Phones

Sony Xperia ZL Gets Price Drop: Good Business or Troubling Sign?

by Sohrab Osati | May 8, 2013 | 8 comments

If you’ve been thinking about getting the Sony Xperia ZL (not to be mistaken with the waterproof Xperia Z), then you’re in luck. On the official Sony website, the company has just price dropped the Android smartphones to $629.99, down from $759.99. If the price still seems high, that’s because till we hear otherwise, Cincinnati Bell will be the exclusive US carrier that will offer the phone for $250 with a two year contracts. The $629.99 instead nabs you unlocked model, compatible with AT&T 2G/3G, T-Mobile 2G/3G, Rogers, and Fido. While a win for consumers, it begs the question, why did the Xperia ZL get a price drop after only a month on store shelves?

Thanks to the FCC, Sony Xperia Z Heads to T-Mobile

by Sohrab Osati | May 1, 2013 | 5 comments

The FCC is an important part of the tech world. While it might be invisible to consumers, any device, be it a tablet, smartphone, or portable gaming machine that carries a wireless chip must pass through the doors of the FCC. The latest device to do so is the Sony Xperia Z, the flagship Android smartphone from Sony that was unveiled at CES 2013. While the job of the FCC is to tear apart tech and reveal their internals for documenting, this can also inadvertently reveal carrier praetorships due to the specific wireless chipsets that are be used for compatibility with networks. In the case of the Xperia Z, the documentation alone outlines the carrier support for the Xperia Z which has T-Mobile listed. While not the fanfare we would have liked to see, this also isn’t the official announcement from Sony or T-Mobile. Expect to hear something for concrete in the coming days. But there you have it folks, the Sony Xperia Z gets its first major US carrier which indicates an AT&T version might not be far behind since the two networks share many common networking and spectrum traits. If gutted tech is your thing, after the jump you can find the entire gallery from the Sony Xperia Z FCC teardown.

Are Sony Xperia Z Speakers Inexplicably Dying?

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 22, 2013 | 64 comments

The Sony Xperia Z is without a doubt a marvelous phone. The 5-inch flagship Android smartphone from Sony packs the latest technology with a powerful processor, 13-megapixel camera, and a water-resistant body to name a few. For Sony, the success of this phone could determine their mobile strategy while its doom could forever lock Sony out of the top 5 smartphone list. The last thing Sony or any company ever wants to deal with is a defective design or manufacturing process. But that may be exactly what Sony has on their hands. Thanks to a tipster and after our own digging on Sony’s support site, it seems quite a few people are experiencing issues with their Sony Xperia Z speakers.

Sony Partners With Cincinnati Bell for Xperia ZL

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 12, 2013 | 0 comments

There is no doubt that the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL are some of the most exciting smartphones that Sony has ever put out. The press and public have agreed with mostly praise and a lot of excitement and hype surrounding the product’s release. If such a phone was release by Apple, HTC, or Samsung, you could expect a big media blitz, followed by carrier partnership which is the life and breath of the smartphone market in the US. Learning from past mistakes and their nearly zero market penetration in the US, Sony finally partnered with a carrier to help bring the Xperia ZL to more consumers while driving down the phone’s cost via subsidy. The only problem is, who the heck is Cincinnati Bell?

Sony Updates Bridge for Mac updated to v3.2

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 11, 2013 | 2 comments

Did you know that the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, and Xperia Tablet Z will work natively with Mac? Thanks to Sony’s Bridge for Mac program, the latest Android smartphones and tablets will be able to easily connect with OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) and allow you to transfer music from iTunes and photos from iPhoto. With Bridge for Mac coming to v3.2, Sony is improving the software with less lag, better media handling, and new backup and restore options.

Sony Xperia ZL to Be Released on April 8th in US

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 27, 2013 | 3 comments

If Sony releases the Xperia ZL and no-one is around to take notice it, is the Xperia ZL released? In stealthy fashion, Sony has updated their online portal by taking pre-orders for the Xperia ZL. $759.99 is all it takes to own one and Sony will even throw in free shipping. All three colors (white, red, black) will be available on April 8th. If the price seems high, that’s because Sony is opting to offer their megaphone (though not to be confused with the Xperia Z which will be the true flagship) at an unlocked price. While a good option to have, it’s troubling that Sony continues to not parter with carriers which is so critical in the US. While other countries are used to paying full price for phones, the US consumer is used to subsidized and two year contracts which help bring phone prices between $99-$299.

Some Sony Xperia Z Smartphones Are Inexplicably Dying

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 22, 2013 | 2 comments

There is no doubt that the Sony Xperia Z, the latest Android flagship from Sony, is a power house. The latest smartphone from Sony features 2GB RAM, 13-megapixel camera, and a beautiful 5-inch front glass display. With a solid build, waterproof design, and powerful internals, what more could owners want? Apparently for them to actually work. On a few forums, including Sony’s own support forums, Xperia Z owners are complaining of a sudden death syndrome with their Xperia Zed inexplicably dying. The sudden death can be trigged in the middle of usage or with the phone sitting in standby mode. Luckily, there is a fix for some while we wait on an official fix from Sony. More on that, after the jump.

Sony Xperia Z Review Roundup

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 15, 2013 | 0 comments

With the Samsung Galaxy S4 announcement now behind us, the general consensus seems to point towards a dud with an extremely awkward press event. So if you’re ready for a new Android smartphone and or are ready to upgrade from your Galaxy S3, what are some alternatives? May we suggest the Sony Xperia Z which offers 5-inch display in a beautiful glass display, 13.1 megapixels, 4G LTE, and is NFC enabled. Seeing how we’ve been unable to get a review unit, we’ll let you browse over what the other sites are saying about Sony’s latest flagship phone.

Cnet UK: “The Sony Xperia Z combines looks, power and connectivity to supply one of the most impressive Android experiences we’ve seen in quite some time. The lack of Android 4.2 at launch is unfortunate and that 5-inch screen isn’t going to suit everyone, but there’s little room for complaint elsewhere. This is easily Sony’s best phone yet, and one of the best Android phones ever released.”

Stuff: “It’s no mean feat to take on the Galaxy S3 (and Nexus 4) and live to tell the tale but the Xperia Z has stolen our top spot away from Samsung in style. Not only does it make Samsung’s flagship look like a cheap toy with its tempered glass build and thoughtful design details, the Xperia Z also ups the ante with serious specs: a pin-sharp 5in 1080p screen, 4G, a quad-core Snapdragon brain and Jelly Bean 4.2 due just after launch. Sure, you may not feel the full benefit of those stonking figures right now, but you will have a lightning-fast, future-proof beast of a handset.”

Lots more reviews, after the jump.

T-Mobile Enlists Help of Beautiful Models to Sell Sony Xperia Z

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 13, 2013 | 2 comments

The Sony Xperia Z is a big and beautiful Android smartphone from Sony. Unlike rivals Samsung, HTC, and, to an extent, LG, Sony’s smartphone efforts have born little fruit as the company was quite late to the party and since has struggled to offer phones for the time. Due to their lack of market share penetration, presence, and marketing, when Sony does release new products, they often go unnoticed, despite their quality.

Because of this, T-Mobile CZ is taking matters into their own hands to raise awareness for the phone to ensure proper presence for what they probably feel is a blockbuster phone. So how do you sell a beautiful and slick phone? With beautiful models of course.

Sony Xperia ZL Image Gallery

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 6, 2013 | 2 comments

Just yesterday, we reported that the Sony Xperia ZL is not only on track to come to the US, but will also be offered in the elusive and rumored red color. As a recap, the 5-inch display, 13.1 megapixels, 4G LTE, and NFC enabled device will be available in black, white, and red though Sony didn’t go as far as to give a specific timeframe, instead opting to go with the industry standard of ‘coming soon.’ Now, we’ve compiled a Sony Xperia ZL image gallery for your viewing pleasure. Just promise not to drool over the eye-popping red.

Sony Aims for Number 3 in Global Smartphones

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 5, 2013 | 10 comments

Very few companies are able to wield a reality distortion field and Sony is among them. While the company has at times tried to make large claims in the past like ‘next generation gaming doesn’t start till we say so‘ in response to not having released the PS3 ahead of the Xbox 360, it’s usually fallen flat on the promise. So it’s always humbling to see Sony give an honest assessment of its position and goals. Aiming high is always encouraged but so are market realities. To put things into perspective, Sony projecting to sell 34 million smartphones for its 2012 fiscal year, which ends on March 31st while Apple sold 55 million iPhones in the last quarter alone.

Even the Sony Xperia Z, the highly anticipated smartphone which sold a record 140,000 units during its first week in Japan, pales in comparison to the iPhone 5 which sold 5 million during its first weekend. The point of these figures however shouldn’t be that Sony will never reach those numbers, though it likely won’t. It should instead be that Sony doesn’t need to beat Apple, the number one smartphone maker and Samsung, then number 2, in order to be successful and it seems like thats exactly what Sony management is finally realizing.

Sony Xperia ZL Will Come to US, Eventually, and In Red

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 4, 2013 | 0 comments

For good reason, the Sony Xperia Z has enjoyed plenty of press since its debut at CES 2013. Featuring a massive 5-inch display, 13.1 megapixels, 4G LTE, and NFC technology, the hotly-anticipated phone has gone on to win plenty of awards and is off to a solid start for Sony Mobile in Japan, selling 140,00 units in its first week. The phone also marks one of the biggest expansions for Sony who plans to release the phone in an additional 60 countries in a week’s time. Till now, most people (Sony included) seemed to have forgotten about the other phone they announced, the Xperia ZL. Read about the phone’s fate and other details after the jump.

Sony Mobile Shows off Firefox OS on Xperia E, Releases ROM

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 28, 2013 | 0 comments

Only a few days ago, Sony Mobile announced plans to begin exploring different options other than a 100% reliance on Android by offering Firefox OS 2014. Being true to this initiative, Sony has now released a new video highlighting some of the UI of Firefox OS on the Xperia E. In fact, those who are eager to get their hands on the OS and have an Xperia E can download Firefox OS ROM. Want more development details? Than the Sony Developer Portable should be your next destination. That is, after you hit the jump and watch the Firefox OS video on the Xperia E.

Sony Mobile to Offer Firefox OS in 2014, Shift Focus from Android?

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 26, 2013 | 2 comments

Slowly but surely, Mozilla, the company responsible for Firefox has been building a new and open platform called Firefox OS. Built entirely using HTML5 and other open Web standards, Firefox OS, much like Android will be free for developers and carriers to tinker with. However, Mozilla is taking the strategy one step further by building on HTML5, which is what Chrome from Google is built upon.

Now, you can add Sony to the list of various OEMs and carriers looking to diversify past Android. In order to not be tied down to single provider, Sony Mobile has stated that starting in 2014, you expect to see Sony devices running Firefox OS. Sony commented:

As well as the great opportunity we have in 2013, our further collaboration around a possible device on the Firefox OS mobile platform will create the opportunity to reach new segments of the market, allowing us to provide an even wider choice of premium Sony device offerings for our customers.

Sony Xperia Z to Be Released in 60 Countries This Week

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 25, 2013 | 0 comments

Besides revealing details about the Xperia Tablet Z, Sony’s latest high end slate, Sony also had big news about the Xperia Z during their Mobile World Congress keynote. Taking to the stage, Sony CEO, Kaz Herai told journalists that the flagship Xperia Z will be released in 60 additional countries this week. This marks a significant expansion for Sony who has been criticized of slow expansions with prior model. To put things into perspective, the Xperia S and ion, revealed during CES 2012 didn’t ship to many countries till mid summer of that year. The fact that the Xperia Z has already been selling in some countries is impressive enough but to gain an additional 60 countries this week is near an Apple-like expansion rate. Just last week, we reported that Sony sold more than 140,000 Xperia Z units during its first week on sale in Japan.