Sony Ericsson Xperia Acro Announced. We Have Specs

Before anybody gets overly excited about this, we have to point that this phone is intended for Japan only and you can probably blame that on the lack of infrastructure offered in your country. The Xperia Acro, not to be confused with the Xperia Arc which will have a global launch, is Sony Ericssons new flagship phone for the Land of the Rising Sun. This Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) smartphone will carry a 4.2-inch touch Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine to offer some of the most crisp and vidid viewing experience to be found on a handheld device. This is partially due to the entertainment value that the Acro will carry, seeing how the phone has built in Mobile TV functionality, enabling live TV viewing on the device, which is different from video streaming off of a 3G network. The Acro will also come equipped with a 8.1-megapixel camera with Exmor R sensor which also allows for 720p video recording. Both recording modes are optimized to offer low-noise and function under low light quality which is a welcome feature for most cellphone owners. For those of you who are looking to share you content, no need to worry as this 1GHz CPU, Adreno 205 GPU will also come with HDMI out. Besides the TV tuner functionality, another reason why we won’t see the Acro make it to the West is due to the built in mobile wallet (NFC) which allows your Xperia Acro to function as a credit card. With no standard and support system in the United States and Europe, these two features would mean a higher priced phone with a locked out functionality which of course does not make sense. Seeing how easy it is to purchase Starbucks with my iPhone app, this is a feature that I cannot wait for to make its way to the West. This would make running into the store and being out, that much more convenient while requiring me to have one less thing on me. No price point has been announced for the Acro at this point but look for the unit in Black and White by the end of Summer.

Hit the jump for the official press release from Sony Ericsson. While you are there, what do you think about the Acro? How about NFC technology? Is that something you would like to see implemented in your country?

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]

Next Generation of Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro Spotted

I guess Sony was being serious when they stated that they wanted to become a top Android handset manufacture. We already know that the company is going to be releasing the Xperia Play, Arc, and Neo this year to name a few. Now, we have leaked images of the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro successor which happens to be rocking some Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Outside of that, we don’t have anything else to report like specs or video, though we’re sure in true Sony Ericsson fashion, we will know everything about the phone, months before it’s released.

[Via IT168]

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’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 Xperia Arc Announced; We Have Specs

Though not the PlayStation Phone, Sony Ericsson did have a new phone to show off during CES, the Xperia Arc. This 4.2-inch phone packs some of the latest from both Sony and Google by being one of the thinnest Android phones out there with a thickness just under 8.7mm and running Android 2.3 as the OS backbone. With the latest OS comes great power and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor should please the multitasker and ADHD kid inside of you, while the phones 8.3 mexapixel Sony Exmor R camera with LED flash should give the photo camps something to smile about also. Other little tidbits about the phone include a 802.11n wireless card and HDMI out. Another first for Sony is the collaboration between the Sony Ericcsson and Bravia division to produce what Sony calls “Reality Display” with a Mobile BRAVIA Engine. This new screen is meant to fight off the Super AMOLED display from Samsung and the Retina Display from Apple with Bravia engineers optimizing the engine, insuring optimal brightness and color with special focus on deep blacks when it comes to video and game playback. As I mentioned, this also marks a first for Sony as two completely separate divisions are collaborating on a singular device to draw from the strength of Ericssons phone design and the Bravia teams know how of displays. Hopefully we will continue to see further collaboration between Sony’s many different devisions as they have a vast array of products and offerings that can complement and build off of each other, while helping to reduce cost and the need to go to 3rd party venders for parts and licensing. Once released, the phone will be available in two colors, Midnight Blue and Misty Silver.

Hit the jump for another shot of the Xperia Arc and full press release from Sony.