Phones

Sony Ericsson Posts Small First Quarter Profit

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 19, 2011 | 7 comments

Of all the different handset makers out there, Sony Ericsson seems to be one the most interesting ones to follow when it comes to the companies financial side. The company which has previously seen huge losses was able to post a €21 million net income during the prior quarter, mainly thanks to tax benefits. With no tax benifits to aid the companies bottom line, the joint venture between Japan’s Sony Electronic and Sweeden’s Ericsson was able to bring in €
11 million ($15.7 million) for their first 2011 quarter which ended on March 31st. The companies operating income was €19 million which faired much better then a forecasted operating loss of €15 million.

With the number of handsets shipped dropping to 8.1 million from 10.5 million of prior quarter, sales fell 19% year-on-year to €1.15 billion. Still, Sony Ericsson was able to pull out a 33% gross margin profit on each unit, versus the 31% from the year prior. With Sony Ericsson fully embracing the Android platform and releasing muliple smartphones, the average selling price of handsets sold rose to €141, up 5% year-on-year.

“On profitability, the results are better than we expected, but that’s because they sold fewer of the more basic feature phones. That explains the volume drop and the ASP increase,” said Hakan Wranne, an analyst at Swedbank.

Sony Ericsson Gains its Own Channel in Android Market

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 13, 2011 | 7 comments

Those of you who own a Sony Ericsson phone will as of today notice a change when you access the Android Market. Traditionally when opened, you would be greeted to Apps, Games and My apps category. Now, you will notice that My apps category is gone, instead replaced by a Sony Ericsson channel. First, no need to fear, those of you who liked the My apps category can still access it by simply pushing the menu button. So what is this new channel? Sony Ericsson has taken the first inititative among Android handset makers, though we believe many are/will follow shortly and created it’s own channel, only visible to those who own Sony Ericsson handsets. Within the channel, you will find special apps that are designed and catered to Sony Ericsson phones. As Sony put it:

– Provide recommendations to help you find the best games & apps that enhance your Sony Ericsson ‘most entertaining’ experience.
– Provide a way to easily find original apps from Sony Ericsson such as Timescape plugins etc.
– From time to time offer exclusive games & apps only available in this channel.
– Help our developer partners promote their apps & games giving them a highlighted market space to our consumers.

Those who own are looking forward to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play will probably see a lot of action here, seeing how the phone is gaining some exclusive games like Backstab from Gameloft and will have access to the PlayStation One library, long before other Android phones do.

[Via Sony Ericsson Blog]

Another Ad for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, Mixing Kittens and Crossbows

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 13, 2011 | 13 comments

Have you seen the previous ad for the Xperia Play? If not, your missing out on “stuff” blowing up. Now, here is another followup at, highlighting what makes the Xperia Play, with it’s exclusive games different from the rest of the Android gang.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Acro Leaked. We Have Details

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 11, 2011 | 2 comments

In both the Android and Sony Ericsson community, there has been a debate brewing if Sony is planning on introducing more phones this year, beyond the Xperia Play, Arc, Neo and Mini Pro. If no new phones are released this year, does that make the Xperia Arc, Sony’s flagship phone? If there will be more phones coming, will they rank up with the Xperia Arc and be flagship based models? Now, with the leaked images and partial specs of the Xperia Acro, we might have the answer to that. Much like the Xperia Arc, the Acro will be coming with Gingerbread, Android 2.3.3 and will sport the same 4.2-inch touchscreen display. What seems to have changed is the inclusion of a TV Tuner, infrared and mobile wallet (NFC).

Beyond these few tidbit, we don’t know much about this phone and those could very well be all the changes that will be going into this phone. If true, this could indeed be a phone only destined for Europe and Japan where NFC systems and Mobile TV have actual presence. Of course if all these are true and welcomed features, I wouldn’t deem them a Flagship based model as it likely won’t be coming to the US, nor a model that everybody would want. If everything holds together, look for a Summer European or Japan release though with recent events in Japan, we have seen delays from Sony Ericsson. Are the additional features something that interest you or if the Arc enough of a phone for you?

[Via AndroidGuys]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo Delayed Till Q3

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 8, 2011 | 5 comments

The unfortunate tragedies that have recently struck Japan have not been limited to just the people of the country. As more damages begin to get assessed, many of Japan’s largest companies like Sony and Toyota are finding out that their facilities were more damaged then they previously thought which is leading to product delays and slow rollouts. On top of that, even if a companies own facilities were not harmed by the earthquake and tsunami, but a partnering supply companies was, this will still lead to product delays as companies are finding it harder and harder to get their hands on key components like batteries. Because of these “supply chain disruptions”, Sony Ericsson has announced that their Gingerbread based, Xperia Neo is receiving the bump and will instead now be launching in July as the company tried to find a consistent supply chain in order to have a proper product launch.

As Sony Ericsson continues to assess the impact of the situation in Japan on its business, we have communicated to our operator customers and distributors that some volume of Xperia arc, Xperia PLAY and Xperia neo phones has been affected. Xperia neo has already been introduced to the marketplace in limited quantities. However, due to supply chain disruptions resulting from the situation in Japan, we have shifted the timing of Xperianeo’s broader launch and it is now planned for early Q3.

We will address this topic at the time of our Q1 financial results announcement call that is scheduled for April 19, 2011.

[Via Sony Ericsson Italy Facebook]

Next Generation of Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro Spotted

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 5, 2011 | 3 comments

I guess Sony was being serious when they stated that they wanted to become a top Android handset manufacture. We already know that the company is going to be releasing the Xperia Play, Arc, and Neo this year to name a few. Now, we have leaked images of the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro successor which happens to be rocking some Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Outside of that, we don’t have anything else to report like specs or video, though we’re sure in true Sony Ericsson fashion, we will know everything about the phone, months before it’s released.

[Via IT168]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Ad Helps You Blow Up Stuff

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 31, 2011 | 10 comments

Do you like having a smartphone with email, calendar, thousands of apps, and camera/camcorder with geotagging access? Do you like to watch lots of YouTube videos but have an itch to blow $h*t up more often than not? May we present you the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 to Get Android 2.3 After All

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 28, 2011 | 39 comments

Wow, call us shocked, surprised, and happy for Sony Ericsson owners but before we get into the details, lets back up a little bit to see how all of this unfolded and why this news is actually a big deal. Sony like many other handset makers was left in turmoil after the introduction of the iPhone with no particular plan of action to counter Apple. Like many others, Android seemed the sure way to fight off Apple and with Google continuously updating and expanding Android, Sony Ericsson like others could instead focus on making their build personal and their phone unique. During 2010, Sony released quite a few of different Android phones, ranging from the Xperia X8, to the Xperia X10 Xperia X10 Mini and Pro. Though fine phones on their own, compared to the slew of handsets in the market, the Sony Ericsson phones all shipped with out dated Android builds. In fact, when Sony shipped the Xperia X10 in late 2010 with Android 1.6, most other developers has already been shipping with Android 2.1 and were transition to Android 2.2, seeing how Android 1.6 had been out for almost a year. This left Sony’s handsets at a disadvantage, with an older, more problematic build, compared to other devices. Sony did however promise to deliver a new Android build and during the last few days of 2010, they did manage to give the Xperia X10 series a bump to Android 2.1 which again was already outdated. Soon, Sony announced that they had no plans to release any further updates for their 2010 phones. Irony would of course set in only a few weeks later when Sony released their Reader App for the Android Market which required Android 2.2 or higher, leaving out Sony’s entire lineup of phones.

That was 2010 and since then, Sony has recognized that they have made mistakes during that period and have stated that 2011 will be different. With the current batch of new phones that are set to arrive, we have every intension to believe Sony’s claims, and now, we are more confident then ever that though they might not become the top Android maker quite yet, there is some form of strategy being put together behind the scenes. You see, Sony has realized that it’s in their best intentions to give their older phones a bump of new life and that is exactly what they are doing. Sony Ericsson has announced that the Xperia X10 will be jumping from Android 2.1 to Android 2.3, specially, the Android 2.3.3 (the latest) build in late Q2, early Q3 of 2011.

We plan to bring an upgrade to Android Gingerbread for the XperiaTM X10 to generic trade kits end Q2 / early Q3 this year.

[Via Sony Ericsson Blog]

Sony Ericssons Xperia Play Grabs Gameloft’s BackStab as Exclusive

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 27, 2011 | 4 comments

Sony has a lot riding and a lot to prove with the upcoming Xperia Play which was previously believed to be the PlayStation Phone. With a focus on gaming, the Xperia Play is designed to feed the hunger of those who want a smartphone and like to game while on the go. Now that we have an understanding of the pricing scheme that will set on games, Sony Ericsson has announced Gameloft’s BackStab will be exclusive on their device for 30 days when it launches in Q2 of 2011. If you look at the pictures of the jump, what should be immediately apparent is that this is not your average smartphone game. Set in colonial times, there are luscious 3D environments with a gameplay that is designed for fights with multiple enemies at once. That’s all that we have on the game currently but will report back, once more information is released.

As always, hit the jump for the full press release and for additional pictures of BackStab.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Games to Range from $1.50 to $16

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 25, 2011 | 3 comments

As we continue to learn more and more as we get closer to the North American launch of Sony Ericssons gaming focused, Android Smartphone, the Xperia Play. By now, it’s apparent that even though this new phone will feature all the staples of a modern Android phone with the latest Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread, the real focus of the Xperia Play is gamers out there. Not only will the Xperia Play have access to nearly all Android based game with its 4-inch, 854 x 480 multi-touch LCD screen, but also exclusive games, designed for certified PlayStation Suit Android phones which have the capability of playing PlayStation One games. With the Xperia Play being the first of the PlayStation Suit certified phones to hit the market, all eyes were on the pricing scheme that would follow and as we have now learned, it’s really nothing to write home about. As in, prices are expected to be between $1.50 and a high of $16 which is fairly normal on both the Android Market and iOS Appstore. Of course, at the end of the day, it’s really in the hand of developers to set the price for their game but going off these numbers, it seems that Xperia Play users will not be hit with some form of premium pricing, just because they have a gaming enabled smartphone.

[Via MCVUK]

Those Sony Ericsson Windows Phone 7 are ‘old prototype’

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 19, 2011 | 0 comments

Before Sony Ericsson put the company’s full resources behind the Android platform, many wondered if Sony would expand into different platforms and back the new and upcoming OS from Microsoft, Windows Phone 7. Sony Ericsson France CEO Pierre Perron went on record with a simple note likely, pointing to the fact that there would too many limitations and the company would “run the risk of standardizing [their] smartphones.” Still, many wondered what a Windows Phone 7 would look like from Sony and now thanks to images, we have a clue. Though these pictures are from an old prototype, you can see that Sony was keeping a design structure similar to some of their upcoming Android devices, which feature a slide-out keyboard with the home button and back button at the bottom. We remind you though that these are indeed old and it is very doubtful that Sony will get behind the Windows Phone 7 platform.

[Via Slashgear]

Sony Ericsson Supplies to be Affected by Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 17, 2011 | 12 comments

There isn’t a whole lot of details about this but Sony Ericsson has issued a statement, indicating that the companies supply chain will be affected by the recent natural disasters that have struck the people of Japan. Sony has also shut down another 6 plants in Japan, due to damage. We don’t know how immediate of an disruption this will have on the companies new set of Android handsets that will be launching in the Spring.

“Although the full impact of the current situation on our business will take additional time to assess, Sony Ericsson anticipates disruption to its supply chain operations,” the company, owned by Ericsson and Sony Corp., said in a statement. “As part of our business continuity plan, we are in contact with all our key suppliers in the region and we are identifying the possible relocation of certain component manufacturing, and looking at secondary sources of supply.”

[Via Reuters]

Full Sony Ericsson Xperia Play ‘The Donor’ Commercial

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 17, 2011 | 10 comments

Remember that Sony Ericsson commercial during the Super Bowl? The creepy one with the Android robot getting a human thumb so it could play better games? Well, there is more to it than that. We can now bring you the full commercial which will put a little more context to the entire premise. Still, we hope Sony will go with something less gritty when the product launches, though this does beckon your attention. Then again, if anybody remembers the crying baby commercials during the PS3 launch year…yea, that didn’t go over too well.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Priced and Dated for Spain

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 14, 2011 | 2 comments

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play is a hot and leading phone for Sony. Combining the latest from Android (Gingerbread 2.3) and giving the users a taste of PlayStation on the go, this soon-to-be-released phone has many things going for it. Sony Ericsson also has high hopes for the device. Though the company sold over 9 million Android phones last year, the company was hardly able to make a dent or appearance in the US market. One of the ways Sony is looking to change this is with the Xperia Play, targeting smartphone users with the need for more gaming. Now we have learned that the Xperia Play will launch in the UK on March 31st and follow into Spain on April 1st. The only piece of the puzzle remaining is the price of the device, which Sony Ericsson has announced is €649 for Spain, which translates to roughly a little over $900. Now, before we all freak out, we have to take into consideration that this is the price for an unlocked Xperia Play with no contract. We should also take note that there is a big difference between the value of Euro and the dollar so an exact conversion does not give the whole picture. To put things into context, the iPhone 4 with no contract is over $600 in the US which we imagine is even higher in Europe. It will be interesting to see what price the Xperia Play gets tagged with, once carrier subsidies are factored in which helps drive the price of the iPhone 4 down to $200 with a two-year contract.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play to Be Released on March 31st in the UK

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 11, 2011 | 10 comments

Well UK fans, wonder no more. Sony Ericsson has announced that on March 31st, the Xperia Play, previously dubbed as the PlayStation will be released to the legion of smartphone fans who want some gaming love on the go. Sony had originally aimed for a late March release and I guess they were spot on. For those unfamiliar, previously we covered the specs and games that make the Xperia Play. One thing that will be different during this Android based smartphones launch then the previous offerings from Sony Ericsson is a large media campaign; in fact the biggest for Sony Ericsson.

“We are currently still in commercial conversation, but I’d be surprised if we didn’t see Xperia Play appear in other channels,” Sony Ericsson marketing director for UK and Ireland David Hilton

The Xperia Play is set to be available from every single mobile retailers and operators in the UK. With games like Bruce Lee Dragon Warriors, Tetris, Star Battalion, Crash Bandicoot, FIFA 10 and The Sims 3, plus thousands of other Android games, Sony is hoping to gain the attention of gamers and none gamers a like with the first smartphone centered around gaming.

[Via MCV]