Phones

Sony Xperia Z Image Gallery

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 8, 2013 | 1 comment

As expected, during Sony’s CES 2013 press conference ( read our live blog coverage), Sony announced the Xperia Z. The previously leaked 5-inch Android smartphone with a 13-megapixel camera and water- and dust-proof casing is intended to be Sony’s flagship device and battle the iPhone and Galaxy devices. A majorly touted feature of the Xperia Z is its built in NFC, which is intended to make the sharing of content easier across a host of new Sony devices like speakers, headphones, and servers with a single tap. In addition to the mentioned specs, the Xperia Z also features a 1080p Reality Display, Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, fast-capture camera, and 4G LTE with an expected Q1 2013 launch date. After the jump, you can find our Sony Xperia Z image gallery of the new flagship Sony smartphone.

Sony Says “The extraordinary is coming”

by A Glitch | Jan 6, 2013 | 2 comments

In a mass email released by Sony recently, they tell us that something extraordinary will be coming to CES soon. The email reads, “In just three days we will unveil something extraordinary to the world and we cant wait to show you what it can do. Stay tuned for more“. The email has Xperia branding which tells us that it will more than likely be their new phone or phones. We will be there to bring you all the news as it happens. After the jump, share your thoughts with us.

Sony Xperia Z Leaks Again, We Have Pics

by A Glitch | Jan 4, 2013 | 2 comments

Not a day after we reported the leaked specs on the Sony Mobile Xperia Z and ZL and the Android smartphone leaks again. This time, the leaks consist of a lot of pictures that appear to be taken from a promo video that will probably be shown at CES. Said pictures reveal that the phone will feature a water resistant chassis and a 13MP Exmor RS camera with HDR photo and video capabilities. The pictures also tell us that the phone will have a full HD Reality display.

Of course I urge you all to take this information with a grain of salt as there is no way to prove these photos 100% real at this time. We will likely find out all we need to know about the Xperia Z and ZL at CES shortly. The leaked pictures and your chance to comment await you, after the jump.

Sony Xperia Z and ZL Appear on an Official Website

by A Glitch | Jan 2, 2013 | 6 comments

Unfortunately for Sony and fortunately for the public Sony has accidentally revealed two of their flagship phones on their website. There has already been many reports on the 5-inch phone code-named the Xperia Yuga. The Yuga is supposedly the Xperia Z and a previous phone code-named the Sony Odin is supposedly the Xperia ZL.

According to many reports surrounding the phones they will be running Android which should not come as a surprise to anyone. Supposed pictures of the phone from a while back were proven to be real with the pictures released recently of the phone. There are a few odd things about these new Sony phones though. For one the power buttons on the right side of the phone seem to be a bit oversized. Second, the ZL appears to have its front facing camera in the bottom right corner of the phone.

Sony Mobile Jelly Bean Rolls Out in Early 2013, Angers Budget Users

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 18, 2012 | 3 comments

Sony Mobile has gone on record about their Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ambitions and has angered part of their community in the process. Come early 2013, between February and March, Sony Mobile will bring Jelly Bean to the Xperia T, Xperia TX, and Xperia V. In late March, Sony will then target Xperia P, Xperia J, and Xperia go smartphone owners and finish their roll out by upgrading Xperia S, Xperia SL, Xperia ion and Xperia acro S in the weeks after. If you don’t see your Sony phone listed, its not due to an error on our end but that Sony will not be upgrading them. More on that, after the jump.

Sony Mobile Passes HTC, Lands 2nd in UK Android Sales

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 7, 2012 | 1 comment

A big part of the slow turn around story for Sony is hinged upon the success of Sony Mobile, the division responsible for smartphones, tablets, and VAIO computers. Thanks to increased sales of their Xperia smartphones, Sony was able to raise their revenue to $3.9 billion, more than double of their previous quarter. This resulting in Sony posting a much lower loss of $198 million last quarter. With an increased focus on mobile and the fall of HTC and LG in smartphones, Sony Mobile was elevated to the number 3 in global smartphone sales with Samsung and Apple definitively leading the number one and two spot.

Now, Sony Mobile has passed another milestone. Beating our rival Android smartphone maker HTC in UK has propelled Sony Mobile to become the number 2 Android smartphone in the country. Mobile Today reports that in Q3 of 2012, Sony was able to move 500,000 Android smartphones while HTC shipped 440,000 in the UK. While both numbers combined still pale in comparison to Samsung who shipped 3.2 million, it’s still a healthy sign for Sony Mobile.

Many, including Sony itself, credit the rise to the promotional boost their device received with the release of Skyfall, the latest James Bond film. The Sony Picture film helped create some cross promotional advertisement for their sister division and even saw to it that James Bond used a Sony ~~Ericsson~~ Mobile phone. What UK MD of Sony Mobile, Pierre Perron had to say, after the jump.

Sony Climbs to Number 3 in Global Smartphone Market

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 26, 2012 | 2 comments

It’s a case of good news/bad news for Sony Mobile, the division responsible for the companies line of Android smartphones. According to the latest IDC report, Sony Mobile climbed to the number 3 spot in the global smartphone market in the third quarter, behind Samsung and Apple. This is quite the accomplishment since Sony was in the number 6 spot just a year ago. That right there is the good news, especially if you take into consideration the division’s ability to raise revenue to $3.9 billion.

The bad news if it can be called that, is how Sony was able to climb three spots in such a competitive marketplace. No — Sony hasn’t been able to sell droves of smartphones with some new and cohesive marketing campaign. Instead, the rise is mostly thanks to the dramatic fall of Nokia (now exclusively making Windows 8 phones), HTC, and RIM. In fact, Sony’s overall market share has fallen by 0.2%, down to 4.8%, compared to a year ago. The once-dominant Nokia, however has taken the biggest stumble to 3.4% from 13.6% a year earlier. HTC is also dramatically down to 4.7% from 10.3% while RIM’s share fell to 4.2% from 9.6%.

Sony Patents New Two Fold Device

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 14, 2012 | 0 comments

Thanks to the fine folks at the USPO, we’ve just learned about a new patent filed by Sony which allows for two-way folding of devices, think the Sony Tablet P. Under this new patent which seems to target smartphones, touchscreen functionality would transfer from one screen to the next from the two screens which are connected via two rectangular casings that can be “rotated relatively in one of a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction orthogonal to each other.”

As usual, there isn’t a whole lot more information on this, nor is there any word if such a technology will ever even come to a device though a mixture of the Tablet P and PlayStation Vita with rear touchscreen does pose an interesting blend for smartphones.

2011 Sony Xperia Smartphones to Miss Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Update

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 31, 2012 | 0 comments

To say that Sony’s had a shaky history with upgrading their Android fleet of Xperia smartphones would be an understatement. Sony’s whose been having trouble bringing their smartphones to the market, having announced phones like the Xperia S and Xperia Ion in early January but having only just released them in the market planned for 2012 as the year they would update a majority of their devices to the then latest offering from Google, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Sony start the transition in late Spring though the company has yet to fully bring their entire line of phones to ICS while the Xperia S and Xperia Ion still ship without Android 4.0 and be updated later on. Not all phones will be as lucky like the Xperia PLAY which will not be receiving Android 4.0 at anytime.

Now, thanks to the release of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean from Google, Sony is left with a tough choice of how to handle the latest OS which was targeted at cleaning up many of the faults that were created with 4.1 like extreme processor use. Seeing how Sony has yet to finish the transition to Android 4.0, the company has decided that only their 2012 lineup of Xperia smartphones will receive Android 4.1 Jelly Bean while their 2011 fleet like the Xperia arc S and Xperia mini pro will miss out.

Sony Xperia P to be Released in Metallic Pink

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 10, 2012 | 0 comments

The Sony Xperia P, the lower end sibling to the Xperia S is being introduced in a new color, metallic pink. This brings the color selection for the 8-megapixel camera equipped Android phone with 16GB of internal memory to four, along side the current silver, black, and red. There’s no word yet on a release date or pricing for the model but we’re somehow doubtful of the pink phones capability of charming custom agents and being made available in the US.

After the jump, a few refresher details on the Xperia P.

Sony Xperia Ion Priced at $99, to be Released on June 24th

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 14, 2012 | 0 comments

Thanks to our magic ball, early last month we predicted that Sony would release the long announced Xperia Ion in June. Not wanting to ruin our track record of predicting things, Sony Mobile has announced a June 24th release date for the AT&T exclusive 4G LTE device. You might recall that just yesterday, Sony also announced the Xperia Ion HSPA for countries that lack 4G LTE .

Seeing how we saw the Xperia Ion, Sony’s flagship Android smartphone 6 months ago at CES, lets take a refresher course on what this device is capable of. Some key features include:

4.6-inch 720p HD Reality display
Dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3 processor
16GB Internal Memory (expandable with SD card)
12-megapixel rear camera with Exmor R sensor
PlayStation Mobile
Android Gingerbread 2.3.7

Speaking of Android, despite the Xperia Ion shipping with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is right around the corner as a free update, later in the summer. Best of all, this AT&T exclusive smartphone is priced at just $99 with a two year contract. You can bet that a phone of this caliper had been launched by Apple and Samsung who are dominating the market, the price would easily have been $199. That’s why its refreshing for Sony to realize the position their brand is in and that though on a technical level the phone might merit it, many might not wish to pay a higher price with a brand they’ve became unfamiliar with.

Well played Sony, well played.

Sony Mobile Announces Entry Level Xperia tipo dual with Android 4.0 ICS

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 13, 2012 | 0 comments

The Xperia Ion HSPA isn’t the only new phone Sony Mobile has announced today. Taking the opposite approach as the flagship Xperia Ion, the Xperia tipo dual (yes its lowered cased and no I didn’t mean typo, despite what autocorrect would have you believe) is a new entry level phone which will surely target the budget conscious consumers and emerging countries. Most surprising of all, unlike the Xperia Ion which won’t gain Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich till later in the summer and the Xperia PLAY which will never gain the latest OS from Mountain View, the Xperia tipo dual will launch with ICS.

We still don’t have a price or launch date but after the jump, you can find the Xperia tipo dual specs, pictures and promo videos.

Sony Mobile Announces Xperia Ion HSPA, Drops 4G

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 13, 2012 | 0 comments

It’s crazy to think that Sony first announced and showed off the Xperia Ion at the 2012 CES. The AT&T exclusive phone would be Sony’s first foray into 4G LTE territory while offering other goodies like a 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, 12-megapixel camera, and Gingerbread which will be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich this summer. Of course, after 6 months, the phone has yet to materliaze but that hasn’t stopped Sony from announced a semi followup to the flagship phone.

Just announced today, the Sony Xperia Ion HSPA packs every single feature that can be found on the Xperia Ion, expect the 4G modem which gives the device 4G LTE capabilities. The Xperia Ion HSPA is instead aimed for countries that lack 4G networking and will instead rely on 3G. No word yet on the phones availability but seeing how it was announced today, expect a shipping time of 5-7 months from now.

After the jump ~~Apple~~ Sony’s video promotion, highlighting the Xperia Ion HSPA.

PlayStation Suite Becomes PlayStation Mobile, Helps Transition the PlayStation Brand for Life After Consoles

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 11, 2012 | 3 comments

On the surface, one of the lesser announcements during the 2012 E3 Sony press conference was the renaming of PlayStation Suite to PlayStation Mobile. The Android-powered initiative is designed to bring the PlayStation brand to smartphones and tablets by offering PlayStation One games (and potentially PS2 and PS3 titles way in the future) to would-be gamers. Sony is also expected to bring the service to the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, allowing games developed for the platform to be playable on their consoles and Android powered devices. Sony also hopes that the initiative will build positive awareness for the PlayStation brand and bring mobile owners to their main consoles.

With PlayStation Suite being renamed to PlayStation Mobile, many assumed that it might either be a simple legal maneuver or better branding of the platform —which it is. However, more importantly, this stands as a true realization of the PlayStation brand and the direction its headed. Many assume that console gaming as we know it will die in the future, especially if we consider handheld gaming devices like the PSP and PS Vita. As smartphones get more and more powerful by the year and their adoption rate continues to skyrocket, there will be a time (and some might argue that we are there already) that a device like the PS Vita won’t be needed. With your phone being able to make calls, get thousands of apps, take beautiful pictures, and get more powerful for gaming, the future is grim for dedicated handhelds. This rule of course also applies to Nintendo and also sheds light on why Microsoft never entered the category.

Much like Sony Ericsson was renamed to Sony Mobile to help you get a understanding for the brand, simply by its name, Sony has also renamed their new platform to PlayStation Mobile. This new naming scheme will easily help give the brand direction by letting it be known that its PlayStation content for mobile devices, unlike PlayStation Suite which was vague at best. More importantly, with the lifespan of handhelds being numbered, Sony knows that it might only be a matter of time before their dedicated console might be transitioned to your smartphone that can stream to your television or more likely, a box with cloud access. Of course, such a move won’t happen with the PlayStation 4 but with the PS5, it seems almost certain.

With the name PlayStation Mobile, Sony is now helping condition the market and consumers that the PlayStation brand is not dedicated to just something at home. With PlayStation Mobile, the PlayStation brand will now transition to mobile devices and eventually the cloud, escaping its current landscape of just being at home.

Sony Mobile Sees ‘Hardware Innovation’ as Savior

by Sohrab Osati | May 30, 2012 | 31 comments

Sony Mobile Chief Marketing Officer, Steve Walker knows that the ailing electronic giant has a long way to go to establish itself as a dominant player in the mobile wars in which Apple and Samsung own nearly all the market share and profits that go along with them. Mr. Walker believes that the first phase for Sony which is now behind them was to separate themselves from Sony Ericsson.

“With Ericsson, we were affiliated with the rest of the Sony group. Now, we’re fully integrated.”

Walker went on to talk about the integration and the roll the Xperia phones play with services like PlayMemories Online which can share your photos across a number of Sony devices:

“Being fully integrated makes a big difference. You don’t need to release something ‘exclusive’ to grab a customer’s attention, you have to offer a connected experience.”

With Sony beginning to integrate their services across their products, the company sees hardware innovation as the next step to battle the likes of the iPhone and Galaxy S. After the jump, Mr. Walker talks about the innovation needed.