Xperia for MWC confirmed; Play, Arc, Duo & Neo?

Sony Ericsson has confirmed that it will be announcing "new members of the Xperia family" at February's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Sony Ericsson will be holding their press event on 13th February at 18.00, a day before the show kicks off.

As reported earlier, the company recently filed trademarks for four Xperia brands: Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, Xperia Arc, and Xperia Duo; while the first branding likely refers to the upcoming PlayStation Phone, codenamed Zeus, the other three are just as mysterious now as before.

Xperia Arc - No information on this phone as yet except to say that it could feature a 'sliding arc keyboard' similar in design to the Xperia X1.

Xperia Duo - Dual core processor maybe?

Xperia Neo - No information on this whatsoever


The date’s already marked in my diary and I can’t wait to bring you the latest news as it happens. 2011 is going to be a great year for an SE fan, I can surely tell you that much! :)

Playstation Phone to be called Xperia Play, launching April?

Sony Ericsson has not officially confirmed what will be the name of the PlayStation phone. But recently, the company has lodged documents in the European Union for the registration of four brands, which includes the name Xperia Play. Although, so far the phone mention other names, this is the most likely and logical that we’ve heard so far. Other names for which of the Sony Ericsson has filed registration documents are Xperia Neo, Xperia Duo and Xperia Arc. According to another information, the phone will be presented at Mobile World Congress in February and will reach the market in April 2011.


Other rumours include, courtesy esato:

- faster updates for android phones 
- no Windows Phone 7 
- more Accessories for android phones 
- 3D , hd " high resolution " displays
- pico-projector with autofocus 
- Qriocity™ for android 
- PS phones
- Exmor R , 16 mp with full hd record 1080p 
- full Arabic support 
- face recognition on videos
- dualcore processors


What's coming in 2012:- holo : No clue what it is , hologram , holographic? :P 

Sony Ericsson PlayStation smartphone in 2010?

I know for a fact that you're already jumping up and down after reading the title of this post but kindly hear me out first, will you? 

Well, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal,Sony is developing two handhelds that will directly target Apple. The leader would be a smartphone built in tandem with Sony Ericsson that could run PlayStation games, presumably PSP games as hinted by Sony last month; it would compete against the game-friendly iPhone.

The new smartphone will be able to download and play PlayStation games as well as connect to the Sony Online Service ( which is going to go online this month) to access a variety of online media.

Reflecting the amount of devotion to the project, Sony is reportedly contributing significantly more effort to the PlayStation phone than it does for most Sony Ericsson projects. In either case, the sources reiterate Sony's recently publicized admission that the PSP Go has struggled and that any future handheld devices would take a more considerate approach to devices with download-only content.

The second device would be a crossover between the PSP, an e-book reader and a netbook and would be aimed at multi-role devices like the iPad, albeit not necessarily a tablet.

Both the devices would tie into the online media service due to go live this month but themselves wouldn't be ready until sometime later in 2010. The Sony Online Service is slated to build upon the company's existing PlayStation network. In addition to providing music, movies, and software for downloading, it is expected to allow connection to a variety of Sony devices, including Bravia televisions, mobile devices like the Sony Ericsson smart phones, and Sony game devices.

If you remember, Sony Ericsson had hinted at a possibility of producing a PSP phone, according to an interview with president Bert Nordberg in tone of the issues of the Mobile World Congress Show Daily.

"We missed the window for high-end and touchscreen devices big time," Nordberg admitted. "Part of the recovery will be much better design and closer work with our partner Sony... In the past there was no tie-up between us, the PSP platform and Sony, but you can expect to hear much more about that."

He also suggested Sony Ericsson will also engage the home environment with upcoming products. "The TV, PC, stereo, and mobile will have a common communications interface -- DLNA," he said.

Sony CEO Howard Stringer had already stated at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that Sony Ericsson phones will connect to the Sony Online Service in the future.

So there you have it folks. Bottomline - Sony is working with Sony Ericsson to develop the new smartphone, with Sony taking a more active role in its development than in the past and we just might see the device before the end of 2010.

Hope this made your day, it certainly made mine! 

Eventually there'll be more info on this, and you know where you'll read it first . You can follow us on facebook and twitter too.

Cheers!

Note: The device in the image above is a concept phone first seen in Sony Ericsson's JavaOne Video .

Xperia X10 mini goes Pro too!

Well, I'll be honest with you. This one was a surprise! Sony Ericsson announced a X10 mini Pro version, basically an X10 mini with a slide out QWERTY keyboard (codenamed Mimmi).

The XPERIA X10 mini pro is a bit thicker than the X10 mini due to its QWERTY keyboard, but still very tiny, especially by QWERTY phone standards.The X10 mini pro measures 90 x 52 x 17 mm and weighs 120 grams. It sports a similar 2.55” TFT scratch-resistant touchscreen of QVGA resolution, a 600MHz Qualcomm CPU, 5MP camera with auto focus and geotagging.

 It does feature Timescape too – the home-brewed UI that brings together all the various communication channels into one, so that's a big plus! It runs on Android 1.6, but that shoudn't be too much of a bother as it's quite capable as it is.

 On the connectivity side there’s quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band HSDPA and HSUPA. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS with A-GPS are also part of the deal. There’s also a microUSB port, microSD card slot for cards up to 16GB, 2GB card in the box and finally, a 3.5 mm audio jack. The device doesn't have a removable battery though,presumably due to its size.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 mini Pro will come in Black and Red color versions and will be available in Q2 2010. 

Official Press Release

Xperia X10 mini debuts!

Next up, Sony Ericsson announced the Xperia X10 mini ( previously known as Robyn).

Liked the Xperia X10 but thought it was too big for your taste? Well, Sony Ericsson has an answer for you - The Xperia X10 mini.

The X10 Mini has the distinction of being the world’s smallest Android handset weighing in at 88 grams and 83 x 50 x 16 mm. The handset is essentially a scaled down version of the X10. It does feature Timescape – the home-brewed UI that brings together all the various communication channels into one, so that's a big plus! It runs on Android 1.6, but that shoudn't be too much of a bother as it's quite capable as it is.

If you thought, 'such a small device, performance would be average', think again! it small but extremely powerful. ( It sports a 600 mhz processor just as the Satio, so I guess that'll silence the critics!).

  The basic specs include a 2.55” TFT scratch-resistant touchscreen of QVGA resolution, a 600MHz Qualcomm CPU, 5MP camera with auto focus and geotagging.

On the wireless side of connectivity there’s quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band HSDPA and HSUPA. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS with A-GPS are also part of the deal. There’s also a microUSB port, microSD card slot for cards up to 16GB, 2GB card in the box and finally, a 3.5 mm audio jack.The device doesn't have a removable battery though,presumably due to its size.

 The X10 mini will be available in select markets from Q2 2010 in several colours: Black, Pearl White, Lime, Pink, Red and Silver. Spoilt for choice?

 Official Press Release

Sony Ericsson Vivaz goes Pro!

I always knew that Sony Ericsson was going to surprise us all, and my what a surprise everyone got! Refreshing and unique was what I felt after I was through watching their MWC webcast. I'll keep my thoughts for a bit later ( Watch out for that writeup!) and give you all a lowdown on what Sony Ericsson is going to be outing in Q2.

First up is the Sony Ericsson Vivaz's QWERTY brother, the Vivaz Pro (previously known as the Kanna).

Basically, both devices are pretty similar but the Vivaz Pro is a slider and has an extremely inviting QWERTY-keyboard. The phone sizes 109 x 52 x 15 mm and weights 117 grams. it's pretty impressive SE managed to fit in a qwerty keyboard with just an additional 2mm thickness as compared to Vivaz.

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz pro packs the defining feature of the Vivaz - the HD (720p) video recording, though the camera has been downgraded as is now a 5-megapixel module as compared to 8mp on the Vivaz..Other features remain the same with the camera offering auto focus for still images and continuous focus for videos, face and smile detection, image stabilization, geo-tagging and touch capture. 

The screen is a 3.2” scratch-resistant touchscreen and sports nHD resolution ( 640x360). With the Sony Ericsson Vivaz pro you still get the generous 8GB microSD card in the package, the speedy 720MHz CPU, the Sony Ericsson's fine UI on top of Symbian S60 5th edition. That's a pretty sweet deal! 

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz pro packs quad-band GSM/EDGE and tri-band HSDPA/HSUPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS with Wisepilot navigation software preinstalled, Quickoffice, Twitter and Facebook integration.

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz pro will be available in two colors - Black and White - and is expected to hit the market in the second quarter of this year (Q2). The Vivaz is coming in March, so the Vivaz Pro will be next in line.
Official Press Release

Sony Ericsson will show something new!

There's been a strong feeling that Sony Ericsson is holding back something......and now it's almost certain. We will definetely be seeing something spectacularly new from Sony Ericsson at MWC ie....today.

Eldar Murtazin has also commented:

"Sony Ericsson want to go back to the market and for this to show a whole swarm of new products. Traditionally, on Sunday, one day before the exhibition. There are models that attract attention, there are products for the discussions, as we call them, PR-products. But in the announcement we can see signs of recovery, perhaps, it is the most ambitious launch of the company in recent quarters or the last Barcelona."

Its just a few more hours of wait, as SE wil traditionally showcase its portfolio one day in advance, on the 14th ie..today. Stay tuned for more.....tonight! :)

Sony Ericsson official MWC Blog

Sony Ericsson gearing up for MWC 2010

Well...it seems Sony Ericsson is leaving no stone unturned to ensure a great presence at the Mobile World Congress starting Feb 15th, Barcelona,Spain. They've got a neat little page up on their official website with a very nice intro, really makes you go back to the good old days :) Lemme take you along, just follow the snaps.

Awesome isn't it? It feels great to be associated with a company which was and STILL is the pioneer in its field. With great devices such as the X10 and Vivaz in its stable, the future looks pretty promising. Can't wait for 15th can you? Btw.....here's the Official Invite:

Well, all I can say is, Roll on MWC 2010!