Is This The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X12?

The XPERIA X10 blog has leaked the Anzu, aka XPERIA X12 (2), which could very well be the successor to the popular Sony Ericsson X10 smartphone. Undoubtedly a flagship model for 2011, this rumored cell phone has several interesting features, such as a 4.3 inch screen and will run Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Other features include 1080P video recording, front-facing camera, HDMI output, and a very crisp vivid LCD (16m colors?). I would imagine the phone would have at least a 1GHz processor.

Aesthetically the phone reminds me of the X10 in several ways because of the button layout and the overall shape of the phone, but you can obviously see this is much larger. The rear of the phone is rather interesting, it is certainly quite qide and the rear camera is very large and placed at the very top next to a LED flash. The shape is fascinating, almost an arc in some ways.

The XPERIA X10 blog states that the “loudspeaker and in-ear performance of the ANZU is much clearer/louder than the X10.” Launch window looks to be sometime in early 2011.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Gets Official And Unofficial Android 2.1 Update

Sony Ericsson has finally released the long-awaited Android 2.1 (Eclair) update for the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 family (including the X10 Mini and Mini Pro). Even though we are on the precipice of Android 3.0 (aka Gingerbread) coming out, and the current Android version is 2.2 (Froyo), it is still a welcome addition.

XPERIA X10 phones run on a custom version of Android 1.6, and the company has been heavily criticized for not keeping up with competitors who have beat them in providing the latest firmware to users. When choosing an Android phone, one of the most important features aside from hardware is its upgrade path, and Sony Ericsson has been slow to respond. Some are also curious as to if the device will ever offically receive firmware above Android 2.1 in the future.

Unfortunately, the update isn’t officially available everywhere yet, but will be available over the next few days and weeks. If you own one of these devices you’ll simply see an update available in your upper status bar. There is also PC software you can use, called PC Companion (by Sony Ericsson), that helps with the backup and update process. However, if you are adventurous the trustworthy chaps at XDA Developers have figured out how to immediately update the XPERIA X10 family to 2.1 very easily!

If you are more patient and would rather wait for the official roll out in your country, Rikard Skogberg of SE’s Product Launch Blog states, “the update it is now out for the first kits, Nordics since yesterday and I’ve also seen that the generic trade kits for Russia, Singapore, Indonesia and many African countries should be up now since earlier today.” He also surprisingly confirmed that the update will not enable “Multi Touch, 16M colors, and Arabic language support”.

Skogberg continues by mentioning the “upgrade will be done in a phased roll-out which means that different “kits” gets the update at different times. This to secure quality in all networks and countries. So don’t get paranoid if your phone isn’t updated in the very first days – it will come!”

Let us know in the comments when you get the update in your country.

Here is the list of changes that Android 2.1 brings for each phone. I have video by Sony Ericsson above each list to help explain the upgrade.

Xperia X10:
• HD video recording with continuous auto-focus for high quality videos
• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android 2.1
• New back up and restore application, with extended content back up
• 5 homescreens for apps, widgets, shortcuts and folders
• Social phonebook which automatically syncs contact pictures from Facebook and shows when your friends are online

Xperia X10 mini and X10 mini pro:
• Improved Bluetooth functionality with support for sending and receiving pictures, contacts and more
• New backup and restore application with extended content back up
• Automatic synchronization of your contact pictures between Facebook and your phone book
• Improved ways of handling pictures, audio, text and numbers in your messages
• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android platform 2.1

In most markets, your phone will automatically let you know

Sony’s PlayStation Phone Detailed & Pictured

Engadget has dropped one of the biggest Sony leaks in known memory with pictures and specifications of the rumored and long-awaited PlayStation Phone. They originally reported on the device (must read) several months ago with mock-up pictures and basic specs, but have now revealed specifications of a prototype version that seems in late stages of development.

Here is the complete engadget leak of the PlayStation Phone and two rather large galleries (1) (2), perhaps the most pictures I have ever seen for a major Sony product leak, showing it off.

Before I begin, what’s truly exciting is the fact that the PlayStation Phone will come to the market soon (late 2010/early 2011).

The first order of business is the new Sony Marketplace Android app that allows you to purchase a wide variety of games, apps, and perhaps movies and music. I imagine you can use your existing PSN log-in to access the store. It will be interesting to see if this is an evolution of the PlayStation Network, or just merely a seperate “Sony Marketplace” as Engadget puts it. I know Sony has been moving towards creating an all-in-one store. Is this it? Hard to tell. Maybe the beginning.

The specifications for the PlayStation phone absolutely delicious, especially since it will have Android 3.0 (aka Gingerbread), and a 1GHz processor (Qualcomm MSM8655) with 512MB of RAM. I really feel that 1GHz is the sweet spot for mobile devices at the moment and this is a good play by Sony and is also triple the power of the PSP/PSPgo.

There is no specification as to what type of screen the PlayStation Phone has, but merely that it is 3.7-4.1 inches. Sure looks like four inches to me, which is yet again another improvement on top of the current PSP which has a smaller screen, but not by much because the PSPgo has a 3.8 inch screen.

I also sense more clarity in this screen than past Sony mobile devices after looking at the pictures, as I have tried to take pictures of LCD screens before and they usually don’t come out this clear. It’s definitely a touchscreen. Perhaps its an improved, SLCD with high PPI (pixels per inch). That would be incredible if Sony launched a device with PPI like the iPhone 4. Any type of device with high PPI is really going to win consumers in the end. It’s like night and day.

Back again is the layout of the PSPgo, which is awkward looking but actually quite usable. Interestingly enough though is the revelation that there the middle panel between the D-Pad and buttons is a multi-touch area that can be used in many ways, but perhaps best as virtual joysticks.

Virtual joysticks have become very good, not as good as real joysticks by any means, but rather close. However, the biggest problem with them in the past was the fact they are superimposed on the screen you are playing the game on. That’s not really fun to me and I never found it reliable, but can admit I have had some successes with it. This changes everything. Now the virtual joysticks are on a multi-touch screen below the main display. The band of D-Pad, X, Circle, Square, Triangle, Select and Start are back together, as well as L and R on the shoulder behind the screen.

No specs on the camera were listed, but it sure does look to be pretty nice and definitely has a LED flash. If I had to guess, the camera would be at least 8 megapixels, although I think Sony could surprise everyone with maybe a 12 megapixel camera? Does that sound to crazy? I’m not sure.

There was also no word in the engadget article if the back of the device still has touch sensors or not, which has also been another consistent rumor for this device. Touch sensors basically allow you to move around with your fingers behind the device touching the back of it. Both pictures engadget has with the back of the phone has been digitally altered (I checked extensively in the second photo, and yes, that is covered slightly as well) making it difficult to identify what is hiding back there.

On a lighter note, the PlayStation Phone also uses MicroSD cards, signaling Sony is playing no games in making this device truly open. If it ran off MiniUSB I’d probably have a heart attack.

What’s odd is the fact in the engadget leak about this story there is little mention of Sony Ericsson, in fact none. But they didn’t need to say anything. This product is a result of Sony getting two major divisions to work together to create something, which has always been so difficult in the past.

In some ways, the PlayStation Phone almost seems like the successor to the PSP, otherwise known as the PSP 2. With so many differences between this and what we have now, this seems like the platform and hardware the PSP 2 will run on. So what kind of games could you expect on the PlayStation Phone? It’s hard to tell. PlayStation 2 quality? Higher?

I’ also have a feeling that Sony may play a phone and a non-phone and similar specs. Seems logical for maximum impact.

IFA 2010: Sony’s Qriocity “Cloud Based” Music Service Will Have Wide Compatibility

Qriocity is a network service platform that connects many of Sony’s network-enabled devices and allows consumers to enjoy high quality entertainment across multiple devices. Through Qriocity, Sony will deliver a variety of digital entertainment content and services that are “powered by Qriocity”, including video, music, game applications, and e-books over time, and through these services, and in combination with its networked devices, Sony aims to bring new and exciting entertainment experiences to customers.

Today at the IFA 2010 show in Berlin, Sony announced plans to introduce “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity”, a new, cloud-based, digital music service. Available by year’s end, “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity” will give music lovers access to millions of songs stored and synchronized through the cloud. “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity” will initially be available across Sony’s 2010 models of network-enabled BRAVIA TVs, Blu-ray Disc players, Blu-ray Home Theater systems, as well as PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems and VAIOs and other personal computers, and will become increasingly available on a range of Sony’s portable devices.

“Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity” brings together the features cited as most important by music enthusiasts. With access to a huge library of songs through the cloud, users can discover new music through channels personalized to their tastes on multiple devices and without the requirement to manage digital music files. The convenience resulting from this new consumer music experience will further enhance the value of music, thus creating new opportunities for the industry. Details of the service plan will be announced in the future.

“We are excited to offer our customers high quality, cloud-based entertainment experiences across many of Sony’s network-enabled devices,” said Kazuo Hirai, President of Networked Products & Services Group, Sony Corporation. “Services ‘powered by Qriocity’ will revolutionize the way that users play, listen, watch, share, communicate, learn, discover and create their digital entertainment content.”

Sony’s Single Wire Interface Could Revolutionize Cell Phone Design

Sony is showing off a new cable they have under development for cell phones, officially called “single wire interface” technology, which dramatically condenses audio, video and power transmission into a single cable. Of course, this applies to flip (aka clam shell) phones, which have fallen behind in popularity in the USA to large screen solitary devices like the iPhone, and various Android handsets. However, in Japan, many people still use flip phones, as you can see on one of their largest cell carriers NTT docomo.

Sony boasts that normal clamshell cell phones can have up to 22 wires to transmit data and power, consisting of a power wire, an audio wire, fifteen misc. wires, and five differential wires. With this new technology, all of that can be transmitted through one differential wire capable of 940Mbps transmission speeds. Could this mean a new revolution in handset design? Amazing to think of the possibilities.

How did they do it? Well, according to the press release,

“Sony developed a unique time division duplex and multiplex method that enable packets of data, including video (display, camera), audio, and control signals to be transmitted over a single cable. Furthermore, Sony has enabled the bi-directional transmission of different signals, such as display and camera signals, by incorporating a mechanism that retains individual synchronization.

The newly-developed hardware is composed of a digital portion that performs multi-level encoding, an analog portion that transmits and receives signals, and another portion that combines signals with DC power or separates signals from DC power. A unique multi-level encoding that has no DC component enables both high speed transmission with limited frequency bandwidth and DC power supply on a single common cable.”

What’s next? Sony is working with a company called ROHM, which has a track record in peripheral tech and they will co-develop and work on the analog portion of the chip. ROHM will then get the IP license for the digital portion of the single wire technology in order to make a chip that has the analog and digital aspects within.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 vs. Apple iPhone 4 Specs Comparison

Sony Ericsson has a very strong play coming to AT&T in 2010 – the XPERIA X10. With specifications straight out of Star Trek, is one of the most advanced devices ever released by Sony Ericsson. However, the new iPhone 4, despite its shortcomings, has set the bar in smartphone functionality that is nearly unmatched by other devices. We put the XPERIA X10 (specs courtesy Sony Ericsson) head to head with the iPhone 4 (specs courtesy of Apple) in a detailed specifications comparison. The North American market has been dominated by the iPhone family of phones, and it is now even more powerful than before with the updated 4th version. However, momentum behind Android is accelerating quickly with an avalanche of devices coming out for it. Both phones have rich application environments – the iPhone with App Store, and the XPERIA X10 with the Google Android Market.

The XPERIA X10 will come to the USA courtesy of AT&T (and labeled as the XPERIA X10a) on August 15th 2010 for $149 or less with a two year contract; this could be one interesting matchup against the $199 iPhone 4. We’ve highlighted the winner of each category in Green, the loser in Red, and neutral/subjective specs are in Yellow. Any categories left in White we couldn’t make a decision based on incomplete data, or felt was too trivial to really base a winner on. Please leave a comment with anything we’ve missed or errors in our work – we worked hard to make sure this was as accurate as possible.

I’ve used both devices extensively and there are certain advantages with the iPhone 4 that does set it apart from the XPERIA X10 or any other phone for that matter. The insane clarity of the retina display on the iPhone 4 is indisputable. Some people will hold the retina display as the feature that makes it better than the XPERIA X10. We feel that the XPERIA X10 does have several features (as we highlighted in green) that do give it key advantages over the iPhone 4, though. The best recommendation is for someone to use both phones and see how they feel, which will be possible after mid August in most AT&T stores.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Coming To AT&T Very Soon

After months of delays, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 will finally be available soon in the USA. Slated for an August 15th release, the X10 will be available for only $149 with a two year contract ($130 through SonyStyle). That’s a pretty incredible price for a phone that runs Android (albeit 1.6, but will have an upgrade to 2.0+ in several months), has a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 processor, complete with a 4 inch capacitive touch display, 8.1 megapixel camera with LED flash and 2GB included MicroSD removable storage. However, the thing that truly stands out to me with the phone is display. It’s the type of cell phone experience you just can’t stop looking at because of the huge screen and the lush looking Sony Ericsson theme. The XPERIA X10 will also arrive in the USA with updated firmware which fixes the battery woes that plagued the device when it was first released in Europe – you can enjoy up to 5 hours talk time and up to 11 days of standby time.

Sony Ericsson has promised a firmware update in several months that will enable the XPERIA X10 to record in HD (we presume 720p MPEG-4).

The phone feels very natural in your hand, and even holding it up to my head wasn’t absurd. It’s really not that larger than an iPhone, but somehow has a larger screen and looks just bloody futuristic. I’ve owned an iPhone for quite a long time and I can honestly say this is the first device that makes me want to try something different. Designs like these totally blow away what Apple is doing right now. And Sony Ericsson is not the only person doing that now. I think a lot of the CE manufacturers are going to hurt Apple in 2010 because they are using advanced functionality such we found in the XPERIA X10, as it has Android, such a striking appearance, and embraces open standards (MicroSD, Mini USB, removable battery).

Here are some pictures of the general areas in the phone, including the dialing screen and the contact list (with integrated twitter/facebook updates). I also show off some parts of Mediascape, including album listing, song playback, and songs within album. The last two pictures are the Radiant game loading screen, Google Maps map view, and watching a full screen video (with video control overlay enabled):

View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:32, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 320	View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:32, SONY DSLR-A900, 5.6, 100.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800	View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:35, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 320	View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:36, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 250
View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:38, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 200	View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:41, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 200	View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:51, SONY DSLR-A900, 6.3, 35.0mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 200	View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:39, SONY DSLR-A900, 5.0, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 200

Google Maps on the four inch screen with free turn by turn voice navigation makes this an incredible device for getting around. Games look vibrant and comfortable on the large display.

One of the major software highlights of the XPERIA X10 is Timescape, which can be used to manage your methods of communication and social networking. Using a visual method called reticulating splines, you can dynamically browse through Facebook, Twitter, photos, emails, and texts all in one go. You simply flick up and down with your finger and you can see all of your usual feeds right there in the application. To view an individual update, you just select it and it enlarges with the full text. It is the killer app of this phone and you simply must try it out if possible. It’s the ultimate convergence of information, and saves the user an enormous amount of time by putting all of the information they usually read every day in one beautiful place.

View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:53, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 250	View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:54, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 250	View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:55, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 250	View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:55, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 250
View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:56, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 250	View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:56, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 250	View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:57, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 500	View at Picasa 02-Apr-2010 18:59, SONY DSLR-A900, 4.5, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 500

As I mentioned before, the X10 has a 8 megapixel camera which is another huge selling point of this phone – it also has face and smile detection, face recognition, scene detection, and geotagging. Sony Ericsson has always used some of the best imaging sensors in their phones and they also have excellent software (as you see above) to support the hardware. The X10 also has a super bright LED flash that also allows you to shoot in virtually any environment, but the problem I have found with these newer LED flashes is that they are almost too bright. People will squint and act like they’ve seen judgement day if you take their picture in the dark.

Here are some sample images I took with the XPERIA X10 in various environments:

View at Picasa 03-Apr-2010 20:22, SEMC X10a, 2.8, 4.65mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 125

View at Picasa 04-Apr-2010 14:39, SEMC X10a, 2.8, 4.65mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa 05-Apr-2010 15:55, SEMC X10a, 2.8, 4.65mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100

View at Picasa 11-Apr-2010 16:20, SEMC X10a, 2.8, 4.65mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200

We found a slight problem with the XPERIA X10′s microphone placement – I kept accidentally brushing past the microphone either throughout a week of heavy testing. You can see the microphone in the picture above. It just wasn’t the most convenient place for me and my girlfriend kept saying she would hear noise as I used it while I was out and about. Maybe after a while I would learn how to hold it right or use a bluetooth earpiece. I pose the question to XPERIA X10 owners, have you had similar issues?

The XPERIA X10, despite arriving so late to the USA and only having Android 1.6 is still an extremely attractive phone, plus the incoming updates that will raise it to Android 2.0+ will make it even better. This is a great play for Sony Ericsson and yet another stunning Android device to entice consumers away from the iPhone.

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Looking to Mirror Apple Profit Model

Hiroaki Kobayashi, marketing director of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is looking to generate revenue by mirroring Apple’s profit model.

Hiroaki Kobayashi recently spoke at the 2010 Android Bazaar and Conference in Tokyo. Of the many things he discussed, was the Apple business model and how their profit ratio is at times as high as 23%. The reasoning for this is that Apple focuses their model on three core areas of revenue:the market for applications software, the iPhone itself, and third party accessories.

Apple Source of Income

He mentioned further that it is well known in the applications market, that developers are required to pay 30% of sales amounts to Apple as a commission. An example of this is the spaced repetition system application Anki. The developer charges $24.99 for the application, however Apple gives him $17.50 in revenue.

Kobayashi-san also pointed out something interesting surrounding the iPhone itself:

Considering that the iPhone is sold at US$199, mobile service providers are bearing a burden of about US$400

The third party application arena  as mentioned earlier is also generating revenue for Apple. He highlighted they are making tens of billion yens from the “Made for iPhone Program” . Apple licenses the use of their logo to said products, sells the third party accessories in their store, and thereby has a low-risk, high return item sitting on store shelves.

The goal now is for Sony Ericsson to try and replicate that model to generate additional revenue by capitalizing on those three areas according to Kobyayshi-san.

Sony Ericsson’s New Model

The plan to do so was outlined briefly in his statement:

We will build good relations with application developers, mobile service providers and accessory manufacturers to expand our business related to the Xperia as we’ve done with retailers for our home appliances such as TVs

Images Courtesy Tech On!

Sony Ericsson Yendo Is The First Full Touchscreen Walkman Phone

Sony Ericsson has refreshed its Walkman line of cell phones once again with the Yendo, which is the first full touch Walkman device from the company. We were quite surprised to see that Yendo also has one of the largest arrays of color options ever presented by the company, including Black, Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, Silver, White and Yellow. Wow. Here is a gallery of all the different colors:

View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa
View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa	View at Picasa

Yendo features a 2.6 inch screen (262k colors, 320×240) and has design characteristics similar to the XPERIA X10 Mini, including the innovative four corner touch UI. The four corner touch UI in Yendo allows you to access Walkman player, contacts, keypad and more with just one touch. We were surprised to see Sony Ericsson admit the Yendo has a 720MHz processor, but unfortunately that much power is perplexing as it runs a proprietary OS that primarily supports Java applications. We’re going to double check to make sure this is accurate, as there was also mention of a lesser power ARM processor within.

Music lovers will enjoy the MicroSD slot to hold your music collection, FM radio, 3.5mm audio jack and software features such as Touch TrackID, MediaGo and the PlayNow service. You can even set MP3 and AAC ringtones, or listen to your music over Bluetooth stereo (A2DP). Social media aficionados can easily access their friends with the pre-loaded Facebook, Twitter, and Orkut applications. Unfortunately, the camera is rather lackluster at only 2 megapixels with 4x digital zoom, but that is pretty much to be expected for a dedicated music phone. Expect this phone to arrive in most markets around the third quarter of 2010.

Here is a hands-on video of the Yendo we found on YouTube, courtesy of Mobique.com:

Sony Ericsson Shows Off Affordable Cedar Phone

Sony Ericsson showed off a new phone named Cedar last week, and to be honest its rather plain. Don’t let the lack of enthusiasm fool you though – this is just a low budget device aimed towards consumers who don’t want to break the bank when upgrading. Cedar will be available in two colors, Black/Silver and Black/Red, and has certain features from Sony Ericsson’s GreenHeart strategy – including recycled plastics, a low power consumption charger, an e-manual, waterborne paint and compact packaging.

Notable features of the Cedar include a 2.2 inch screen (262K colors), bluetooth, FM radio, 2 megapixel camera (video recording @ VGA 30fps), and Widget Manager 2.0 which allows you to access Facebook, Twitter and Myspace. Does anyone still use Myspace?

As stated previously, Cedar is a 3G phone and with that it has access to the web (via a Netfront 3.5 browser), e-mail, Exchange ActiveSync, YouTube, IM, MMS, SMS, and so forth. Music lovers will enjoy the well designed media player and a standard 3.5mm audio jack that supports nearly every type of headphone and earbud out there. Battery life is pretty respectable at 12 hours and 30 minutes in GSM mode with 420 hours of standby, while UMTS (3G) talk time comes in around 5 hours and 475 hours standby. Cedar should arrive to most markets around the third quarter of 2010 – check out more photos at Sony Ericsson’s Picasa gallery of the Cedar, or further specifications at the press release.