In the myriad of flagship devices that get announced almost every month, we tend to forget that a big chunk of Android customers comprises people that care little about all the fancy features higher-end devices carry, and mostly need a tool to get a few things done.

That’s the market Sony is targeting with its latest handset. After quickly retracting all mentions of the Xperia E5 from social media briefly after unveiling it last week, the Japanese firm is officially announcing the device today…

Sony has had a lot of pricing problems with the Xperia Z5, Z5 Compact, and Z5 Premium. It seems like the company thought that its phones somehow stood out from the crowd (which they do in some ways), but it’s clear that the market just doesn’t see it. After reducing the phones’ prices before even launching them, Sony has now dropped them yet again by $50 and $60…

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Today’s can’t miss deals:

FreedomPop 7″ Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 WiFi + Cellular Tablet – 100% Free 4G LTE Wireless Internet: $60 shipped (Reg. $140+) | Sam’s Club

Add Bluetooth to your speakers or car w/ Aukey’s Wireless Receiver: $10 Prime shipped (Reg. $20)

Sony Xperia M4 Aqua 16GB GSM/LTE unlocked black: $200 shipped (Reg. $250) | Amazon

Samsung Galaxy S5 Unlocked: $300 shipped (Reg. $400+) | eBay

LG G Pad V410 AT&T GSM Unlocked 7-Inch 4G LTE 16GB Tablet: $80 shipped (Reg. $150+) | eBay

Review: How Amazon Echo changed my life + $130 special price ($50 off) for Amazon card holders

Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off, PlayStation 4 $300, more

eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year

Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business

Everything we know so far about this year’s best Black Friday deals and promotions

More new gear from today:

Displays: LG 34″ UltraWide $585 (Reg. $699+), Acer 34″ Curved QHD $866 (Reg. $1,050), plus 4K UHDTVs

• Headphones: Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro Semi-Open Studios $160 (Orig. $320), more
• Timbuk2 40% off sale: Hudson Laptop Briefcase $161 (Orig. $269), more
• Jawbone Big Jambox Bluetooth Speaker (Open Box) $115 shipped (Orig. $300)
• Daily Deals: Philips Wake-up Lights starting at $49, Logitech Performance Mouse MX $45, more
• Rayman Fiesta Run goes free on the App Store for the first time (Reg. $3)
• Games/Apps: Forza Horizon 2 $30, Toon Shooters & NOTE’d go free, more iOS freebies

More deals still alive:

Acer 13-inch Chromebook 2.1GHz/2GB/16GB SSD: $209 shipped (Reg. $249)

Audio-Technica’s best selling ATH-M50x headphones in black: $119 shipped (Orig. $170), more

Sling TV is giving away a 2nd generation Chromecast when you pre-pay for three months ($35 value)

• Beats by Dr. Dre Pill 2.0 Portable Bluetooth Speaker $120 shipped (Orig. $200)
• Buy PowerBeats 2 Wireless In-Ear Headphones, get a $50 gift card: $144 (Orig. $200)
• Pebble Time Smartwatch for iOS and Android: $150 shipped (Reg. $200)
• Get the latest Nest Learning Thermostat (3rd Gen.) for $212 shipped (Reg. $249)
• iPhone 6/s dual-layer case in Space Gray, Silver or Gold: $3 Prime shipped (Reg. $12)
• Foscam Plug and Play HD Wireless/Wired Pan/Tilt IP Camera $75 shipped (Reg. $100)
• Seagate 4TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive w/ 200GB of Cloud Storage: $130 (Reg. $150)
• Home Theater Audio: VIZIO 5.1-ch. Soundbar w/ Wireless Subwoofer $198 (Reg. $298+), more
• Factory Unlocked iPhones: 16GB iPhone 6 Plus $600, 64GB (Refurb) $450, more
• Magic Color Changing LED Light Bulb with Remote Control $9 (Reg. $33)
• Bookshelf speakers: Klipsch Icon 5-inch powered $100 (Reg. $164+), more
• USB-C 4-port hubs for new Macbooks by Aukey: $20 Prime shipped (Orig. $30)
• USB Power Deals: Lumsing 3-port Car Charger + Lightning Cable $8, more
• TP-LINK 802.11n pocket wireless router: $10 shipped (Orig. $40)
• Targus Ultra Twill Vuscape Case for iPad Air: $7 Prime shipped (83% off list)
• Mpow Petrel Bluetooth 4.0 Headphones $26 Prime shipped (Orig. $60), more
• SoundBot Bluetooth 4.0 Sports-Active Headphones $10 Prime shipped (Reg. $15)
• Fashion: 20% off at Amazon – Kenneth Cole Down Jacket $90 (Reg. $113),more
• Kindle First Books for November: Christmas in Good Hope, more
• Media: Breaking Bad Complete Series on Blu-ray $70 (Orig. $161), $3 DVDs, more
• Kindle savings (Prime only): Paperwhite $90 (Reg. $120), Voyage $170 (Reg. $200)
• JBL Voyager Portable Bluetooth Speaker $90 shipped (Reg. $119)
• Free PS Plus Games for November: The Walking Dead Season 2, more
• Free Xbox Live Gold Games for November: Pneuma Breath of Life, more

New products & more:

Unboxing and Review: Halo 5 Xbox One Limited Edition Console Bundle [Video]

Bosch made a robo-farmer that looks straight out of a galaxy far, far away

• The Room Three releases today, now available for download on the App Store
• Mellow Boards makes any skateboard electric and looks good doing it
• Pre-order Fallout 4 to receive Fallout 3 via Xbox One Backwards Compatibility
• PlayStation Now adds 105 titles as it aims to pick up more subscribers
• Mogees iPhone-connected sensor turns any object into a playable instrument
• Panasonic has a new line of solar powered products designed for those in need
• Amazon to offer midnight deliveries for Call of Duty: Black Ops III via Prime Now
• The LEGO Power Functions Idea Book teaches you how to build cars, contraptions and more

If you’re still using one of Sony’s Xperia Z1 handsets from 2013, this little tidbit is for you. Apparently, Xperia Z1, Z Ultra, and Z1 Compact handset are getting updated to Android 5.1.1 in some countries (via XperiaBlog). Alongside some really neat updates like richer Xperia themes, several Camera improvements, and new SmartWatch 3 functionality, the update also fixes the vulnerabilities in Stagefright…

Along with the above changes, this update to Android 5.1.1 includes new settings menu icons, “additional options” for WiFi and Bluetooth in the notification pull-down menu, new icons in the Settings menu, LinkedIn integrations for Calendar and Contacts, enhanced enterprise features of some kind, and more. As mentioned, the Camera has also been updated including improvements for focus, speed, and accuracy in “Superior Auto” mode.

Here’s the full change log:

– Improvements to volume and silent mode control, more control of your alerts, simplified and enhanced design – Integration of LinkedIn with your Calendar and Contacts – Camera focus, speed and accuracy improvements in Superior Auto mode – Many new features for Xperia in Business, enhancing enterprise support for Xperia – Now take pictures from the camera using Sony SmartWatch 3; use the SW3 as a remote shutter button – Instant calendar events – create & share smart events directly from any email – Calendar agenda in Email – no need to switch apps to check upcoming events – Richer Xperia themes – New Settings menu icons – Additional options for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in notification menu

Next up at the IFA trade show in Berlin is Sony’s press conference scheduled to kick off at 10am ET/ 3:00pm BST. And the good news is we’ll be able to watch the whole thing as it unfolds as Sony’s plans to stream the event live on its website.

What can we expect from Sony today? Judging by past leaks, some of the announcements we’d expect include the new Sony Xperia Z5 family including a Compact and Premium model alongside a refreshed design for the flagship lineup and camera improvements. Based on recent leaks, we’re expecting to see a 5.2-inch Xperia Z5, along with the larger Xperia Z5 Premium with a large 5.5-inch QHD or 4K display and the smaller Z5 Compact with a 720p, 4.6-inch display.

We’ll of course be following along and offering up coverage on the big announcements from the event. But you can check out the full live stream of the event for yourself through Sony’s website here.

XperiaBlog.net is reporting that official Sony Mobile accounts across social media channels today inadvertently published press pictures of the yet-unannounced flagship Xperia Z5 smartphone. Note that we ourselves weren’t able to verify this.

Sony itself teased earlier this week the unveiling of a smartphone “with greater focus,” and that all would become clear on the 2nd of September. That date, of course, falls during IFA Berlin, the annual technology trade show where Sony will be present and has been known to unveil new hardware. The images seem to show the phone packing another one of Sony’s Exmor RS pixel-stacked image sensors, although XperiaBlog.net states that the images confirm this one is a 23MP sensor — Sony doesn’t publicly list a 1/2″ 23MP sensor on its sales site, so it would have to be one they haven’t announced yet.

Aside from that, the images show the phone in gold, white and dark turquoise colors, as well as an “Xperia” logo engraved on one side, which we haven’t seen on previous models. We predicted earlier this week that this new phone could come with Sony’s hybrid autofocus technology, which Sony says combines two technologies — Phase detection AF for quick response and Contrast detection AF for added precision — to allow “fast, accurate focusing in all situations, even if your subject is moving.” Sony’s software is widely panned for softening up images and doing other things to negatively degrade them.

Sony has taken to Twitter to tease some kind of camera announcement for August 3rd. Specifically, the company says that it will introduce “a new way to capture split-second photos.” And that’s basically all we know.

It’s possible that this will mean the announcement of some kind of new handset, packed with hardware capable of taking photos like the one you see above. Most recently, the company brought the Xperia Z4v to the United States.

It’s also very much possible that the company is simply going to announce some kind of new software feature. This would admittedly be a lot less exciting, but it makes sense considering the toying the company has been doing with software as of late.

Sony just posted its latest quarterly results for 2015. The company’s net profit rose to ¥82.4 billion (roughly $664 USD), way above what any analysts expected. Sadly for Xperia fans however, this was all despite its smartphone sales, not because of them.

Sony’s strongest performing category was the PS4 division which saw a 12.1% increase in sales to ¥288.6 billion ($2.3 billion USD) after selling three million PS4 units, and increasing software and peripheral sales. Its other strong performer was the camera sensor division. Sony sells its mobile camera sensors to a number of companies, including Apple, Motorola and Samsung among many, many others. From camera sensor sales alone, Sony pulled in ¥237.9 billion ($2 billion USD).

Sales across the company however are almost flat year-on-year, mostly thanks to the faltering smartphone sales. Sony’s mobile division saw sales drop 16.3%, but this isn’t entirely surprising. The once-popular manufacturer has openly stated that it will focus on a smaller group of handsets with healthy margins. Although this leads to less revenue in the short run, profit margins should increase in the long term, if the company balances the marketing strategies suitably.

Sales decreased 16.3% year-on-year (an 18% decrease on a constant currency basis) to 280.5 billion yen (2,299 million U.S. dollars). This decrease was due to a significant decrease in smartphone unit sales resulting from a strategic decision not to pursue scale in order to improve profitability

Sony also saw declines in its Sony Pictures’ sales and its home entertainment (TV and AV gear) division. They saw decreases of 11.9% and 13.8% respectively.

Sony confirmed in a blog post that its Android 5.1 update for the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z2 device family is rolling out now. Devices including the Xperia Z3, Z3 Compact, Z3 Tablet Compact, Xperia Z2, and Z2 Tablet are part of this current wave of software releases.

As always, if you have a carrier device you may have to wait a few weeks or months for your network operator to give its approval to the software. If you have the unlocked model, however, you could see the update any day now. Be sure to keep checking for updates in your settings menu if you haven’t already received a notification to download the OTA.

Included in the Android 5.1 Lollipop update are the following new features:

• Increased customisation options – so you have even more control over the way volume, silent modes and your alerts function
• Brand new LinkedIn integration – be more productive with intuitive contact synchronisation in your Calendar
• Camera improvements – with faster, more accurate Superior Auto Mode focus for great images, regardless of conditions
• Enhanced enterprise support – with our latest Xperia in Business features for work
• SmartWear integration – selfie snapping made that bit easier, with SmartWatch 3 as a remote shutter button

Older Xperia products will be getting the update “over the coming weeks”, according to Sony. Devices like the Z1, Z1 Compact and Xperia Z Ultra will be first in line before the T2 Ultra, Xperia C3 and original Xperia Z are updated a little while later.

Sony has invited Xperia Z3 owners in Sweden to test a new Android concept software. The company plans to run the group testing between July 27th and September 13th, but doesn’t reveal any specifics about the particular software, what it’s going to look like or whether or not it’ll eventually become publicly available.

It would seem Sony is working on a fresh, new look for its own bespoke Android UI, and wants to get real-life feedback and usage/crash statistics from real people. Those signing up are warned that the process will require a complete wipe of their phones’ personal settings, data and content. The trial itself is limited. Only Xperia Z3 owners with Windows PCs in Sweden can sign up. No other device will work, and customers from other countries won’t be able to join in either.

“‘Sony’s Android™ concept’ is a new initiative for Sony users that have a passion for innovation and the latest technology. As a Sony user you have the opportunity to trial a new concept Android™ software build for Xperia Z3. The initiative is all about letting you – our users – evaluate the software, so we can acquire feedback to improve the experience based on what you like and what you don’t.”

If you fit all the criteria, you can apply to join the program here.

Google only ever makes its Android developer preview versions available on its own Nexus devices – these devices are designed partly with developer modification and testing in mind, after all. But Sony has gone ahead and done the necessary legwork to make the preview version of Android M work on those of its devices in its Open Device program, and even has a handy guide on how to install it.

Ensuring a device can run the M Developer preview without too many issues, device manufacturers have to include in the software support (drivers) for all the hardware – the chipset, connectivity radios, etc. Over on Sony’s Open Device page is a list of devices in the program along with two downloads to get M running, the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) – Android M itself – as well as software to get the hardware working properly on M. Only a couple of its smartphones and tablets are currently supported right now.

Sony’s mid-range, IP68-certified dust and water resistant smartphone has started showing up on store shelves in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, but those of us in the US have been mostly in the dark – until today, however.

The phone is being sold on Amazon through a reseller, but fulfilled by Amazon, for $349 unlocked in black with 8GB of onboard storage (no microSD card included). The LTE bands this phone can connect to are supported on all the major US carriers, so bringing it to your favorite shouldn’t be a problem.

You might want to get a microSD card to go along with it, however, as the M4 Aqua out of the box only has 1.26GB of free storage. The phone is otherwise packing a solid punch for the price with a 5.0″ 720 x 1280 pixel-resolution screen, a 1GHz octa-core Snapdragon 610 processor, 13MP rear shooter, and 2GB of RAM.

If there’s one smartphone manufacturer punching above the rest to provide the latest software from Google to the greatest amount of customers, it’s Sony. The company posted to its blog today that not only is Android 5.1 Lollipop rolling out to the whole series of Xperia Z-Z3 phones as well as the Xperia ZL, ZR, and Tablet Z right now, but July will be the beginning of a Lollipop rollout for even more devices.

First, in July the Xperia T2 Ultra and Xperia C3 will get the update. Then starting “a little after we’ve made the update available for the Xperia Z Series,” the M2 and M2 Aqua will go directly to Android 5.1.

The company says to hang tight for more updates on each of these rollouts (noting that timing may vary by market and/or carrier) and follow them @SonyMobileNews on Twitter for information as its released, or keeping checking the blog. We’ll continue to keep you posted on these rollouts as well.

Sony is rolling out a new firmware update for Xperia Z2 and Z3 devices, with a number of improvements and bug fixes for Android 5.0 Lollipop. The update covers the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact, Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z2 Tablet.

Sony has brought back the ‘close all apps’ button in the activity menu, enabled lock-screen notifications that work on all devices, ensured the LED light remains available in all sound modes and made a number of other bug fixes.

Sony first rolled out Lollipop to the Z3 last month.

Sony Hong Kong has today unveiled a purple variation of its flagship Xperia Z3 smartphone. It’s officially called the Xperia Z3 Purple Diamond Edition and it packs the standard black front with a purple backside. On top of the changes in its physical appearance, the new Z3 variant also ships with some content from Disney’s Frozen pre-loaded. The phone is going to launch at some point before the end of the month in Hong Kong at the price of HK$ 4,998 ($645). There’s no word yet on when or if the handset will be making it to other countries.

Here’s a gallery of shots from ePrice:

In a developer blog post this morning, Sony announced that developers can now build custom versions of Android for all 2014 Xperia devices with a Qualcomm processor. This is made possible through Google’s AOSP (Android Open Source Project), a project dedicated to keeping Android open and giving developers the power to build their own custom ROMs.

Sony has uploaded a video to its developers channel that demonstrates how to unlock the bootloader of a Sony Xperia device, allowing for custom ROMs to be installed. Sony warns that you may void your device’s warranty and cautions about certain other risks that may occur.

The process involves generating an unlock code for your device through Sony by entering a unique IMEI number associated with the device. Then, you must install the Android SDK and all drivers and connect to Fastboot. Sony has a list of supported devices on its website.

There’s no denying the appeal of the Sony Xperia Z3, however if you’re the type who likes to tinker with your phone, its current lack of root access might be a deal breaker for some folks. If you happen to fall into the aforementioned group of people and you’ve been holding out in hope of a resolution, your ship might soon be coming in thanks to a group of ambitious (and generous) individuals over at the XDA developers forums.

Sony Corporation announced on Thursday that it will appoint senior vice president Hiroki Totoki as the new president of its Sony Mobile division on November 16th. Totoki, who currently serves as corporate planning director at the Japanese company, will replace outgoing Sony executive Kunimasa Suzuki to run the smartphone business.

The corporate mixup is largely unsurprising given that Sony has been faced with declining Xperia smartphone sales due to tough competition from rivals Apple, Samsung, LG and others. The company has been forecasted to once again report slowing smartphone sales when it announces its latest quarterly earnings results on Friday.

As of November 16, 2014 Kunimasa Suzuki (New) Group Executive, Sony Corporation Executive Vice President, Sony Entertainment Inc. (Current) Corporate Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, Officer in charge of Mobile Business, Sony Corporation President & CEO, Sony Mobile Communications Inc.

Hiroki Totoki (New) Group Executive, Sony Corporation President & CEO, Sony Mobile Communications Inc. (Current) Corporate Executive, Senior Vice President, In charge of Corporate Planning, Finance and New Business Creation Department, Sony Corporation

AutoCAD renderings of the Sony Xperia Z3 and its little sister, the Z3 Compact, have leaked online this morning, revealing the dimensions and some specs of the two upcoming devices expected to be revealed at IFA in Berlin next month.

The first rendering is of the main flagship, the Z3. The dimensions show the device coming in at 146.46 x 72.09 x 7.3 mm, which is smaller than the Z2 in every way. The Z2 measures in at 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm and weighs 163g, so it seems likely that the Z3 will be lighter than the Z2.

We’ve already seen several leaks this week, and today evleaks posted the specifications of the upcoming Sony Xperia Z3 with a purported model number of ‘D6653’.

This morning Sony began the update process for the Xperia Z2 to Android 4.4 KitKat. According to the documentation, the update should bring along some noticeable improvements including “enhanced call quality” and “improved charging when battery is low”. It’s not clear when the rollout will be complete, but it shouldn’t be too far off so keep checking that ‘System Update’ tab in your settings for KitKat goodness.

In an effort to appeal to developers and tinkerers, Sony has made it easier to unlock the bootloaders on its Xperia devices. The company recently updated its bootloader unlocking service with a modernized look and feel that adds support for newer products like the Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z2 Tablet. Designed with a refreshed interface, the updated process is now broken into a few easy steps.