Editorial: Sony Wants to Become a Top Android Handset Maker. Can They Do It?

Sony Ericsson finally got into the Android handset race mid 2010 and its been a bumpy ride for the two company partnership ever sense. Though they offer a few models, starting with the current flagship Xperia X10, followed by the Xperia X10 mini and Xperia X10 Mini Pro, Sony has been unable to gain much traction within the cellphone world (though to be fair to them, the company currently claims that they have 17% of the Android market in Europe). Some might point towards the fact that its been hard to find their devices out of few Sony Style stores and now Best Buy promotion. Other might think that the problem has been with the lackluster Android support that we have chronicled on this site with the Xperia X10 finally getting Android 2.1 in late December, months after devices like the Droid X, X2 and HTC Evo had them. Still, Sony Ericsson has been bullish on its prospects and the company has gone on record, stating that it wants to be the top Android handset provider. Can they do it? Currently, I say no.

Sony Ericssons Xperia X10, Exclusive to Best Buy with Taylor Swift

Last week, we talked about the Sony Ericsson Xpera X10 coming to Best Buy on October 24th and the possibility of it being an exclusive product over there. We now have confirmation that indeed, Best Buy will be the only store, outside of Sonys on Sony Style stores to carry the Xperia X10. This AT&T only phone will be offered for $99 with a two year contract which is not bad at all, considering all other similar phones retail for around $149 or $199. Sony is also be pre-loading in the Xperia X10 what it called the “The Essential Taylor Swift Experience,” which is meant to promote the new Tayler Swift album that will be released on October 25th by none other than Sony/BMG. Including will be two albums, a new single, ringtone and video content, and access to her new album. And interesting promotion at a very intriguing price.

Hit the jump for the full press release.

Sony Joins Team Jacob, I Mean Team Android

Lets say that you are a hardcore Android fanboy or maybe you just need yourself a new T-shirt for free. During the entire month of September, the first 15 people every Saturday who go to a SonyStyle store and tell the employees the secret code will get a free Team Android T-shirt. But that’s not all! If you are planning on buying a Sony Xperia X10, then do it on Saturday as well because the first 25 people each Saturday will also get a Team Android T-shirt.

“Each week during the month of September, we’ll be posting a unique code name to our readers. You’ll also be able to find the code by following us on Twitter or on Facebook. Come that Saturday (Sept 9th, 11th, 18th and 25th), visit your local Sony Style store, walk up to a staff member and tell them that week’s secret code. If you’re one of the first (15) people, they’ll give you the t-shirt off their back. Well not exactly but they will give you one that looks just like it.”

[Via Sony]

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro Review

Hot on the heals of their Xperia X10 launch, Sony is following up with a newer and different take on the Smartphone, the Xperia X10 Mini Pro. Woo, mouth full. Why not X10 Mini? Because that’s not how Sony does, they prefer extremely long and unconsumer friendly names. But that is for a different topic. With the new X10 Mini Pro, Sony is looking to target a different segment of the market. Those who want more then a phone that just makes phones calls, yet they don’t need everything an iPhone might have to offer. Now if you are reading this blog, chances are that you  might not be one of those people but if you look around, there is plenty of people I’m sure that can come to mind. It seems that the guys over and Engadget agree as well.

Despite the relatively slow 600Mhz processor, the phone is actually very speedy. Running apps such as Tweetcaster and NewsRob are much faster than devices such as theGalaxy S that runs a processor nearly twice as fast.

It seems like Sony was able to take the best feature of a regular phone, add some Android to the mix and create a very functional and affordable phone for those who just don’t need a fully fledged Smartphone. Hit up Endgadget for the full review.

[Via Engadget]

Sony Ericsson Posts Another Profit, BP Oil Spill Also Stops

Wow people. That is two miracles in one month. Sony Ericsson has honestly been the BP of Sony, oozing out random phones that never made much sense or were too expensive for anybody to afford. Sony itself never knew what to do with the brand name and it seemed like everybody was stuck in this awkward relationship where Sony fed them the parts and Ericsson made something. Sony Ericsson used to be a very highly profitable brand for Sony and in the world, they were a leader of the new and sexy. This all changed a little over 3 years ago when Apple introduced the iPhone. Suddenly, you either had to be a fully functional smart phone or you were oblivious to everybodys radar. But being just a smart phone isnt enough either with iOS4, Android and Palm and soon Windows Phone. This transition really caught many of the big players like RIM and Motorola and Sony Ericsson off guard. Making a phone with sleek design, high quality and great individual components like an 8MP camera is one thing, having it jump on the web, publish to Facebook and get apps is another beast. You need a platform for that and Sony didnt have one.

BP was finally able to get an cap on the huge gulf spill thats pretty much ruined the planet. Wall*E and Big & Large, here we come. Sony Ericsson seems to have made its own oil cap, Android. On Friday, during Sonys second quarter earnings call, they Sony Ericsson division was able to pull of a second profitible quarter in a row. Profit for the three months to June 30 was €12 million ($15.5 million), compared with a €213 million loss a year earlier, sustaining a turnaround that started in the first quarter, reports the WSJ. Now of course, things in some ways are only going to get tougher from here on. Apple was able to ship 3 million iPhone 4 unit so far, HP has bought Palm to drive that division and its presence in the Smart Phone Market and Microsoft will be bringing its Windows Phone series in late 2010. This all means more competition in the market but can also mean more revenue for Sony.

The one benefit that companies like Sony and HTC have is that they are not in the OS side of it. Meaning, they can make as many phones as they wish. Apple will clearly only put the iOS on the iPhone. Palm will only run its software on their phones (sense they make the hardware and software). All Sony has to do is to use current software from the likes of Google and Microsoft and make the best damn phone they can. They dont need to worry about the battle between MS, Google and Apple because they can be too busy making fantastic phones and if one platform goes to hell, they can continue to make phones for the other platform. Even better yet, Sony can make both Windows based phones and Android based phones. This way, it’s a win win.

[Via WSJ]

Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Teardown

Until Sony becomes nice enough to give us units to review by hitting our Contact Us button, we’re going to have to rely on other sites. To the rescue comes the guys over at iFixit who got their hands on a Xperia X10 Mini and decided to take it apart. The inside of the unit reveals no real surprises but shows a very clean and compact interior. I would assume that the Sony Ericsson Yendo will be very similar on the inside.

[Via iFixit]

Sony Ericsson Brings First Full Touch Screen Walkman Phone

Sony Ericsson is introducing its first full touch screen Walkman phone, the Yendo. Now remember, their Walkman phone lineup is different than the other Sony Ericsson lineups, so don’t mistake this for Sony Ericsson’s first touch screen phone. Those familiar with the Xperia 10 mini will note that the Yendo works with a similar design, but is being aimed for a Q3 release date with no pricing yet. The touch screen is 2.6 inch with 262k colors and 320×240 resolution. Other specs include:

• 200MHz of processor
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Bluetooth
• Micro USB support
• Pre-loaded apps: Facebook, Orkut, and Twitter, FM radio and Java support
• Bluetooth stereo (A2DP)
• MP3/AAC music tones
• Walkman Player and TrackID
• 2.0 Mpixel only with 4x digital zoom.

Look for this phone to come in black, blue, green, orange, pink, purple, red, silver, white and yellow. I believe this is for Asia and Europe only but I can’t be sure of it. Sony Ericsson barely has a presence in the United States anyway.

Hit the jump for an amazingly lengthy (and official) press release.

Sony Ericsson Makes Shakira Phone

I originally wanted to write Sony Ericsson and Shakira team up but whatever, that title works. Now don’t worry, your Sony phone’s hips wont shake like Shakira’s, but instead, it’s rumored that Sony is looking to followup its dominating Xperia 10 with another, smaller version that will be a higher model then the Xperia 10 mini, codename Shakira. So business-wise, it makes perfect sense. Lets just see if it’s actually a real phone. At this point, it’s of course a none brainer to presume that this will also boast Android on it and more than likely 2.1 by the time it gets released.

Sony Ericsson Phones To Gain Pressure-Sensitive Tactile Touchscreen?

Sony has a new and unique idea for its touch screen phones: a pressure sensitive screen, meaning the harder you push on the screen, the faster or slower (depending on the application) the unit will react. For iPhone users: think of when you flick the screen, the faster your flick, the faster the screen moves.  Sony has gone on record and stated that “commercialization might not be too far off” and that they want to bring it to the Sony Ericsson line “as soon as possible.”

As cool as a technology this is though, I fear it won’t matter much if Sony Ericsson doesn’t get their act together. Put it this way, Sony does make some amazing phones like the Xperia 10 but when was the last time you saw anybody in the states with a Sony phone? The problem is that Sony never works with a partner to give customers incentive deals to buy their phones. So instead of a price of $200-$300, they always have the normal $600 price and nobody in this day and age will pay that much for a phone. So until they partner up with AT&T and T-Mobile, things are not going to take off for them on the phone side, no matter how amazing of a new feature they put into them.

[Techon]

Sony Ericsson To Make An Android Phone With QWERTY Keyboard

From the looks of this photo and the tipster who is said to have been very reliable in the past, Sony is putting together a QWERTY keyboard-based Android phone that will sport Android 2.1 (the latest software) on this 5.5-inch screen unit. The rumor further states that they are looking to launch this unit in the fall. Now it still seems like this unit is in prototype condition, so expect cosmetic changes to be had, but there you have it folks. QWERTY and Android from Sony Ericsson

Note: Some people think this will actually be the long-rumored PSP phone. Although I believe that such a device is in the works, I don’t believe this is that, but that screen size makes me wonder.

[Via IT168]

Xperia 10 Dominates In Japan

Did you know that the Xperia 10 is dominating in Japan and taking out the iPhone as being the best selling handset? The Xperia, as you know by now, is running Android and will be getting Android 2.1 in the near future. Google CEO, Eric Schmidt reminded him that “Google doesn’t dominate,” (This is Google’s way of pretending they are not set out to destory every company out there), but Stringer responded with “When you beat Apple, you’re dominating.”

It’s of course no surprise that Sony used to be what Apple is today: the cool, hip, and modern brand. Where Sony used to have the Walkman and Sony Ericsson brands, now there is the iPod and iPhone. In my mind though, Sony has all the tools it needs to stand up with the likes of Apple and use Google’s own open software like Android to battle back brands like Samsung and Microsoft. I just hope they see all of their own assets and bring their many departments together.

[Pic Via Gizmodo]

Sony Ericsson To Use Android 2.0

At a launch event over in Taiwan, SE Asia-Pacific’s vice president of marketing Peter Ang was quoted as saying that Sony Ericsson is hard at work on their next generation smartphone which is said to be based on Android 2.0. The good news here is that at least Sony is working on an open technology that gives them full control, but is an open platform that can easily expand, adapt and grow without being tied to a particular format. The bad news of course is that Android 1.5 isn’t even out yet, let alone 2.0. With that in mind, I highly doubt that, behind the scenes, Android 2.0 is so far along in production. I see this as meaning only one thing, don’t expect these guys before fall of 2010, easily.

The big problem here is that Sony Ericsson is hurting bad. Profits have dropped 50% over and over and the rumors keep coming that the two companies may split.  All this just puts added pressure on a company that’s on the edge. Now, the good news is though that Sony is at least developing these phones and if they can come out with something that’s really different and maybe part of a larger plan, they have a chance at redeeming themselves and establishing themselves as a game changer. The reason is this: the iPhone wasn’t the first smart phone but it was the first one for the masses and this truly set up for the growth that the smart phone sector is seeing. A lot has came out since then, but it was again the G1 that gained attention and now the Palm Pre is earning its place. This means that the majority of people are just starting to transition to the smartphone market. As good as the Sony X1 is in the Mp3 market, I feel like that market is already fully owned by Apple and they are starting to go towards the smartphone market (Why have an iPod and a phone in your pocket when you can have one device that does both?). If the smartphone market is truly just beginning to grow, then Sony is still not late to the party, as long as they bring a product that’s part of a community of Sony services, yet is open and part of a longer term plan.

[Via Slashphone]

Updated: Sony Ericsson Picks Up MicroSD, Ditches Own Memory Stick Micro

In some of the latest Sony Ericsson models, we have seen the lack of Sonys own Memory Stick Micro, their version or competition to the MicroSD that many cellphones use. This holds true in their upcoming K850 and the newly announced Satio and came to us as odd but we figured, it was due to the development methods and partners with those models. Will today, all that is cleared up as Sony Ericssons Global Marketing Director Fortuné Alexander, stated that the company is “moving in that direction” when asked about dropping the Memory Stick Micro line in favor of the MicroSD.

As a user of  Sony products, it’s not fun to see the company give up on their on smaller formats, but from a business practice, I’m beyond glad. A problem Sony is currently having is that they are fighting far too many battles. If there is an electronic device or format, Sony has a version. Many times, (looking at you BetaMax and Mini Disc Players), they were indeed superior but because the company is do divided up, they cannot poor in the real amount of resources needed to fend and advance that product/brand or format. With one less format to worry about, it means that the costs of their devices can potentially come down as the tap into a universal format and in hopes, also make more money, because they can sell a MicroSD to lets say 400 million phones versus a Memory Stick Micro to only 20 million phones (all numbers being made up). Maybe Sony is indeed serious about moving to a more open format.

Update:

So here is an odd twist to the story that makes no sense. It seems that Sony is indeed ditching their M2 for MicroSD and so one would assume that this would be a company wide policy but in fact, during the E3 announcement of the new PSP Go, the unit will be using…you guessed it, Sony’s Memory Stick Micro. Now, I understand that products will be in different development cycles and such but one would assume that ditching M2 would be a company wide policy and that the PSP Go would also adopt MicroSD as they are extremely similar in size.

[Via Engadget]

Sony Ericsson Satio To Launch In October

Earlier this year, during the Mobile World Congress, Sony Ericsson showed off a new phone, code named at the time Idou. Well, today comes news that the Idou will be called the Satio and will launch sometime in October. Some key features of this phone include:

• 640 x 350, 3.5-inch touch screen
• 12.1 Megapixels (take that Palm Pre and iPhone combined)
• Dual-Band HSPA
• Xenon Flash
• MicroSD expansion with an 8GB in the box (Is Sony looking to get rid of the Memory Stick Micro?)

Look for this unit in  October then in Black, Silver or Bordeaux. No price point yet though. As always, hit the MagicGate for more shots. (reminds me of my Cybershot T-300)

[Via SEMC Blog]

Facial Recognition From Sony Ericsson, Plays Your Moods Song

A new patent was recently discovered from Sony Ericsson that while listening to our music, your device will change the song depending on your mood. The example is based on the idea that while you hold your Smart Phone, through the camera, a picture of your face will be taken, scanned and pending on your mood, a corresponding song will play. Of course as all patents go, I wouldn’t give this a second thought for something like this could be many years out or something that may just never work.

[Via Slashgear]

Head of Sony Ericsson Steps Down

It seems that Najmi Jarwala, President of Sony Ericsson USA and Head of Region North America (comprising the US and Canada markets) (thanks engadget) has decided to to “peruse other career opportunities” out side of Sony Ericesson. This all comes after many rumors of Sony and Ericesson breaking their long time partnership and even more recently, having a drop of 50% in Q1 sales. The person to be taking over in the mean time is Anders Runevad (pictured), Executive VP and Head of Global Sales & Marketing. But of course, the problem at Sony Ericesson isn’t something that any one person can shift and has to do with the entire platform and partnership of Sony Ericsson. Here is to hoping that their Android based handsets come out sooner, then later. Maybe that long rumored PSP phone might change things up too, although, i’d much rather see them take their time with that device, then just slapping the PS brand on something (looks at Walkman).

[Via Mobileburn]