xperia s

IFA 2012: Big reveals for Sony, Samsung

Time to learn German for Wednesday's tech news roundup:

Tons of devices being unveiled at the IFA trade show in Berlin. The highlights from Wednesday include:

• Sony releases its first 4K TV, the 84-inch XBR-84X900. No official word on cost or availability, but expect to pay close to $30,000 to own one. Here's an explainer on what a 4K TV is, but no need to worry about new formats just yet. Afterall, what movies do you own in 4K? • Sony showed the Xperia S tablet, available Sept. 7 starting at $400. It has several TV-ready features, Android
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Sony makes Xperia SL official

If you're thrilled by Sony's Xperia S, then you have another reason to get excited. The company has just revealed plans for an Xperia SL phone, which sees the Xperia S and raises its 1.5GHz CPU up a notch to 1.7GHz. Of course, both phone's processors are last-generation Snapdragon S3 chips, which while technically dual-core, are roundly trounced performance-wise by Qualcomm's current Snapdragon S4 processors. … Read more

Sony now offering three Xperia NXT models in U.S.

Sony today announced that a trio of its Xperia NXT series of Android smartphones is now available in the United States. Offered as unlocked GSM models, the three models span entry-level to high-end and come in a variety of colors.

Starting at the bottom, the Xperia U provides users with a dual-core 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of internal memory, a 5-megapixel rear camera with 720p HD video recording, and a front-facing camera. Powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the Xperia U features a 3.5-inch (854x480 pixels) Reality Display with Mobile Bravia Engine, the standard fare of connectivity, … Read more

Android 4.0.4 update reaches Sony's Xperia S

Sony is rolling out the latest flavor of Android 4.0 to its Xperia S customers starting today.

Users can update their phones over the air via a mobile network or WiFi, or sync their phones with their PCs using Sony's Xperia Update Web site, PC Companion, or Bridge for Mac software.

The update weighs in at around 200MB, so using Wi-Fi directly or syncing with your PC are better options than updating over your carrier's cell network.

Xperia S owners will receive a notice when the update is ready. The rollout will run over the next few … Read more

Sony Xperia S ad directed by Wes Anderson

Sony has turned to indie darling Wes Anderson, director of "The Royal Tenenbaums," "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," and "Fantastic Mr. Fox" to flog its new Xperia phones.

The Sony Xperia S and its smartphone siblings are made of imagination, apparently. The ad is inspired by children's vision of a dream phone and features robots, rainbow monkeys, and phones that grow hands and feet. It's all created in Anderson's signature quirky style and backed by the tinkling tones of Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi.

Read more of " Sony Xperia S ad directed by Royal Tenenbaums' Wes Anderson," and see the ad, at Crave UK.… Read more

Is style alone enough to sell Sony smartphones?

I bet chances are good you haven't owned a Sony smartphone in a dog's age. In fact if you live in the U.S. you may have never purchased one of the company's mobile communication devices, let alone fallen in love with one.

This isn't an enviable position to be in for any electronics manufacturer, especially one that harbors aspirations to regain its footing in the U.S. phone market. To turn things around, Sony killed its disappointing 10-year partnership with Swedish telecom giant Ericsson. It also announced plans for multiple new handsets running Android both at CES in January and recently at Mobile World Congress. … Read more

Will Sony's marketing make Xperia NXT a success?

BARCELONA, Spain--Sony Mobile Communications has a new strategy. Instead of announcing one killer phone at this year's Mobile World Congress, it's announcing a suite of devices that it hopes will attract a wider audience of consumers, particularly those at the low end.

Will the strategy work? It's hard to say. There's a lot of competition out there that will make it hard. Still, with full ownership from its former parent company Sony, executives say they're ready to spend big on making Sony's mobile phones a household brand.

Sony Ericsson (Sony Mobile's former name … Read more

Sony files for Xperia Sola trademark

With Mobile World Congress just three weeks away, rumors continue to fly about what we might see out of big players like Nokia, LG, Samsung, and HTC.

Sony has been a notable exception up until now, but a recent filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office may finally offer some clues as to what the company has in store.

Filed on January 31, the application asks for a trademark on the name "Xperia Sola." Though there's no indication as to what type of device would carry the moniker, the long line of Xperia smartphones points … Read more