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Sony Posts Android Open Source Project Code For The Xperia Tablet Z To GitHub

Jeremiah Rice — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:14:00 +0000

There's a lot to like about Sony's latest generation of Android devices. One od the things that most people don't like is the custom interface that Sony puts on pretty much everything. If you want to do away with it and get some sweet, clean Android Open Source Project code running on your shiny new Xperia Tablet Z, Sony is happy to oblige. They've posted an AOSP 4.2 build for the Tablet Z to GitHub, following their surprisingly open approach to other devices, most recently the Xperia Z flagship.

Sorry ROM aficionados, there's no flashable ROM package posted. Developers will need both the AOSP code and the binaries for their specific device (which you can find here) to build a working ROM, and end users need an unlocked bootloader, with the voided warranty that comes with it.

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Sony Posts Android Open Source Project Code For The Xperia Tablet Z To GitHub was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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

Jeremiah Rice — Mon, 13 May 2013 06:02:33 +0000

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.

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Sony Announces The Xperia ZR: A Tougher, More Waterproof Version Of The Xperia Z (Without The 1080p Screen) was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Sony, Wake Up: Selling A Boring Mid-Range Phone For Nearly $500 In The US Is The Definition Of 'Doing It Wrong'

David Ruddock — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:12:00 +0000

Hey Sony. It's been a while since I last ranted about how you're kinda-sorta screwing up that whole smartphone business of yours. In fact, it's been almost a year to the day. I had really hoped that by this year everyone's favorite Japanese electronics mega-corporation would have figured out the smartphone market to a reasonable extent in the US, but surprise: they haven't!

I really don't mean to single out Sony, but sometimes, it's very difficult to watch a company that is very clearly capable of making good products make such terrible decisions.

While the company's most-recent flagship handsets, the Xperia Z and ZL, have been far from hated by critics, neither has received much in the way of real acclaim, and it's not difficult to see why: they're simply not as good as handsets from the likes of Samsung and HTC.

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Sony, Wake Up: Selling A Boring Mid-Range Phone For Nearly $500 In The US Is The Definition Of 'Doing It Wrong' was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Sony Xperia Z Is All But Confirmed For T-Mobile, Thanks To FCC Filing - User Manual Included As Well

Jeremiah Rice — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:34:33 +0000

Does the HTC One leave you cold, T-Mobile customer? Tired of all the plastic on Galaxies big and small? Then look at this filing in the Federal Communication Commission's ever-expanding database of certified wireless devices. It's the Xperia Z, Sony's current flagship model, with wireless bands for T-Mobile's standard HSPA+ network and its shiny new LTE spectrum as well. That makes the stylish smartphone as close to a done deal as we're likely to get until T-Mobile starts its press campaign.

Still not convinced? An FCC filing doesn't mean a device will actually appear on American shores, but that's usually only true for international models (sometimes erroneously referred to as having "AT&T bands").

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Sony Xperia Z Is All But Confirmed For T-Mobile, Thanks To FCC Filing - User Manual Included As Well was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

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

Liam Spradlin — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 18:06:50 +0000

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.

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Sony Announces Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) For The Xperia P, go, And E Dual - Rollout Starts This Week; Xperia S, SL, acro S, ion End Of May

Cameron Summerson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:36:00 +0000

It's been a long time coming, guys – we've definitely seen our fair share of upset Xperia P owners who've been waiting for this update. But, the good news is that it's finally here, and the P is joined by the go and E Dual.

According to the Sony blog, the 4.1 update not only brings Jelly Bean, but also a slew of new enhancements that Sony has been working to "blend" with the OS. Among these new features, you'll find updated versions of WALKMAN, Album, and movies; a way to make your battery last longer with "Battery STAMINA Mode," a more customizable launcher, more home screens, and more.

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Sony Releases Pure AOSP For The Xperia Z To Its GitHub, Encourages Developers To Hack Away

Cameron Summerson — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:08:00 +0000

Back in August of '12, Sony teamed up with Google to make the Xperia S an officially supported AOSP device. The project initially got off to a decent start, but after an issue with some proprietary software binaries that couldn't be released by either Sony or Google, the project was canned on the official side and moved to Sony's GitHub, where it can still be found today.

Now, the company is doing something similar with the Xperia Z, minus Google's interaction from the get-go. It has released full AOSP for the Z to its GitHub, along with most of the proprietary binaries needed to get things going.

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Sony Releases Pure AOSP For The Xperia Z To Its GitHub, Encourages Developers To Hack Away was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

[Update: Changelog] Sony Announces Jelly Bean (4.1.1) For The Xperia Tablet S, Should Begin Rolling Out Tomorrow

Cameron Summerson — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:27:00 +0000

Owners of Sony's Xperia Tablet S, it's time to get excited. Sony just announced that Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.1 in this case) will hit its production servers tomorrow morning between 9AM and 10AM PST, which means an OTA is on its way.

The update will be available in the United States, Canada, and Latin America, though it will apparently be rolling out in stages across the various locations.

The full changelog has yet to be published, but Sony notes that it should be available on its Xperia Tablet S eSupport page once the build hits the update servers.

via Sony Forums

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[Update: Changelog] Sony Announces Jelly Bean (4.1.1) For The Xperia Tablet S, Should Begin Rolling Out Tomorrow was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

[Update: More Devices] CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightlies Go Live For The Sony Xperia Z and Xperia V

Cody Toombs — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:23:24 +0000

It seems that the CyanogenMod team is on a roll with Sony devices. Just yesterday the first nightly turned up for the Xperia ZL, and today the Xperia Z and Xperia V are joining the ranks. We know the two phones can survive water and boiling soup, but thanks to CyanogenMod, they will now survive the test of time with the latest versions of Android.

Definition: A "nightly" is a bleeding edge release that is built on a daily basis, usually at night after a full day's worth of new code has been committed.

It could oftentimes be unstable and not properly tested, lacking any changelogs, but eventually evolving into alphas, betas, release candidates, and finally stable releases.

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[Update: More Devices] CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightlies Go Live For The Sony Xperia Z and Xperia V was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightlies Show Up For The Sony Xperia ZL

Cody Toombs — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 03:04:20 +0000

The CyanogenMod crew is at it again, welcoming a new device into the fold. This time around, the Xperia ZL is joining the extensive collection of devices with CM 10.1 support.

Definition: A "nightly" is a bleeding edge release that is built on a daily basis, usually at night after a full day's worth of new code has been committed.

It could oftentimes be unstable and not properly tested, lacking any changelogs, but eventually evolving into alphas, betas, release candidates, and finally stable releases.

Sony's latest flagship has only been available internationally for a few weeks, and US pre-orders aren't expected to begin shipping for 2 more days.

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CyanogenMod 10.1 Nightlies Show Up For The Sony Xperia ZL was written by the awesome team at Android Police.