Xperia Neo Previewed

The rate at which Sony Ericsson handsets are leaking out, it'll be surprising if they'll have anything to show on 13th at MWC. Techradar has managed to get their hands on the Xperia Neo (codenamed Hallon), which is a brilliant Android handset with a Vivaz esque design.

Like the Arc, it will come with a 4 inch LED backlit LCD capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels. It will be powered by a 1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM and an Adreno 205 GPU, just like the Xperia Play. It has an 8 MP camera with an Exmor R sensor and LED flash and also supports 720p video recording. It also has a nice secondary camera, either a 1.3 MP or a 2 MP one, for video calls.
It will be powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the latest version of the Android OS. It will have the Timescape UI too, and will also offer HDMI out.

Read their Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo Preview

X10 mini pro successor Leaked!

A chinese site has posted images of what looks to be the successor of the Xperia X10 mini pro.

The front of the device will be graced by a 3" capacitive touchscreen which will support multi-touch, sporting 320x480 standard Android resolution. It will run on a 1 Ghz processor and have the Adreno 205 GPU ( same as the minis, X8, X10).The device is slated to launch with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).A slide out keyboard is also present.

As you can see, it has a higher quadrant score than the Nexus One, so should be a pretty decent performer. The back and menu buttons have been swapped, as compared to the current Xperia devices.

Sony Ericsson "Hallon" Photographed

Here’s a rather interesting leak for Sony Ericsson fans out there. Pictures of an unknown Sony Ericsson phone have surfaced, and the speculation is that it’s codenamed Hallon, bearing the model number MT15i. The pictures show that it’s running Android and should be an Android 2.3 Gingerbread build. A microUSB and 3.5mm headphone jack can be seen at the top of the device, along with an unusually large lens of the front-facing camera.

The other interesting bit is that these pictures were taken by another unknown phone, bearing the model number LT15i. It seems to be taken by a phone with an 8-megapixel camera and speculation is that it might be the Sony Ericsson Anzu.

The handset in the photos, meanwhile, has a pronounced curve at the top that immediately brings to mind the Sony Ericsson Vivaz. Unlike Vivaz, however, this model locates the microUSB and headphone jacks above the screen instead of on the side of the device.

Via: PC World

PSP Phone due next spring

The latest reports claiming a spring launch for the PSP-styled Android phone from Sony Ericsson come courtesy of Japanese newspaper the Asahi Shimbun - follow claims from anonymous sources earlier this month that an April launch was likely for the US and Europe.

According to the latest report from Japan the Sony Ericsson-developed phone might even go on sale first in the US and Europe, with Japan and other territories following at a later date.
The phone will be based on the PSPgo with slide-out PSPgo-style gaming controls, with a touch-sensitive tracking pad instead of analogue thumb nubs.
Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Ericsson are still to comment on the latest reports from Japan.

The Sony Ericsson 'PSP phone' may also well be called the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play after numerous domain names containing that name have recently been purchased by the company.
All will be revealed later next month followed, no doubt, by a major PR offensive at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February.

Whatever the official name and final specification, the PlayStation Phone is likely to be based on Google's Android 3.0 platform and feature "custom Sony Marketplace which will allow you to purchase and download games designed for the new platform."
The Sony Ericsson phone is also looking likely to be based on a 1GHz Qualcomm CPU, with 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, and a screen "in the range of 3.7 to 4.1 inches."
Commenting on possible confusion between Sony Ericsson mobile products and Sony PlayStation gaming products and brands, Sony boss Kaz Hirai also noted recently that: "We don't want gamers to be asking, what's the difference between that [a PS phone] and a PSP... we have to come up with a message that users will understand."
Hirai added: "It would have to be a product that keeps the PlayStation's strengths intact."

Source

Playstation phone launching on Dec 9th?

If there’s one myth that the mobile industry blogs and news publications have started to talk about in 2007, and have yet to stop, it’s got to be the Sony Ericsson PSP/PlayStation phone. After a period of no news on this front, back in August, the rumor mill started spinning again. Then, in October, some rather strange-looking images showed up, that were or were not depicting this mythical beast.

And today yet another rumor comes about the PSP phone. This time it’s from France, where an interesting invitation has appeared.

The invite text says this in French:

“Pierre Perron and his team invite you to the most anticipated presentation of the past 10 years… Thursday, December 9th, at 8pm”

That, coupled with the meaning of those PlayStation buttons and phone symbol couldn't be clearer.

MobileCrunch have some more info from a tipster:

• The screen is “mind-blowing”, on-par (at least by the tipster’s eye) with the iPhone 4′s retina display. The person giving them the rundown on the display indicated that some of Sony’s Bravia technology has trickled in here, with Sony Ericsson considering leveraging the Bravia brand when highlighting the display.
• It won’t ship in time for the holidays, with our tipster saying it was “no where near ready”. According to their Sony-Ericsson rep, the company is off-the-record-officially aiming for February. At this point, a launch scheduled around Mobile World Congress is nearly certain.
• Sony Ericsson currently has the off-contract price floating somewhere around $500, with that purchase including 5 free games.
• It’s unclear whether the “Playstation Phone” is capable of running actual (downloaded) PSP games — I’d wager that it’s not, given what I’ve heard and the amount of emulation work that would be required. We’re likely looking at a new, independent line-up of games built specifically for this platform, which might explain why Sony Ericsson is reportedly planning on pushing this handset with the XPERIA brand rather than the more recognizable Playstation brand. Sony Ericsson is heavily leveraging Sony’s licensing partnerships, though, with names like Tekken being thrown around.
• Games will purportedly be priced like mobile games, not like PSP games. In other words, expect sub-$10, not sub-$40.
• The tipster confirmed that the “Z-System” name so oft thrown around the rumor mill around is still in play, and that Sony-Ericsson reps used it to describe both the gaming platform and the distribution center. It’s still unclear (even to Sony-Ericsson, it sounds like) whether the game distribution will be done in a standalone application or through the Android Market, but our tipster was told that Google was working closely with Sony Ericsson to try and bring it all into a section of the Android market exclusive to these devices. It’d be highly beneficial for Sony Ericsson to have Google on their side, here, given that the latter has considerably more experience with payment processing (and relationships for things like carrier billing).

Overall, the tipster was impressed with the gaming experience, going as far to say it was “the best gaming [they've] ever had on a mobile device” (and, having a bit of insight on this tipster, I’d say they have a good bit of experience dabbling with mobile games.) They also briefly mentioned having spotted follow-ups to the mid-range XPERIA X8 and the high-end XPERIA X10 (presumably the “Anzu”), the latter of which they say also touts a display that Sony Ericsson wants to brand with the BRAVIA name.

Sony Ericsson's Anzu / X12 leaks

It's only been a week since the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 got its long awaited Android 2.1 update and now we get to meet its successor, the Anzu a.k.a. Sony Ericsson XPERIA X12. The first live shot of the rumored device has just been spotted in the wild and word is the smartphone is about to arrive in Q1 2011.

As far as the specs go, it is said to be "very, very slim" , even slimmer than Galaxy S and will pack a large 4.3" display, a secondary video-call camera, an HDMI port as well as a 12MP camera with 1080p video recording.

The prototype in the pics runs on Android 2.1 but it is slated to be running Android 2.3 a.k.a Gingerbread at launch.

There's no info yet on the CPU or RAM, but its sure to atleast run on the 1 Ghz Snapdragon. Details about the display are slim except that it is very crisp with vivid colours. Let's hope SE has implemented multitouch this time.

Via: XperiaX10 blog

The PlayStation Phone: Yes it's Real

Finally, the wait is over.

For years, fans have been clamoring for the device, known as the PlayStation Phone, and Sony Ericsson has finally blinked.

The pictures you are looking at were posted on Engadget yesterday. The device is said to be running the latest version of Android i.e. Gingerbread. The actual release date might be the end of this year but it's more likely to be in 2011.

Other specs include:

1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon Processor
512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM
Screen - 3.7 to 4.1 inches
microSD support

The particular model in these shots is still a prototype. As such, the unit doesn't have a custom skin (not even SE's Timescape design seen on the Xperia devices), and is said to be rather buggy.
But am sure Sony Ericsson will iron out all the flaws before the actual launch.

Sony prototypes pressure-sensitive tactile touchscreen

Sony Computer Science Laboratories (Sony CSL) Inc developed a touch panel that can generate tactile feedback and detect the amount of pressure applied to the panel.

The panel is targeted at mobile phones and was demonstrated at Open House 2010, which took place May 28, 2010. It can detect not only the x and y coordinates of a fingertip but also the pressure applied in the direction of the z-axis.

This time, Sony CSL combined the new touch panel with a small display device that looks like a mobile phone with the Sony Ericsson logo. Sony Ericsson’s Swedish offices in Lund are reportedly working together with Sony CSL on this project.

Sony Ericsson W150 leaked!

Remember the Android powered walkman rumor? Well, there's a slight twist to that.

According to GsmArena, the Sony Ericsson W150 is an entry level touch model, a first for Sony Ericsson. It doesn't have 3G connectivity or Wi-Fi and it's only got dual-band GSM/EDGE support. There's a 2 megapixel camera on the back. Contrary to what it seemed earlier, the device doesn't run on Android but sports some other type of touch UI. 

Although from the screenshots, it is pretty evident that Sony Ericsson kept its promise of making the Nexus UI available across all platforms.

Sony Ericsson 'Shakira' debuts, will you dance to 'her' tunes?

Do you belong to the crowd who thought the X10 was a tad too big and the x10 mini really small for your taste?

Well you're in luck as Sony Ericsson aims to solve this problem of yours too. 

The above is a leaked image of an upcoming Sony Ericsson handset, codenamed 'Shakira' , a phone reusing the XPERIA X10 design all over again. It's expected to be a medium sized Android smartphone that should fit just right in between the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and X10 mini.

Information on specs is still scarce, except that it runs Android 1.6 and that it has the same aspect screen as the original XPERIA X10 so probably the same resolution. You can clearly see the videocall camera as well, so 3G connectivity should be also on board. The touchscreen might be around 3.2 inches which is more than adequate.

And here's a comparison of the size of the Xperia X10 and 'Shakira to give you a rough idea.
I have a feeling we're going to hear and see a lot more of this device real soon, so stay tuned!

Source

5.5-inch QWERTY Android smartphone on the way?

You think the X10 was huge? Well, Sony Ericsson certainly doesn't think the X10 was big enough.

The above image shows a new prototype from the Swedish-Japanese manufacturer that sports a 5.5 inch touch screen, runs on Android 2.1 and has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Watch this space for more!

Source

Spiro and Zylo - Hands On

The folks at SE-First got a chance to play with these new Walkman devices. The 9 minute preview shows the UI, Facebook and Twitter client and how it matches up to other devices design wise. Enjoy!

XPERIA X10 mini previewed

The folks at GsmArena have previewed the small yet powerful - Xperia X10 mini and they're pretty impressed. Here's what they had to say:

When you're experimenting you want to make sure you minimize mistakes. Well, the first thing about the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 mini is it just can't be a big mistake. In fact, the only way for it to go wrong would be the price. The pint-sized package may be taken to imply half price. Let's be clear though: it may be a dwarf droid but it still is a full-featured smartphone.
So, this experiment could well be a success. They tried to create a mini handset without sacrificing performance and they simply nailed it.
The touch-optimized interface makes great use of the limited screen estate and the performance is excellent. As snappy as they get, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 mini only has a few things missing on its specs sheet.
That's why it's a particularly easy handset to recommend - if you are happy with the specs, you might as well go ahead and buy it - the phone will deliver. There won't be any nasty surprises and the handset even has a trick or two up its sleeve.
To make it even simpler - the XPERIA X10 mini is not burdened with the kind of responsibility the original X10 will have to deal with. Instead it brings all the smartphone basics, garnished with a snappy CPU and served in a body that every pocket can take.
It may be that Sony Ericsson have found an empty niche in this busy market. The XPERIA X10 could be too unusual to catch on, too small to get noticed but certainly not afraid to make a stand.

Read their entire preview of the Xperia X10 mini

X10, X10 mini hands-on videos

Here are a couple of neat hands-on videos. First up is the Xperia X10 and boy, it's blazing fast! :)

And then we have the X10 mini....small and cute did you say? Powerful too! Check it out:

Sony Ericsson Vivaz Reviewed

This is the review I was eagerly waiting for, and the folks at GsmArena didn't disappoint. They are mighty pleased with the handset and it shows, the praise just flows! :D


And I don't know about you, but I have set my eyes on the Vivaz. The specs+price combo is too good to ignore! Anyway, here's an extract of their views:


Sony Ericsson is an alliance of two tech giants and with phones like the Vivaz it shows. It’s a gadget all the way, one that will galvanize geeks and charm the regular user.

Eight megapixel still images and 720p video with continuous auto focus make the Sony Ericsson Vivaz a predator of point-and-shoot cameras. The Vivaz is not just a cameraphone though, it’s a smartphone as well – a tricked out Symbian running on a 720MHz CPU with a 3.2” nHD display to show it all off. That’s all in a package more compact than any combination of a stand-alone camera and a phone you can think of.

Here's a video showing the user interface of the Vivaz:

The recent trend in Sony Ericsson design – the curved back – makes another appearance on the Vivaz. It helps the phone fit snugly in your palm, and the device feels even more compact and friendly.

Most of the front of the Vivaz is taken up by the 3.2" touchscreen with a resolution of 640 x 360 pixels. The resistive unit supports up to 16M colors and is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the device. It has nice picture quality with excellent contrast for a TFT unit.Resistive displays generally need more pressure to get a click registered. As we found out though, the Vivaz screen response is excellent. The resistive technology is certainly not a drawback here.

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz isn't the loudest of them handset as far as headphones volume is concerned. However when subjected to our traditional audio quality test it showed a decent overall performance with even a few excellent marks here and there.

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz packs an 8-megapixel camera and is capable of taking photos of up to 3264 x 2448 pixels. It also sports a LED flash, but its serves video better than the still images.

Sony Ericsson Vivaz produces splendid photos. The colors are vibrant and rich (too bad we don't have the weather to prove it), the amount of resolved detail is very good and the noise levels are low.

Here's a cam sample:

Just click on the image to see it full size.

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz captures 720p videos at 24 fps, venturing to kick the Samsung Omnia HD out of its complacency.

Probably the best new feature of the Vivaz is the continuous auto focus during video recording. That's definitely a first for any cameraphone and it allows it to act just like a dedicated video camera.

Here's a video showing continuous autofocus in video recording. Pretty neat!

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz has an edge over Omnia HD in audio recording too. Currently, the Vivaz videos use AAC audio with 48kHz sampling rate, while those by the Omnia HD have a sampling rate of 16kHz. And you can definitely tell the difference.


Final Words

Sony Ericsson have been limping on profits lately but their ambitions seem to not have suffered one bit. There is the Satio, now the Vivaz and with the XPERIA X10 on its way, the company is gaining a firm foothold in the high-end segment.


Some people scoff at the sight of Symbian but Sony Ericsson's work on the homescreen and their signature media menu, you can spend quite some time using the phone before you actually come down to the slightly off-putting S60 5th UI.

The size of the display might seem inadequate next to the awe-inspiring HTC HD2. The Vivaz though was built to be compact and screen size was dictated by pocketability, not the other way around.

The interface and screen size are pretty much the things for anyone to complain about. The display is sensitive, the CPU is speedy and the camera is excellent - and hard to beat really. So, the phone is great, but this doesn't mean much until you have a good look at the competition as well.


Comparisons between the Sony Ericsson Vivaz and the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD are inevitable. Symbian and 720p video make the two the bitterest of rivals. Samsung have had plenty of time to chisel out some of the problems the Omnia HD had at launch - audio quality and framerate issues in videos. The audio they fixed early on by switching to AAC, but video is still struggling to make it to 24 frames per second.


The Vivaz has its issues as well, but at least it's capable of delivering all 24 fps - and the HD video recording is quite promising. Sony Ericsson's take on Symbian feels more refined too - the homescreens are simple to use but offer all the basic functionality you need and we always liked the custom media menu - especially in its touch-enabled form. Plus the Vivaz feels zippier than the Omnia HD.


It's safe to say there is no phone just like the Sony Ericsson Vivaz - the competition is a thing or two short or has a thing or two in its favor. For a bigger screen, you'd have to give up either the smooth video recording or go with an OS that barely ranks in terms of market share. The other option is to wait for phones that haven't even been officially confirmed yet.


The Sony Ericsson Vivaz design team knew what they wanted right from the start and they have achieved their goal. When the Vivaz hits the stores, there will be a line a mile long of Sony Ericsson fans queing for it but, more importantly, there will probably be quite a few new converts as well.

Read the complete review of the Sony Ericsson Vivaz

Xperia X10 previewed, disappointing?

Eldar Murtazin, the famous editor of Mobile Review has managed to post an exhaustive preview of the Xperia X10. And as usual, he's back to bashing Sony Ericsson, something which has become quite a ritual of late.

I do agree that Sony Ericsson is at fault and the excessive delay will hamper the potential audience. However the previewer finds the device cheaply built, the screen ordinary and the OS version redundant. I beg to differ.

The X10 has been previewed quite a few times, featured in loads of hands on videos, and not once has there been a complaint about the build quality, which according to me should be stellar, keeping in tune with previous Sony Ericsson handsets.The 4.0 inch capacitive touchscreen sports a 480 x 854 pixels resolution! Pity that any non AMOLED screen nowadays isn't even given a second glance by some. What's the point of having the latest tech ( read AMOLED) if you're not able to use it outdoors due to poor sunlight legibility?

And as far as the Android OS is concerned, X10 will indeed be shipping with version 1.6. Some may find this as not so great news but Sony Ericsson has done the hard work and added most of the functionality delivered in OS version 2.1 in the X10. Coupled with the Timescape and Mediascape apps, the X10 will be able to hold its own easily. Besides, Sony Ericsson has confirmed that they'll be updating the device to a newer OS version eventually so why the fuss?

Anyway, you can check out the preview for some 'light' reading and the plethora of screenshots. Looks pretty promising to say the least.

XPERIA X10 to run Android 2.1 at launch?

According to Android-France, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 will be delayed by 3 weeks. I know that's bad news for some, but hey, the good news is that Sony Ericsson will now launch the device with Android 2.1 onboard instead of version 1.6 as initially planned.
 Did I just hear you say 'Awesome!'?

As far as I'm concerned this is a step in the right direction. Android 2.1 will really help keep this device a step ahead of its contemporaries. Originally scheduled for the third week of February ( it was earlier 10th February), it will be available sometime around the 15th of March. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait.

Vivaz : video capturing and sharing

Here is a video of Vivaz that shows the video capturing and sharing functionality. Besides the ability of shooting in HD video quality, Vivaz has a simple-but-clever dedicated video key on the side of the phone allowing you to capture the action as it happens.

Via: Sony Ericsson product Blog

Sony Ericsson Vivaz Reviewed

I had a feeling that this handset was different and I was right.It's just been launched and we've already got the first review. :D

Well the folks at Mobile Mail have already posted a pretty neat review of the just announced Sony Ericsson Vivaz. Here's what they had to say: ( Is been translated from Russian to English, so kindly don't mind :) )

Sony Ericsson Vivaz come March, the price I have already named: 15 990 rubles at the start. In Europe, the device will sell for 280-300 euros. In Europe, the device will sell for 280-300 euros. That is a question of price breaks all the remaining questions, the phone turns damn interesting.I find it difficult to talk about his shortcomings, because competitors are considerably more expensive and less functional.

First Vivaz devices directed against Nokia, in particular the 5800 and X6, and the company understands that Vivaz is interesting. This is much more powerful hardware platform that work with HD video, while smaller size, weight, more attractive design. I frankly like this phone, a combination of price and performance turned out perfect. And few people expected such a cost, to be honest.

I very much hope that Vivaz become popular, it will help reduce the bar prices for Symbian-smartphones, set the standard for functionality for these devices. Samsung I8910 HD is much more expensive, he plays in another league, I do not think that someone would choose between these devices. Other things being equal I would have preferred apparatus of the SE, all the same size of the phone are very good, they fit many. Compare Vivaz with Nokia X6 fails, Sony Ericsson is stronger in all parameters, with, again, cheaper. In general, by the time in early March, the apparatus will not be any significant alternatives, if we talk about the functionality of this amount. Vivaz ist really interesting.

Read the complete review of the Sony Ericsson Vivaz

My take on the Vivaz

Well..irrespective of the handset design being similar to other phones, I certainly feel that Vivaz is a pretty good handset. You get almost everything the satio had except the 12mp module and xenon flash, a faster processor and a more optimized UI. I just hope that we get kinetic scrolling throughout the UI. And the icing on the cake is that its going to be launched at a retail price of 15990 rubles/ 380.326 Euros/537.553 USD/24,840 INR, which I think is a very good price. I usually wait around a month for the prices to stabilize, as the initial launch prices are usually inflated in india.

I can't actually believe myself. A month ago I was pretty sure that I wasnt even going to consider getting the device
But it looks like a better ( and cheaper) bet than getting the satio. If I don't manage to save enough for the X10, I'm going to get this 'beauty' ( It's not exactly that , but the leaked pics didnt do justice).