"Its a means to an end for us, but improving the quality of Android gaming as a whole is definitely a part of what we are doing."
Thats a big claim to make, but to be fair there is some truth in it. Android, on the whole, hasn't been a great platform for gaming, certainly not when compred with iOS, which has tended to attract the bigger and better titles so far. Sony Ericsson have been working closely with Google and various game developers like EA, Gameloft and Sony of course, to make sure that the Xperia Play is a bona fide gaming machine in its own right.
The side effect of that effort is that Android games a competent gaming machine and that in turn brings some serious attention to Android as a gaming platform. The Xperia Play is launching with around 50 titles available and more are in the works. That alone qualifies this as the single biggest boost Android gaming has received since ever.
Sony Ericsson released a statement saying that all their employees in the two Tokyo offices are OK, but they expect problems with the supply chains. HTC issued a statement as well saying their operations were unaffected.
Sony Ericsson is not the first company to announce disrupted operations due to the earthquake and the tsunami, the region that was hit is where a large part of the world's electronics are made. Sony Ericsson is evaluating the situation and looking for secondary suppliers of parts and places to transfer some of the component manufacturing. The full amount of the damage is not clear yet but the company is monitoring the situation constantly and will keep operators and customers up to date.
HTC issued a statement too, saying that their operations will not be affected by the Japan earthquake. They have a framework in place that taps a secondary supply chain in case of a natural disaster.
We hope this is an early April Fool joke the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play will apparently be launching in Spain on 1 April, for the hefty 649 euro SIM-free price. It will come with 6 games preloaded but the price still seems pretty steep.
Vodafone Spain will offer the white Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play in the first 15 days but the other operators will get it afterwards. The black one will be available from the start (1 April). At this point its not clear how much the Play will cost on a contract. Still, without a contract the Play will cost €649 says Sony Ericsson Spain and the phone will come with 6 games pre-installed. There should be 50 more games available through the Android Market at launch.
In the UK, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play will be available a day early (31 March), where the white version is exclusive to O2 and Amazon.de has it on pre-order for around 540 Euro. The price is certainly ambitious but the XPERIA Play does have the appeal of being perfectly suited for playing Sony PlayStation games on the go and launches with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. We are curious to see how that works out.
We have just got a live photo of a yet unannounced Android-running Sony Ericsson handset. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA mini2 comes to succeed the most compact droid in the company portfolio and it will obviously be available in a pretty white outfit.
Now we did not get any specs along with this leak, but it seems safe to suggest that the Sony Ericsson XPERIA mini2 will be identical to the XPERIA mini pro2, but for the keyboard. This means a 3-inch HVGA screen and some pretty powerful processing unit under the hood. The Android 2.3 Gingerbread is what this little fella is going to be running at launch.
The CPU ticking will most likely be a 1GHz Snapdragon, while the GPU should be Adreno 205. Those specs are shared with the far more expensive Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play, Neo and Pro trio so they should be able to make a mid-range device like the XPERIA mini2 a real hit.
Sony Ericsson is prepping its biggest UK marketing campaign for XPERIA Play launch at 31 March. Meanwhile LG is working hard to unleash the Optimus 3D in "late May", again in the UK.
It seems the Sony Ericsson "late March release" promise about the XPERIA Play actually meant the end of March. The XPERIA Play will be released on 31 March in the UK going with the biggest marketing campaign Sony Ericsson has done on the Island so far.
The XPERIA Play will be available on all major UK carriers, in various game stores and online retailers. It will come with six pre-installed games, but if we are to believe Sony Ericsson, there will be at least 50 more titles waiting for you in its dedicated game store. There is still no official word on the retail price, but Amazon.de has it on pre-order for 540 euro.
In other news, an LG spokesman has kind of confirmed the UK Optimus 3D launch for late May. His exact words actually were: "At this stage, its looking like a late May launch.", so its more like a desired time frame, not the official one. At least you know what LG hopes for a release date before the summer.
In case you wondered how much the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo will cost once released, we have an answer for you. The news comes from Amazon.de, Amazon.com German subsidiary, which currently accepts pre-orders for the device. The red version is the cheapest, having a price tag of 345 EUR. The more expensive ones are blue gradient and silver versions, which could be pre-ordered for 377 and 379 EUR, respectively.
If you recall, the Xperia Neo was announced a day before the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona alonside two other phones the QWERTY keyboard-equipped Xperia Pro and PlayStation-certified Xperia PLAY. It comes with a 3.7-inch FWVGA scratch-resistant display with Bravia Engine technology, 8-megapixel camera with auto-focus and HD video recording capability, Qualcomm 1GHz Scorpion processor, HDMI out, HSPA, WiFi, while Android 2.3 is running the show.
The super-sexy, though somewhat bulky Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is heading toward Australian shores where not one but two carriers are waiting to pick it up and offer it to their customers. The two carriers are Optus and Vodafone, both of which will start selling the Swedish-Japanese baby at some point next month (April).
And while we do not know how much Vodafone and Optus will ask for the device, we are betting demanding users will be able to get the Arc for next to nothing on some "not that cheap" contract. Alternatively, off-contract version may also be available with a price tag of about AU$600 or more.
The 9mm-thin Xperia Arc runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, while also rocking a 4.3-inch FWVGA Bravia technology screen, HSPA and WiFi connectivity, 8-megapixel camera with auto-focus and HD video recording capability, Qualcomm 1GHz processor, an array of sensors and so on.
It seems the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc will very soon be available to users in the UK. At Mobiles.co.uk you can get deals with almost every mobile operator such as O2, Orange and Vodafone. You can get the latest Sony Ericsson flagship for free on a 2-year paid monthly, starting from 30 quid. Or you can check the other available options and choose one, best suited for you.
We previously wrote on the Sony Ericsson Arc becoming available for pre-order at O2. It really is best for Sony Ericsson to not delay this one as they did with the XPERIA X10, because smartphones with better hardware are coming out as we speak. The XPERIA Arc could probably beat the dual-core craze with an early start but the company should act quickly.
We just got word on the pricing of one of the latest and greatest Android smartphones. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo has just gone on pre-order on the German Amazon website and it costs the nicely sounding €346.
Considering that you are getting a Snapdragon-powered Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone with an 8 megapixel shooter this looks like a real bargain. Oh and did we mention the FWVGA screen (480 x 854 pixels) and the 720p video recording with continuous autofocus?
Now the only problem is that none of the sellers lists a specific release date so there is no telling how long you will have to wait. Sony Ericsson were not exactly crystal clear about that either, mentioning both March and late Q2 as possible release dates.
Sony Ericson is getting back in shape in increasingly larger leaps. Their Android lineup is getting more and more competitive and now it seems that Windows Phone 7 is in the cards. Some blurry spy shots reveal a Windows Phone 7 device with a full QWERTY keyboard.
Apart from the photos, there is really no further information. Could this be the XPERIA Pro 7? We can safely assume that this Windows Phone 7 device is running on at least a 1GHz processor of some sort and will offer 512MB RAM, at minimum. The display is surely over 3.5-inch and there is a full four-row QWERTY slide-out keyboard.
It is hard to say whether this is a real project or just some mockup but we cannot think of a reason for someone to go to all this trouble just to start a rumor. And it probably seems logical that Sony Ericsson will venture out in expanding its portfolio with a second smartphone OS.
As we reported yesterday, the guys behind the Havok game engine teamed up with Sony Ericsson to provide better gaming experience for Android users. As a result, today an interesting video demonstrating the power and capabilities of the Havok engine was released.
In the video, Marcus Hansson, a Sony Ericsson representative, demoes a couple of features available to developers using the Havok engine.
First of them is the ability to create destructible environments, which should make games feel more natural. Speaking of natural, the Havok engine also supports rag-doll physics. Lastly demonstrated is the way a game character can be controlled using the XPERIA Play.
Sony Ericsson has announced two key partnerships to push the XPERIA Play to the top of mobile gaming. Havok has ported all their software to Gingerbread and optimized it for the XPERIA Play, which is also the official Major League Gaming handset.
If Havok sounds familiar you may be thinking of their physics engine - but they have other software too, which runs on all major consoles and computer platforms in many big-name games. They are very pleased with the performance of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play and they are promising "cinematic and immersive gaming experiences". Their software has been ported to Android 2.3 Gingerbread and has been specifically optimized to run on the XPERIA Play.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play is the official phone of Major League Gaming, who organize professional game tournaments and have their hands in game development too.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play has cleared the FCC hurdle. Unfortunately this does not mean the device is one step closer to launching in the USas this is the European version that connects to 3G GSM network via 900 and 2100 MHz frequency bands. That said I am not sure why the Swedish-Japanese company is continuing with the practice of certifying its non-U.S. phones through FCC. There is gotta be some cost involved in preparing all the documents required to get the FCC seal of approval. Go figure.
Anyway, now that the Euro version is ready for the US market we are hoping the CDMA-based Xperia Play will follow shortly to eventually land on Verizon Wireless. That would definitely give boost to Sony Ericsson’s plans to "redefine mobile gaming.".
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play will be available on all UK carriers, launching in April. However, O2 UK proudly tweeted that they’ll be the only ones carrying a white version of the XPERIA Play on the UK market.
O2 included two product photos of the white Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play sitting comfortably in its dock (the white dock of course). It’s the DK300 dock that we saw at the MWC in black and white. Pricing on the dock is still unknown.
You can read up on our two encounters with the XPERIA Play at the MWC to see whats it all about. We even got to see some of the games it can play first-hand. By the way, these two product shots do not show off the Play main claim to fame the PSP-like game controls.
Sony Ericsson has just announced the mammoth Xperia Pro Android phone a slider device with a full QWERTY keyboard. The device sports a 3.7-inch, 854 x 480 display (which uses uses the company's Bravia graphics engine technology), runs atop a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, and is sporting SE customized build of Gingerbread (Android 2.3). The phone has an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash, 2 megapixel front facing camera, and will be available in silver, red, and black.
Its like an Xperia play with QWERTY instead of the joystick very cool choice for Business people who does not look for playstation Gaming-on-the-Go. More photos and Specs Below, Enjoy!
See Full Xperia Pro Specification
It has not been a week since the last Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo preview and here is another one. This time we get glimpse of the homescreen and main menu, some camera and video samples.
Yeah, the XPERIA Play and XPERIA Neo keep showing their faces everywhere. Not that we complain, but its tedious to get teased about an unannounced device again and again.
The focus today is on the XPERIA Neo, which is caught on a hands-on video. The video shows part of the Android UI the main menu and the homescreen. It seems a lot like the XPERIA Arc.
There are a few camera samples too, but they are shot (or resized) to 2 megapixels only.
Sony Ericsson has finally made the XPERIA Play official through a creepy Super Bowl commercial. The presentation is still scheduled for 13 February, but now you finally know what to expect then.
We have already lost count of the XPERIA Play leaks, pictures, videos, previews, benchmarks, etc. Sony Ericsson did the right thing teasing with the Super Bowl ad and making the XPERIA Play somewhat official. Really, it was about time. The ad itself turned out to be an extended version of the same creepy one leaked a few days ago.
We are not sure if this commercial would be allowed in some countries because of its setting and illegal-looking thumbs operation. Still we admit it's an ad like no other and will make the people think about it, which is the goal, after all.
The official presentation will take place a day before the MWC in Barcelona on 13 February. We will be there to play with it and you'd be the first to know what the feeling is.
MT15i generated so much interest that we decided to make a photo of both models together for you to compare their dimensions, screens quality and so on. Both Devices will be Announced on MWC Mobile Woeld Concert 2011 along with the Xperia play and will be Released on March,2011
The device was unveiled under the name of NGP Next Generation Portable entertainment system. The commercial name will surely be different. We already know about the OLED screen of 5-inch (960Ñ…544, 16 million colors) and multitouch support. Apart from the screen the back side will feature a touchscreen area with new movements in games. The movement sensor is active in three planes and the same can be said about the gyroscope and digital compass. It is one of the most sensor rich devices on offer. It promises a lot, because many new games can use different types of movements.
Definitely, the console has two stereo handsets, two cameras, an in-built GPS alongside WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP support. All standard PSP controls were kept. We have a fairy tale game console which will get a hefty price tag, but will be accessible in comparison with the initial incarnation. I like the features. Do not forget a quad-core Cortex A9 processor and SGX543MP4+ graphic module. This gadget will be one of those I would like to get as a Christmas present to try it out myself.
I am slightly perplexed that the company mentions some type of flash cards for storing games. I think it will not be microSD and Sony will not make the same mistake of creating their own cards format for this device. Repeating the same mistake will be silly and unpleasant for users.
An in-built 3G module will be used not for voice calls, but for data transfer only. Sony banks on users playing everywhere and the console will search for partners depending on your location. This solution seems quite logical. High tech at work!
Another Sony initiative is directly connected with PSP Phone plans. The company created PlayStation Suite, which works with Android 2.3 or higher. This software kit allows playing old games on the phone, but we don't know titles or the number of these games. The download will be carried out via the store application from the suite. Sony understood that other companies will not offer phones with appropriate hardware buttons and they will be emulated in games themselves. Moreover, there are no limitations for PS Suite on any phone. It is still unclear if you need to install this piece of software or the manufacturer will do it independently. In the second case this solution will be very attractive and the maximum audience will be reached. As Sony Ericsson continues suffering PSP Phone will not sell extremely well, but other companies could capitalize on the availability of PS Suite. I doubt that Sony will get it right to ensure the maximum number of downloads/installations. Everything depends on minor issues and it is still unclear how Sony is planning to develop this market segment. The overall idea is definitely interesting and deserves attention.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo, previously known as Halon, follows the XPERIA Play pattern of leaking every few days. There is another preview today, 10 days ahead of its announcement, confirming the specs we already knew.
Sony Ericsson has failed completely on keeping its secrets before the MWC this year. It seems all of its upcoming and still unannounced phones have leaked numerous times, leaving nothing new for unveiling on 13 February. After the countless leaks and previews of XPERIA Play, the Neo has taken the same road. Its been just two days since the last preview and here we meet again.
There are no new pieces of information in the TechRadar preview just lots of hardware photos and a few software ones. But its still disturbing how these secret prototypes break loose and go public through major websites. The new pictures once again confirm the Vivaz-esque design. The Neo has the same form factor, as well as the looks and front controls. But its an Android smartphone.
The XPERIA Neo specs should be very similar to the Arc 4-inch LED-backlit LCD touchscreen with 854x480 pixels resolution, next-gen Snapdragon platform with 1GHz processor and Adreno 205 GPU, 512MB RAM, an 8 megapixel camera with Exmor R sensor, LED flash and 720p video recording capabilities, 1.3 or 2MP video-call camera and rich connectivity package incl. an HDMI port.
The Xperia Play Appeared again to public. should you be able to calm down after the excitement of the PlayStation phone retail material leak then you might want to take a gander at this excerpt from the Engadget Show. It focuses on the PlayStation phone aka the Xperia play. If you have not seen it yet its definitely worth a look.
Video Below!
We All know and Wait on Fire For the upcoming Sony PlayStation phone from SonyEricsson the Xperia play I like leaks as much as the next tech blogger, but you know a leak has run its course when there is nothing left to leak about the handset itself and instead attention turns to merchandising material. That is now the case with the PlayStation phone, the Xperia Play.
AllAboutPhones have got their hands on pictures of display stands that will be sent out to retail partners to help promote the handset. Yes there are indeed Xperia arcs on top of those stands, but they are apparently genuine nonetheless.
Nothing stays a secret on the Internet for very long the latest reveal is the alleged retail name for the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Halon. The name is XPERIA Neo, which sparks instant association of the iconic character from the Matrix.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo uses the same camera as the XPERIA Arc, an 8MP Exmor R sensor that can record 720p videos. The camera placement is reminiscent of the Vivaz, explaining the "Vivaz 2" name.The Neo name though marks a new beginning the aging Symbian OS is giving way to a shiny new Android 2.3 Gingerbread with the same customized UI as the XPERIA Arc.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Neo is not yet officially announced but that did not stop the first preview from hitting the web. We know some of the hardware specs already FWVGA screen (480x854) and 1GHz Snapdragon platform with 512MB RAM.
Sony Ericsson just announced its rolling the next wave of updates for the XPERIA X10 and the XPERIA X8. The XPERIA X10 update is now rolling gradually, but the X8 update will be a week or so. You can get your X10 update either through the Sony Ericsson PC Companion or over-the-air directly on the phone.
The most important thing about the update is that the X10 users will now enjoy the Pinch-to-zoom feature in Google Maps and the Internet browser. Unfortunately, there is now word on the situation with the Gallery.
Another highlight of the update is the added support for bi-directional languages, such as Arabic, Farsi, Thai and Hebrew, which were missing until now. Improvements that the update brings to the XPERIA X10 family and the XPERIA X8:
- The Moxier Active Sync software is now updated, including a new widget for email, calendar and tasks
- There is an option for video trimming
- A minor change in Mediascape allows you to access the "Now Playing" screen from the top right corner.
- Automatic transcoding of the high-quality videos to MMS size.
For the XPERIA X8 and the X10 minis, Sony Ericsson has also included ANT+ support
You may know that the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play prototype previews first appeared in a couple of Chinese websites. But here is a more Western-type preview of the device.
There is not much news as we knew almost everything about the device. The earlier Chinese previews were pretty thorough. The Xperia Play, or the PlayStation phone as it is commonly dubbed, rocks the latest version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread running on a muscular 1Ghz Qualcomm MSM8655 chipset. And lets not forget the gorgeous 4-inch LCD screen relying on a Bravia engine for various imaging and video enhancements.
Few user interface improvements over the stock Android experience have been added here and there. For example, just like on the Xperia Arc, the Xperia Play lets you pinch anywhere on the homescreen, which will group all the widgets in one screen, clicking on a widgets would take you to its homescreen.
Also, when tested, the prototype 5MP snapper at the back of the device only recorded WVGA videos, which corroborates with the earlier previews. We really hope that Sony Ericsson will allow for 720p recording in the final product.
The reviewer tried a couple of unofficially emulated games from the original PlayStation and GameBoy Advance and reportedly everything worked fine from the performance down to the assigning of the extended hardware gaming controls. I bet the experience with the original PSP emulator will be superior.
Sony plan for mobile PlayStation gaming goes much further than just the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play the newly announced PlayStation Suite platform will deliver PlayStation games on a variety of Android-based devices and plans include a dedicated game store too. To kick-start the whole thing, Sony will be launching a PlayStation One emulator, which will allow Android devices to play games for the original PS console. Original titles will be developed too the first should come out as early as this year.
Third-party developers will get to use of Sony game development environment, which will ensure that a game will work on the whole range of devices Android smartphones and tablets and also the next generation PSP 2. For devices that do not have the necessary hardware game controls, the development environment will provide touchscreen controls instead.
A PlayStation Store will open too, allowing game purchases right from the device. There is no info on the expected game prices though. Third-party manufacturers can get their devices PlayStation Certified, which is Sony way of ensuring a quality experience.
There is no official list of compatible devices one can imagine the XPERIA Play and Arc will be on it, but devices without PlayStation Certified credentials may be excluded from the game galore.
The Gingerbread-running Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc is already available on pre-order at Play.com. Its priced at £460 and is scheduled for 1,April launch. Of course both the price and release date may change in the future. Lets hope the retail price drops to a more reasonable level.
If you want to know more about the upcoming XPERIA Arc, Make sure you do not miss our blog on the MWC2011.
The fourth quarter financial results are in and its looking good, well sort of, for Sony Ericsson.
Ok lets start with the good news first. They have sold 9 million Android Xperia handsets since the first Xperia handset to use Android launched. Pretty impressive stuff, especially given the problems and bad publicity that arose from those handsets being saddled with a version of Android that was two generations out of date when the handsets launched. Its important to note though that the 9 million figure quoted is for handsets sold to retailers, not to customers. Even so its still a pretty good sign for Sony Ericsson.
Moving onto the bad news the pre-tax profit for Q4 was a rather meagre 35 million euros. Ok so making 35 million quid is not exactly bad, but it did fall short of the market expectations. However, Sony Ericsson are putting a nice glossy shine on this by making the astute point that this still represents the fourth consecutive quarter that the company has actually turned a profit at all.
Another Android-running Sony Ericsson handset leaked today. Unlike most of its rumorland fellows the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Halon enjoyed an extensive preview, rather than just a few blurry shots. Even better, the smartphone passed the test with flying colors and looks like one of the hot prospects for this year.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Halon is built around the Qualcomm MSM7630 Snapdragon platform, featuring a 1GHz Scorpion CPU and the Adreno 205 GPU. There is 512 MB of RAM on board so you can bet the Vivaz 2 will not have trouble with multi-tasking.
The display of the Sony Ericsson Vivaz 2 is larger than that of the original Vivaz, though we are not sure how big exactly it is. The FWVGA resolution (480 x 854 pixels) and the Gingerbread version of the Android operating system are confirmed though. The Hallon also makes use of Sony Ericsson BRAVIA Mobile engine for the display.
There is an 8 megapixel camera with a backlit Exmor R sensor at the back, capable of recording video of up to 720p resolution. Its the same unit as in the XPERIA Arc so you could expect pretty pleasing images, we guess.
Another Android-running Sony Ericsson handset leaked today. Unlike most of its rumorland fellows the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Halon enjoyed an extensive preview, rather than just a few blurry shots. Even better, the smartphone passed the test with flying colors and looks like one of the hot prospects for this year.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Halon is built around the Qualcomm MSM7630 Snapdragon platform, featuring a 1GHz Scorpion CPU and the Adreno 205 GPU. There is 512 MB of RAM on board so you can bet the Vivaz 2 won't have trouble with multi-tasking.
The display of the Sony Ericsson Vivaz 2 is larger than that of the original Vivaz, though we are not sure how big exactly it is. The FWVGA resolution (480 x 854 pixels) and the Gingerbread version of the Android operating system are confirmed though. The Hallon also makes use of Sony Ericsson BRAVIA Mobile engine for the display.
There is an 8 megapixel camera with a backlit Exmor R sensor at the back, capable of recording video of up to 720p resolution. Its the same unit as in the XPERIA Arc so you could expect pretty pleasing images, we guess.
One of the biggest, but certainly not the only, annoyances with the Sony Ericsson X10 was its lack of multi-touch. It was an omission so glaring that one wonders what exactly went through the designers' minds when they had it on the drawing board.
Back when the handset was first announced there was all sorts of speculation over whether it would or would not support multi-touch, but the matter was definitively settled when Sony Ericsson themselves stepped in and announced the hardware simply would not support it. Well that turned out to not be quite as definitive as we first though since Sony Ericsson recently announced that the X10 would, after all, be getting multi-touch support, albeit in a reduced form.
NTT DoCoMo have released the update for their version of the device, making it the first in th world to offer it customers. The multi-touch support is pretty much limited to pinch and zoom so gestures like rotating maps is a no go. The multi-touch support is also not guaranteed to work in all third party apps, but something is better than nothing right?
As to when we can expect to see the update outside of Japan is anyone guess. Given how long it has taken Sony Ericsson to update the X10 in the past I wouldn't be holding my breath.
Pocket-lint managed to grab a hold of Sony Ericsson acting head of global marketing, Steve Walker, at CES and sat him down for a chat about what the company is up to and how they've learnt from the mistakes they made in 2010.
I do not think its an understatement to suggest that Sony Ericsson 2010 Android line up, especially the X10, proved to be rather less than the success the company would have hoped for. Reflecting on that Walker explained:
"Its important to remember that 2010 was the first year for mass market Android handsets. Yes there had been one or two things out from HTC previously, but when we started to design our 2010 handsets in 2008, nobody really knew the dynamics of the Android smartphone market or even what the smartphone market was going to be.
Fair enough thats a frank enough admission, but then again HTC and Samsung seemed able to get it right for 2010 so why not Sony Ericsson? At any rate Walker is not dwelling on the past, rather he says Sony Ericsson has learnt from its past mistakes and "As we do every year, we have taken those learnings and applied them to the new products in the new portfolio. We do think we have taken a big step forward for 2011."
Sony Ericsson big mistake last year was to marginalise the hardware, the X10 being the prime example of that. By the time it was released it was simply not up to scratch in comparison to other products as Walker confirms:
"We talked a lot about the platform and the software. The hardware was important but the hardware played second fiddle. What we think is different in 2011 is that consumer attention is swinging back to hardware once more. That’s not to say people aren’t focused on software, but that they are a little more in balance now."
Speaking of software Walker acknowledged that Sony Ericsson completely underestimated the level of passion customers would display with regards to the outdated Android version that shipped with the X10 or the poor update cycle "Last year we didnt anticipate the strength of feeling that consumers would have towards the Android release".
The Xperia arc, unveiled at CES is the first of many new products this year, and also the first, Walker says, to take onboard the lessons learnt in 2010.
The Sony Ericsson Product Blog have a very interesting post showing off the XPERIA Arc on video and also some very important clarifications dispelling some rumors. Here's what you need to know about the new super thin droid by Sony Ericsson.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc brings some important changes to the software side of things. First off, the Mediascape UI is gone now a media pane widget takes its place. Timescale is still here though. Also, the music player has grown an equalizer, which is a common complaint in some droids.
Sony Ericsson has a serious problem in keeping secrets lately. After the early leaks of XPERIA Arc and Play, here are some new shots of their XPERIA X10 mini pro successor the XPERIA Duo, as its rumored.
This is not the first time we meet this QWERTY fella. Two weeks ago we wrote about the impressive benchmarks of an X10 mini pro successor and reported it probably packs a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. The latest rumor gives us a slightly different story though, but its coming from the same source.
The XPERIA Duo should be based on the 800Mhz Qualcomm MSM7230 Snapdragon chipset. The rest of the rumored specs include 384MB RAM, 3-inch capacitive HVGA display, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and HD video recording plus a front-facing one. The typical connectivity options should be also present.
The XPERIA Duo is expected to run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. We guess it will be announced at the MWC 2011 in February.
We made a mistake when we expected to see Android 2.3 in Arc (X12) as late as this summer, but engineers from Sony Ericsson made a heroic effort, got rid of Mediascape and will offer their handset with new version in March. Unless we have a delay like with X10 and the model will be released closer to the summer. Lets hope we will be wrong again and the phone will be available in time.
The phone is very pleasant in terms of design and the speed is impressive too. What I did not like was cheap plastic. I wonder if a camera module is really worth its Exmor R label, or it is another PR trick like Mobile Bravia Engine.
We have already described Anzu X12 before, which received a commercial name Arc. Not many things changed prior to the announcement. In fact, everything stayed the same. Official pictures for press show Arc to advantage. The device is excellent in terms of design. You want to hold it in your hands and the main attraction is its thinness. It cannot surprise that much nowadays. Samsung Infuse 4G for ATandT is also thin, but apart from that you need to be impressed by the overall feeling from the handset. And here Arc is better. Tastes differ, though. What do you think?
We have mentioned the parameters and general impressions from Arc (Anzu). The main issue is that the model will cost as other flagship models, when it hits the shelves in March, but in terms of characteristics it still belongs to 2010. Unfortunately, a 1 GHz processor and a traditional scree are hardly surprising for anybody now. The company once again makes a mistake similar to that of Sony Ericsson X10 and ignores the techies by targeting the mass market segment instead. Here Arc runs into iPhone and you can forget about good sales figures for a SE product. Its a pity, but this model will still be a niche offering for March and April of 2011 despite its looks and Twitter campaign.
Demo Below!
The first in-depth preview of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play hit the net a couple of days ago but there is another one chock full of size comparison photos and some early Sony PSP Go game emulator tests.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play is roughly the same size as the Sony PSP Go but it packs a much higher-res screen (854x480 vs. 480x272) and much more processing power a 1GHz CPU with 512MB RAM and powerful Adreno 205 graphics.
Of course, emulated games probably will not see much of an improvement their graphics were designed for the slower hardware. Still, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play will play new Android games too. Reportedly, there will be a game store but not much details are available on that will it offer just PSP Go games or exclusive XPERIA Play Android games?
Anyway, a third-party emulator was tested and roughly 70-percent of the games worked smoothly while the rest had some issues. There is still time to work out those issues the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play still is not official, despite the available early previews.
The PlayStation phone is almost certainly one of the most anticipated handsets of 2011, whether it lives up to that promise or not is another matter, but for the moment it is a hot topic. In the most recent leak, and there have been so many now, Chinese site it 168 has managed to get itself a prototype and conduct a rather nice hands-on with the device.
Lets take a look at the specifications first before we get to the videos:
- Qualcomm Adreno 205 GPU, most likely with a 1 GHz Snapdragon in tow
- 4 inch LCD screen
- 5 MP camera
- 512 MB RAM
- 512 MB ROM
- microSD support
- micro-USB connector
- second noise cancelling mic
Its interesting to note that the benchmark results for this specific unit were much higher than those for the unit Engadget had a play around with back in early December 2010. The Engadget handset could only muster 24.4 fps whilst this little baby ramps it up to 59.1 fps on Neocore. To put that in context the Nexus S scored 55.6 fps in the same benchmark test.
Ok so lets take a look at the videos. The first one shows off the interface of the device, whilst the second and third videos show of fits gaming credentials. The third video pitches it against another Android handset so as to give some sort of reference point.
Videos Below!
Lately we are learning most of the Sony Ericsson phones specs through leaks, rather than with the official announcement. The XPERIA Play makes no exception as it made yet another public appearance and this time we are even getting a pretty detailed preview of the handset. Not bad for a device that does not officially exist yet.
What you will be getting with the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play is a large 4-inch LCD screen of FWVGA resolution (854 x 480 pixels). Under the hood, there is a 1GHz Qualcomm CPU with the Adreno 205 GPU and 512 MB of RAM. A microSD card slot makes sure you will always have enough free space for those games and the 3.5mm audio jack lets you enjoy them without irritating those around you.
The 5 megapixel snapper at the back is fully capable of recording 720p videos. There is also a microUSB port and a noise-cancelation second microphone available on the device. The ample 1500 mAh battery should be able to keep the Android 2.3 Gingerbread-runing XPERIA Play going for a while.
The author was pretty pleased with the phone, which managed to bring him several nice surprises. The Sony Ericsson customized menus were well blended into the general Android 2.3 interface and the preview expresses hope that the company will manage to bring it to the market quickly.
We got our hands on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc and we hurry to give you some live shots, video demos and quick screen comparison with two of the most popular mobile screens out there. The Arc is full of surprises, so lets not waste any more time and see some action.
We expected quite a big gadget, but in the end we found the Arc is ok to handle as there is hardly any unused space around the 4.2-inch screen. The extraordinary 8.7mm thickness and the arc-like design add for the impression of a smartphone that's quite smaller than what the screen size might suggest.
The battery cover reminds us of XPERIA X8 with the dark blue splash at the bottom. Unfortunately Sony Ericsson has decided to use glossy plastic, which turns the rear panel into a smudge magnet. The smudge problem also applies for the mineral glass-covered display, but similar to iPhone 4 you can easily clean it.
Proceeding to the software side of things we meet something familiar. The XPERIA Arc has the typical Sony Ericsson theme and TimeScape UI but beneath that there is the latest Android Gingerbread.
Sony Ericsson just announced that the XPERIA Arc will be running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but a prototype was caught in the wild that claims to have Android 2.4 on board. It appears that Google have another update in store for us before the tablet-ready Honeycomb comes.
Much like Android 2.0 and 2.1, which both carried the Eclair moniker, 2.3 and 2.4 will share the Gingerbread name. As you could imagine the differences between the two versions are not too dramatic really, but the source claims that there's a notable performance improvement.
There are also some new animations, some new player application and noise reduction option in the call options. Some mysterious videochat option also appeared, but it was not enabled on that prototype. Have in mind that the guy that got to play with the new Android version only had about 15 minutes to spend with it so there might be more to Android 2.4 than we can tell you right now.
Ww will see when the official Google announcement comes. With Honeycomb expected to be finalized in just a few months the Gingerbread preceding it should already be nearing completion.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc has just been officially unveiled. After the two extensive leaks yesterday this announcement hardly brings much new information that, but at least it confirms what we knew so far is true.
The curved Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc handset is merely 8.7mm thick at its slimmest part and packs a large 4.2-inch capacitive touchscreen of FWVGA (854 x 480 pixels) resolution, which Sony Ericsson call Reality display. A mineral glass is installed on top of the LCD screen to protect it from scratches, while the Bravia Engine Mobile should notably improve its image quality.
Running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the smartphone, previously known as Anzu, offers an 8 megapixel still camera with the new backlit Sony Exmor R sensor and 720p HD video recording capabilities. The f/2.4 aperture of the camera lens should improve the low-light performance of the XPERIA Arc camera even further. Its powered by a 1 GHz Qualcomm CPU and has 512 MB of RAM. There will be an 8GB microSD card bundled with it so that should provide you with adequate storage out of the box.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc will be available in late Q1 or early Q2 in Midnight Blue and Misty Silver. There is no information about the pricing of the device though.
Video Below!
It seems Sony Ericsson is preparing for a big announcement at CES in Las Vegas. A billboard in Las Vegas suggests a new announcement is imminent and some sources say it may be featuring the previously rumored XPERIA X12 Anzu.
Interestingly, according to SEMC Blog, the X12 will be called XPERIA Arc and will pack 4.2-inch multi-touch X.LED screen with 854x480 resolution, 8 megapixel camera using a Sony Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS sensor, a full set of connectivity options. We have no clue what exactly X.LED is, but it's good to see Sony Ericsson is about to jump on the LED technology.
The XPERIA Arc should be only 8.8mm thin, so it may easily become the slimmest smartphone up to date. CES 2011 officially starts tomorrow, so it will not be long until we see if there will be an announcement.
The Mobile World Congress is fast approaching and, understandably, rumors and leaks are starting to intensify. Today we have got another batch of photos of the Sony Ericsson PlayStation phone, which reconfirms its XPERIA allegiance and Gingerbread Android version.
Never mind all those Android 3.0 rumors, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play is obviously going to run on 2.3 Gingerbread.
We also got confirmation of the 1GHz Qualcomm 7x30A CPU ticking inside the XPERIA Play. The rest will be revealed on the 13 February when the Sony Ericsson press conference will start the MWC 2011. Meanwhile enjoy those high-quality shots of the new smartphone.
PlayStation phone fever has been ramping up over the past month or so with more and more leaked pictures, and various comments and hints dropped by all manner of people. Adding to the hotpot of evidence that the device is very much real and most definitely on its way is Japanese paper Asahi Shimbun, which is saying that the device will be hitting the shops come Spring 2011.
That ties neatly in with previous information that suggests the device will be paraded in front of interested onlookers at MWC and that it will be available to buy sometime in April or so.
Sony Ericsson have been filling up quite a few column inches of late what with the PlayStation phone leaking more and more information and of course Anzu, the purported successor to the X10. Well there have been more leaks today with Japanese mobile site Blog of Mobile!! obtaining some rather delish pictures of another unannounced handset.
The thing is though the pictures themslves were taken using a second unannounced handset. The current talk is of it being Anzu, but it might even be a third unannounced handset as we shall see in a moment. The handset taking the pictures has the model number LT15i and was operating at a resolution of 8 MP.
The pictures it took were posted to a Picasa account by four users with one being called "Rachael.tester". 'Rachael' was the codename for the X10 so if this is Anzu being used to take the pictures then it's not a great leap of the imagination to see the same tester being involved given that Anzu is supposed to be the direct successor to the X10. I mentioned before that this might not be Anzu. That stems from the 8 MP resolution, Anzu has a 12 MP camera onboard so unless it was simply operating below maximum then this could be yet another unknown handset.
Anyhoo the handset being photographed is defintely new. Its an Android affair, Gingerbread to be exact, which will please Sony Ericsson fans worrying about the manufacturer always using earlier versions of the OS. The handset is apparently running on Vodafone Germany and has the model number MT15i.
We just spotted some new info, pictures and camera samples from a brand new Sony Ericsson smartphone the MT15 codenamed Hallon plus the previously leaked LT15 Anzu XPERIA X12.
Sony Ericsson MT15 Hallon looks much like the XPERIA X12 Anzu, but has a beefier front-facing camera.
The Hallon leaked via a Picasa album and is shot with a device called Sony Ericsson LT15. Rumor has it that the LT15 is the previously leaked XPERIA X12 Anzu and its supposed to pack a 12 megapixel camera. The samples in the Picasa album are only 8 megapixel so it's not the full resolution of the camera or the LT15 could be a new unannounced device and not the 12 megapixel Anzu we are waiting for.
As you probably know Sony Ericsson has already reserved several new marketing names the XPERIA Arc, the XPERIA Duo and the XPERIA Neo. Perhaps one of those will be how the LT15 will become known to the world. I guess we'll learn first-hand at the MWC 2011.
More hints even you can even call them that about a possible "PSP phone" however that manifests itself. Kazuo Hirai, the top gentleman over at Sony Computer Entertainment, has said that if Sony were to create such a device it would be very important not to confuse people about its capabilities, or even its purpose. "We do not want gamers to be asking, whats the difference between that and a PSP," said Hirai.
The speculation surrounding a "PSP phone" has been ongoing for too long now. Will it be a PSP + a phone? Will it merely be a standard-issue phone with PSP branding, maybe one with the ability to play classic games from PSN? Does the phone want to "take on" the likes of the Nintendo DS (and 3DS), or more the likes of an iPhone loaded up with a bunch of PopCap games?
What is perhaps most interesting about this interview, which is more or less a recap of how the mobile gaming scene has changed since the PSP launch back in 2004, is that Sony seems to have embraced the idea that "casual" gamers should be embraced. We are all one, big happy gaming family the more gamers, the merrier. That, and that casual games have shown that touch-based interfaces can work just fine with several types of games. Perhaps not for your more sophisticated games, but there is no reason why you could not play a Mario clone with touch-based controls.
Sony Ericsson has sent out the invites for ther Mobile World Congress event and they promise to introduce us to new members of the XPERIA family. While they do not mention any names, the rumored PS Phone is a likely attendee.
The Mobile World Congress 2011 starts on 14 February but Sony Ericsson as usual will hold their event a day earlier to steal the spotlight.
The talk around town is that the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play, the long-awaited PlayStation phone, will be announced during the MWC.
Its likely we will see other phones announced too looking back through recent Sony Ericsson rumors, the Sony Ericsson X12 (Anzu) seems like a possibility. Unlike the XPERIA Play however, we have not heard any reliable rumors about when it will be announced.
The long rumored Sony Ericsson PlayStation phone will not be announced on CES next month, but on the MWC 11 in February. It will hit the stores in April under the name of XPERIA Play.
According to Sony Ericsson, the PlayStation phone will premiere on the Sunday Sony Ericsson press conference during the MWC in February. It will not be released immediately, but will hit the shelves sometime in April.
It seems Sony Ericsson has registered the XPERIA Play trademark along with various XperiaPlay domains (.com, .net and .org). Its not the reliable info we have been waiting for, but after the rumors about the XPERIA name we are willing to put some fate on these.
It appears that the XPERIA Play will be the big Sony Ericsson announcement on the MWC next year, and you can bet we'll be there gathering as much info as possible about it for you.
SonyEricsson is a prime example of another once iconic manufacturer, which is dramatically losing its market share. We have already discussed the portfolio of Sony Ericsson for the nearest future and its sales forecast. Last week gave another example how the company tries to save and maximize the profit, while the quality suffers.
In June SE unveiled an accessible touchscreen model Yendo, which had to enjoy good sales. It was created by Sagem to be sold as a Sony Ericsson model. Software was developed by SE, but somehow a promising model turned out to be the slowest handset I came across for years. Sony Ericsson criticized Sagem, but the French company explained that engineers of the former made them save on components and this outcome was inevitable. It is a typical situation for Sony Ericsson. Weak hardware required the genius of developers to turn the product into a successful one. Unsurprisingly, nothing of the kind happened and even Sony Ericsson decided not to sell Yendo under the circumstances.
According to the official information the phone will go on sale in February. I think the hardware components will have to be changed. I am not sure that Sony Ericsson found new developers to create such a miracle, which was impossible earlier. In February the market will not be impressed with this model despite a lower price. Once again money went down the drain. Even the scarce resources Sony Ericsson still has are not allocated wisely. Last week a gossip was spread in Asia that SE may sell its brand name and leave the market. I think it is premature, but in 2011 the company will suffer further shrinking of its market share and the only solution to save the jobs will be to sell the company. It is too early to say, but I think not many would like to buy it. In the absence of demand supply will not be provided.
The Sony Ericsson LiveView micro display has been selling for a few weeks only, but the number of compatible plug-ins is higher than you might suspect.
So there is no reason to feel sorry for buying it the full touch accessory is getting more and more useful with each passing day. The list of apps compatible with the little thing is way larger than expected and new plug-ins show up over at the Android Market all the time.
As all the apps found at the Android Market, the LiveView compatible plug-ins vary from absolutely useless to pretty well thought as well. These include FakeCall for LiveView, LiveView ContactCall plug-in, LiveView Weather plug-in, LiveView PowerAMP.
By the way, the Sony Ericsson LiveView can currently be had for €40, which is yet another reason to make you go for it. Just keep in mind that it will only work with devices running the Android 2.0 or later.
Oh, and one more thing: Sony Ericsson denied the rumors that the LiveView will not get any software updates. They did not give a specific date for when they actually plan.
As it turns out, its more like just a gateway to the current Playstation and PSN community. You can check your trophies, look up games, and so on, but its nothing to do with the Zeus or the upcoming gaming handset from Sony-Ericsson.
Unfortunately its EU only for now, and also unfortunately, there does not seem to be that much functionality going on in there. Good for keeping up with Playstation-related news, and you can check your friends’ status, but thats pretty much it. They will probably be adding stuff to it over the next year, though, as their mobile gaming platform expands.
The app is only for iPhone (iPad version coming soon!) and Android, and will not be coming out on Blackberry or Windows Phone 7. Version 1.1 will bring support to more countries, and it should be out in January.
To show off the ease of using Google Voice search on their X10 flagship Sony Ericsson got Maria Sharipova to play some tennis whilst asking various questions of Google Voice Search. The idea being that the system is easy enough and accurate enough... look lets just get to the real reason for posting this, Maria Sharipova!
Enjoy the video!
Engadget uploaded the video, which shows a standard Qualcomm test named Neocore. It measures the number of frames per second. The result of 24.4 is not enough for a gaming model. For example, Google Nexus S (with Samsung Galaxy S) recorded 55 FPS. It looks that PSP is a marketing feat rather than a powerful hardware capable of handling the latest games. Watch the video and decide for yourself.
This phone Announced by Sony Ericsson CEO on an Interview on 2010 but it was rumored before to be Named the play-Station phone.
Video Below!
The long rumored PlayStation Phone just can not stay away from the news. This time it got benchmarked with the Qualcomm Neocore, but it scores far less than the Google Nexus S.
The Sony Ericsson gadget managed to score 24.4 fps on average. It does npt look bad, but the recently announced Nexus S did 55.6 fps on the same benchmark.
Sony Ericsson PlayStation phone is still in the rumorland and it was not announced yesterday as it wassupposed to. The benchmark score here cannot be objective, since its done on a prototype of an unannounced phone, with hardware and software nowhere near their final version.
An interesting wee patent from Sony Ericsson has turne dup depicting a device with an inbuilt projection screen. Yes I did type projection screen and not projector, although it has one of those too.
The idea of cramming a projector into a phone is nothing new of course, there have been designs and patents before, but it's never been a technology thats gotten off the ground and found mass appeal. Probably because of the limited use it would find outside business types.
Anyway, Sony Ericsson idea here, as you can see in the patent illustration, is to include an extendible projector screen in the device. That pretty much instantly solves the dilemma of having to find a suitable projection surface and it also gives you a hefty chunk more of display space for things like watching films.
The Android 2.3 SDK released today has thrown up a rather interesting surprise, which seems to confirm the existence of the much talked about PlayStation phone. The revelation takes the form of support coded into Gingerbread for various new input keys with tags that strongly suggest they are for the PlayStation phone.
The new input keys are labelled A, B, C, L1, L2, Mode, R1, R2, Select, Start, ThumbL, ThumbR, X, Y, and Z.
The exitence of the PlayStation phone is all but confirmed really with various pictures and videos having made appearances in recent weeks. All there is left is for Sony Ericsson to make it official and judging by the support present for the device here that may not be too far off. Indeed initial reports suggested that an announcement might take place before Christmas.
The PlayStation phone has been a gold mine for the internet rumour mill for longer than just about any other device and its still churning out nuggets! The latest rumour is that the device will be launched this coming March after a demo at MWC in Barcelona.
ITProPortal claims that a source at Sony Ericsson confirmed the launch window as well as the MWC demo and also mentioned that it would be on show at CeBIT.
Of course all of this come sont op of the persistent rumour that the handset will be announced tomorrow, 9th December.
How about that! Sony Ericsson is secretively working on a Froyo update for their XPERIA X10. Unfortunately, this update will not come before Q2 2011. But you know what its actually sad cause at that time Google will probably be outing Android 3.0
Reportedly, this new bit of info comes from a Sony Ericsson Turkish support representative. Their statement is Above and written in Turkish
In other words, "Sony Ericsson is planning to release the Android 2.2 update in the second quarter of 2011". So X10 owners Get Ready for the Froyo its coming in Approximately 6 Months from Now!
After the blurry Sony Ericsson PlayStation Phone spy vid from the other day we can now enjoy not one but two more videos of greater quality. Luckily, Mr. Blurrycam has nothing to do with both of them. Meanwhile, a few ZEUS Z1 camera sample images popped up as well.
Speaking of camera samples, up until now there was no word on the Sony Ericsson PlayStation Phone camera but these 2952-by-1944-pixel images spotted over at Picasa suggest that we can expect the Z1 to arrive with a 5 megapixel snapper on board. And the video below clearly shows that the thing also packs a tiny LED flash placed just next to the camera lens.
The handset codenamed ZEUS sure looks thick but we guess thats the price you pay to get a phone with these sort of gaming capabilities. As you just might have noticed, the fatty runs the upcoming Android Gingerbread and as the next vid reveals there will also be some sort of pre-installed PlayStation software.7
2 Video Below!
The so-called Playstation Phone or The Zeus. It looked like it was shot with a featurephone camera with 15x digital zoom. This one, however, is clear and to the point. It shows the Zeus running Gingerbread, responding to the usual pokes and prod but not running any games or anything in the Zeus System we have heard rumors of.
Hard to say anything about the screen, either, though it looks nice. I do not see any Xperia branding, just that big S badge on the controller part. There is a Playstation icon in the apps drawer, however, which the hands-on guy infuriatingly does not press.
Video Below!
Similar people still buy products of the company and while such letters can be dedicated to different brands it made me think about decision making in Sony Ericsson and the rationale behind.
If you are an owner of a Sony Ericsson May received the message when updating Sony Ericsson X8 from 1.6 to 2.1, You cannot get a wireless update as in other products from rival companies you have to use a computer. The only reason is that Sony Ericsson developers had no time to add this basic feature to the model. My first impressions after moving to 2.1 on X8 are positive, but I feel the model started working slower, which is unpleasant for this handset. Read about details in an appropriate review and we will go back to general issues in Sony Ericsson.
On numerous occasions I mentioned in the Spillikins how Sony Ericsson saves pennies on important components. For example, in April 2010 issue I touched the question with the multitouch in Sony Ericsson X10. The absence of its support was influenced by the decision to choose the cheapest screen and its controller, which did not support multitouch. They saved 1 Euro or even less on their flagship, but this weird decision was still made.
Good news is the highly rumored Sony Ericsson Z1 PlayStation Phone has finally showed up on video. As for the bad news, the video is made by Mr. Blurrycam. Actually, its image quality is so low that we can nominate it for the blurriest spy video of the year.
You should already know that the Z1 is expected to pack a Retina-like high-res 4.1-inch touchscreen, to be powered by a fast 1GHz Qualcomm processor and to feature 512MB RAM, 1GB ROM and a microSD card slot.
Video Below!
The latest rumors about the Sony Ericsson PlayStation Phone is that it will not play PSP games and will not sale under the PlayStation logo. The Android 2.3 running gaming device will be part of the high-end XPERIA family instead.
Yesterday we already reported that the Sony Ericsson PlayStation phone will be unveiled on the 9 December.
But whats so special about this phone then besides the gaming controls and the rumored specs wealready covered? Sony Ericsson is said to be preparing a whole line of exclusive games developed by some of the best Sony partners.
XPERIA junior the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 has joined the X10 party and getting the Android 2.1 Eclair update. Just like the X10 minis, there are some additional improvements to the X8 software.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 uses pretty much the same software package as the XPERIA X10 and X10 mini, so when they get updated, the update for X8 is close behind.
Here is a reminder of what those extras are:
- Improved Bluetooth functionality with support for sending and receiving pictures, contacts and more
- New back up and restore application, with extended content back up
- Automatic synchronization of your contact pictures between Facebook and your phone book
- Improved ways of handling pictures, audio, text and numbers in your messages
- Improved web browser
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The idea of a PlayStation phone is nothing new, its been rumoured pretty much since Sony Ericsson was formed nine years ago. Recently though the rumour was brought back to life with various leaked shots of an alleged prototype that Engadget managed to get their hands on.
That's all very well and good and we even had Bert Nordberg recently dropping some hints that a PlayStation phone was indeed on the cards. The big question then is when?
Well a picture of a press invitation from French SE boss Pierre Perron has surfaced and, if its authentic, seems to suggest a 9th December announcement.
The invitation says:
"Pierre Perron and his team invite you to the most anticipated presentation of the past 10 years… Thursday, December 9th, at 8pm."
Note the inclusion of the PlayStation buttons alongside one representing a phone! Again its circumstantial, if this invite is for real, but it all adds more fuel to an already very well lit fire.
Sony Ericsson X10 flagship has not always had the easiest of times since it was first launched earlier this year. One of the biggest gripes, probably the biggest actually, has been the outdated version of Android its running. Even with an update to Eclair (Android 2.1) the X10 is still running an older version of the OS.
Well there is some relief at hand as X10 owners now have the option of using a stock version of Froyo (Android 2.2). The stock option, as the name implies, does away with Mediascape and Timescape in favour of a layout the way Google intended.
Now before you chaps get all excited and go rushing to install this ROM you need to remember that this is not 100% perfect. There are a number of things that do not work properly such as video playback and various codecs. Still if you want to try it out any way head on over to XDA Devs and take a look for yourself.
The PlayStation phone has been leaked for a while now, Engadget having dished up some juicy pictures, but Sony Ericsson have as one might expect, been keeping rather quiet about the leaked handset. So far they have not confirmed that it exists, then again they have not denied it either.
Sony Ericsson CEO Bert Nordberg has been dropping some hints though. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal he made the following comment: "There is a lot of smoke, and I tell you there must be a fire somewhere"
Now before we get too excited it is perfectly possible that Mr Nordberg was referencing Anzu or some other handset, but later comments in the same interview only added more fuel to the fire. Responding to a question about why there has been no PlayStation before, Mr Nordberg replied: "I have not dug into that history, but the future might be brighter"
That certainly seems to suggest a PlayStation is on the cards. He then went on to say that "Sony is of course a very strong brand, and why shouldn't we use that?". Aagin further reinforcing the idea that such a device is very real and very imminent. How imminent? Well Mr Nordberg is saying that there will be a new device announced at the MWC next February, whether it will be a PlayStation phone is another matter.
Good news for the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 UK users. The Android 2.1 update is already rolling out on the O2 network, while T-Mobile is preparing for a next week launch. It's time to backup and pack-up.
The SIM-free XPERIA X10 and X10 mini already got their updates, while the carrier-locked devices are getting it just now. The O2 users can update their devices just now, while T-Mobile promises to push the update some time next week.
If you are O2 or T-Mobile UK user, its a good time to backup and prepare for the update.
As if a thousand Sony Ericsson fans cried out at once and were suddenly silenced... Despite much speculation and even some supposed leasked imsges it now looks like Sony Ericsson have no Windows Phone 7 handsets in the works for the time being at least. The company has been widely expected to release some Windows Phone 7 handsets in the near future, but they have confirmed that that is not the case:
"With Windows 7 we run the risk of standardizing our smartphones. We would be obliged to compete only on design on price, which we want to avoid"
That seems pretty conclusive, the best Sony Ericsson fans can hope for is that ongoing negotiations between Sony Ericsson and Microsoft to license the OS prove fruitful. The comment above is interesting though because it gives a clear reason for Sony Ericsson not releasing a handset right away, namely that they want to include their own custom UI i.e. Timescape, etc. Why they do not see the value in a vanilla build, which has worked well for other brands at times is frustrating. Competing 'only' on design and price is not necessarily a bad thing, and given Sony Ericsson's current situation they should really be taking any and all opportunities they are given.
Sony Ericsson once said multi-touch is not ever coming to the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 smartphone but now, under the users and developers community pressure, the company finally found a way to enable pinch zooming on the X10.
Sony Ericsson first said that there were some hardware limitations stopping its team from enabling the multi-touch support on the XPERIA X10 but as it turned out a couple of weeks back, the company did not give its device the multi-touch blessing just because Sony Ericsson did not want to.
But now, thanks to the numerous unhappy customers, the company finally decided to start working on enabling the pinch-to-zoom on its Eclair-serving toy. The multi-touch input method will be enabled in the web browser and the Google maps app and is coming some time in Q1 2011 via an Over-the-Air software update.
Video Below!
The leak of the X12 from Sony Ericsson will no doubt have many of you a flutter with excitement for the new handset, which is supposed to be announced either late this year or possibly early next.
The device will hopefully be running Android 2.3, even though the leaked picture shows an Android 2.1 setup, but this is probably just for testing purposes. Whilst on the subject of the platform its worth pointing out that the X12 is being described as being in the same category as the PlayStation phone and given similarities in the screen/aspect ratios of the two handsets some are wondering whether or not the X12 may also share the Z-System gaming platform that Sony Ericsson are to launch alongside the PlayStation phone. This might give the handset a boost to help it stand out from the rest of the market.
However, our very own Eldar was not immediately thrilled at the prospects for the handset, or indeed for any of Sony Ericsson other handsets planned for early next year. He described most of them as running older versions of Android, just like the X10, which came in for a lot of criticism because of that, but he did express hope that the X12 would be running Gingerbread when launched.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 is going to have a nice piano black version in addition to its white and white-dark blue models. And also, if you already own an X8, you should know that the Android 2.1 Eclair update will be released before the end of the year.
A few official pictures of the black XPERIA X8 have leaked recently, but its just today when we see an actual black X8 in action. The front is matte black, while the back is glossy think piano black. BTW, SE promises X8 users to get an Eclair 2.1 update before 2011.
So, X8 Owners Do NOT be Jealous... you knew this was coimng!!
Watch Video Below!
X10 owners had reason to rejoice yesterday as the long awaited Eclair (Android 2.1... where Everyone else is waiting for Froyo) update was finally released and started to roll out across Europe. They have even more reason to cheer today as the boffins at, Where The speed of the root belies the months of waiting that X10 owners endured for the update.
BTW, you will not be getting 16M colors or multi-touch support, but that we knew already. Sony Ericsson already made it clear that those were hardware rather than software issues.
Its not perfect at the moment though as there is apparently a bug that causes continous loops in program. the advice given is that should a loop appear you should switch between USB Debugging whilst the program is running.
X10 owners are a pretty patient bunch of people. they would have to be to stick with a device thats saddled with a version of Android three generations out of date for so many months! Well the long wait for the Eclair update is almost over as Sony Ericsson announce that it is due to beging rolling out TODAY 31/10 Sunday. The update will include not just the X10, but also the X10 Mini and Mini Pro.
The update will hit the Nordic countries first and trickle out to other countries on Monday with more following as the month of November progresses. The first people to receive the update should see their devices notifying them of an update Sunday evening (Europe time).
The main features of the upgrade are as follows:
Xperia X10:
• HD video recording with continuous auto-focus for high quality videos
• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android 2.1
• New back up and restore application, with extended content back up
• 5 homescreens for apps, widgets, shortcuts and folders
• Social phonebook which automatically syncs contact pictures from Facebook and shows when your friends are online Xperia
X10 mini and X10 mini pro:
• Improved Bluetooth functionality with support for sending and receiving pictures, contacts and more • New backup and restore application with extended content back up
• Automatic synchronization of your contact pictures between Facebook and your phone book
• Improved ways of handling pictures, audio, text and numbers in your messages
• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android platform 2.1
Speculation has been running rampant over comments made by Yoshihisa Ishida, head of Sony TV division, to the effect that they are looking to use Android in more devices:
The obvious jump in logic here are Android powered tablets and media players. Of course that is very much speculation, but given that Sony joint venture in the mobile business, Sony Ericsson, is aiming to be the biggest supplier of Android handsets in the world it is not that far a leap of the imagination to see Sony themselves jumping on the tablet bandwagon. Indeed it seems almost incredulous that Sony will not have some representation in the burgeoning tablet market at some point so perhaps the real question is whether it will be a Sony effort or a Sony Ericsson badged product?
Sony Ericsson already have Mediascape overlays for their Android devices and whilst the UI layers have received something of a mixed reception perhaps they might translate better to a device with a bigger screen? Certainly Timescape would look pretty snazzy on something with a 7 or 10 inch display.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 owners have been waiting in the firmware upgrade lounge for what seems like ages. But Eclair is almost done cooking and it will be served with 720p video capture with continuous autofocus for an extra-sweet result.
The update was pushed back until the end of October, but a release candidate has already been sent out for testing. The Sony Ericsson product blog has a quick video demo of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 with the new firmware.
Video Sample below!
The head of Microsoft Windows Phone 7 UK division, has confimed that Sony Ericsson are working on a handset for the forthcoming platform. In an interview Mr Ran said "Sony Ericsson are working on at least one Windows Phone 7 device." The added emphasis is our own. So not only will Sony Ericsson be joining the ranks of the nascent OS, but it could very well be releasing multiple devices.
Of course this comes on the heels of Sony Ericsson all but ditching Symbian so some may wonder if they are simply swapping one OS for another and the same problem of being over stretched will remain. To be fair Symbian is a tired old platform that has been leaking fans left, right, and centre. Win Phone 7, whilst still an unknown quantity, does at least have a bit of zeitgeist to it and is gaining column inches as the launch approaches. Sony Ericsson could do a lot worse than to at least experiment with what could be a significant platform in the smartphone space.
The mobile phone Company Sony Ericsson , is the latest vendor to abandon the Symbian operating system beside Nokia and Samsung.
"We have no plans for the time being to develop any new products to the Symbian Foundation standard or operating system," Aldo Liguori, a spokesman for the London-based company.
Symbian is clinging to its perch as the worlds biggest- selling smartphone operating system mainly because of Nokia Ovi, which uses it as its main software on high-end phones. Its market share declined to 41.2 percent in the second quarter from 51 percent a year earlier, according to Gartner figures. Sony Ericsson uses Symbian on its Vivaz line and also employs Google Android and proprietary systems.
Sony Ericsson shows a New LiveView tool a Micro Display for Android looks like the Apple New 6th Generation iPod nano and probably in the same size.
The Sony Ericsson measures 35x35x11 mm, weighs 15 grams and comes with a clip or better yet, a wrist strap so you can wear it as a watch. But it's much better than those first Sony Ericsson Bluetooth watches.
The screen on the LiveView is an OLED unit its a 1.3 inches big touchscreen with 128x128 pixels resolution. The battery should last 4 days of normal usage with screen in hibernation mode.
The LiveView is compatible with Android 2.0+ devices (and not just Sony Ericsson either) and here's what it can do control the music player, read SMS, Facebook and Twitter messages, RSS feeds, calendar reminders and display time and date.
Demo Video Below!
Bad NEWS for X10 users as Sony Ericsson has Officially announced that the Eclair update for the X10 is delayed! Initially the release of the update was scheduled for sometime in Q3, but it was not to be as they have now released a revised timetable saying that updates will begin from the end of October with no particular date.
There is so much wrong with this siuation that its difficult to know where to begin. First of all we have the delayed update of course, but then we remember that the update is only Eclair 2.1, which is a full iteration behind the current version, Froyo. Even Froyo will soon be obsolete when Gingerbread hits sometime later this year.
Here is what you will get from the 2.1 update on XPERIA X10:
- Upgrade of the Android platform to Android 2.1.
- HD video recording with continuous auto-focus.
- New back up and restore application, with extended content back up.
- 5 homescreens for apps, widgets, shortcuts and folders.
- Social phonebook, which automatically syncs contact pictures with Facebook and shows when your friends are online.
And here are the new goodies expected on the XPERIA X10 mini and X10 mini pro:
- Upgrade of the Android platform to Android platform 2.1.
- Improved Bluetooth functionality with support for sending and receiving pictures, contacts and more.
- New backup and restore application with extended content back up.
- Automatic synchronization of your contact pictures between Facebook and your phonebook.
- Improved ways of handling pictures, audio, text and numbers in your messages.
The SE Xperia X10 Family (X10, X8, X10 mini, X10 mini pro) Android Roadmap Updates has been leaked. The roadmap highlights three major firmware releases: Android 1.6x, Android 2.1 and Android 2.1x. It shows that the Android 2.1 update for the Xperia X10 will get 720p video recording with continuous autofocus. HTML5 will also be adopted along with 5 homescreens and a social phonebook. The document also points to a revised menu.
For the X10 mini, X10 mini pro and X8 the 2.1 update will bring with it a slight change in the four-corner navigation along with Bluetooth 2.1. These mobiles will also get the social phonebook and HTML5 adoption. Following this, there will then be the Android 2.1x update that will bring Sony Ericsson revamped UX platform to Timescape and Mediascape along with more languages. Unfortunately, the roadmap for all handsets stops on Android 2.1 and No Info about the Froyo 2.2 updates for the X10 Family.
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