Sony Ericssons new Android Phone, the Walkman W8

In order to survive in today’s market, you cannot simply target high end smartphone users who need the latest and greatest. Sony Ericsson, traditionally a company who offered a wide range of Symbian based phones has seen its bottom line take a hit as of recent, due to the fact that with their transition towards Android, they haven’t had a phone offering for those who wish for a little less. Now the company is looking to change that by releasing the Walkman W8. If the phone looks surprisingly familiar to you, that’s because the phone was previously released under the name of Xperia X8. Now with the company moving forward with much higher end phones like the Xperia Play and Arc, the company hopes that the fleet of Xperia X8’s that the company once produced can help it capture a different market share. The Walkman W8 which comes in many new fun colors has the following specs:

• Android 2.1
• 3-inch, 320 x 480 touchscreen
• 600MHz processor
• 168MB of RAM
• 3G and Wifi
• 3.2 Megapixel camera

The new Walkman phone is currently announced on Sony Ericssons German page though we assume that the phone will make its way to the states as well. No price has been announced though you can hit the jump for some additional pictures. What do you guys think though? Great phone for those need something a little simpler, yet still want access to the Android market?

[Via Sony Ericsson]

Sony Announces Photo Movie Creator App for Android Phones and iOS Devices

Do you have a ton of photos stored up on your Android phone or iOS device? Would you like to do a little more with them then just flick through? If so, Sony has just the app for you, called the Photo Movie Creator. Being released for all Android based phones and not just Sony Ericsson models as well as iOS devices like the iPhone and iPod Touch, this new app allows you to create movies (though I would call them slideshows) with music stored on your phone. Sony will give you a choice of 18 different templates which can then be emailed or published directly to Facebook from the App. Android users can jump in right now snap this app up for $2.49 app (free trial available) but iOS users will have to wait till May. Hit the jump for a video demo.

Sony Ericsson Posts Small First Quarter Profit

Of all the different handset makers out there, Sony Ericsson seems to be one the most interesting ones to follow when it comes to the companies financial side. The company which has previously seen huge losses was able to post a €21 million net income during the prior quarter, mainly thanks to tax benefits. With no tax benifits to aid the companies bottom line, the joint venture between Japan’s Sony Electronic and Sweeden’s Ericsson was able to bring in €
11 million ($15.7 million) for their first 2011 quarter which ended on March 31st. The companies operating income was €19 million which faired much better then a forecasted operating loss of €15 million.

With the number of handsets shipped dropping to 8.1 million from 10.5 million of prior quarter, sales fell 19% year-on-year to €1.15 billion. Still, Sony Ericsson was able to pull out a 33% gross margin profit on each unit, versus the 31% from the year prior. With Sony Ericsson fully embracing the Android platform and releasing muliple smartphones, the average selling price of handsets sold rose to €141, up 5% year-on-year.

“On profitability, the results are better than we expected, but that’s because they sold fewer of the more basic feature phones. That explains the volume drop and the ASP increase,” said Hakan Wranne, an analyst at Swedbank.

Sony Ericsson Gains its Own Channel in Android Market

Those of you who own a Sony Ericsson phone will as of today notice a change when you access the Android Market. Traditionally when opened, you would be greeted to Apps, Games and My apps category. Now, you will notice that My apps category is gone, instead replaced by a Sony Ericsson channel. First, no need to fear, those of you who liked the My apps category can still access it by simply pushing the menu button. So what is this new channel? Sony Ericsson has taken the first inititative among Android handset makers, though we believe many are/will follow shortly and created it’s own channel, only visible to those who own Sony Ericsson handsets. Within the channel, you will find special apps that are designed and catered to Sony Ericsson phones. As Sony put it:

– Provide recommendations to help you find the best games & apps that enhance your Sony Ericsson ‘most entertaining’ experience.
– Provide a way to easily find original apps from Sony Ericsson such as Timescape plugins etc.
– From time to time offer exclusive games & apps only available in this channel.
– Help our developer partners promote their apps & games giving them a highlighted market space to our consumers.

Those who own are looking forward to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play will probably see a lot of action here, seeing how the phone is gaining some exclusive games like Backstab from Gameloft and will have access to the PlayStation One library, long before other Android phones do.

[Via Sony Ericsson Blog]

Another Ad for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, Mixing Kittens and Crossbows

Have you seen the previous ad for the Xperia Play? If not, your missing out on “stuff” blowing up. Now, here is another followup at, highlighting what makes the Xperia Play, with it’s exclusive games different from the rest of the Android gang.

Will the PlayStation 3 Receive Google Chrome for its Future Web Browser?

PlayStation 3 users have been a lucky bunch from the beginning, being the only console on the market with a web browser. As it is, the browser is a functional one with full flash support , giving users access to sites like YouTube, Facebook,  IGN, and our very own (can’t help but plug ourselves in as well). From its inception, much like the PlayStation 3, Sony has done much to beef up the browser and make it a smoother and more powerful experience. Still, there is no denying that compared to your computer or even iPhone, the browsing experience is subpar. Especially if you have a laptop or iPad sitting around, there is no question that you will reach for that, over the PS3 web browser.

Now, it looks like things could change for the better for those of you need access to a better web browsing experience from their PS3. It’s really been a well document experience that the folks over at Sony and Google have become cosy over the last year. Sony has thrown its full support behind the Google TV initiative and offers an entire TV lineup based around the idea, and a separate Blu-ray Internet unit as well. Then, there is Sony Ericssons lineup of Android phone with Sony even hoping to reach the status as a top Android handset maker. It only makes sense for Google to give some love back to Sony and help beef up their product offerings and we’re sure that won’t mind the increased market share. Still, these are only hopes and wants and we don’t tend to report on those alone. Instead, the guys over at PS3 Life have discovered that within the recently updated webkit for the PlayStation 3 browser, lies the code from Google Chrome browser.

I’m going through ps3-webkit-support.diff because I’m bored. Looks like we’re getting Chrome Actually, since Geoff’s added a couple of files for ChromeClientPOSIX.

Naturally the full source of His changes are in that. Diff file also. From what I can tell, the only posix platform refers to the PS3 in webkit, It does not show up at all in the mainline source code (Unix versions are under Their Typically widget library like Qt or gtk). There’s a lot of Functions That Are not Implemented, but they’re Mainly Ones That involvement windowing That You Would not expect to be supported on the PS3.

Might this not mean much since I do not see the cool stuff from Chrome theses sources, like bookmark syncing, but it’s a freaking huge project., And only covers what the diff Needed to be changed so it works on the PS3. Might it not just get Chrome branding visible to the user, but I think if he’s calling it chrome client, we can expect good things for the future.

Those looking to see just what’s inside of this webkit can click here and dig a little deeper for themselves. Many times, companies place codes within their SDK that never come to fruition, due to cost or other initiatives taking precedent. However, the idea of a new web browser is too big of a feature for Sony to simply be testing the idea in just a closed environment and with previous rumors on this subject matter, we cant help but think that it’s only a matter time before the PlayStation 3 receives the Chrome web browser.

Do you currently use the PS3’s web browser and if not. how come? Also, what do you think about a beefed up web browsing experience on the PS3? Would you go back to using it if Chrome did indeed come to the PS3?

[Via PS3 Life]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Acro Leaked. We Have Details

In both the Android and Sony Ericsson community, there has been a debate brewing if Sony is planning on introducing more phones this year, beyond the Xperia Play, Arc, Neo and Mini Pro. If no new phones are released this year, does that make the Xperia Arc, Sony’s flagship phone? If there will be more phones coming, will they rank up with the Xperia Arc and be flagship based models? Now, with the leaked images and partial specs of the Xperia Acro, we might have the answer to that. Much like the Xperia Arc, the Acro will be coming with Gingerbread, Android 2.3.3 and will sport the same 4.2-inch touchscreen display. What seems to have changed is the inclusion of a TV Tuner, infrared and mobile wallet (NFC).

Beyond these few tidbit, we don’t know much about this phone and those could very well be all the changes that will be going into this phone. If true, this could indeed be a phone only destined for Europe and Japan where NFC systems and Mobile TV have actual presence. Of course if all these are true and welcomed features, I wouldn’t deem them a Flagship based model as it likely won’t be coming to the US, nor a model that everybody would want. If everything holds together, look for a Summer European or Japan release though with recent events in Japan, we have seen delays from Sony Ericsson. Are the additional features something that interest you or if the Arc enough of a phone for you?

[Via AndroidGuys]

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 on Sale at Best Buy for $1

Thanks to a report from Engadget, Best Buy is selling the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 for just $1. As the guys over there point out, they cannot find the deal online so this mean be an indication that Best Buy is looking to clear their inventory out and might be just an in store deal. As we reported last week, Sony has now changed it’s mind and will be pushing out Android 2.3 to all Xperia X10 user, making this deal, that much more tantalizing. Have you seen the Xperia X10 on sale at your local Best Buy?

[Via Engadget]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Ad Helps You Blow Up Stuff

Do you like having a smartphone with email, calendar, thousands of apps, and camera/camcorder with geotagging access? Do you like to watch lots of YouTube videos but have an itch to blow $h*t up more often than not? May we present you the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 to Get Android 2.3 After All

Wow, call us shocked, surprised, and happy for Sony Ericsson owners but before we get into the details, lets back up a little bit to see how all of this unfolded and why this news is actually a big deal. Sony like many other handset makers was left in turmoil after the introduction of the iPhone with no particular plan of action to counter Apple. Like many others, Android seemed the sure way to fight off Apple and with Google continuously updating and expanding Android, Sony Ericsson like others could instead focus on making their build personal and their phone unique. During 2010, Sony released quite a few of different Android phones, ranging from the Xperia X8, to the Xperia X10 Xperia X10 Mini and Pro. Though fine phones on their own, compared to the slew of handsets in the market, the Sony Ericsson phones all shipped with out dated Android builds. In fact, when Sony shipped the Xperia X10 in late 2010 with Android 1.6, most other developers has already been shipping with Android 2.1 and were transition to Android 2.2, seeing how Android 1.6 had been out for almost a year. This left Sony’s handsets at a disadvantage, with an older, more problematic build, compared to other devices. Sony did however promise to deliver a new Android build and during the last few days of 2010, they did manage to give the Xperia X10 series a bump to Android 2.1 which again was already outdated. Soon, Sony announced that they had no plans to release any further updates for their 2010 phones. Irony would of course set in only a few weeks later when Sony released their Reader App for the Android Market which required Android 2.2 or higher, leaving out Sony’s entire lineup of phones.

That was 2010 and since then, Sony has recognized that they have made mistakes during that period and have stated that 2011 will be different. With the current batch of new phones that are set to arrive, we have every intension to believe Sony’s claims, and now, we are more confident then ever that though they might not become the top Android maker quite yet, there is some form of strategy being put together behind the scenes.  You see, Sony has realized that it’s in their best intentions to give their older phones a bump of new life and that is exactly what they are doing. Sony Ericsson has announced that the Xperia X10 will be jumping from Android 2.1 to Android 2.3, specially, the Android 2.3.3 (the latest) build in late Q2, early Q3 of 2011.

We plan to bring an upgrade to Android Gingerbread for the XperiaTM X10 to generic trade kits end Q2 / early Q3 this year.

[Via Sony Ericsson Blog]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Games to Range from $1.50 to $16

As we continue to learn more and more as we get closer to the North American launch of Sony Ericssons gaming focused, Android Smartphone, the Xperia Play. By now, it’s apparent that even though this new phone will feature all the staples of a modern Android phone with the latest Android OS 2.3 Gingerbread, the real focus of the Xperia Play is gamers out there. Not only will the Xperia Play have access to nearly all Android based game with its 4-inch, 854 x 480 multi-touch LCD screen, but also exclusive games, designed for certified PlayStation Suit Android phones which have the capability of playing PlayStation One games. With the Xperia Play being the first of the PlayStation Suit certified phones to hit the market, all eyes were on the pricing scheme that would follow and as we have now learned, it’s really nothing to write home about. As in, prices are expected to be between $1.50 and a high of $16 which is fairly normal on both the Android Market and iOS Appstore. Of course, at the end of the day, it’s really in the hand of developers to set the price for their game but going off these numbers, it seems that Xperia Play users will not be hit with some form of premium pricing, just because they have a gaming enabled smartphone.

[Via MCVUK]

Those Sony Ericsson Windows Phone 7 are ‘old prototype’

Before Sony Ericsson put the company’s full resources behind the Android platform, many wondered if Sony would expand into different platforms and back the new and upcoming OS from Microsoft, Windows Phone 7. Sony Ericsson France CEO Pierre Perron went on record with a simple note likely, pointing to the fact that there would too many limitations and the company would “run the risk of standardizing [their] smartphones.” Still, many wondered what a Windows Phone 7 would look like from Sony and now thanks to images, we have a clue. Though these pictures are from an old prototype, you can see that Sony was keeping a design structure similar to some of their upcoming Android devices, which feature a slide-out keyboard with the home button and back button at the bottom. We remind you though that these are indeed old and it is very doubtful that Sony will get behind the Windows Phone 7 platform.

[Via Slashgear]

Full Sony Ericsson Xperia Play ‘The Donor’ Commercial

Remember that Sony Ericsson commercial during the Super Bowl? The creepy one with the Android robot getting a human thumb so it could play better games? Well, there is more to it than that. We can now bring you the full commercial which will put a little more context to the entire premise. Still, we hope Sony will go with something less gritty when the product launches, though this does beckon your attention. Then again, if anybody remembers the crying baby commercials during the PS3 launch year…yea, that didn’t go over too well.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Priced and Dated for Spain

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play is a hot and leading phone for Sony. Combining the latest from Android (Gingerbread 2.3) and giving the users a taste of PlayStation on the go, this soon-to-be-released phone has many things going for it. Sony Ericsson also has high hopes for the device. Though the company sold over 9 million Android phones last year, the company was hardly able to make a dent or appearance in the US market. One of the ways Sony is looking to change this is with the Xperia Play, targeting smartphone users with the need for more gaming. Now we have learned that the Xperia Play will launch in the UK on March 31st and follow into Spain on April 1st. The only piece of the puzzle remaining is the price of the device, which Sony Ericsson has announced is €649 for Spain, which translates to roughly a little over $900. Now, before we all freak out, we have to take into consideration that this is the price for an unlocked Xperia Play with no contract. We should also take note that there is a big difference between the value of Euro and the dollar so an exact conversion does not give the whole picture. To put things into context, the iPhone 4 with no contract is over $600 in the US which we imagine is even higher in Europe. It will be interesting to see what price the Xperia Play gets tagged with, once carrier subsidies are factored in which helps drive the price of the iPhone 4 down to $200 with a two-year contract.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

US Smartphone Market Share Visualized, Sony Ericsson Currently Not On Radar

In the past few months, Sony Ericsson has made huge strides with their Android ambitions and in the following two months, we will see the fruition of them. Though Sony Ericsson did have a few phones like the Xperia X10 and the Xperia X8 available in the US in 2010, the Android phones were released without a strategic plan, provider partnership or advertisement campaign. Now with their new lineup up Android 2.3 devices like the much anticipated Xperia Play and  Xperia Neo, Arc and Pro, Sony Ericsson will surely do better then the above graph.

[Via Nielsen]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Comes to Verizon in the US, Rogers in Canada (Updated 2x)

As we reported yesterday, we have a much better idea about the Xperia Play, now knowing the full spec list and games that will be offered on launch. We also reported that for the United States, the Xperia Play will be a Verizon Wireless exclusive. What we didn’t know is who our friends North of us would have as their carrier. Now we know that both the Xperia Play and Xperia Arc are coming to Canada and will be exclusive to Rogers. With a Spring release window set, we’re still awaiting an official launch date.

Update:

Looks like we are a little closer to an official date. Canada’s release window is now set for late March, similar to the US.

Hit the jump for the press release.

Update 2:

Since the product announcement, all information in regards to an exclusivity from Verizon have been taken down from both parties. As one of our readers pointed out, the Xperia Play is “gsm/hspa compatible (t-mo & at&t) with the availability to go to a cdma (code division multible access),” meaning that the phone can come to both Verizon and AT&T/T-Mobile. As we get closer to the launch date, expect us to report on the carrier status of this phone and Sony Ericssons other up coming Android phones like the Xperia Arc, Neo and Pro.

Thanks to SonyFanboy for the tip!

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Video

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is designed to cater to the smartphone user who wants to game on the go as well. Running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the Xperia Play is a fully loaded with the latest offerings from Android while giving PlayStation users a familiar pop out keypad, designed to satisfy the gamer on the go. If you haven’t already, read our previous post where we dive into the phone and it’s offerings. Bellow, you will find some videos from Sony Ericsson, highlighting the idea of the Xperia Play and some of the devices functionalities.

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play Retail Booths Leaked

The still unannounced PlayStation Phone of sorts, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, continues its streak of public leaks. The latest is the retail booths, designed to place in retailer outlets such Best Buy to help the product stand out from the now ever-so-crowded Android market. In this case, these booths emphasize the gaming capability of the Xperia Play, in hopes of drawing in the gamers on the go. As a quick recap, the Xperia Play will boast a 4-inch multitouch 854 x 480 LCD, 1GHz Processor, 512MB of RAM, 802.11 b/g/n, 8 Megapixel Camera with 720p Video Recording and Android 2.3 to name a few.

These booths come as a great step for Sony, helping to show off the company’s new phone as well as hopefully raise the company’s profile in the US. As we reported, Sony Ericsson has enjoyed some success in Europe, selling over 9 million Xperia X10 products. Still, we think the company has some way to go before it can really compete with the likes of HTC, LG and Motorola. This is more due in part to lack of brand awareness than quality of products.

[Via All About Phones]

Sony Ericsson Admits They’ve Made Mistakes, Says 2011 Will Be Better

It’s always humbling to see a company be willing to look back, reflect, and admit that they have made mistakes. It’s even better when the company has learned from the mistakes and is both willing and planning on doing better. With the Sony Ericsson Arc on the horizon, it seems that Sony Ericsson will indeed have a different attitude and offering during 2011.

“The first generation of handsets in our portfolio was about getting the capability out there”, Steve Walker (Acting) global head of marketing for Sony Ericsson.

During 2010, Sony released the Xperia X10, X10 Mini, X10 Mini Pro which have now surpassed 9 million shipped though they all shipped with outdated Android 1.6 and only recently saw an upgrade path to 2.1. This and a lack of marketing and strategy made it hard for Sony to stand out from the crowded Android market with the likes of HTC, Motorola and LG.

“It’s important to remember that 2010 was the first year for mass market Android handsets. Yes there had been one or two things out from HTC previously, but when we started to design our 2010 handsets in 2008, nobody really knew the dynamics of the Android smartphone market or even what the smartphone market was going to be”, explains Walker in respect of a range that hasn’t been too well received over the last 12 months.

“None of us could predict 2 years previously, to what extent users would switch into smartphones. None of us could really predict what would be more important and less important for consumers”.

Sony Ericsson Ships 9 million Xperia Android Phones

With Sony Ericssons Q4 results in, it turned out to be a case of good news bad news for the struggling partnership that has been having high hopes on their new phones. In the last year, Sony Ericsson has been looking to turn their fortunes around, especially with the rise of popular devices like the iPhone and Android has been their savior like almost all other phone makers. During this time, Sony has released the Xperia X10, X10 Mini, X10 Mini Pro which have now surpassed 9 million shipped. This is the good news for Sony and this achievement is that much more impressive when you consider that the Xperia X10 is the only one of the series that was released in the US and it was a product that was never advertised. Other sites have noted that this is equally impressive because most of this fleet was running around during 2010 with the outdated Android 1.6 and only recently saw an upgrade path to 2.1. Still the bad news is that this comes as profits dip with the company reporting a moderate €35 million pre-tax profit for Q4. Though this is below what the company had hoped for and lower then previous quarters, this is still a large turnaround for a division that was losing money left and right just a little over a year ago.

The NGP aka PSP2. We Have Full Specs

The PSP2 which is actually called the NGP (Next Generation Portable) although we are not sure if this will be the official name when it launches this Holiday season or not was finally shown off last night in Tokyo and we have both specs and official pictures to show you. First, the device is crazy powerful and packs a lot of up to date technology, something that the PSP and PSPgo both lack. In comparison to the Nintendo 3DS, there really isn’t one. The NGP is for people who take gaming, media and the connected life serious. But more on that later. Lets get some specs out first like the fact that this thing has a Quad Core processor inside.

CPU: ARM Cortex -9 core (4 core)

GPU: SGX543MP4+

Multi-touch 5-inch organic light emitting display (OLED) as the front display ( Resolution 960 x 544)

Read touch pad

Two cameras (front and rear)

Sound: Built in stereo speakers

Dual analog sticks

Built in Microphone

Sensors: Six-Axis motion sensor with accelerometer. Same internals of the PlayStation Move

PlayStation Network access, including ““LiveArea™”, “Near” and “Activity” log features Trophy Support

NGP will be able to play PSP titles, minis, PS one classics, video and comics from the PlayStation Store.

3G

Wifi (802.11 b/g/n)

Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR

Now how a full spec breakdown.