A1 Sony Xperia go Outdoor Challenge

Have you seen these test challenging before? The Sony Xperia Go Smartphone device?

Watch this & check it out yourself...


Source by: www.a1.net

Xperia Acro S on hand preview.

PhoneArena presents a video review of the Sony Xperia acro S - a powerful Android smartphone that recently arrived at European shores.

The handset sports a very interesting design, making it stand out from the competition, but this isn't where the assets of the acro S end. The handset also features a large, hi-res screen and a powerful processor, so it's capable of delivering a great user experience.

Watch our video to learn more about the Xperia acro S!

Published on Aug 31, 2012 by PhoneArena

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

Xperia blog team hits Berlin for #IFA2012

Hi folks,

Back in February this year, my fellow Xperia bloggers and I headed out to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress – well, now we’ve packed our suitcases once again and are flying out to Berlin, Germany for IFA 2012!

We’ll be bringing you all the killer info, interviews, news and behind-the-scenes scoops, exclusively from the Sony booth, live from the floor.

IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin) is one of the world’s leading trade shows for consumer electronics and home appliances, and one of the oldest industrial exhibitions in Germany.
Since 1924, IFA has been a global showcase for the digital world, with major tech manufacturers presenting current and upcoming innovations. Key digital lifestyle products are a mainstay with TVs, PCs, smartphones and tablets set to be a major focus this year, along with keynotes and discussion forums covering industry trends and issues.

This year, IFA will run from 31st August to 5th September, and we’re kicking things off with our Sony press conference at 16:00 CET tomorrow. Feel free to join us for that by visiting the Sony community forum to catch the livestream – take it from me, it’s not to be missed ;–)

The show is open to the public from Friday 31st August, so if you’re about in Berlin, feel free to come and say hello, or if not, keep your eyes on the blog over the next week as Will, Clare and I will be checking in regularly, every day!

PS. You can also follow the action as-it-happens on Twitter with #Sony_IFA, #SonyXperia and #IFA2012.

Xperia Product blog profile: Sony Mobile designers.

Guys, in what will become a regular feature here on the blog to give you a little insight in what goes into the creation of Xperia smartphones from Sony, I recently sat down with two of our designers – Tom Waldner, Acting Head of Creative Product Design and David de Léon, Interaction Director Human Interface Design, to talk about personal inspirations, Sony design philosophy and the synergy between technology and design.

Enjoy…

Please tell us a little about yourself – who are you, where you’ve been and where you’re going… 

TW: I´m a Californian that moved to Sweden in 1984 to be with my Swedish girlfriend; we celebrated 30 years together in August this year.

I started designing and stuff when I was small boy; we were into water sports so when I was 7-8 years-old, one of the first things I made was a skimboard. I remember getting my mom to take me to the building supply store in Canoga Park so I could get a scrap of plywood. Somehow, I think my older friend Phil helped me, I figured out how to make one. Using my dad´s electric jigsaw I cut it out, filed the edges smooth and painted my initials on it – a big red TW. I varnished it with a can of varnish my dad had laying around. When it was done, I showed it proudly to my dad and he said, “wow, did you make that yourself?”, “yepp!” “What is it?” “A skimboard, Dad!” “Did you use the electric saw?” “Oops!” I knew I was forbidden to use the saw without his oversight, but reassured him I had used the eye protection. He was happy with that and said, “looks like you had fun making it, be careful using the tools and don’t kill yourself using that thing at the beach.”

This is more or less what my life and career has been about since then: “have fun making and designing stuff, be careful, and don’t kill yourself doing it.”

DdL: I am a person with an insatiable curiosity, who loves ideas, as well as being surprised by new thoughts and perspectives. I guess that’s why I love stand-up comedy, magic tricks, and design. All of them involve a set up and a punch line. In the case of design, the set up is a problem to be solved, and the punch line is a clever and elegant solution to that problem.

At Sony Mobile I work with user interface designers, helping them to excel at what they do. I provide direction, give design feedback and help them overcome design hurdles. Before helping others design, I worked variously with usability testing, user research, interaction design, concept development, and have led teams of usability specialists and interaction designers.

My background is cognitive science, psychology and philosophy. Once upon a time I wrote a PhD thesis on the cognitive roles of artifacts…

The future? I expect that I will continue to suck parts of the world into my brain, try to make sense of it, create new ideas and then midwife them into various kinds of tangible existence.

Where do you find inspiration? 

TW: Actually everywhere – Curiosity.

My colleagues are always full of ideas, challenging my ideas, making me think hard and giving new impetus.

Reading all kinds of stuff- from science, human behavior, psychology, to humor and sci-fi. Listening to programs like Hearing Voices, This American Life, Sci Fri from National Public Radio podcasts.

Being active in sports like kite surfing and stand-up paddling and using web forums to communicate with people around the globe with common interests, but varying demographic and background gives me alternative perspectives.

DdL: Did I mention comedy, magic, and design? My inspiration also comes from the thinking about minutiae of ordinary everyday human behaviour, and from compulsively analysing designed objects and figuring out how they work. I also get a big kick out of working and talking with bright and creative people. Any spare moment I have is usually spent reading obsessively and promiscuously about all manner of things.

What design philosophy does the Xperia NXT series follow?

TW: To bring it down to earth- what is it that you have in your hand?

A minimalistic approach that retains a lot of character through very simple attributes.

DdL: The user interface for the Xperia NXT series is grounded in something we call Dynamic Minimalism. The goal is to create applications that focus on the most important things that users want to do. Then we layer in more complex functionality, making sure that it doesn’t get in the way of the basics things that people want to do. An alternative name for this is “good interaction design”.

How has becoming Sony impacted design philosophy?

TW: In general we have moved towards keeping the message simple – and having one pure essential message in the product design.

DdL: What we are trying to do remains, I think, the same, and was never far away from what the rest of what Sony has been trying to do. The difference is not philosophical, but practical. Being fully part of Sony has made it easier to integrate Sony technologies and services. I think it has also opened up our eyes, and made us pay even more attention to the ecology of things, how various devices interact, and services.

The transparent element is a unique part of Xperia NXT series’ design language – to what extent is it expressive over functional?

TW: Looking at it from the perspective of the consumer journey: first impression, first touch and over the life of the product, we strived to have a high level of Iconic impression with any logos or labels and recognizable for a distance.

Then when the product is touched, it gives a quality and precision feeling. Finally, during day-to-day use, over time, there is functionality provided through the design attributes that add purpose and joy of use.

DdL: I think Tom should answer this, but can’t resist pointing out that design is rarely just expressive or functional. It can be both. The transparent element makes a clear statement, but it also enables us to do some fun and useful things with illumination.

How closely do you work with UX/UI teams – how does their vision impact yours? Are there any challenges?

TW & DdL: Yes we work together, sharing our insights and visions – getting inspiration from each other. Back and forth, iterating and repeated sharing, we then tend to pull apart for a while and explore separately. Eventually the creation directions start to go in the same directions. It’s not a one-way influence, it goes both ways.

Sometimes the influence is during a discussion over lunch, waiting for a plane or at the coffee area…. there is great deal of coffee drank at Sony Mobile.

The actual creation work is done in parallel but not synced in time- it’s more like a line of diagonal waves that arrive at their destination at different time, not parallel waves all arriving at the same time. The main challenge is that the UI/HID teams and hardware design team have different time-to-market deliverables and time plans.

Digital tech continues to transform design; how do you see disciplines (product, interaction, process, industrial) compounding in the future? 

TW: There are at least 2 aspects to this:

One is the tools that are used and the resulting design processes. These have changed radically in the last 10 years. They continue to be more accessible and are getting more powerful and easy to use- for all professionals and even for the general public user. This is leading to the democratization of the creative professions- the death of the specialist, and even the end user taking over the creative work. This has happened in other arenas and will happen with product design/UI too- but there are many significant barriers in the way.

The second level is the way the products can be made and the way the products are used due to advances in digital technology and functionality. I agree that the design disciplines will have to work more closely or even be integrated in order to create the products that are possible in the future.

DdL: I think there is a huge, untapped potential here. The best of the digital and the best of the analog realms have yet to be merged. We are already seeing how digital technologies are enhancing and transforming physical things objects, and how physical things and interactions are shaping how we design and use technology. More than ever, the designer of the future will have to be a true renaissance person.

Who is your design hero and why?

TW: My design hero is Richard Lindahl, a relatively unknown Swedish designer (retired) that I worked with for 15 years; a quiet, unpretentious man that created some of Sweden’s iconic products without taking credit due.

DdL: For me the computing pioneer Douglas Engelbart stands out. What I find inspiring is his goal to empower people with computing tools, and the range and breadth of his work to realize that vision.

What advice would you give to young designers? 

TW: “GET OUT!” Just kidding. I actually say to interns (with a wink of the eye), that “if you have not reconsidered your career choice at the end of this internship, then we have failed.” My point being – grow a tough skin. Know your weaknesses and build competences in those areas. Have a skill to sell, it will get you in the door – everyone is a creative these days.

DdL: There are many different ways of being an effective designer. If you are a young designer, be careful when heeding the advice of old designers!

Having said that, what I think you should find where your talents and passions overlap. And, if you can, find something that only you can do. Something that is unique to you probably involves a mix of skills, passion and your unique personality and interests.

Less abstract advice, perhaps, would be to cultivate interests outside of design, to develop your empathy, and to experiment.

If you want to get good fast, get good at eliciting and making use of the feedback that you get.

Thanks to David and Tom for their time! 

SOURCE BY: blogs.sonymobile.com