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.

We recently reported that Sony Ericsson had reduced the price of their LiveView device to only £25, down from £45. Now, online UK retailer Play.com have reduced the price from £40 down to only £17.99. Delivery is even free with them, unlike through Sony Ericsson.

With the Sony Ericsson LiveView, you can connect your phone over bluetooth and view incoming calls, events, Twitter and Facebook updates and more on the 1.3 inch LiveView display, instead of taking your phone out of your pocket. It comes with a strap that enables it to act as a watch while showing you your events.

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Sony Ericsson have reduced the price of the LiveView Bluetooth remote device for a limited time. The Sony Ericsson LiveView is normally priced at £45.99 through Sony Ericsson but, until the end of November they are offering LiveView for just £25.

This price is the cheapest we’ve seen the device for, even from other retailers. Unfortunately there is a delivery charge of £6.89 which doesn’t make the price as appealing. Despite the delivery charge though, this still brings the total to under £32 which is cheaper than many alternative retailers. You can purchase the Sony Ericsson LiveView for a total price of £31.89 from Sony Ericsson’s website here.

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Shortly after the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play was launched, Sony Ericsson launched the DK300 Multimedia Dock which works with the Xperia Play exclusively. Originally priced at £30, the multimedia Xperia Play dock is now available for less than £10. Foniacs have the black model in stock for £9.49.

From the item description, it appears that only the black version of the Sony Ericsson DK300 is available. The white model still carries the higher price tag on other online retailers. However, as the Xperia Play was released in white exclusively to O2, there will be many more owners of the black Xperia Play model.

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The Xperia Ray from Sony Ericsson has recently gone on sale in the UK and is available through various network operators including Talk Mobile. Clove have unboxed the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray on video and one thing that they haven’t noted but, has been picked up by various sites is the headphones included with the Xperia Ray.

Instead of the standard Sony Ericsson headphones that are found with the Xperia Arc and Xperia Play, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray has been bundled with the Sony Ericsson LiveSound headphones. The LiveSound headphones have recently been released in the UK as well and currently retail for £50. The price of the Xperia Ray was tempting already and to find that Sony Ericsson have included the £50 LiveSound headphones in with the packaging makes the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray an even more desirable handset.

You can view Clove’s Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray unboxing video after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

When Sony Ericsson announced some of their 2011 Xperia handsets would feature an HDMI output port, most assumed the Xperia Play would be one of the handsets. Instead, the Xperia Play was the only handset announced at MWC by Sony Ericsson that did not feature HDMI, meaning you couldn’t play your Xperia Play games on a bigger screen and instead the feature was to be used primarily for sharing and viewing media from the Xperia Arc, Neo and Pro. However, photos have emerged which shows the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play connected to a TV and is said to be connected via HDMI.

The photos leave two possible explainations of how this is possible and unfortunately there’s no information presently available to indicate which scenario it is. The first being that, Sony Ericsson are reworking the Xperia Play, or will release a newer, improved version. While possible this seems highly unlikely as many consumers have already purchased the Xperia Play and an updated version so soon, even if improved would cause a backlash from consumers for the company. The alternative is that a MicroUSB to HDMI cable is being used which seems more likely. While these cables aren’t readily available, there is a lot of rumoured information about the Galaxy S2 using this, so Sony Ericsson could be implementing the same technology.

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With Android 2.1 well under way on the Xperia X10, Sony Ericsson have finally released their Live View product, which allows you to see what’s going on at a glance. The small bluetooth device can be paired with your phone and worn on your jacket, wrist, or let out on the table taking up less space than your handset. The device will allow you to see what calls you’ve had on your phone, along with messages.

In the UK, the device is retailing for £49.99-£69.99 and can be ordered from various retailers, including the Sony Ericsson Store and Play.com. For a limited time, Sony Ericsson are offering customers the chance to purchase Live View for 20% off the retail price by using the code “SELV3″. Sony Ericsson however, are selling LiveView for £59.98, or £47.98 after the 20% discount, this doesn’t include the £3.50 postage though, so third party retailers, such as Play, may be the better option as they are selling it for £49.99 with free postage.

The device can only be used with devices running Android 2.0 and above, so if your carrier hasn’t approved or released the Android 2.1 update for your X10, you unfortunately, won’t be able to make use of the device just yet.

A few months back when Sony Ericsson released the Xperia X10 in Canada, Rogers customers upgrading could get the MW600 bluetooth headset. If you missed out on getting one, Sony Ericsson now have 10 up for grabs. They’ve released the headset in white, which matches the white X10 perfectly. To celebrate the release of the white MW600, Sony Ericsson have 10 of the white MW600 headsets up for grabs. There’s also a white Xperia X10 on offer.

All you need to do to enter is head on over to the Sony Ericsson fan page on Facebook and enter the competition which can be found here. Like previous Sony Ericsson competitions through Facebook, there’s one question to answer and some basic details will need to be provided, such as your name and country of residence. The competition however ends tomorrow, so you’ll need to get your entry in quick.

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