Sony and AT&T announced the Sony Xperia Ion at CES last month with a release date of Spring 2012. The phone is supposed to be an AT&T exclusive but, third party retailers have the handset available for pre-order in the US off contract and more importantly, unlocked. Negri Electronics has the price down as $569.50 for an unlocked Sony Xperia ION while Celhut has the phone listed at $444.99 off contract.
At the moment, neither of the retailers have a release date much like Mobile Fun in the UK but, there is a small chance that they may release the phone before AT&T. However as it is supposed to be an AT&T phone, only networks which support 2100/1900/850 frequency will be able to use 3G, meaning T-Mobile users will only be able to get 2G out of the phone.
According to details from the FCC, the already leaked Xperia Kumquat, aka ST25i won’t be called the Kumquat on release. Instead, the 3.5 inch display device will be named the Xperia U. The naming system would make sense, as Sony have already announced the Xperia S which was previously known as Nozomi.
It’s unknown what version of Android the Xperia U will come equipped with at launch but, the leaked roadmap we’ve previously seen points to an April release so if Android 4.0 isn’t preloaded on the device then we imagine an update from 2.3 to Ice Cream Sandwich won’t be too far away.
Remember the leaked roadmap we showed you a few days back of Sony’s 2012 smartphones? One of the handsets on the list was the ST25i, aka Kumquat. An image has appeared that is rumoured to be the ST25i. It may look similar to the already announced Sony Xperia phones and the already leaked Xperia Nyphon but, the ST25i is rumored to have a 3.5″ display with a qHD resolution of 540×960 which HTC’s smartphones currently come equipped with, namely the HTC Sensation but, on a 4.3″ display instead.
The Sony Xperia Kumquat is also rumored to have a 1GHz dual core processor and a 5 megapixel camera. A 5 megapixel camera has traditional been seen on Sony Ericsson’s Mini Xperia range but, normally with a smaller display. It could be possible that the Kumquat will be Sony’s 2012 Mini phone but, we’ll have to wait for an official announcement to find out for sure.
When AT&T and Sony announced the Xperia ION at CES last month, it was dubbed to be an AT&T and US exclusive which left many Xperia fans worldwide disappointed. However, one UK retailer has listed the Sony Xperia ION for pre-order and according to Mobile Fun’s blog post, the Xperia ION will be released in the UK shortly after it’s out in the US. The Xperia ION is due out in Q2 with AT&T and hopefully the UK will also see the ION in Q2.
The Xperia ION features many similar specifications to the Xperia S which will see a world wide release, such as a 1.5GHz dual core processor and 12 megapixel camera. The ION however, features NFC, LTE (4G for those in the UK) and the ION’s screen measures 4.6″ where as the Xperia S features a 4.3″ display.
A roadmap detailing Sony’s smartphone plans for 2012 has emerged. The report is from Sony Ericsson Mobile communications India and lists 11 Sony codenamed handsets, including the MT27 and LT22 among others.
The roadmap, which is to be taken with a pinch of salt details the release dates of handsets as well as their price in Rupees. It’s worth noting that handsets are often more expensive in India and so the US price should be cheaper than stated. For example, the iPhone 4S is $822 in India but, only $650 in the US.
Sony Ericsson have posted up a video on their YouTube channel showing the funky new NFC tags that are to come bundled with the Sony Xperia S smartphone in action. NFC stands for ‘nearfield communication’ and is a form of technology that allows communication between devices by swiping or touching them.
Four NFC tags are to be included with the Xperia S and will come in black, white, red and blue colours. Each tag can then be used in a different situation/location for example (as shown in the video) one tag in the car, one for the workplace, one for home and one for bedtime. The tags can then be configured to change settings on the Xperia S, or open apps by touching the phone to the tag. For example, you could set up one tag, which can be hung or attached to a keyring, in the car that on touching the Xperia S to the tag, automatically switches on GPS, Bluetooth and Google Navigation on the phone making it ideally ready for use in a car setting.
Automatically start events with a simple touch the video tells us. Seems like the future of smartphones in the hands of Sony is getting so much closer, as you can see yourself in the video after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »
Sony [Ericsson] have unveiled a swanky range of 3 new accessories for NFC or Bluetooth capable Android-running smartphones. The ‘Smart Extras’ include NFC tags (which will also come bundled with the Sony Xperia S handset) called Xperia SmartTags, a SmartWatch and the Smart Wireless Headset Pro.
SmartTags will work with any NFC enabled Android smartphone and will enable the user to change settings on their phone to a pre configured ‘profile’ simply by swiping the phone against the tag. It is also possible to configure the tags to open apps on touching the phone. For example, it is possible to use a SmartTag to switch a handset to a configured night time profile where by on swiping the tag, the phone automatically turns an alarm on or perhaps turns the phone to silent mode, all done by touching the SmartTag with the handset using NFC technology.
Anyone that has used the Sony Ericsson LiveView will recognise some of the features of the SmartWatch. The watch displays updates from social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, shows emails and text messages and can show caller ID. The SmartWatch can also play music and is scratch proof and ‘splash proof’ too making it ideal for using in the gym. TheSmartWatch also features multi touch on the display.
The Smart Wireless Headset Pro is a bluetooth headset that can also be used as a stand alone FM radio and MP3 player when not connected to a mobile handset. It features a crisp black and white OLED display which shows call lists, caller ID, media information and can display text messages too.It will also be possible to download apps from the Android market to customise the headset.
Full specifications and details of all three of the Sony Smart Extras can be found on the Sony Ericsson website.
One Sony Ericsson fan has created not one but, three fantastic videos to show how much he loves the Sony Ericsson Xperia handsets.
His first video was a parody of “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by the Proclaimers, named 500 Arcs created for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. He followed this up with “Arc got a feeling” a parody of “I Gotta Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas for the Xperia Arc S.
Now Domothy85 has written another song based on “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5, named New Xperia which, according to Domothy85 was written before Sony announced the Xperia S. He was however, flown out to CES by Sony Ericsson and made use of the announcement and hands on time of the Sony Xperia S to create his latest video which you can view after the jump, along with his previous two Xperia videos. Read the rest of this entry »
Superbly fun and more than a little bit addictive mobile racing game, Reckless Racing has been a huge hit since it was released on iOS and subsequently on the Android platform way back originally in October 2010. Now the game developer Polarbit have announced that the sequel to the first game entitled (wait for it) Reckless Racing 2, is coming soon and will be released exclusively on the Xperia Play first!
Reckless Racing 2 is due to be released for the Xperia Play on the 2nd of February and will be exclusive for what is expected to be a couple of months prior to being available for other Android handsets. There are no firm pricing details available as yet.
UK online retailer Play.com have once again stepped forward and offered a preorder on an upcoming Sony [Ericsson] handset and have slashed the ‘expected’ on the market date from a rough guess at a March release to a release date a lot closer than we imagined.
Play have the highly anticipated Xperia handset listed as a preorder and although they also have the mobile listed as a Sony Ericsson product, the Xperia S is according to Play, due for release in the UK on the 30th of January 2012. Priced on the website at £449.99 for an unlocked/sim free handset, the Xperia S price could drop as the release date nears and Play will honour any price drop with their ‘Pre-order Price Promise’.
Previously, retailer Clove Technology have listed the Xperia S as being expected in stock the week commencing the 5th of March 2012 and priced at £467.99.
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