Friday, August 19, 2011

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

by XB on August 18, 2011

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

Friday, August 12, 2011

Xperia ray Japanese promo video leaked, targets young females

by XB on August 12, 2011

in Videos,Xperia ray

NTT DoCoMo recently announced that they will be stocking Sony Ericsson Xperia ray at the end of this month in Japanese. We’ve come across a leaked promo video that will air to promote the Xperia ray on launch. It features lots of pretty western women fondling Xperia ray’s in different colours – showing that Sony Ericsson is clearly targeting the handset to the female population.

The 1GHz 3.3-inch (480 x 854 resolution) Android smartphone has some high-end features including a 8.1MP Exmor R camera sensor and the company’s POBox Touch 4.3 input system that is meant to make typing in Japanese or English quicker and easier. It has all of this wrapped in an aluminium chassis measuring just 53mm in thickness. If you are looking for some good hands-on impressions (in Japanese) click here. Also, check out the funky Japanese promo video after the break.

Xperia ray SO-03C

Xperia mini and Xperia mini pro released in a number of markets, Xperia pro out in Canada [Video]

by XB on August 12, 2011
in News,Videos,Xperia mini and Xperia mini pro,Xperia Pro

The next generation Sony Ericsson Xperia mini products (3-inch display) have now been released in a number of markets including Asia (Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Taiwan), UK (sim-free and via a number of operators) and Canada (Xperia mini pro only through Rogers).

Check out a few unboxing videos of both handsets after the cut below. In related news, the larger 3.7-inch Xperia pro has also finally been released in Canada through Fido, although it looks like we’re still waiting for it to be released everywhere else. It’s due to launch in Asia and Europe at the beginning of Q4.

Xperia mini Unboxing

Xperia mini pro Unboxing

Sony Ericsson Xperia mini pro unboxing and UI preview

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Skype Android app updated, extends support more for Xperia smartphone video chat

August 4, 2011

At the end of June, Skype announced that they had updated the Skype for Android™ app on Android™ Market to support Video calling for a select number of phones including the Xperia™ neo and the upcoming Xperia™ pro. We are now pleased that Skype have confirmed today that the Xperia PLAY, Xperia mini pro and Xperia ray will also support Video calling with the release of the Skype 2.1. Android client. Sony Ericsson Xperia users can now easily find and download the Skype app from the Sony Ericsson channel on Android Market.

The Skype application lets users do all the great things users are used to on Skype for Android™ and now adds free video calling allowing you to make free video calls between supported Android™ phones, iOS devices, PC’s, Mac’s and even some TV’s on WiFi or 3G. For best performance we recommend a strong WiFi connection. If you are on 3G, you should make sure you have an appropriate data plan.

Skype have updated their website today with plenty of info and support material so check it out and happy video calling on your Xperia™ smartphone!

Written by Mattias Holm

by XB on August 4, 2011

in News

A little while back Skype announced that it had enabled video chat for the Android app for only a select few handsets that included the Xperia neo and Xperia pro. The Xperia PLAY was left conspicuously off that list, but that has now been remedied in the latest Skype update.

A whole host of phones now have video chat support including the rest of the Xperia lineup that includes a front-facing camera, namely the Xperia PLAY and upcoming Xperia mini pro and Xperia ray. The updated app is available to download on the Android Market right now.

New update for Xperia arc and Xperia PLAY adds landscape home screen

Sony Ericsson is pushing out an update for the Xperia Arc and the Xperia PLAY. It's a minor update, the Android version is still 2.3.3, but it brings a few useful changes like stereo sound in videos, landscape mode in the homescreen and a few others.

The homescreens of the Xperia Arc and the Xperia PLAY will both work in landscape mode after the update and there's a selection of new themes available as well. The other big change is the sound in videos - both switch from mono to stereo sound (other parameters of the videos are unchanged).

Next up is DLNA support so you can play media from DLNA-enabled devices. Finally, there's xLoud, which improves the performance of the loudspeaker when playing music.

The availability of the update depends on the market and your operator - to check for the update, you can go to Settings > About > Software update. Or you can use Sony Ericsson's PC Companion to update your Arc or Play.

Source 1 • Source 2 • Via • GSM Arena

by XB on August 3, 2011

in News

Sony Ericsson has released a new firmware update for the Xperia arc and Xperia PLAY that brings some new features but keeps the phone at Android 2.3.3. Firmware version number 4.0.A.2.368 updates the handset to include a new landscape mode for the home screen, DLNA compatibility with Digital Home and xLoud that boosts the volume through the speaker. There is also stereo video recording and a selection of new themes.

Seems like a decent albeit minor update for the handsets. The update is available now through PC Companion. If the update hasn’t rolled out to you yet, the global generic file is available over at xda-developers.

Thanks Dyjin!

Xperia X10 Gingerbread update finally rolling out!

by X10 on July 29, 2011

in Firmware,News

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Android 2.3 Gingerbread update is finally rolling out to users bang on schedule. It seems to be out in only a few select countries right now but will no doubt be available to most countries over the coming days. And now, Malaysia X10i user can Upgrade their latest OS Gingerbread. It seems great & smooth, get your update now.

The software will update your X10 to Android 2.3.3 (firmware 3.0.1.G.0.75) on Baseband 2.1.71 and Kernel 2.6.29-00054-g5f01537. No current known root exploit works for this update, however we’re sure it will be a matter of time before this gets cracked. We can also confirm that FPS remains capped at 30fps and there is no 16 million colours and no additional multitouch features. Click through for a screenshot of the update.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Sony Ericsson Support videos out for Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia pro and Xperia ray

by XB on August 1, 2011

in News,Videos,Xperia mini and Xperia mini pro,Xperia Pro,Xperia ray

Sony Ericsson has released support videos for a number of the newer 2011 Xperia range including the mini family, the Xperia pro and Xperia ray. The mini family support videos show how to use the homescreen, on screen keyboard and contacts. For the Xperia ray, Sony Ericsson walks through the message, mail and chat features.

The Xperia pro, which has been delayed to Q4 in most Western markets, has four support videos one of which shows how to use the slide-out keyboard (the Xperia mini pro also has a similar video). Other videos cover connectivity and contacts. There is also one final video for Xperia arc, PLAY and neo owners which shows how to update the software in your phone. You can find all videos embedded after the jump.