Xperia ray manual now available

by XB on September 12, 2011

in News,Tips & Tricks,Xperia ray

Now that the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray has just started to ship in some territories, we thought the early adopters may want the manual to get the most out of the phone.

Sony Ericsson has just released a full extended manual (119 pages) which you can download here [PDF]. It’s well worth keeping a copy handy for future reference.

Sony Ericsson Xperia ray (codename: ST18i) 精巧而强劲, 全球首发.

     8月18日消息，索尼爱立信今天在北京世贸天阶举行新品发布会，

正式在中国市场推出了设计时尚的Android 2.3智能手机Xperia ray 

ST18。同时，索尼爱立信还宣布携手苏宁电器，从当日起通过苏宁遍

布全国的零售网点展开这款手机的全球首销活动。

     索尼爱立信Xperia ray ST18i是一款外形设计相当小巧精致的产品，它的机身厚度仅为9.4毫米，

重量仅为100克，金属材质的边框和机身上的弧线元素不仅带来了绝佳手感，也让手机更显时尚。

还此外，它还拥有金、白、粉、黑四种元素可选。

   Xperia ray ST18i不仅有优雅的外观，更有强劲的性能。它采用了1GHz高通MSM8255高速处

理  器，3.3英寸WVFA分辨率的屏幕拥有索尼Mobile BRAVIA Engine (手机图像处理引擎)技术，

显示细腻清晰。此外，810万像素摄像头在索尼Exmor R™高感光影像传感器的支持下可拍摄高质

量的照片，并且支持720 P高清摄录。

在发布会上，首位华人世界小姐张梓琳也应邀出席，并在现场与Xperia ray ST18i的设计师就起背

后的设计故事进行了对话。在发布会后，索尼爱立信与苏宁电器高层还和张梓琳共同出席了

Xperia ray ST18i的现场全球首发签售仪式。

Xperia ray roundup: Impressive video recording sample, background on design plus more.

by XB on August 18, 2011

in Imaging,News,Videos,Xperia ray

The Sony Ericsson Xperia ray is due to launch very shortly and we’ve come across a number of worthy news bits. The first is an impressive video recording sample from the Xperia ray taken by Rog from SE-First. The conditions were quite testing, taken at a Prince concert with low-light and high levels of noise, however the Xperia ray seemed to handle it all with ease (see the video here).

If you are interested in the design and concept behind the Xperia ray then this feature from VR-Zone is a fascinating read. The guys managed to spend some time with Sony Ericsson management (including the design manager and colour/material senior designer) and discovered why they chose certain colours. We also learn that the phone took 18 months to develop from concept to launch and find out the name is taken from the Japanese “rei”, of the word Ki-rei which means beauty, elegant.

In other Xperia ray news, Vodafone UK has announced on their site that the gold version will be coming soon. There are no dates or pricing but these should be forthcoming. Lastly GSMonline.pl recently got hands on with the phone and has an unboxing and preview video that we’ve attached below.

Sony Ericsson Xperia ray unboxing on Android 2.3.3


Sony Ericsson Xperia ray hands on Android 2.3.3

Xperia™ ray preview roundup [Video]

Sony Ericsson has announced a number of new handsets today at CommunicAsia, just as we expected them too. The most exciting is the Xperia™ ray which you should think of a smaller version of the Xperia™ arc. It comes with a 3.3-inch display but retains the same 854 x 480 pixel resolution found in the larger 4.2-inch Xperia™ arc. The Xperia™ ray also is clad in an aluminium frame measuring just 9.4mm in thickness. It certainly looks like one of the sexier Android offerings out there.

As the rest of the Xperia™ range, it will come armed with Android Gingerbread 2.3.3 or 2.3.4 and the new Facebook inside Xperia™ functionality. Other features include a 1GHz processor, 512 RAM, 8.1MP Exmor R™ Camera CMOS Sensor, 720p video recording, a Reality display with BRAVIA® Engine and a front facing camera (not found in the Xperia™ arc). It will also include a 1500mAh battery, which should mean impressive battery life. In fact the only main feature the handset doesn’t sport is HDMI output. The phone is set to launch at some point in Q3 in four colours (Black, Gold, White, Pink).

The dilemma of choosing between the Xperia™ arc, Xperia™ Neo and Xperia™ Ray (all with similar feature sets) now just became a lot harder. A number previews of the upcoming 3.3-inch Sony Ericsson Xperia™ ray hit the web over the last few days. We’ve rounded then up for you in one place below along with a number of hands-on videos of the handset. Initial impressions appear to be quite positive at this early stage , with the handset praised for its slim design, uncompromised features, high-resolution display (ppi of 297 / nearly to ppi of 300).

Check out a number of videos below including a hands-on video, GSM Arena and PhoneArena also have some video recording samples to check out too. All of the sites looked like they were playing with a prototype, so we could see even more improvements before its release in the next few month.

Xperia™ Ray Preview Roundup

GSM Arena: “It’s small, as in a sexy little sports car, rather than small to keep the costs down. The Xperia™ ray is hot and it knows it. That puts a lot of pressure on it to do well in the upcoming review. But as far as we’re concerned, the Xperia™ ray is off to a roaring start.”




PhoneArena: “It is easy to say that the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray is a less-capable version of the Xperia arc, but what you actually get is a more compact version without sacrificing much but an HDMI port and a flash. Actually, the fact that the light emitting diode on the back can only be used as a light instead of a flash. Props for the best-in-class resolution on the 3.3” screen, it really made a difference while reading.”




TechRadar: “Overall, we’re really impressed with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray -- given we expect it to come in at around £20-£25 per month on contract, the compact dimensions, decent camera and high-res screen could see this become another winning phone for the Japanese-Swedish alliance.”




Pocket-Lint: “That new screen technology is clearly visible with a vibrant 3.3-inch display that is not only crisp, but has an incredible viewing angle (as our pictures show). The “reality display” 854x480 pixel resolution definitely helps add to the phone’s media and browsing experience.”

Hands-on pics of the Xperia ray in all four colours

by XB on June 29, 2011

in Xperia ray

Sony Ericsson announced the 3.3-inch Xperia ray aluminium-shelled handset last week. We think the company may be onto a winner, marrying most of the great features seen in the Xperia arc and Xperia neo (including screen resolution) into a tiny, sexy looking package.

Virgile Fontaine, Technical Support Manager for Sony Ericsson in France, was lucky enough to get some decent hands-on time with all four colours of the Xperia ray and posted the pictures to his Flickr page. This is one handset we’re certainly looking forward to. It’s currently penned for a Q3 release. You can check out a selection of the photos below.

Photos:

CommunicAsia – New Xperias, Feature Phone and Smart Extras

Just now over in Singapore some of my colleagues are showing three new phones and two new smart extras, all of them will be available in selected markets from Q3 this year.
For the full press releases for all this with full specifications etc head over to the Sony Ericsson Press Room
The first two phones are the new additions to the Xperia^TM family of smartphones:
Xperia^TM ray

Xperia^TM ray is a fully fledged Android smartphone on the latest Android platform for smartphones, a.k.a. Gingerbread. It also features the 8.1 MP Exmor R^TM camera and the Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® engine as known from e.g. Xperia^TM arc. What’s special about it though is its size and design. I’ve been using one for a few days internally now and it really is a special kind of smartphone. It’s sleek and beautifully designed and its more narrow form factor almost remind me of the feel of the successful models W880 and W890. Despite its slim (9.4mm) and small footprint it has a FWVGA display, i.e. same 854×480 resolution as e.g. Xperia^TM arc, but in a 3.3 inch display size which give an amazing feeling of high resolution and clarity. It also has a very elegant blackness to the display which makes it nearly invisible when in standby, making it blend into the black glass front perfectly. The slimness, lightness and more narrow form factor really makes it slip into my jeans pockets perfectly. It’s also built around an internal aluminum frame that comes out on the edges as side lines. This gives an extremely solid feeling to it. Despite its sleek form factor it still packs the same 1500 mAh battery as Xperia^TM neo so there shouldn’t be any compromise on battery life either. For me personally this could very well be the perfect form factor in a smartphone! Here’s a video showing some of the thoughts behind the design of Xperia^TM ray:







XperiaTM active

Xperia^TM active is also a different kind of smartphone compared to the earlier phones in the Xperia family. While it packs a full feature set of Android Gingerbread, a 3 inch 320×480 Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® engine and a 5MP camera with HD-video recording etc it also is dustproof and water resistant. The resistance to dust and water meets the standard of IP67 which is described like this:

“According to International Protection Rating. IP67 implies that when the phone is correctly mounted to maintain its dust and water resistant qualities, there is no ingress of dust (digit 6) and that ingress of water (digit 7) in harmful quantity shall not be possible if the device is dropped in fresh water under up to 1 m of submersion for a duration of maximum 30 minutes.”

You can find more information in the IP rating standard here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_rating
What this really means is that Xperia^TM active is the smartphone that you don’t have to be as careful with as previous ones. You can use it for an active live, out running in the rain etc without being worried that your phone will be damaged from it. If you’re not the active type there are of course also lots of other situations where a more resistant phone comes in handy, me being a lucky father of two little girls can definitely see a case for it besides exercising in the rain
The scratch resistant screen also uniquely incorporates wet finger tracking, to ensure the phone works perfectly when either the screen or your fingers are wet.
Besides that it also is a beautiful smartphone which really gives a feeling of sturdyness to it even though it has basically the same form factor as the previously announced Xperia^TM mini.
Remember, most of our phones, including Xperia^TM active, also features ANT+ which makes it possible for you to connect a compliant heart rate monitor directly to your phone to monitor your heart rate in lots of different exercise applications out there.
Here’s a video of Xperia^TM active:





We’re also announcing a new feature phone over in Singapore:

Sony Ericsson txt

The Sony Ericsson txt is a feature phone with features inspired by Xperia^TM at an affordable price. As a sister phone to the previously announced Sony Ericsson txt pro it gives you excellent support for messaging on the go with a full QWERTY keyboard and incorporates an SMS shortcut key for quick and easy messaging. It also comes with an embedded “friends” application that lets you instantly follow Facebook and twitter updates from your selected top five friends. It comes with Wi-Fi, a 2.6 inch screen and a 3.2 MP camera.
Last but not least my friends over at Extras haven’t been lazy either. We’re announcing two new Smart Extras that further build on extending the proposition of our Xperia^TM smartphones through accessories that enable new functionality.



LiveDock^TM
The first Smart Extra^TM out in Singapore is the LiveDock^TM multimedia station. It gives you the ability to seamlessly integrate your Xperia smartphone into your home. Simply connect your phone to the docking station and it will launch your specified application automatically for you. If you own more than one LiveDock^TM you can even set them to launch different applications, e.g. a world clock at your desk at work and perhaps a photo gallery for slideshows, kind of like a digital photo frame, at home.

LiveSound^TM
The LiveSound^TM hi-fi headset gives an excellent sound experience combined with a stylish tangle-free design. It also has LiveKey^TM control which gives you the possibility to access applications in your phone directly with a simple push of a button on your headset. As an example you can start your sports app by pressing the LiveKey^TM control. Pressa again during your workout to get information such as heart rate or distance covered. All this keeping your phone in your pocket. It’s built on a new generation of speaker drivers which combines a decrease in physical size with a breakthrough in audio quality. For me personally the new softer ear buds (that come in different sizes) gives a perfect fit and the flat tangle-free cord is a brilliant enhancement.

  Written by Rikard Skogberg

Sony Ericsson stunt with Xperia™ ray

22 June 2011

• Sleek, beautiful smartphone with stylish aluminium frame
• Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine with 8.1mp camera and Exmor R™ for mobile
• Latest Android platform for smartphones (Gingerbread 2.3) with Facebook inside Xperia™

22 June 2011, Singapore – Sony Ericsson today announced Xperia™ ray – a stunning new smartphone alongside CommunicAsia 2011 in Singapore. With a 3.3” screen and running the latest Android platform for smartphones (Gingerbread 2.3), the phone packs in a powerful 1Ghz processor, Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine, a 8.1mp camera with Exmor R™ for mobile and HD video functionality. At only 9.4mm thin, Xperia™ ray incorporates market leading design for which Sony Ericsson has become known.
To add to a full set of specifications, the phone incorporates a front facing camera and a scratch resistant screen with excellent resolution and brightness and integrated touch keys.  Sony Ericsson’s unique integration of Facebook inside Xperia™  delivers a unique consumer experience for greater social interaction. In combination with the Google services, as well as access to over 200,000 Apps via the Android Market™, it provides a solid and entertaining smartphone foundation.
Daniel Sandblom, Global Product Marketing Manager, Sony Ericsson said: “We expect Xperia™ ray to appeal to consumers who are looking for a combination of beautiful design and a rich feature set. We are able to uniquely deliver this with a combination of premium materials and multimedia features provided by Sony.”
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ ray will be available globally in selected markets, including Japan, from Q3 2011.

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ ray at a glance.
*Please note that all services mentioned below may not be available in every market.
Colours

• Black
• Gold
• White
• Pink

Facts

• Operating system: Google™ Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• Size:  111 x 53 x 9.4mm
• Weight: 100 grams

Camera

• 8.1mp camera
• 16x digital zoom
• Aperture f/2.4
• Auto focus
• Face detection
• Face recognition
• Photo light
• Front-facing camera (VGA)
• Geo tagging
• HD video recording (720p)
• Image stabiliser
• Scene detection
• Self-timer
• Send to web
• Smile detection
• Sony Exmor R™ CMOS sensor
• Touch capture
• Touch focus
• Video light
• Video recording
• Video stabiliser

Music

• Album art
• Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
• Music tones (MP3/AAC)
• PlayNow™ service
• SensMe™
• Sony Ericsson Music Player
• TrackID™ music recognition application
• xLOUD™ Experience

Internet

• Android Market™
• Bookmarks
• Google™ search
• Google Voice Search
• NeoReader™ barcode scanner
• Pan & zoom
• Web browser (WebKit)

Communication

• Call list
• Conference calls
• Facebook™ application
• Google Talk™
• Noise Shield
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Sony Ericsson Timescape™
• Speakerphone
• Twitter™ (Timescape™ integration)
• Vibrating alert
• Video chat ready

Messaging

• Conversations
• Email
• Google Mail™
• Instant messaging
• Picture messaging (MMS)
• Predictive text input
• Text messaging (SMS)

Design

• Auto rotate
• Keyboard (on-screen, 12 key)
• Keyboard (on-screen, QWERTY)
• Picture wallpaper
• Reality display with Sony Mobile
• BRAVIA® Engine
• Touch screen
• Wallpaper animation

Entertainment

• 3D games
• Media browser
• Motion gaming
• Radio (FM radio with RDS)
• Video streaming
• YouTube™

Organiser

• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Document editors
• Document readers
• E-Manual
• Flight mode
• Google Calendar™
• Google Gallery 3D™
• Infinite button
• Phone book
• Setup Wizard
• Widget manager

Connectivity

• 3.5 mm audio jack
• aGPS
• Bluetooth™ technology
• DLNA Certified™
• Google Latitude™
• Google Maps™ with Street View
• Media Transfer Protocol support
• Micro USB support
• Modem
• Native USB tethering
• Synchronisation via Facebook™
• Synchronisation via Google™ Sync
• Synchronisation via Sony Ericsson Sync
• Synchronisation with computer
• Synchronisation via Exchange ActiveSync®
• USB High speed 2.0 support
• USB mass storage
• Wi-Fi®
• Wi-Fi® Hotspot functionality
• Wisepilot™ turn-by-turn navigation

Display

• Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
• 16,777,216 colour TFT
• Capacitive touchscreen (multi-touch)
• 3.3 inches
• 854 x 480 pixels
• Scratch-resistant mineral glass

Memory

• Phone memory (user-free): Up to 300MB
• Memory card support: microSD™, up to 32GB
• Memory card included: 4GB microSD™

Battery life

• Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 6 hrs 50 min*
• Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 430 hrs*

• Talk time UMTS: Up to 7 hrs*
• Standby time UMTS: Up to 440 hrs*

• Music listening time: Up to 36 hrs
• Video playback time: Up to 6 hrs 45 min

• *According to GSM Association Battery Life Measurement Technique. Battery performance may vary depending on network conditions and configurations, and phone usage.

Networks

• UMTS HSPA 900, 2100
• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

• UMTS HSPA 850, 1900, 2100
• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

In the kit

• 1500mAh battery,
• Stereo portable handsfree
• 4GB microSD™ memory card
• Charger
• Micro USB cable for charging
• Synchronisation and file transfer
• User documentation
• (LiveSound™ in selected markets)

Smart Extras™ appropriate for Xperia™ ray:

• LiveSound™: Available as part of the package with Xperia™ ray in selected markets, this provides consumers with the best possible audio experience combined with a stylish, tangle-free design. The headphones also allow consumers to remotely access applications from the phone through LiveKey™ control, which gives consumers direct access to their applications with a simple push of a button.
• LiveDock™ gives consumers the ability to seamlessly integrate their Sony Ericsson smartphone into their home. By simply connecting their smartphone to the docking station, consumers will be able to easily launch applications from the Android Market™ and charge their phones at the same time.

Source by: Sony Ericsson Perss Room

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray (ST18i) high-res pictures leak.

We have already seen quite a bit of the upcoming Sony Ericsson ST18i, codenamed Urushi (Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray). However, what we have here is a load of high-resolution pictures across all angles. The handset is believed to launch in September and will run Android 2.3.3.

The smartphone appears to be a smaller version of the Xperia arc, running the same internal hardware (1GHz Snapdragon and Adreno 205 GPU) but with a 3.3-inch display at 854×480 resolution. It is also expected to have the same 8.1MP Exmor R camera sensor as the Xperia arc and will be capable of 720p HD video recording. The ST18i will have a front-facing camera but will lack the HDMI output from the Xperia arc and Xperia neo. Check out a load of pictures after the jump.

 Via GSM Arena.