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We have live pictures and a hands-on video of the just announced Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S - including a detailed look at the Facebook Inside software update!

Just like the Xperia neo V, the Xperia arc S is a slightly different version of an already existing phone, in this case the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc. But this time, the latest addition does not lack in features compared to its sibling, it comes with an upgrade. The CPU of the Xperia arc S works now at 1.4 GHz frequency, compared to the 1 GHz processor in the arc. And - that's all, folks! Nothing else has been changed in this faster version, except of course some new colors and the fact that the phone will be available with Android Gingerbread 2.3.4 and all the new features such as 3D Sweep Panorama and the Xperia Facebook Inside update at the time of release in Q4 2011.

What else can we say about the arc S? It definitely feels snappier and more responsive than the "old" arc. Sony Ericsson states that internal tests show that the arc S has a 25% faster camera startup and media conversion time, as well as a 20% faster rendering of webpages in the browser compared to the Xperia arc. However, if you already are an owner of the Xperia arc, this does probably not justify to upgrad in our opinion. Unless you absolutely want the phone in white, pink, black, grey, blue, or silver :-)

Facebook Inside Xperia Update

Here are a couple of screenshots (made using the Screenshot feature which will also be part of the 2.3.4 upgrade by the way :) ) of the new Facebook Inside Xperia features. Click on the picture to enlarge them and see a description of each feature:

As you can see, the main functions of Facebook (comment and like on various content) can be managed now without entering any Facebook App or the Facebook web page at all.

Hands On Video

Alright, let's move on to our hands-on video where you can see the Xperia arc S in action. We show you all the new features that come with the Android 2.3.4 upgrade - which will be available for all 2011 Xperia phones from October on.

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Live picture gallery Xperia arc S