Sony have promised something big for CES and for the most part, many have assumed that this would be the Sony Ericsson Xperia Nozomi, with a HD screen and 13 megapixel camera. However information for a 4.55 inch display Xperia have been uncovered. Only a few specifications are known at the moment and we have no photos of the actual handset, known as the LT28at or Aoba.

What we can tell you however is, that it comes with a 4.55″ Reality display and a 1280×720 resolution, a 13 megapixel camera with LED flash and the front camera will be capable of 720p video. The handset will also come a 1.5GHz dual processor and will be LTE enabled in the US market, most likely for AT&T.

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play has been in the US for a little while now, first launching on Verizon back in May. The gaming handset will be available from AT&T from September 18th. The Xperia Play will make use of AT&T’s 4G capability and those who were patient and waited for AT&T will have some nifty little benefits. Not only will the Play see the inclusion of 4G but, AT&T will have the Xperia Play in an exclusive “Stealth Blue” which hasn’t been spotted any where else. You will also get the Sony Ericsson Multimedia Dock DK300 with AT&T’s Xperia Play.

The pre-installed games on AT&T’s Xperia Play is slightly different to what Verizon customers have. The “PlayStation Phone” will have Dungeon Defenders: Second Wave, Star Battalion, The Sims 3, Asphalt 6 Adrenaline, Madden NFL 11, Tower Bloxx: My City and Crash Bandicoot preinstalled.

AT&T are also offering the Xperia Play for considerably less than Verizon. You will be able to pick the handset up for $49.99 with a two year contract.

AT&T Press release

xperia™ play 4g keeps favorite video games at your fingertips beginning sept. 18

First PlayStation®-certified smartphone from AT&T available for $49.99 in AT&T stores and att.com

Key Facts

· The Xperia™ PLAY 4G, combining a PlayStation®-certified gaming device with the capabilities and portability of an Android smartphone, arrives in AT&T* stores, and online on September 18 for $49.99 with a two-year agreement.

· The Xperia PLAY 4G has dedicated gaming controls built into the phone through a slide out controller including directional keypad, dual analog touch joystick, two shoulder buttons and the four iconic PlayStation symbol keys: circle, X, square and triangle.

· Running the Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) platform, the first PlayStation-certified smartphone in the world features a brilliant 4″ 480 x 854 screen and stereo speakers.

AT&T Exclusives

Only AT&T customers can choose the 4G-capable Xperia PLAY, offered in an exclusive “stealth blue” color. The smartphone package is complete with bonus accessories including the Sony Ericsson Multimedia Dock DK300 and MC100 music cable. In addition to providing a convenient charging station, the DK300 converts the Xperia PLAY’s screen to a large clock display, and the music cable lets you connect to external speakers.** The DK300 and music cable come in the Xperia PLAY box, only from AT&T.

In addition, the device is pre-loaded with seven games, some of which are exclusive, at no additional cost including:

· Dungeon Defenders™ Second Wave by Trendy Entertainment
· Asphalt™ 6 Adrenaline by Gameloft
· Star Battalion by Gameloft
· Madden NFL™ 11 by Electronic Arts
· The Sims™ 3 by Electronic Arts
· Tower Bloxx™: My City by Digital Chocolate
· Crash Bandicoot® by SCEA/Naughty Dog/Universal

AT&T customers will have access to more than 150 Xperia PLAY optimized games including Minecraft™ Pocket Edition, Battlefield: Bad Company™ 2 and Dead Space™ 2 for download and purchase through the “Get Games” recommender screen, easily accessible when you slide open the Xperia PLAY’s game controller.

Handheld Gaming and Smartphones Converge

The Xperia PLAY 4G offers a gamer’s wonderland by providing the on-the-go capabilities of an Android smartphone with the immersive entertainment appeal of a portable gaming device.

* Snapdragon chipset including a 1GHz CPU and Adreno 205 graphics processor (GPU)
* Runs on the Android 2.3.3 (Gingerbread) platform
* Sight and sound: 4″ 480 x 854 screen, up to 60 frames per second graphics, stereo speakers
* Dual camera: 5MP rear and VGA forward-facing, with video recording and chat capabilities over Wi-Fi
* Hundreds of Xperia PLAY optimized games through Android Market or directly from the publishers
* Pre-loaded with seven Xperia PLAY optimized games from publishers such as Gameloft and EA.

Along with the great gaming and Android capabilities, the Xperia PLAY 4G from AT&T includes Facebook Inside Xperia, a suite of Facebook functions integrated into various applications, such as friends’ birthdays in the phonebook, a “like” button in the music player, photo tags in the media gallery, and YouTube video recommendations from friends.

Pricing and Availability

The Xperia PLAY 4G arrives in AT&T stores and online on Sept. 18 and will be available for $49.99 after a two-year contract with minimum data plan.

Quotes

“Gamers and smartphone fans alike will delight in the Xperia PLAY 4G’s instant access to gaming and entertainment,” said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “We’re excited to offer a device that allows consumers to have fun while still staying on top of everything in their life.”

“Our fans on AT&T have been asking for Xperia PLAY and now we’re giving them everything they need in a smartphone with what they really want – an immersive gaming experience on AT&T’s 4G Network,” said Peter Farmer, Head of Marketing for North America, Sony Ericsson. “In addition to a constantly growing list of games exclusive to and optimized for Xperia PLAY, we know AT&T customers are really going to enjoy the uniquely Sony Ericsson social experience, including Timescape and Facebook Inside.”

As of yet, a carrier is yet to pick up the Arc, so there are no monthly deals, or subsidized handset pricing, just the flat out $600. Hopefully a network carrier will pick the handset up soon, making owning the Xperia Arc, an affordable option.

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We previously heard by way of a tipster, that AT&T were to discontinue the Xperia X10, presumably to make way for the Xperia Arc and Xperia Play. At the time however, this wasn’t confirmed but, none the less, left many Xperia X10 owners with AT&T, worried that their handset would not receive the Android 2.1 update which was first released back at the end of October. This has now been further called in to question, as AT&T are no longer selling the Xperia X10. Well not brand new models any way.

The AT&T site shows that only refurbished Xperia X10 models are available, meaning that it seems AT&T are pulling the plug on Sony Ericsson’s first Android powered handset. This also means that the network carrier may not approve or release any further updates provided by Sony Ericsson for the Xperia X10, including the already released Android 2.1 update, not to mention the dual touch update. A petition has been started urging AT&T to honor their upgrade promises with regards to the Android 2.1 upgrade on the X10.

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While AT&T may have had the Xperia X10 and many assumed AT&T will also get the exlusive rights on the Xperia Play, it seems that the gaming handset will be making it’s way to Verizon and only Verizon. A Wirefly comparison suggests that upon the launch of the Xperia Play, the only network the handset will be available on will be Verizon. The comparison also highlights the arrival of the iPhone 4 on the Verizon network but, also lists the iPhone on AT&T, which isn’t the case for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play.

While the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Xperia Arc have only just been announced, it seems AT&T are giving the X10 it’s marching orders already. Apparently, AT&T have provided an “end of life” date for the Xperia X10, Sony Ericsson’s first Android handset.

According to a tipster at AndroidCentral, AT&T have given the X10 an eol date of March 6th. Could they be making way for the Xperia Arc or Play in place of the X10? Either way, one thing this will leave many wondering is, whether AT&T will actually release the 2.1 update for the X10, or any future updates released for the Xperia X10.

For those who haven’t picked up the Xperia X10 in America, here’s an offer to make the X10 even tempting. If you pick up the Xperia X10 up and sign up to a two year contract with AT&T, you’ll receive a second Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 handset for free. This offer is only open for a limited time and will end at the new year, January 1st to be exact.

The only downside with the offer is that, while Sony Ericsson have released the Android 2.1 update for the Xperia X10, AT&T are yet to approve the update. Meaning for now, you’ll be stuck with a handset running Android 1.6, while most other owners of Android handsets will have 2.0 and above.

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Since Sony Ericsson released the much needed Android 2.1 update for their Xperia X10, many users have been asking, “when will my AT&T branded X10 get the update?”. Until now, Sony Ericsson haven’t really said much, other than that they can’t confirm specific releases. While they still haven’t provided us with a date, they have provided further information regarding the update and why it’s not been released for the US already.

Firstly, as the Xperia X10 was released in the US 5 months after it was released in many other countries, the Android 2.1 update will also roll out in much the same way, with the initial launch countries having received the Android 2.1 update for their X10 handset, while the US, who had to wait longer for the handset, are still waiting for the Android update. However, even when Sony Ericsson release the US Android update, it still needs to pass through rigorous testing in the US and also AT&T’s own testing, which we’ve seen with other networks throughout the world. Unfortunately, the testing process in the US however, can take months to finish, so we may not see the update Stateside any time soon. You can check out Sony Ericsson’s USA Facebook page here for full details on the ‘delay’ of Android 2.1 for the X10 in the US.

As well as selling the Xperia X10 in white, Best Buy are also due to begin selling the Samsung Fascinate in white for the holiday season. The Dell Streak will also be making it’s way to Best Buy, making all three handsets available from the 24th of October onwards. Best Buy certainly seem to be dreaming of a white Christmas this year.

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The rest of the contents of the box look pretty much the same. It isn’t known whether the AT&T model comes with a screen protector on the screen already however. UK models have been found to have one on the screen already, while other markets have one on the screen and in the box. One other thing to note, with the AT&T branded model, the ability to install third party apps has, unfortunately been disabled. Meaning you’re limited to apps from the Android Market. This also limits the amount of keyboard mods you can install as not all are available through the marketplace.

Click the read more link to view the rest of the unboxing photos.