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Jul

"Minecraft - Pocket Edition" For Android Arriving In Fall 2011 For $6.99, Will Be Exclusive To The Xperia Play "For Some Period Of Time"

Posted by John Thompson in Games, News, Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone)

We've known that Minecraft is coming to Android for some time now - we even witnessed a video of the game in action on the Xperia Play back in May. What we didn't know, however, was when it would become available on the Market and how much it would cost for eager gamers to take everyone's favorite pixelated game with them on the go.

Thanks to an interview conducted at IGN with Minecraft's lead developer, Markus Persson, we now have some more details about the upcoming title.

According to Persson, Minecraft on Android will be dubbed 'Minecraft - Pocket Edition', and although it will be launching as an exclusive to Sony's Xperia Play, it won't stay that way forever.

Jun

Two New Sony Phones: Meet The Xperia Ray And Xperia Active - With Maria Sharapova

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Xperia Active (Satsuma), Xperia Ray (Urushi, ST18i)

Last Updated: August 20th, 2012

Update: Now with video goodness. In fact, you can watch Maria Sharapova (don't get too excited) talk about the Xperia Active. And hey, she knows about active lifestyle phones, because she's sporty.

Catch the other videos about the Ray (here, and here) and the Active (here). You know, if you want. Also, the word "lifestyle" was definitely used in describing the design of the Ray. I felt queasy.

Today at CommunicAsia (we've never heard of it, either) Sony-Ericsson announced two additions to the Android-powered Xperia line of smartphones: the Ray and Active. Both phones are niche sort of "lifestyle" devices, and will probably be marketed more heavily in Japan than the rest of the world.

Jun

[Leak] [Update] Is This The Sony Xperia Duo?

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Xperia Duo

Update: Another picture has surfaced over at IT168, and this time the Xperia duo name is quite clear underneath.

A mysterious device that most are pegging as the upcoming Sony Xperia Duo has made a cameo over at Chinese website IT168. Rumor has it the the Duo moniker suggests that this will be the first dual-core device from Sony, but we have nothing that confirms (or denies) that info, so take it at face value.

Very little is known about this device at the time - the pictures suggest a near edge-to-edge display and a possible front facing camera, but that's about it.

Jun

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 To Get Gingerbread In August (For Some Users, Anyway)

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Xperia X10 (es209ra)

We first told you back in March that Sony would be bringing Gingerbread to non-carrier-branded Xperia X10 units, with a late Q2/early Q3 arrival. With the end of Q2 quickly approaching, Sony posted a new entry on its Product Blog this morning stating that "the current plan is [to] start the roll-out [at] the beginning of August," which hits the early Q3 target date right on the head.

This update will include the same camera app that is found in the Éclair version (this has apparently been a pretty big issue amongst X10 owners), as well as a lot of features found on the newer Xperia phones - like Facebook inside Xperia, the updated UI with pinch-to-overview, and an integrated EQ in the music player.

Jun

Sony Xperia Play Review: Finally, An Android Phone For Gaming - And Not Much Else

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Phone Reviews, Reviews, Sony Ericsson, Verizon Wireless, Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone)

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

It's been quite some time since we first heard rumblings of the PlayStation phone. The concept - a high-end Android phone mashed together with familiar PlayStation controls - seemed like one that could revolutionize gaming on Android. In theory, this device could have done just that.

Unfortunately, in a world where dual core devices are becoming more and more the norm, the Xperia Play's single-core Snapdragon processor (as fast as it is) is already incompatible with some high-end games, such as those optimized for Tegra 2 devices. And it's hard to justify purchasing the phone when the rest of the device has taken a backseat to the all-important gamepad.

Jun

[Deal Alert] Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY for Less Than A Dollar At Amazon Wireless And Wirefly

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Deals, News, Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone)

This is quite the deal if you've been thinking about getting an Xperia PLAY: with a new two-year agreement, you can get the one-and-only Playstation phone for less than one dollar at both Amazon and Wirefly - $0.01 and $0.99 respectively, to be exact. If you're already on VZW, you can still score this device for $50 with a two-year agreement renewal.

Even though both retailers are offering similar deals, if you decide to buy from Wirefly, you'll get a $25 Android Market Card good towards to purchase of new apps and games, which makes this an overall better deal (if you like free stuff, that is).

Jun

Sony Ericsson Announces Xperia PLAY Experience Pack: A Dock, Some Cables, And A Few Free Games

Posted by Cameron Summerson in News, Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone)

If you're the proud owner of the recently released Xperia PLAY, then you'll probably welcome what Sony Ericsson announced today via its product blog: the Xperia PLAY Experience Pack. Sounds pretty intense, right? The contents: a multimedia dock, pocket USB cable, "music cable to connect the dock to your audio system," and three free games from Gameloft. Ah, that last part got your attention, yes?

Before I drop the list of games that you can choose from, lets talk about the multimedia dock for a second. First off - I think that every Android phone in existence should have its own multimedia dock, and even though I don't have an Xperia PLAY, this makes me happy for those who do.

May

AT&T Sony Ericsson X10 Android 2.1 Update Is Available Now... Welcome To Two Years Ago

Posted by Cameron Summerson in AT&T, Eclair 2.1, News, Xperia X10 (es209ra)

In this line of work, I get the chance to write about things that are new and exciting. Other times, however, that's just not the case. There are times when writing about certain subjects just makes me sad... and this is one of those times. Sure, it may be good news in a sense, but the fact that I am sitting here, on May 31, 2011, reporting an update to Android 2.1... well, that's just disappointing. Regardless of that, though, here are the deetz on the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Android 2.1 update.

First off, unlike most modern-day updates, this one does not come over the air - you'll have to use Sony Ericsson's PC Companion software for Windows (you can get it here).

May

[Hands-On and Initial Review] Xperia Play: The PlayStation Phone Hits The U.S.

Posted by Nate Kimmey in Phone Reviews, Reviews, Verizon Wireless, Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone)

Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

Note: Most of the pictures in this hands-on were taken by a second Xperia Play unit, so you can use those to judge the quality of the camera.

The saga of the PlayStation phone has been a long one, but we finally have the device in our hands. Some I/O attendees received their own, but now Verizon customers can get the device for themselves. A full review will be available in the coming days, but for now, here are my initial thoughts on the Xperia Play.

First, a refresher on the specs:

4.0" LCD, 854 x 480 display
Android 2.3.2
1 GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon processor
5 megapixel camera with flash
Front-facing camera
512 MB RAM

The first thing I noticed when holding the phone was the thickness and weight.

May

[Deal Alert] Verizon Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY On Sale For $100 For New Accounts, $150 For Upgrades

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Deals, Verizon Wireless, Xperia Play (Zeus, PlayStation Phone)

The ~~Playstation phone~~ Xperia PLAY may not have quite hit store shelves yet, but it has been up for pre-order for a few days now. Amazon and Wirefly are both stepping up their game in an attempt to beat Verizon's price of $200 with contract, though, and have discounted prices accordingly. Specifically, Amazon has dropped the price for new accounts to just $100, and upgrades are $150. Wirefly has pegged both prices at $150, but hopefully they reflect Amazon's lower price in order to stay competitive. Then again, Wirefly includes a $25 Android Market Card and free backup service for life.