12
May
Xperia_ZR_Black_Group

Sony Announces The Xperia ZR: A Tougher, More Waterproof Version Of The Xperia Z (Without The 1080p Screen)

Posted by in News, Sony

The Xperia Z is a pretty spiffy flagship phone, and tough as well, thanks to its IP55/IP57 Ingress Protection rating. But now there's a more specialized model coming, the Xperia ZR, designed specifically for waterproof functioning in even wetter environments. The new phone is manufactured to the higher IP55/IP58 standard, meaning that it can be safely submersed in 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes.

The Xperia ZR roughly follows the Z's design, getting rid of some of the slim lines and premium materials for the sake of its more waterproof chassis. It looks a lot like the slightly down-market ZL, in fact, with a 10.4mm-thick plastic body.

28
Apr
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Sony's Xperia Tablet Z Up For Pre-Order In The US

Posted by in News, Sony, Xperia Tablet Z

Sony's Xperia Tablet Z, the tablet first announced for Japan about three months ago, and spotted again at MWC, is finally up for pre-order for those customers awaiting the device's US launch.

When we saw the Tablet Z in person at Mobile World Congress, its super thin, super light water/dust-resistant frame impressed. Its 1920x1200 10.1" display, S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM and promised Android 4.2 base also sounded good on paper, but we concluded it could still be held back by two things: a 6000mAh battery, and a $500 price point for the 16GB model.

Sony announced the tablet's pre-order availability in a post to its official blog today, adding a new video featuring Dreyfus, Sony's loveable three-legged spokesdog.

26
Feb
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[Video] Sony Invites Us To Make New Memories With The Xperia Z In Nostalgic New Commercial

Posted by in Sony, Videos, Xperia Z, Xperia ZL

There are a few surefire ways to get straight to a consumer's heart, and one of them is nostalgia. People love to be reminded of the good old days, and Sony has done just that, uploading a new Xperia Z spot that will take viewers back to the moon mission, the Berlin wall, roller skating on the beach, and playing video games, all with Sony products.

The ad then continues with a young couple joining in a Holi celebration using the Xperia Z, showing that Sony hasn't abandoned its iconic role in capturing or enhancing your most memorable moments. The video finishes by showing that, after running through plumes of colored powder and revelry, you can simply rinse the phone clean – after all, it's waterproof.

17
Dec
2012-12-17_13h44_38

Sony Announces Updates To Its Jelly Bean Schedule: Xperia T, TX & V Will Have It By February Or March

Posted by in News, Sony

I suppose you have to give Sony credit for at least keeping its customers informed. Today, the manufacturer announced an update to its plans for bringing its phones up to Jelly Bean. If you're rocking the Xperia T, Xperia TX, or Xperia V, you should see Android 4.1 "during February and March." Of course, this will depend on what market you're in or which variant you own.

Following those flagships, the Xperia P, Xperia J and Xperia go will start to receive their upgrades starting around the end of March. Following that release, the Xperia S, Xperia SL, Xperia ion and the Xperia acro S will be updated "in the subsequent weeks." Of course, schedules are always subject to change, but all of this information lines up pretty well with what we've heard before from the company.

06
Dec
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Sony Releases New 'Flash Tool', Lets You Easily Flash Stock Firmware On Your Bootloader Unlocked Xperia Device

Posted by in News, Sony

It's no secret that Sony has been a long-time supporter of the custom ROM community, but now the company has released a tool that lets owners of bootloader unlocked Xperia devices easily return back to stock firmware from a custom ROM. According to Sony's blog post, this tool has been oft-requested by the community, so it's good to see Sony deliver on that.

As mentioned, use of this tool requires the bootloader to be unlocked on supported Xperia devices, but past that, it seems pretty simple and intuitive to use. A tool like this is fantastic for anyone who's on the fence about running custom software on their phone, as it allows them to easily return back to stock.

05
Dec
2012-12-05_12h33_38

Sony Announces Xperia E And E Dual, Low-End Jelly Bean Handsets, Optional Dual-SIM

Posted by in News, Sony

Sometimes, it can be a bit arguable what counts as a "low end" phone these days. Even cheap phones are so powerful that calling them anything lower than mid-range can seem insulting. This one, however, makes us pretty comfortable with the moniker. With a 1GHz Snapdragon S1 processor, a 320x480 TFT display, and a 3.2MP rear camera, the Xperia E fills out Sony's budget line just fine.

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Optionally, the Xperia E Dual has the option for dual SIM card slots, which is great for business users, and those who need to work with multiple networks. And, in what must be a treat for anyone looking to buy on this end of the handset market, the regular E ships with Jelly Bean, while the E Dual will receive the upgrade soon.

19
Oct
2012-10-19_11h43_25

Sony Confirms 2012 Smartphones Will Receive Jelly Bean In 2013, 2011 Devices Are Stuck On ICS

Posted by in News, Sony

Straight from the horse's mouth is always the best way to hear about updates, even if it's less-than-stellar news. Today, Sony confirmed its schedule for Jelly Bean updates on its line of phones. For starters, the recently-launched Xperia T and Xperia TX will be upgraded "from mid-Q1 2013." This will put the latest and greatest from Sony a solid six months behind Android 4.1's initial launch and, if our guess is correct, at least a few months behind the possible release of Android 4.2.

After that, the rest of Sony's 2012 lineup, including the Xperia S, Xperia acro S, Xperia ion, Xperia P, Xperia go and Xperia J will all be upgraded to Jelly Bean sometime next year.

04
Sep
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Sony Isn't Considering Competing With Tablet Pricing, Going After Samsung's Crown As 'Top' Android Tablet Manufacturer

Posted by in News, Sony, Xperia Tablet S

When Sony announced its newest tablet last week at IFA, the Xperia Tablet S, we wondered how they'd price the device. It didn't take long before we learned that info, and as expected, it was priced out of the market. At $399 for the 16GB version, $499 for the 32GB, and $599 for the 64GB version, it was clear that Sony didn't take into consideration the competition.

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Today, in an interview with Reuters, an executive VP with Sony, Kunimasa Suzuki, verified exactly that to be true. He was quoted as saying "we aren't considering competing on price in tablets." The reason?

29
Aug
2012-08-29_11h09_37

[IFA 2012] Introducing the Sony Xperia J - An 'Affordable' Smartphone That Manages To Impress

Posted by in News, Sony

Sony's just dropped a batch of bombshells on us today during an IFA press conference. Among the headlining new devices, the Xperia J which is being billed as an affordable smartphone with a "standout screen size." That "standout" size is 4", by the way. We're not entirely sure who Sony thinks they're going to impress with four inches, but the rest of the specs actually seem like a pretty good deal if the price is right.

Specifications

  • 9.2mm slim stylish design
  • 4.0" FWVGA (480x854) TFT display (244 ppi)
  • 1GHz Qualcomm MSM7227A (single core)
  • 5MP rear camera
  • DLNA certified
  • "Up to 4GB" flash storage, microSD expandable up to 32GB
  • Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

This device won't be winning any performance awards, but with a high-resolution display and what could be a decent camera, this may be just what international users are looking to pick up off-contract.

21
Aug
sony-begins-rollout-of-ice-cream-sandwich-to-the-xperia-arc-s-neo-v-and-ray-in-nordic-countries

Sony Continues Its Ice Cream Sandwich Rollout, Promises Updates For The Xperia Arc, Arc S, Neo, Neo V, Mini, Pro, Active, And Ray This Week

Posted by in Xperia Active (Satsuma), Xperia Arc (Anzu, X12), Xperia Arc S, Xperia Mini / Mini Pro (Smultron / Mango), Xperia Neo (Hallon), Xperia Neo V (Haida), Xperia Pro (Iyokan), Xperia Ray (Urushi, ST18i)

It was only last week that Sony began to update the Xperia P with Ice Cream Sandwich, but it looks like the company is now going full steam ahead and bringing the update to no fewer than 8 more devices this week.

A post on the Sony Xperia Product Blog this morning said that the update will be coming to the arc, arc S, neo, neo V, mini, pro, active, and ray "starting from this week". Depending on the country that you live in, you may have to wait a little longer for the update, as it will have to be approved by local carriers before it's rolled out.

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