Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for 2012 Xperia devices rolling out from mid Q1 2013

by XB on 19/10/2012

in Android, Featured Content, Firmware, Xperia acro S, Xperia go, Xperia ion, Xperia J, Xperia miro, Xperia Neo, Xperia P, Xperia S, Xperia sola, Xperia T, Xperia tipo, Xperia U, Xperia V

Sony Mobile has this morning confirmed that Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for its new Xperia devices (Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V) will start to receive the update from the middle of Q1 2013. Sony Xperia devices that launched earlier this year including the Xperia S, Xperia acro S, Xperia ion, Xperia P, Xperia go and Xperia J will be upgraded to Android 4.1 in “due course”. Looks like Xperia miro, Xperia tipo, Xperia tipo dual, Xperia sola and Xperia U users are excluded.


The release date for Jelly Bean is later than we expected, we had always assumed it would launch later this year. Recent owners of the Sony Xperia T/TX may feel the most annoyed especially since Sony said that the handsets will be “upgraded to Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) following launch“. We interpret ‘following launch’ as near enough immediately after release – certainly not four months later.


We suspect that the JB launch for the other 2012 Xperia models could take as long as early Q2 2013, given that no concrete information has been given. It’s hard not to commend Sony Mobile for updating many of its mid-range handsets along with their higher-end models. However, Xperia sola and Xperia U owners will rightfully be arguing why they won’t be seeing the update. It’s certainly not a question of hardware specification.


What we do know by now is that Android version upgrades are a slow and painful process for all manufacturers. There’s also every likelihood that Sony Mobile is hindered with the sheer volume of handsets it has released this year and last. Trying to update and certify a new Android version update for all of these handsets must be a logistical nightmare. Let’s hope that as time goes on, Sony gets better at releasing more timely updates.

Thanks Stojan!

Source By:  Xperiablog

Xperia AX gets vague Nov/Dec launch date; promo videos released

by XB on 11/10/2012

in Videos, Xperia - Japan Models, Xperia V

Japan’s NTT DoCoMo announced its winter handset line-up earlier today. It officially confirmed that the Sony Xperia AX (SO-01E) would be headed to the network and announced plans to release the handset between November and December this year. This is a pretty vague launch date. It is already the middle of October, so we thought that by now Sony would be able to refine the release date down to one month rather than two.


However, what it suggests to us is that it will launch towards the end of November or early December, in line with what Swedish retailers are showing for the Sony Xperia V. If Sony Japan was confident of launching the Xperia AX in November it wouldn’t even mention December. Consumers are fickle and don’t like waiting. It appears that Sony will do its darnedest to get the handset out by the end of November, but as the deadline is tight they are using December as a fall-back.

To celebrate the official launch of the handset, Soy Mobile has released a number of promo videos for the handset (see below). If you want to see some hands-on photos of the Xperia AX in different colours then check out the IT Media and Watch Impress reports. The official Sony Xperia AX product page can be found here.

The water and dust-resistant Sony Xperia AX is the Japanese variant of the Xperia V. It has a 1.5GHz dual-core MSM8960 chipset, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, a 4.3-inch (720 x 1280) display, 13MP camera, VGA front camera, LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, MHL, 1700mAh battery and microSD memory card support. It will also come with some Japanese-specific features such as an infrared port, 1-Seg TV tuner and FeliCia NFC. The Xperia AX will have dimensions of 129 x 65 x 10.8mm and will weigh 120g. The phone will be available in four colours (black, pink, turquoise and white).









Via Sony.
 Source by: Xperiablog

Xperia V’s new camera filters demoed on video

by XB on 09/10/2012

in Imaging, Videos, Xperia V

The Sony Xperia V (LT25i) has been given a thorough hands-on by the Sony Mobile Russian team. They have posted a 16-minute video of the handset, all of it in Russian. We couldn’t catch the gist of most of it due to the language barrier but did spot some new camera UI features towards the end of the video. 

It shows a number of camera filters that will now be enabled when taking pictures. There is also some kind of slider on the right which turns the brightness up and down. If there is anyone that speaks Russian and can give more details on this we’d love to hear about it in the comments below. 

Source by: Xperiablog

Sony confirms sensor-on-lens technology for Xperia V

by XB on 11/09/2012

in Xperia V

Sony Mobile has confirmed that the 4.3-inch Xperia V will come with sensor-on-lens touch screen technology. Much like in-cell display technology, it removes the sensor layer which is integrated into the lens resulting in a lighter and thinner phone (as there is one less layer of glass) along with better image quality and a ‘direct touch experience’.


Better image quality is achieved through the one less layer of glass and glue in the handset stack, meaning that there is no interference from that component. Sony says that by removing this single layer, it would typically improve the display luminance by around 5%.


Removing a layer also brings the image plane that much closer to the user making you feel as if you are touching the image itself. Another benefit Sony points to is that the image on the display and the point of touch are brought that much closer resulting in less parallax issues.


Overall, it sounds like a great piece of technology and reaffirms our view that the Sony Xperia V is the real new flagship from Sony Mobile. As far as we understand, the Sony Xperia T/TX does not include this technology and we have reached out to the company for a confirmation.

Via Sony Developer World & Xperia Blog.

Fresh from #IFA2012 – introducing new Xperia™ smartphone series, and first Xperia™ tablet from Sony

Hey guys,

Just finishing up our press conference at the Sony IFA 2012 booth today, and we’re excited to announce new additions to the Xperia family: Xperia T, Xperia V, Xperia J and Xperia Tablet S – all packed with Sony’s best HD experiences to deliver the next step in connected entertainment.

First up, Xperia T is a new flagship Android smartphone boasting a huge 4.6″ signature Sony HD screen, 13MP camera and effortless “One-touch” NFC functionality. We’re also excited to give you a heads-up that James Bond will be sporting one on his latest outing, Skyfall… I’ll fully de-brief you on that later tonight! 

Xperia V shares many of the same great features as Xperia T, but it’s also LTE enabled for lightning network performance and comes with the highest level of smartphone water resistance; up to 1m for 30 minutes! 

Xperia J has eye-catching design with a large 4″ screen and comes complete with social media update illumination, for those looking for style and affordability.

Xperia T, Xperia V and Xperia J are built on the same design language first introduced by our award winning Xperia arc and Xperia arc S – combining a slim hand fitting form, with a focus on high quality displays for crystal-clear viewing.

Xperia Tablet S brings the world of Xperia to a tablet for the first time. It’s a place for your imagination to play, boasting a quad-core processor, slim aluminium body and splash-proof design, built-in universal remote capability and a wide-range of accessories including covers, docks and stands.

I’ve listed a full rundown of these products’ key specs and shipping details at the foot of this post, so check ‘em out!

These Xperia smartphones also come locked and loaded with Sony’s media applications: “WALKMAN®”, Album, Movie and Music Unlimited – these combine the best of Sony’s hallmark technologies and content to connect you a host of awesome entertainment experiences across Xperia smartphones, tablets and VAIO PCs.

We’ll take a closer look at these apps over the next few days, but word-on-the-booth is that Xperia smartphones shipping from September (until the end of the year) will come with a free 60-day Music Unlimited trial, Sony Entertainment Network’s (SEM) music cloud-streaming service that puts millions and millions of tracks at your fingertips.

What would be the point of all this great content, if you couldn’t easily share it with your nearest and dearest? Well, we’re also putting NFC technology at the heart of our content sharing proposition through “One-touch” functionality.

You can enjoy sharing music and photos instantly through an array of NFC enabled Sony devices, by simply touching one to another to establish a connection, no fumbling around required! For example, Xperia T and Xperia V users can stream music wirelessly with “One-touch” to the new Sony SRS-BTV5 NFC enabled speaker, also announced today.

For all the official information, check out our pressroom.

We’ll be getting up-close-and-personal with all of our announced products and accessories over the next few days, so keep your eyes fixed firmly on the blog.

Ant.

Newly announced Xperia™ series – what you need to know

Xperia™ T

• 4.6” HD Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA® Engine for razor sharp clarity
• 13MP fast capture camera that goes from sleep mode to snap in just over a second
• Full 1080p HD video recording capabilities and a 720p HD front camera for the highest quality content Easy connectivity with ‘One-touch’ function enabled by NFC
• PlayStation™ Certified
• Latest generation 1.5GHz dual core processor for improved battery life, fast performance and ultra sharp graphics
• Android version 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Will be upgraded to Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) following launch. Detailed timing to follow
• MHL connectivity for viewing content on a big screen without the need for a charger
• Use Xperia TV Dock with MHL to HDMI converter and charging connector to enjoy photos and videos on an HDMI enabled TV
• In some markets Xperia T will be known as Xperia TX
• Available in Black, Silver and White colours
• Launching globally over next few weeks

Xperia™ V

• 4.3” HD Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 for razor sharp clarity
• 13 MP fast capture camera with full HD video recording.
• Latest generation 1.5GHz dual core processor for improved battery life, fast performance and ultra sharp graphics
• LTE for the fastest data download speeds (in markets where technology is available)
• Easy connectivity with One-touch ‘One-touch’ enabled by NFC
• Clear audio+ for the highest level of sound quality
• PlayStation™ Certified
• Android version 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Will be upgraded to Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) following launch. Detailed timing to follow
• Highest levels of dust and water resistance in a smartphone (IP55/57+) ensure protection from the effects of immersion up to 1m for 30 minutes
• MHL connectivity for viewing content on a big screen without the need for a charger
• Available in Black, Pink and White colours
• Launching globally Q4 2012

Xperia™ J

• 9.2mm slim stylish design
• Large 4.0” FWVGA Display
• Social media updates with illumination
• 5MP AF camera
• Front chat camera
• Available in Black, Gold, White and Pink colours
• Launching globally Q4 2012

Xperia™ Tablet S

• Slim new aluminium body and splash-proof design
• 9.4” HD display with OptiContrast™ Panel with low-friction coating
• NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor and Android 4.0.3 operating system
• Android version 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• Various experiences with original applications and Sony’s network services
• Optimized accessories (sold separately) to enhance experiences in every scene
• Available from the beginning of September 2012

Source By: blogs.sonymobile.com