Android 4 ICS update for Sony Ericsson devices in early 2012

Sony Ericsson has officially confirmed its Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update schedule – it's arriving in early 2012. The first devices to receive the ICS update are Xperia Arc S, Xperia Neo V and Xperia Ray. Other Sony Ericsson devices such as the original Arc, the Xperia Play, original Neo and the Xperia Mini and Mini Pro duo - plus the Xperia Active and Live with Walkman are also slated to get the ICS update by March/April 2012.

"Our developers are now busy merging our current Xperia software with the new features in Android 4.0," Sony Ericsson said in a blog post. The company also points out that the update will be rolled out over several weeks. Thus, update will not be available at the same time, users will have to wait for their turn. Sony Ericsson has also posted a separate blog to explain the upgrade plans.

The Xperia users will receive a notification on their devices once the ICS is ready for the installation. The update would be made available for download via 3G or Wi-Fi. The update will also be accessible to users, who want to connect their device to the PC.

Moreover, Sony Ericsson will also be rolling out the update to its recently launched tablets – Sony Tablet S and Tablet P. However, the company has not yet revealed when the update will arrive for these tablets. Sony made the announcement at its U.K. community forums.

Source : Android 4 ICS update for Sony Ericsson devices in early 2012

Facebook Inside Xperia for the X10

That your Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 will be getting a Gingerbread update is not surprising. However, the update is also said to be bringing the “Facebook inside Xperia” feature to the handset.

From what the Mobile Indian has to say, a certain Sony Ericsson spokesperson said that the Gingerbread update will be arriving to handsets in India, but they didn’t have an idea about the timing of the launch. What we know is that the update should be launching at the end of this month or maybe beginning of July. A few days back we saw SE releasing the “Facebook inside Xperia” feature for the Xperia Play and the Xperia Arc. If these features make it to the X10, that’ll just add to the happiness to the X10 users, as well.

These small progresses definitely are going to earn Sony Ericsson those brownie points that they have been in need of for a while now. Let’s just wish that there’s no change of plans or anything of that sort.

Source : Facebook Inside Xperia for the X10

Sony unveils Honeycomb based S1, S2 Tablets

Sony has finally joined the tablet scene by unveiling two Android 3.0 Honeycomb based tablets codenamed S1 and S2 (dual screen). These two tablets would be PlayStation Certified so you can play PlayStation titles meant for Android platform. Users will also be able to stream music and videos through Sony's Qriocity multimedia content streaming service. Packing dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 SoC processor, these new tablets would be available later this year in Fall (late September). At this moment, both tablets don't bear any brand name and Sony's referring to them as - Sony tablet to extend its VAIO products family.

Finally, even Sony has joined the rich and heavily competitive tablet segment. Two months ago, we reported about the S1 PlayStation tablet and here we have it. Today that report has finally turned true and we have the Sony tablet codenamed S1. Its 9.4-inch touchscreen display is big enough to enjoy web browsing and multimedia content. As of now, it's too early to determine whether this screen would be LCD or OLED display. 

The S1 has a unique 'wrap design' that looks as if a magazine has been folded and the press images clearly show it. In a way, that wrap will proved a bit of an elevation to keep the top part higher for ease of typing over the onscreen keyboard. Under the hood, S1 houses a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 System on Chip processor which will power the Google Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. Sony has customized the touch panel UI to be "quick and smooth" and the web browsing will be powered with "swift" web browser. S1 tablet has two cameras for video chat as well as imaging - front facing and back panel.

Users will be able to browse, download and read eBooks from the Reader Store eBook store of Sony. The S1 tablet also has an Infrared Port (yeah!) to make it act like a universal remote for broader range of DLNA certified electronics. 

At first, the S2 tablet appears to be a stretched Nintendo DS in a clamshell form factor. The S2 tablet has dual touchscreen displays where each screen is 5.5-inch and 1024x480 pixel resolution. Even S2 is equipped with dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 SoC processor and it too has Android 3.0 Honeycomb running on it. What would be interesting is to use both panels independently for same or different purposes. For instance, if you are browsing on the top panel, then the bottom touchscreen panel will show on-screen keyboard for text input.  

Sony has equipped both tablets with Wi-Fi and WAN (3G/4G) but there are several other details about the hardware that are missing. As of now, this is just an announcement and in due course of time, we'll get to see most important detail - the price of these Android 3.0 Honeycomb based tablets.  

 Source : Sony unveils Honeycomb based S1, S2 Tablets

Sony Ericsson W8: First Walkman Android Phone

Sony Ericsson has announced its first ever Walkman brand smartphone running Google Android 2.1 Eclair update in Indonesia. Sporting 3-inch capacitive touchscreen display, the new Sony Ericsson W8 walkman smartphone looks very similar to Xperia X8. There's no word on the pricing and this phone will be available in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Malayasia, Phillipines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam from Q2 2011 in Azure Blue, Metallic Red and Iconic Orange.

New Sony Ericsson W8 has a 3-inch capacitive HVGA (320x480) display and houses 600Mhz processor under the hood. With 128MB memory on board, this handset comes with Android 2.1 Eclair running on it and I doubt if it will get Froyo richness. Kindly forget about the phone getting Gingerbread. Sony Ericsson has layered the Timescape UI on the top of Android.

Branded as a Walkman series smartphone, the W8 will have Walkman Music Player ported to Android, TrackID music recognition, and PlayNow technologies. At the back lies a 3.2 megapixel camera that would give you mediocre quality photos along with Geo-tagging capability.

Being 3G Network compatible, the new W8 Android phone offers 23 hours and 40 minutes worth of music listening time. The phone is connectible wirelessly via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Apart from that, the W8 offers Twitter and Facebook integration in the Timescape UI.

Sounds like a good contender for sub Rs. 10,000 Android based smartphone, the Sony Ericsson W8 does look a bit tacky in Iconic Orange, may be its just me.

 

Source : Sony Ericsson W8: First Walkman Android Phone

Sony Ericsson W15 Walkman Branded Android Phone

It was only recently that I asked Sony Ericsson officials why the company has been launching Android handsets in the droves but somehow left the Walkman series out of this range. They didn’t really have an answer for me, but there seemed to be a glint in their eyes like they knew something was coming, but couldn’t divulge information. I always though it would be quite a thing to put these two together and it appears that the alliance just might become a reality.

According to a few sources, a new Android handset with a ‘W’ branding just might be in the works. If we can believe the leaked photo to be real, then this possible W15 device could be the very first Walkman Android handset to make it out. The rumors are talking about the device featuring –

• A 3-inch touchscreen display with a 320 x 480 pixel resolution
• a 3.2MP camera (possibly autofocus)
• and a 600MHz processor

The rumors are also talking about the device coming loaded with a Walkman customized UI. I’m hoping to see a resurrection of MediaScape with a few add-ons. This could also mean a serious boost in audio performance as Walkman devices seldom, if ever, under perform in that department.

We just might see more details make it out soon and perhaps a May release, fingers crossed. I say bring it on!

 

Source : Sony Ericsson W15, Possible Walkman Branded Android Phone

Xperia X10 to get Gingerbread Update

In a sudden change of heart, Sony Ericsson has decided to listen to the pleas of thousands of Xperia X10 owners and provide them with the Android Gingerbread that they have been yearning for. The update will be pushed to their phones by end of Q2/start of Q3 this year and will be the latest 2.3.3 update. The software will be similar to what Sony Ericsson will be offering on their newer Android phones, the Xperia Arc, Neo, Pro and Play, except for those features for which there is no hardware support on the X10, such as HDMI-out. 

As for the Xperia X10 mini, X10 mini pro and X8, Sony Ericsson has given a solid "No" regarding their upgradability to Google's latest mobile operating system. As for X10, this is going to be the final update that the handset will receive in its lifetime. And this time, it seems they are serious. Just like last time.

Source : Xperia X10 to get Gingerbread Update