Those who pre-ordered the Xperia Arc or Play on Vodafone will, unfortunately have to wait a bit longer till they get their hands on Sony Ericsson’s latest handsets it seems. Vodafone have announced that they are experiencing stock issues with both the Xperia Arc and Xperia Play. Sony Ericsson were unable to meet the demand for the devices due to freight issues and so they are working with Vodafone to ensure handsets are delivered as soon as possible. A specific timescale is as of yet unknown though.

Likewise, Three are also experiencing the same issues, with the Xperia Play at least. The earliest expected delivery date for the Xperia Play with Three is Friday 15th April, although this has already changed from April 8th.

O2 on the other hand, haven’t announced any problems with stock but, are delaying the handset. According to the O2 blog, while testing the handset, they’ve found several bugs in the software which affect the Xperia Play’s usability as both a gaming device and as a phone. O2 are the only network to have suggested there are problems with the software, leading many to believe it may be down to O2′s own firmware on top of the Sony Ericsson firmware.

Despite the handsets not being available through Vodafone or Three, many customers have managed to still acquire the Play or Arc  through third party retailers such as Phones4U or Carphone warehouse, who have some handsets in stock. The stock given to Phones4U and Carphone Warehouse is unbranded so for those who can’t wait to get their hands on Sony Ericsson’s next Xperia handsets, may be better off going through a third party retailer any way, as network branded handsets have had their problems in the past, specifically with Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X10 and it’s software updates.

Following on from the announcement that O2 will be stocking the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc when it lands in the UK, Three have announced that they will also be releasing the Arc on their network. As of yet there isn’t a set release date apart from coming soon. The release will most likely be April, which would match the O2 release date. However shortly before Three confirmed officially that they were going to stock the handset, SE-Xperia.com learned unofficially that they would have the handset and had also been told that it would arrive at the end of February, which isn’t too far away. Whether this is a case of crossed wires, or confusion with another handset though, is still unknown as Three have not specified any sort of date for the handset.

After the jump you can watch Three’s video with a short hands on with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc.
Read the rest of this entry »

The News of the World are offering readers the opportunity to win an Xperia X10 Mini Pro in white. Three UK have the exclusivity of the white version, so the handset in the competition is likely to be locked to Three. White is apparently the color to have this summer, so along with the chance to win the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro in white, the winner will also win a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, a Marc by Marc Jabobs watch, along with an Aspinal of London bag to complete the prize. The competition closes at midnight on Saturday 14th August. After that one winner will be picked.

To enter the competition, you need to answer one question, what color X10 Mini Pro is an exclusive to the Three network? You’ll also need to provide some details to enter, such as your name, address and telephone number. You can enter the competition here.

Via

UK network carrier Three have teamed up with Sony Ericsson to be the exclusive retailer of the X10 Mini Pro in white. The white version comes with the same features as the black version. The front of the phone will stay black, while the keyboard will also remain the same color, silver. Only the back will be different, with the back case coming in white instead of black. This follows the trend set by the QWERTY keyboardless X10 Mini, which is available in a variety of different colors but, only the back cover is of a different color, the front remains white, making the backs interchangeable.

Like the current X10 Mini Pro in black, the white model will also come with Google Android 1.6 pre-installed but, it should hopefully receive the 2.1 update soon. The handset measures 90x52x17mm, with a 2.55 inch display. It’s unknown what price plan the handset will be available on but, it’s likely to be free on a £30 a month contract. Which is unfortunate, as other networks are providing a better deal on the handset, even if it is only available in black.

via

While the X10 isn’t mentioned specifically, there’s a good chance that the Xperia X10 will be headed to the Three network. David Kerrigan, head of internet services for Three has said that, over the next three months, six Android handsets will be headed to the network, including models from Sony Ericsson and Samsung. With all the other networks in the UK offering the X10, there’s a very good chance that the Sony Ericsson Android handset, will be the X10. The X10 Mini and Mini Pro could also be available on Three when they launch but, this is just speculation, as no specific Sony Ericsson model has been mentioned.

via

If you’re on the Three network, the Xperia X1 comes with the “Planet Three” panel which gives users access to common Three links. However not all the links you may need are listed and some customer service reps don’t know the URLs for either. The great news is though, that the actual cab file is made up of HTML making it very editable. Visserlabs have listed the common URLs which you can add into your Panel. The links below are for Three in Australia, but the links can be edited according to region.

• Planet Three – http://three.net.au/go/to/30017
• Internet Packs – http://three.net.au/go/to/30018
• My 3 – http://three.net.au/go/to/30019
• Email & IM – http://three.net.au/go/to/30020
• Entertainment – http://three.net.au/go/to/30021
• Games – http://three.net.au/go/to/30022
• Call Me Tones – http://three.net.au/go/to/30023
• Facebook – http://three.net.au/go/to/30024
• YouTube – http://three.net.au/go/to/30025
• Apps on 3 – http://three.net.au/go/to/30026