Items tagged with Sony Ericsson
What would you do if you had a six-pack of Sony Ericsson's Xperia Neo handsets? Would you strap 'em onto a bike and capture an insane 360-degree view of the ride? Every so often, we see technology used for more than what someone in a marketing suit intended, and it's almost always inspiring. Like this example. The Xperia Studio has launched for artists and creative collaborators, and one example is the strapping of six Neo handsets onto a bike. The project invites folks to take Xperia phones and push them to "their absolute limits and remake reality." Content on the platform will be updated at regular intervals from the growing pool of contributors. Here's the full spill, followed by a wicked...
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Is Sony considering removing the "Ericsson" from Sony Ericsson? Perhaps. These rumors have been around in some form or fashion for years now, but they're seeming to become more and more intense as time passes. Years back, SE axed many employees as the iPhone and other Android smartphone manufacturers began eating their lunch (to put it nicely). Now, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sony is "itching" to buy out Ericsson's stake in the SE project. Sony definitely has the means to make it work. The company's PlayStation Phone was a real gem, and while it obviously only served a small niche, it was still well-built and well-executed. Could Sony handle the smartphone market as it stands today?...
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Sony Ericsson may not be the handset power house that they used to be, particularly in the U.S., but their designs are still as sleek as ever. The company's Xperia Ray is one of the slimmer devices to leave SE's labs of late, and the front-facing 8.1MP camera is leaps and bounds better than most rivals. Talk about high-res video chatting. SE's selling this handset unlocked in America for $429.99, and it's shipping now. That sum gets you a "Reality Display," Mobile BRAVIA Engine, 1GHz CPU, Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread), a 3.3" scratch-resistant screen, integrated touch keys and an aluminum frame. It'll be available in four different colors (gold, black, white and pink), with NewEgg and other retailer...
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Remember when Sony Ericsson dumped all of those employees in 2009? And we all thought they were learning a lesson, turning things around and getting ready to compete in a world dominated by phones like the Droid Incredible 2 and iPhone? Whatever happened to that? The SE "Play" is about as close as the company ever came to nailing a phone, and even the uptake on that was insignificant. Now, we're seeing the same kind of phones come from SE that have come from SE in the years behind us -- what's the point, we might ask? This new device is the Live With Walkman handset, which relies on Android 2.3, a great white paint job and "unique Facebook integration" to set itself apart. But is it enough? Obviously,...
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Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play has been on the market in the US for just under eight weeks; reviews of the combined cell phone / gaming handheld have been mixed. The Android experience has been generally good, but the screen is exceptionally dim, certain hardware functions are limited, battery life is lower than average, and the device's game library remains anemic. This last has improved, but evidently not enough. Sony Ericsson has slashed the price of the Xperia Play to $100, down from the initial $200 price (with contract). The dramatic price cut could be evidence that the Xperia Play isn't generating anywhere near as much interest as Sony had hoped. Reviews of the device have been harsh in some...
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It took long enough, but Sony Ericsson's long-awaited Xperia PLAY smartphone is finally available from a U.S. carrier. That carrier would be Verizon Wireless, the exclusive home to this handset in the United States. It seems like an eternity ago when we first heard about this phone, and now, the actual launch of it just seems to be a forgotten fact. SE didn't do the greatest job keeping this one a secret, and in turn, tons of other, higher-powered phones have stolen the limelight in recent months. It's just brutal reality that phone makers live in: by the time you ship a phone, it's outdated. Still, the PLAY offers a control experience unlike anything else out there on the market, and hardcore...
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Verizon Wireless will be the exclusive carrier for the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY, at least for a little while. This gaming-friendly smartphone comes preloaded with seven game titles. The smartphone will run on Android 2.3. Other key specs include a 1GHz Snapdragon II processor with Adreno 205 GPU, 4-inch multi-touch display, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, and mobile hotspot capability. The Xperia PLAY will be available for preorder starting May 19. It will hit stores on May 26 for $199.99 with a two-year contract. Verizon Wireless And Sony Ericsson Take Mobile Gaming To The Next Level With The Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY The World’s First PlayStation® Certified Smartphone Combines...
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Did you know that Clearwire was considering making a smartphone, or cellphone? The same Clearwire that provides 4G (WiMAX) services to consumers and carriers like Sprint. Yeah, probably not. You know why? Among other things, Sony Ericsson was picking a bone with the company, suggesting that their logo was too similar and would inevitably end up confusing consumers if both companies were producing handsets with their respective logos. Clearwire hasn't had the easiest road of late. It's not cheap nor easy to build out a nationwide 4G network, and instead of forging ahead with a phone and also dealing with potential legal action from SE, the company has announced that they are ditching plans to...
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Sony Ericsson is adding to its smartphone lineup with the introduction of the new Xperia mini and the Xperia mini pro. Sony's goal with the Xperia family is to offer entertaining smartphones while still giving users a choice. To that end, the new Xperia mini and the Xperia mini pro offer many of the hottest multimedia features such as HD-video recording as well as a Reality display with Mobile Bravia engine. The phones also have a 1 GHz processor, increased memory, and a small form factor. Both of the smartphones will also feature Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) out of the box. Sony intends to make these new phones available in Q3. Sony Ericsson unveils next-generation Xperia minis Introducing two...
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When will Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play finally come to the U.S.? If the latest reports stemming from CTIA 2011 are correct, that time would be May. As has been the case lately, SE has delayed yet another phone well beyond what it should have been. Rather than just announcing the phone and shipping it within a few weeks (or even months), the Xperia Play will likely be competing with a new iPhone and a slew of 3D Android phones. We won't say that they missed their window of opportunity, but they certainly have taken their sweet time in getting it out. Reports from CNET have found that Verizon Wireless won't stock the Xperia Play until "late next month or early May," while Rogers in Canada is scheduled...
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There's no question that Sony Ericsson's Xperia PLAY is a revolutionary device. It's the gaming smartphone of the decade until something else proves otherwise. But the fact is, Apple already has a huge share of the gaming market in the smartphone realm, and it's going to take some serious marketing power from SE in order to change that. But there's no company to partner with like Major League Gaming to prove just how serious the company is about taking mobile gaming on a phone to the next level. This week, the two outfits agreed on a strategic partnership that will make Xperia PLAY the official mobile handset of MLG. To showcase the extensive capabilities of Xperia PLAY, each MLG Pro Circuit...
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Sony Ericsson really came to play at this year's Mobile World Congress. On top of the Xperia Pro and the PlayStation Phone (which isn't actually called that, for whatever reason!), the Xperia Neo was also unveiled. It's an interesting play for SE. It's basically an Xperia Arc, but with slightly lower-end features. We're guessing this will be sold for less and marketed at a slightly different group of people, indicating that SE is once again serious about competing on a number of levels in the cellphone universe (rather than just going for one or two and hoping for the best). The Neo has a 3.7" (854 x 480) display, the same as the Xperia Pro. But there's no slide-out QWERTY keyboad; instead you'll...
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The world’s first PlayStation certified smartphone is a reality. Sony Ercisson officially revealed today in Barcelona a phone that the world has known about for months: the Xperia Play. It's odd that SE isn't just calling this the PlayStation Phone (or the PSP Phone), because that's pretty much exactly what it is. This device is what happens when an Xperia Arc gets smashed into a PSP, and the Xperia Play is said to combine PlayStation-quality gaming with the latest in Android technology. It's obviously designed with gamers in mind, and to take away a share of the gaming market from Apple, who has seemingly figured out how to entice gamers by using just a multi-touch display. In portrait...
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Mobile World Congress is underway in Spain, and already new mobile products are flowing. One of the ones that Sony Ericsson managed to keep under wraps until the show is the Xperia Pro, launching for the first time in Barcelona. It's a pretty big phone, with a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard for those who prefer real keys over virtual, on-screen keyboards. It measures 120-x57-x13.5mm and weighs 140 grams, and includes a microSD card slot, Google's Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS, a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 CPU and a battery that will last through 31 hours of music, 7+ hours of video and nearly 7 hours of talking. SE has also included a Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine, not to mention...
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Thin is in, playa, or at least that's the message Sony Ericsson sent at this year's CES convention in Las Vegas. Unveiled at the show was the company's new Xperia arc smartphone, a slim and lightweight device measuring a scant 8.7mm at its thinnest part, yet boasting an extra wide 4.2-inch multi-touch screen. Sony says the Xperia arc (are we the only ones bothered by the low caps in 'arc'?) is the first of a new generation of Xperia smartphones to be announced in 2011. Not a bad way to kick off a product line, the arc sports a 1GHz processor and Adreno 205 GPU. It doesn't have a front-facing camera, but it will come with the latest version of Android, Sony says. There's also an 8.1MP camera with...
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Leaked video of the still-unannounced Sony Ericsson Playstation Phone emerged on Friday. There have been images of the Playstation Phone leaked as well, but this is the clearest footage we've seen. According to Engadget, the codename for the phone is the Zeus Z1. We already know the phone is expected to run Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Take a look. Let's hope Sony Ericsson dishes specs and a date soon, as the leaks have come so fast, why hide it?...
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Rumors of a PlayStation phone (and PSP users' interest in same) has swirled around the Internet since the original PSP-2000 launched, but Sony has never commented on the question of whether or not it would actually bring such a device to market. Ever since Nokia's N-Gage disaster, phone manufacturers and console developers alike have looked askance at the idea of a combination device. The advent of touch technology and the recent surge in smartphone capabilities may have established phones as popular gaming platforms, but no one has had the guts to attempt to marry the two functionalities again. It's a little-known fact, but failure is actually shaped just like a taco This alleged prototype has...
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A handful of Android smartphones may have received updates this past week, but Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 smartphones were notably absent from the list. According to a recent blog post, the company doesn't intent to start updating its Xperia X10, X10 mini and mini pro until the end of October. At that time, these phones will be updated to Android 2.1. Until then, the phones are stuck with Android 1.6. Considering the upgrade will deliver a better browsing experience, an improved virtual keyboard, and support for multiple email and contact accounts, we can imagine many users are itching to get their hands on this upgrade. Sony Ericsson says the delay in releasing the updates is because the company...
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Just a few months back, AT&T was in last place of the four major U.S. carriers when it came to Android options. They simply had Motorola's Backflip and nothing more. AT&T simply wasn't the operator to choose if you wanted Android. But now, that's changing. AT&T has launched an assault lately in order to get as many Android phones as possible onto their network, and now they're grabbing another that'll be difficult to find anywhere else: Sony Ericsson's XPERIA X10. This Android phone has been around in global markets for some time now, but only today did SE and AT&T announce a branded version that'll go on sale soon for as little as $129.99 on contract. The X10 is unfortunately...
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Nobody seems to know what's going on at Foxconn's China operations, only that something isn't right. According to a Reuters report, yet another Foxconn worker has fallen off a building and died, prompting speculation as to the real cause. Depending on who you listen to, this is either the seventh (Reuters) or ninth (DigiTimes) time an employee has fallen from a Foxconn dormitory to his death. Foxconn, who some of you might remember for its own-branded motherboards and videocards before switching focus to serving customers like Apple and Sony Ericsson, has come under fire for the welfare of its employees after what some have speculated are a spate of suicides. Whether or not that's the case with...
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Sony Ericsson has been forced to take a long, hard look at their smartphone lineup with competition hitting from every angle, but it wasn't that long ago when the company's standard phones were their proverbial cup of tea. SE's sliders were amongst the nicest in the industry, and it's good to see the company still has what it takes in that arena. The 3G-enabled Naite? has just been unleashed for the consumer realm, being made available in an unlocked form (meaning no contract is required to use it on AT&T or T-Mobile) for $159. It's one of the company's GreenHeart phones, which means that it's comprised of 50 percent post-consumer recycled plastic housing and has a low power consumption charger...
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Sony Ericsson just unveiled their Vivaz phone a few weeks ago, and already the device's successor (or partner, at least) is being released at Mobile World Congress. The Vivaz pro follows the X10 mini and X10 mini pro in being a standard upgrade to an existing handset, with the main addition to the Vivaz pro being a real QWERTY keypad. The standard Vivaz relies on a "soft" on-screen keyboard, so this one aims at smartphone users who prefer the hard keys instead.Of course, the full touch panel is still here, so you're really getting the best of both worlds. The phone is just marginally thicker than the original Vivaz, but the 3.2" wide touchscreen will help you forget all about it when playing...
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