Sony Xperia Acro S review

Most Android phones ship with the same basic assortment of applications pre-loaded. There is the Google apps: Gmail, Maps, Calendar, the Play Store, etc, and there is a handful of essential tools, like a calculator and multimedia players. Sony has these, but it also offers a lot more than the other phone makers, too.

By our count there is 17 unique apps on our review unit that you won't find on other Android phones. There Sony services, like a PlayStation game store, and its streaming music service, Music Unlimited; there is a torch, a media remote and a back-up utility. There is also anti-virus software installed too, if you're someone who likes a little extra security.

There are stacks of fun tools too. A TrackID app for identifying which song you are listening to in a bar or a cafe, a PlayStation games store for Xperia phones and the Timescape app, which acts as a hub for all of your social media connections.

One app you aren't likely to have seen before is called LiveWare Manager. This is a Sony designed app that detects when a peripheral has been connected to the phone, like headphones, and automatically launches one or more of the phone's features. For example, if you connected to the handset to an in-car dock, you could set it to automatically launch the Maps application using LiveWare Manager.

And speaking of Maps, with the Xperia Go you have access to full turn-by-turn navigation using Google Maps, but if you prefer it you can also use WisePilot maps too. For some strange (obviously commercial) reason, Sony includes the second mapping app on the phone. Happily, you can delete WisePilot off the phone if you don't intend to use it.