Sony Ericsson pulls back curtain on Xperia Active Billabong Edition

Before Sony completely wipes its ‘Ericsson’ branding from existence, Sony Ericsson has announced it will be joining forces with Australian surf brand Billabong to release a Billabong-styled version of Stuff’s 2011 Sports Gadget of the Year – the Xperia Active – for adventure addicts. Its name is certainly a mouthful – Sony Ericsson Xperia Active Billabong Edition.

On the spec front, it’ll be completely identical to its non-Billabong counterpart – so expect a 3in screen, Android 2.3 gingerbread, a nippy 1GHz engine and a 5MP snapper.

Its robust design goes perfectly with Billabong’s sporty nature, while its durable features means the Xperia Active Billabong Edition should appeal to extreme sports enthusiasts and beach fans alike. Of course, you don’t need to be a sports addict to benefit from its dustproof and water resistant properties – lazy couch potatoes can apply too. Wet finger tracking also means you’ll be able to update your Facebook status while your hands are dripping wet.

So like before, the Xperia Active Billabong Edition is great for those who desire a rugged smart phone but don’t want to compromise on functionality and power.

Other than the Billabong makeover, the sports brand has also put its stamp on the cross promotional handset by filling it with branded content in the form of a screensaver, videos and a Billabong LIVE Mobile app.

This partnership doesn’t stop at a mobile phone. Expect to see Sony Ericsson smartphones popping up at major Billabong events across the world. The Xperia Active will also be handed over to and tested by athletes at international shows associated with Billabong.

Launch date and pricing info is thin on the ground, so we’ll be sure to bring you more news as and when we hear it.

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Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

Areas of expertise

Computing, mobile, audio, smart home