Sony Xperia Miro adds splash of colour and ICS
A new Xperia blower pops up sporting shocking pink highlights and -- most tastily -- Ice Cream Sandwich.
Sony has treated its Facebook fans to a sneak peek of an all-new Xperia smart phone heading their way in the next few months.
It's been christened the Sony Xperia Miro and -- unlike Sony's other Xperias -- comes fully loaded with the latest version of Android: Ice Cream Sandwich. Yay!
Sony is touting the Miro as featuring "deep" Facebook integration, so expect to be able to poke and like your buddies without having to fire up a dedicated Facebook app. Facebook will be baked in to contacts, the phone's gallery and even the music player -- presumably so you can broadcast your taste in mobile tunes straight to your newsfeed.
Sony is also shouting about the inclusion of its xLOUD audio tech, which apparently furnishes the Miro with "crisp" and "loud" sound.
"Xperia miro is for those who want an integrated social media and a great music experience," chirps Sony bod Calum MacDougall.
There's no word on price yet, but looking at the specs I'm hopeful the Miro could help establish Ice Cream Sandwich in the mid-range. You get a 3.5-inch display, a 5-megapixel rear camera (and a front-facing lens for video calls -- and hopefully Face Unlock too).
The Miro shares the rectangular look of its 2012 Xperia siblings: the Xperia S, P and U. But Sony looks to have ditched the transparent strip it's made so much of this year.
Instead, the pocket-sized Miro is capped off with a concave, Xperia-branded edge -- including an eye-poppingly bright pink option.
Removing the clear strip could be a way for Sony to make the Miro more compact. But if you're a fan of indicator lights, never fear: Sony says the phone will include "customisation illuminations" for incoming messages and social updates.
The Miro certainly has a catchier name than its Gingerbread siblings, although it's unclear exactly what the Miro in its name refers to -- or how it's pronounced (MY-ROW or MIR-ROW anyone?). There is an open-source Internet TV application called Miro. But perhaps a more likely reference is to Joan Miró -- the Spanish painter and sculptor, famous for producing colourful, surrealist and abstract work.
The Miro comes in four shades -- all black, all white, white with a gold highlight or black with shocking pink.
Sony says its battery will be good for up to 24 hours of usage -- a claim we'll be sure to test when we get our mitts on the Miro.
Are you excited about an Ice Cream Sandwich-packed Sony Xperia Miro? Let me know in the comments or swoop on over to our Facebook page.