Verizon today announced that it will be exclusively carrying the Sony Xperia Z2 tablet following a leak yesterday. The waterproof and scratch-resistant device will be available for pre-order from Verizon starting tomorrow, July 10th, for $600 off-contract, or $500 with a new two-year agreement.
After teasing plans for a new smartphone focused on taking self-portraits, Sony officially unveiled the Xperia C3 today. Packing a 5-megapixel front-facing wide-angle camera with a soft LED flash, the company calls it the “world’s best selfie smartphone.” In addition to spiffed up front-end optics, Sony has bundled some unique software dedicated to enhancing selfies like AR effect and Portrait Retouch, which let users edit and enhance their photos on the fly.
Smartphones built around gimmicks haven’t been that well received, but that won’t stop companies from producing them. Today, on its official Xperia Twitter profile, Sony posted a tweet saying “See your #selfies in a whole new light.” This cryptic message also included the hashtags “#GetTheFullPicture #Tomorrow.” Almost in tandem, a post from ePrice hit Chinese microblogging site Weibo revealing pictures of a smartphone referred to as the Sony Xperia C3.
Sony today released Android 4.4 KitKat for some of its Xperia line of devices, including the Z, ZL, ZR, and Tablet Z. The update is rolling out based on location, as well as by carrier, so it may still be some time before you see the update notification on your particular device.
The release includes the performance optimizations and tweaks found in stock Android 4.4, but also carries various Sony enhancements.
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Joining the Android camera app fun, Sony has released its “Background defocus” app for Xperia phones on the Google Play Store. The app helps blur the background of an image and simulates greater focus on the subject to create a more professional looking photo. The update requires Android 4.2 or later for compatibility.
Sony on how its Background defocus camera works:
It captures two photos with different focus settings, which you can bring together to create a photo with one object in sharp focus, against a beautifully blurred background.
How to use Background defocus:
1. Start the Camera and select Background defocus as camera mode
2. Tap the object you want to focus on in the viewfinder
3. Tap the camera key to take a photo
4. Change the blur level and blur effect with the controls on the screen
5. Tap the save buttonTips for best photos:To get the best results, please focus on an object 15-45cm (0.5-1.5 feet) away and make sure the background object is 5 meter away from focus target and hold camera steady.
Earlier this month, Google added its own camera app with lens blur functionality to the Play Store. HTC’s new One (M8) also boasts similar features with its camera software and hardware.
The Sony Xperia Z2 waterproof phone with 4K video recording
Sony announced four new products at Mobile World Congress: two new Xperia phones, a matching tablet and a fitness band.
The Xperia Z2, the replacement for its Z1 waterproof phone, adds 4K video recording, SteadyShot image-stabilisation, digital noise-cancelling stereo mics and what the company describes as its ‘brightest and most vivid’ LED display. We first got wind of the 4K video capabilities last month via a screengrab of the camera app …
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It wasn’t so long ago that buying a camera capable of 4K video recording would set you back well into five figures; today, you can do it on a smartphone. Acer got there first with the Liquid S2, followed by Samsung with the Galaxy Note III. If leaked software obtained by ExperiaBlog is indeed intended for the Xperia D6503 Sirius – codename for Sony’s successor to the Xperia Z1 – Sony will soon be joining the list.
A screengrab of the camera app shows a 4K video button whose description reads ‘Record video in 4K ultra high definition.’ Other camera features shown are slow-motion video (rather strangely labelled ‘Timeshift video’), background defocus (emulating the shallow depth of field of a large-sensor DSLR) and various add-on effects …
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Earlier tonight during its CES 2014 press conference, Sony took the wraps off of two new Xperia smartphones for the United States market. First off, the company introduced the Xperia Z1 Compact. Sony pointed out that this is no the “mini” version of its Xperia Z flagship, as it thinks that mini phones are just “watered down.” According to the company, this device has “no compromises.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alVwMu5fvns
Smartphone makers these days seem to be in the habit of drip-feeding leaks about new products so steadily that there’s almost nothing we expect to surprise us by the time a model actually launches.
About the only thing we didn’t yet know about Sony’s new handset codenamed the Honami was the official name. We knew it was an Xperia model, but both Z1 and i1 had been suggested as model names. From the “3..2..what comes next?” tweet on the Sony Xperia Twitter account, we’re going with Z1 …
Sony’s mobile division has posted a profit of $60M in Q2 after making a $28M loss in the same quarter last year, reports the New York Times.
Sony reported a “significant increase” in quarterly sales of smartphones, to 9.6 million from 7.4 million in the period a year earlier. Sony said average selling prices had risen as well, helping the mobile division post a profit of $60 million, after a loss of $28.1 million in the year-ago period.
Its early launch of its flagship Xperia Z handset ahead of launches by Samsung and HTC was likely a significant factor, with export numbers assisted by a weak Yen .
The launch date of Sony’s Xperia Z Ultra has been confirmed as 12th September, reports AndroidCentral. Pricing starts at $799 off contract, putting it head-to-head with the Samsung S4 and HTC One – pretty tough competition.
Sony is billing it as the world’s largest HD smartphone, with a 6.44-inch 1080p display, 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, LTE, 8MP rear facing camera and 16GB of internal storage upgradeable with microSD card. Like the Z it replaces, the Z Ultra is also water- and dust-resistant.
Interestingly, we were originally expecting the handset to launch in July, and at least one supplier appears to have them in stock already.
We spoke to the folks at Negri Electronics about the Xperia Z Ultra, and they have models in purple and white, starting at $799 USD — and they are in stock right now.
Sony’s overlays are not usually the best (to put it mildly), so we’ll be interested to see how this one stacks up, along with its mini version, the Xperia i1.
Android Central reports that Sony is the first Android manufacturer to commit to updating devices to Android 4.3.
The Japanese company says it can confirm that the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia SP and Xperia Z Ultra will all get upgrades to Android 4.3, though no specific update timetable is offered.
In addition, Sony says it’s looking at upgrading some of its Android 4.1 devices directly to 4.3, leapfrogging 4.2 entirely.
The Xperia ZR and Tablet Z are still scheduled to get 4.2 next month, with a later update to 4.3.
From Sony Japan comes news of Sony’s latest and most impressive Android tablets. Apparently, the Tablet Z wasn’t quite ready for CES earlier this month, but it is, at 6.9mm thin, svelter than Apple’s iPad mini while using a “Bravia”, “Retina” 1080P display. Also a high point for a tablet, Sony will incorporate an 8-megapixel CMOS sensor.
The Z is no slouch in the CPU department, with a quad-core 1.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM, and it will somehow support NFC and LTE within its 6.9mm thick constraints.
It will also come with Android 4.1, but hopefully Sony gets more serious about updating its Android devices here. Prices and shipping times are still not determined.
Update: Look already a spy video:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Mne8ddOmyAQ]
9to5Google played with Sony’s official James Bond smartphone, the Xperia TL, last month at a media event in New York City, but now the rest of the world can experience the 007 action starting Nov. 2.
Sony just announced the ICS-powered smartphone would land on AT&T for $99.99 with a two-year contract. For a reminder as to what this 4.55-inch LTE and NFC-capable device boasts, check out our brief hands-on. More information regarding the phone’s Bond connection and upcoming AT&T debut is in the press release below.
Oh, and Sony previously promised a Jelly Bean upgrade would come “soon.” Yeah, not too specific.
YouTube video after the break, too.
LG might not be the only manufacturer to release a device sporting the pure Google experience and Nexus branding. Today, we get shots of a yet-to-be-announced Sony smartphone, posted by XperiaBlog (via The Verge), that looks to carry-on the design aesthetic of the company’s Xperia Ion hardware. Unfortunately, there are not any details to go along with the photos. However, we can see “Google” and Sony branding on the back of the device. According to XperiaBlog, the device in the image is called the “Sony Nexus X”. Oddly, there is no visible Xperia branding.
They could very well be fakes; but with LG, this would only make two of the five OEMs that The Wall Street Journal said would release Nexus devices with Jelly Bean. Others likely to join the Nexus device launch party include past Nexus makers Samsung and HTC. Unfortunately, there is a good chance the images above could just be a new Sony/Xperia device with a more stock Android experience. We will wait for a little bit more information before filing this as confirmation of a Nexus phone from Sony.
Sony’s latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia TL, is landing on AT&T in the United States, but I was able to get a brief hands-on with the LTE Android device at a media event in New York City tonight.
The 4.55-inch smartphone, with a matte plastic back and 720p HD Reality display, certainly looks like a high-end device, but it simply does not stand out from the competition. Its 1.5GHz dual-core S4 keeps the user-experience brisk, and the arch-like curve fits well in the hand, but the materials feel a little cheap.
AT&T did a good job at pre-loading many of its apps, and Sony even added a few of its own too, such as Media, Album, and Walkman, but overall the Ice Cream Sandwich OS felt a bit outdated. Sony, however, promised a Jelly Bean upgrade “soon.” Yeah, not too specific. James Bond’s official smartphone is slated for a holiday release, though, so pricing and additional details are bound to come down the pipeline in the coming weeks.
The Xperia TL originally unveiled at IFA 2012 in August, and it packs, aside from the specs above, a 13-megapixel camera, 1080p HD video recording, and one-touch enabled NFC.
After announcing the new ICS-powered Xperia lineup last month, Sony shared some details today on the new sensor-on-lens touch screen tech being built into the Xperia V. Sony described the tech as providing the same benefits to smartphones as in-cell and on-cell touch technology, which Apple is rumored to be including in the next-generation iPhone. In a blog post on the Sony Mobile Developer blog, the company explained exactly how the sensor-on-lens technology works and some of the benefits it provides to the Xperia V. Some of those benefits include better image quality, less haze, 5 percent better display luminance, and a lighter and thinner device due to an extra layer of glass being removed:
Sensor-on-lens touch technology means that the number of physical layers in the touch panel (handset stackup) is reduced, as the sensor layer is actually part of the lens itself. This in turn means that you will get better image quality, as there is no interference from the touch sensor component. There is one less layer of glass and one less layer of glue, compared to conventional touch panels… This technology also moves the image plane closer to you as a user, which makes it feel like you are actually touching the image itself. With this direct touch experience, you will get less parallax issues compared to a conventional touch panel, as the image and the point of touch are closer together in the sensor-on-lens touch screen technology.
German news website Mobiflip appears to have leaked slides of the Sony Experia tablet.
The images depict a device, called the “Xperia Sony Tablet”, featuring a Tegra 3 processor, Android 4.0 or later, up to 64GB of built-in storage, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, 6000mAh battery, and a 8.8mm aluminum shell that is 42 percent thinner than the Tablet S.
Perhaps most interesting is the new super-thin keyboard that resembles the Touch cover keyboard that Microsoft announced earlier this year with its Surface Tablet. The Sony Experia’s keyboard cover seals the entire tablet and doubles as a kickstand.
One slide assigned the keyboard cover a $99.99 retail price tag, while the tablet is $449.99 for the 16 GB model, $549.99 for the 32 GB, and $649.99 for the 64 GB. A release date is notable absent.
Sure…the tech is a couple of years old, but the Sony Ericsson LiveView is now only $19.99 on eBay.
This remote, Bluetooth-enabled wearable display for Android smartphones once listed nearly five times the above amount, but folks can currently pick it up at a bargain price and have it shipped standard for free. The estimated delivery time is between July 25 and July 31, and the only payment form accepted is PayPal.
The product ships with a clip, wristband, microUSB charger with Intl adapter, and a U.S. power adapter.
Check out the deal below:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paA9Meblx4E&feature=player_embedded]
Sony announced this morning that it is bringing its Xperia NXT Series to the United States with all three devices, including the Xperia S, Xperia P, and Xperia U, now available unlocked through Sony stores across the country and sony.com/NXT, Newegg.com, and various other online retailers. While we do not get LTE with any of these devices like AT&T’s Xperia Ion, they are compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile’s networks. The lineup of devices originally unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February.
The flagship model of the series is the $560 Xperia S with a 4.3-inch 1,280-by-720 display, 12 megapixel main cam, 1GB of RAM, a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Dual Core processor, and it is available in black and white.
As for the Xperia P: $480 will get you a 4 inch, 960-by-540 display, 8 megapixel camera, 1GB of RAM, and a 1GHz dual core processor. The Xperia P is available in the silver, red, and black models that can be seen in the videos above and below. Xperia U is $300 (black or white), and it provides decent specs for the price point with a 3.5-inch 854-by-480 display, 5-megapixel camera, 512MB of RAM, and a 1Ghz dual core processor.
The entire NXT lineup comes with Android 2.3, but it is already upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich. The two high-end models, Xperia S and P, also have built-in NFC, HDMI with BRAVIA Sync, as well as Sony’s Mobile BRAVIA Engine display technology.
Sony’s full press release and intro videos for the NXT lineup are below:
(Image via <a href="http://im.tech2.in.com/gallery/2012/jun/htc_sony_051008085315.jpg" target="_blank">Tech2</a>)
Sony announced its first partnership to bring PlayStation Mobile certification to HTC devices.
The video game maker revealed the news at E3 yesterday. The collaboration allows HTC owners to access a slew of classic PlayStation games, while also giving HTC an enticing edge over other Android manufacturers (including Sony). Moreover, HTC devices can make use of third-party apps and games developed with the SDK.
This is also a lead for Sony, because its fledging Vita console does not encourage developers to work on games and apps. HTC’s involvement now increases the perceived value of the Playstation Mobile platform, which only attracts more interest from developers.
The One series is the initial line slated to join the program.
Check out the full press release below.
Sony’s rumored flagship smartphone, codenamed “LT29i Hayabusa,” is allegedly eyeing a summer launch, but a Chinese blog just unearthed a few purported pictures of the device (above) coupled with a bevy of specs.
The Hayabusa reportedly boasts a 4.55-inch HD reality display in 720p, a Snapdragon S4 processor, rear-illuminated 13-megapixel camera, HDR video recording (sample video below), a 2200mAh battery, Android 4.0, and a slew of connectivity features. Oh, and it is supposedly 7 mm thick.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/fM2xYCcbV5U]
(via Baidu [Google Translate] and Brief Mobile)
While Sony recently made a deal to cut Ericsson out of their smartphone business, we’ll inevitably have a few more Ericsson branded devices before Sony rebrands their smartphone lineup, if at all. Today we’re getting our first sneak peak at the rumored Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD (model number LT26i), bringing their smartphone lineup up to the what seem to be the new standard high-end Android specs– 720p 1280×720 4.3-inch display, and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. It looks like every major Android manufacturer is producing a 720P display phone, except Motorola, and that is only a matter of time.
The device, previously referred to as the “Nozomi”, made its first appearance over at iAndroid.co.il this weekend, giving us not only a look at the device itself but also showing some Quadrant benchmark stats. Unfortunately, those benchmark tests are designed for single-core processors, so they don’t really give us the whole picture. However, we expect the device to rival performance by other high-end Android devices with similar specs- think Galaxy Nexus or HTC Rezound.
Other specs you can expect from the Xperia Arc HD include 1GB of RAM, and an LED illuminated strip near the hardware buttons which wraps around the backside of the device as well. It is also slated to run Gingerbread, although an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade is likely considering the device probably won’t hit market for a few months. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more. More images after the break.
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Verizon’s Xperia Play hit stores May 16th for $199, but in just two months the device is already seeing a $100 price cut. The Xperia Play is now available on Verizon for just a mere $99! While users like to game on their smartphones, perhaps a smartphone devoted to it just isn’t sitting right. If you’re interested, we suggest you take advantage of this now.
