Category archives: Sony Ericsson

 

 

Xperia Neo L will be Sony's first ICS phone, but only for China?

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While your Xperia might not have gotten its planned Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade just yet , Sony’s come clean on its first phone to wield Google’s latest straight from the factory: the Xperia Neo L. Appearing on the company’s Chinese website, we wouldn’t expect a redux of the mostly 2011 hardware to go on a world tour anytime soon. Those buying will be treated to a 4-inch FWVGA (854 x 480) screen that’s a smidge bigger than the original yet still carries a 1GHz worth of Snapdragon coupled to 512MB of RAM. Unlike the archetype, though, the camera gets downgraded to a 5 megapixels in the rear while retaining the same VGA shooter in the front. Naturally there’s no word on price or availability, but at least for diehard fanboys can have their ice cream and eat it too. Xperia Neo L will be Sony’s first ICS phone, but only for China? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink Xperiablog , Engadget Chinese (translated) | Sony (translated) | Email this | Comments

 

Sony applies for 'head control' patent to frustrate non-verbal communicators

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The company formerly known as Sony Ericsson applied for a patent in 2010 that’s yet to be granted, but you never know, one day it might wind up in a handset near you. Having recently introduced the “floating touch” Xperia Sola that doesn’t require your hands to make contact with the display, the next logical step is to make the whole thing controlled just with the movement of your head. Wearing a Bluetooth earpiece with a motion sensor, you then map a custom motion onto a phone action, so shaking your head could answer a call, nodding up and down ends it and going from side-to-side will fire up an app. Designed for when it’s not safe to jab at your phone (i.e. driving ) we think it’s a pretty neat idea, unless you’re the sort who, even on the phone, nods in agreement to what the other person is… oh, nope, hung up again. Sony applies for ‘head control’ patent to frustrate non-verbal communicators originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | USPTO | Email this | Comments

 

Sony Xperia Acro HD launches March 15 in Japan

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For those confused by Sony’s mixed naming conventions, this is the Japan-friendly version of AT&T’s incoming Xperia Ion . There’s been some additions to the US-bound device we handled back in January, including a built-in TV tuner and mobile wallet functionality. Last time we heard, the LTE-capable Ion was set for a summer world tour , but given this early spring unveiling on the other side of the world, it could pass AT&T’s tests this side of 2012 — hopefully with all four of these color options in tow. Take a tour through the aqua blue and sakura pink palette choices at the source below. Sony Xperia Acro HD launches March 15 in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | NTT DoCoMo (translated) | Email this | Comments

 

Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 2012

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Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup . If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy! Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 2012 Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | | Email this | Comments

 

Sony Xperia S now shipping globally, Ion to join the world tour come summer

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Those of you that have been waiting to get your grubby paws on Sony’s Xperia S are in luck, as Sony just confirmed during its keynote that it’s started shipping globally, with the first units available at Sony’s Barcelona store during MWC. Those with stellar memory will recall that’s more concrete than its former Q1 suggestion. To recap, those taking the plunge will be privy to a 1280 x 720 4.3-inch display, a 1.5GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 12-megapixel camera all wrapped in a gorgeous shell — albeit one that runs Gingerbread, with an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade in due course. Additionally the electronics giant also confirmed the Xperia Ion will be available globally, however those interested will have to wait until summer. It too, totes Gingerbread and a 12-megapixel sensor, but plays host to a larger 4.6-inch display (albeit at the same resolution as the S), a presumably faster dual-core 1.5GHz CPU and delectable LTE. If either strikes your fancy, we humbly suggest our pair of hands-ons from CES — at least if neither the freshly unveiled Xperia U or P are to your liking. Sony Xperia S now shipping globally, Ion to join the world tour come summer originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | | Email this | Comments

 

Sony Xperia U 'Kumquat' pics leak, gets sized up ahead of MWC

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It looks like one of Sony’s latest creations, the Xperia S , could be getting a little brother at next week’s Mobile World Congress, according to a series of leaked pics. Sixteen crystal-clear images show the new sibling — none other than the previously seen ST25i , aka Xperia U or Kumquat — snuggled up to the Xperia S. As it appears, the handset will likely be a lower-end offering in the Xperia lineup: it’s said to feature a 3.5-inch FWVGA (854 x 480) Reality Display, a 1GHz dual-core CPU, Exmor R sensor with 720p video capture and a tiny user-replaceable 1,290mAh battery. Oh, and Android 2.3.7 is rumored, though the rumor specifically mentions it will soon be upgraded to ICS. If these whispers turn out to be accurate, the U will likely be pitched as a smaller and less expensive option for fans of the Xperia S’s design. Also, we don’t foresee the device’s Sony Ericsson branding to make an appearance at the show, given the two companies’ recent divorce . To check out the full suite of comparison pics, check out the source link below. [Thanks, Pavlo] Continue reading Sony Xperia U ‘Kumquat’ pics leak, gets sized up ahead of MWC Sony Xperia U ‘Kumquat’ pics leak, gets sized up ahead of MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink DataCider (translated) , GetNews | IT168 | Email this | Comments

 

Sony finalizes divorce with Ericsson, renames itself Sony Mobile Communications

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More than half of America’s married couples will tell you, breaking up is hard. Hard and expensive. After living in denial , dodging rumors and eventually coming to terms with the inevitable, Sony has finally taken over Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson’s 50-percent stake in the pair’s former joint venture, a move that was earlier reported to have cost €1.05 billion ($1.37 billion) to complete. The now fully Sony owned Sony Ericsson will be renamed Sony Mobile Communications, though a few of the outfit’s already announced children are keeping their papa’s name. Hit the break for Sony’s small press release. Continue reading Sony finalizes divorce with Ericsson, renames itself Sony Mobile Communications Sony finalizes divorce with Ericsson, renames itself Sony Mobile Communications originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Sony | Email this | Comments

 

FCC Fridays: February 10, 2012

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We here at Engadget tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol’ Federal Communications Commission’s site. Since we couldn’t possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there individually, we’ve gathered up an exhaustive listing of every phone and / or tablet getting the stamp of approval over the last week. Enjoy! Continue reading FCC Fridays: February 10, 2012 FCC Fridays: February 10, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | | Email this | Comments

 

Sony Ericsson hangs ten, launches Xperia Active Billabong Edition

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Sony Ericsson is looking to start a bromance with the McTwist-loving, Double-Cork-landing, A-Frame-riding masses jonesing for a new Android device. The handset maker has announced a “global strategic alliance” with Billabong to launch the Xperia Active Billabong Edition smartphone in select markets. The handset will come preloaded with exclusive content, including Billabong screen savers, and bundle several Billabong-branded games and applications. As the two companies tell it, the Xperia ABE is the “ideal smartphone for extreme sports enthusiasts.” Accordingly, Sony Ericsson hardware is about to start making appearances at various “major” Billabong events. Unfortunately, this next bit is really going to harsh your mello: the hardware is identical to that of the Xperia Active announced back in June, complete with a single-core 1GHz processor, Gingerbread, a 3-inch Reality display and a five-megapixel shooter. Even with its no-so-extreme spec sheet, we give SE a gnar-lay for effort. Continue reading Sony Ericsson hangs ten, launches Xperia Active Billabong Edition Sony Ericsson hangs ten, launches Xperia Active Billabong Edition originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink Unwired View | | Email this | Comments

 

Sony's Q3 earnings are in: wider than expected full year loss, lowered sales projections

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Sony already revealed Kazuo Hirai will take over for Howard Stringer as CEO and President April 1st last night, and with the big shocker out of the way it’s time for the fiscal Q3 reports. After posting a net loss of $346 million last quarter , Sony is now expecting a bigger loss for 2011 than it had previously estimated, as well as lower sales. It’s currently showing a net loss for the quarter of 159 billion yen ($2~ billion), or a $1.2 billion operating loss. Blame is put on a larger than expected effect from the flooding in Thailand, strong yen and weakness in cellphones. Sales for the quarter were about $23 billion, down 17.4 percent from the same quarter last year. The consumer products and services division (HDTVs, PS3s, etc.) in particular caught a brick, with an operating loss of over a billion dollars on sales that dropped 24 percent from last year. It recorded a loss on its sale of shares in the S-LCD venture with Samsung, LCD TVs sold for prices lower than its cost reductions, and the PlayStation 3 had the killer combo of higher marketing costs and lower unit sales. Check the PDF and slides linked below for more bad news. We’ll let you know what we hear on the earnings call in a few, but until then, Kaz, may we suggest bringing in Jimmy Rollins for tips on breaking out of a slump? Continue reading Sony’s Q3 earnings are in: wider than expected full year loss, lowered sales projections Sony’s Q3 earnings are in: wider than expected full year loss, lowered sales projections originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Sony Q3 2011 earnings (PDF) , Slides | Email this | Comments