazy you are about mobile gaming. If you pack PSP whenever you step out, Play makes some sense. But for the average users, there is little merit in the phone. Play is more of a gaming device than a phone. Users, who primarily want a smartphone will do well by staying away from Play.
SE play has been launched in India at an MRP of Rs 35,000. The street price is expected to be around Rs 30,000.
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