Sony Xperia S

I have used the Nokia N8 consistently for about a year, and it has been difficult letting go of it. For one, that superb 12 megapixel camera has had no equal till date. I am a shutterbug. I love to have an exceptional camera on my mobile.

Dropping the N8 meant a downgrade to an 8 megapixel camera phone – the Nokia N9, iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S II, Nokia E7, Nokia 701 or any of the other pretenders to the crown.

With the announcement of the Sony Xperia S, I am almost certain that this is the device that I want to be using full-time as my personal mobile.

Sony has been good at cameras and audio reproduction on mobile, and I am particular about those. A 12 megapixel camera on a Sony mobile sounds like heaven. Unfortunately, it still won’t have the N8′s Xenon flash, which is a shame. Nothing beats a Xenon flash. I will also miss the FM transmitter, but then…

But I also get a 4.3-inch display and 1080p video recording. The S has MicroSIM card support only, but my main SIM is already cut to MicroSIM anyway, thanks to the N9.

Someone might ask, how about the HTC Titan II and its 16 megapixel camera? I’m sorry guys, but I’ll take a 12 megapixel camera from Nokia, Samsung, Sony or Apple over a 16 megapixel camera from HTC any day – and get better results too.

Plus HTC has never excelled at audio reproduction. Whoever is in charge of that department at HTC needs to be fired.

The Xperia S comes pre-installed with Android Gingerbread, but with a planned upgrade to ICS shortly after the releas. There’s a Dual core 1.5 GHz processor with a GPU and 1 GB RAM in that sleek body too.

If no other manufacturer releases something more impressive than this before its release, I should be found carrying around an Xperia S shortly. Yaaay!

Here are the major reasons why I love the Xperia Arc:

• The Touch Display: its glass capacitive multi-touch LCD screen with Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine got my attention first and made me fall in love with it
• HDMI port: This is used to connect your Xperia Arc to TV Screen. The way this work is  that everything you do on your phone shows directly on the TV screen it’s connected to.
• Speed: Tried doing a couple of things on it and it responded very fast enough (This shouldn’t be a surprise for a 1Ghz processor device).
• Sleek: It is a very sleek smartphone and is very light
• Good Sound Quality
• The Android advantage: When I first asked the owner why he bought it, his first response was “…because it runs Android”. So, the phone boasts of every good advantage of the Android platform you can think of.

Cons

• I looked out for a front-facing camera and it was missing. Not too good
• Low internal Memory: Unlike some other Android devices that have large internal memory, the Xperia Arc has just 320 MB storage. This is too small for this kind of smartphone.

1 Cool Feature: The Xperia is very Sleek

Check the official Sony ericsson Arc specifications page for full specifications.

CONCLUSION
Generally speaking, the Xperia Arc is a good buy, in my opinion. I had a great, albeit brief, experience with it on Saturday. Probably I would have discovered more cons about it if I had played with it longer. Anyway, I will update you all about my latest findings on the phone as soon as I can get my fingers on it again.

The Arc currently sells for about N95,000 in the market.

31st August 2011, Berlin, Germany – Sony Ericsson today unveiled Xperia™ arc S at Sony’s press conference in conjunction with IFA in Berlin. Taking the award-winning sleek design from Xperia arc*,the latest addition to the Xperia™ family has a processor upgraded to 1.4Ghz, Sony 3D sweep panorama technology and access to the Sony Entertainment Network services – “Music Unlimited” and “Video Unlimited”**. Xperia™ arc S features 25% faster camera start up and media conversion , along with 20% faster web page rendering compared to Xperia™ arc***.

Consumers with a 2011 Xperia™ smartphone are now able to enjoy “Music Unlimited” and “Video Unlimited” subject to market availability**:

• “Music Unlimited” has a global catalogue of over 10 million unique songs**** with access to your personal music library and ad free radio channels across multiple devices.
• “Video Unlimited” (currently exclusive to Sony Ericsson Xperia™) is the ultimate source for the latest Hollywood blockbusters, all-time classics, and TV shows from all major studios.

Nikolaus Scheurer, Head of Product Marketing at Sony Ericsson said:  “Xperia™ arc S is the fastest and most entertaining Xperia™ to date and it clearly demonstrates how the Xperia™ family are the best smartphones to experience great entertainment services such as Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited.”

In addition to these services, Xperia™ arc S includes best-in-class Sony technology such as 3D sweep panorama. 3D sweep panorama images can be captured and then viewed by connecting the phone to a 3D TV using the HDMI output.

Xperia™ arc S also has a visually brilliant 4.2” Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine, an 8.1mp camera with HD video capability and Sony’s award winning Exmor R™ for mobile image sensor that enhances still images and videos even in low light conditions.

Consumers also have access to a uniquely social entertainment experience of sharing and discovery with Facebook inside Xperia™, plus the extensive world of Android with over 250,000 applications.

Xperia™ arc S at a glance:

• Super fast 1.4 GHz processor
• 3D and 2D sweep panorama photography
• 8.1 MP camera with Exmor R™ for mobile image sensor
• 4.2“ Reality display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
• Latest Android™ platform Gingerbread 2.3

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ arc S will be available globally in selected markets from Q4 2011.
For full details all products news, please visit the press room and the product blog:
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/corporate/press/pressreleases/latestnews
http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/products/

* Xperia™arc S and Xperia™ arc are winners of the EISA (European Imaging and Sound Association) award for European Camera Phone 2011-2012. Xperia™ arc is also the winner of the prestigious red dot Product Design Award 2011

** Availability of Sony Entertainment Network services:

• “Music Unlimited” and “Video Unlimited” are expected to become available on Xperia™ arc S and launch timing will vary by region. Customers will be notified when services are available.
• Markets for Video Unlimited: USA, Italy, Spain, Germany, UK, France, Australia, Canada and Japan
• Markets for Music Unlimited: USA, Italy, Spain, Germany, UK, France, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand

*** Based on internal tests.
****  The number of songs available from this catalogue varies by region

Colour

• Pure White
• Midnight Blue
• Misty Silver
• Gloss Black
• Sakura Pink

Facts 1)2)

• Size: 125 x 63 x 8.7 mm
• Weight: 117 grams
• Operating system: Google™ Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread)
• Processor: 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255

Camera

• 3D sweep panorama
• 8.1 megapixel camera
• 16x smart zoom
• Aperture f/2.4
• Auto focus
• Face detection
• Face recognition
• Flash/LED
• Geo tagging
• HD video recording (720p)
• Image stabiliser
• Red-eye reduction
• Scene detection
• Self-timer
• Send to web
• Smile detection
• Sony Exmor R™ for mobile image sensor
• Sweep panorama
• Touch capture
• Touch focus
• Video light
• Video recording
• Video stabiliser

Music

• Album art
• Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
• Music tones (MP3/AAC)
• PlayNow™ service
• Sony Ericsson Music Player
• TrackID™ music recognition
• xLOUD™ Loudness Enhancement Technology

Internet

• Android Market™
• Bookmarks
• Google™ search
• Google Voice™ Search
• Pan & zoom
• Web browser (WebKit)

Communication

• Call list
• Conference calls
• Facebook™ application
• Facebook inside Xperia™ 2.0
• Google Talk™
• Noise Shield
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Sony Ericsson Timescape™
• Speakerphone
• Twitter™ (Timescape™integration)*
• Vibrating alert

Messaging

• Conversations
• Email
• Google Mail™
• Instant messaging
• Multimedia messaging (MMS)
• Predictive text input
• Sound recorder
• Text messaging (SMS)

Design

• Auto rotation
• Keyboard (on-screen, QWERTY)
• Live wallpaper
• Picture wallpaper
• Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
• Screenshot capturing
• Swipe to write
• Touch screen

Entertainment

* This service may not be available in every market

• 3D games
• Accelerated Adobe Flash Video
• Media browser
• Motion gaming
• Video  Unlimited
• Music Unlimited
• Radio (FM radio with RDS)
• Video streaming
• YouTube™*

Organiser

• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Document readers
• E-Manual
• Flight mode
• Google Calendar™
• Google Gallery 3D
• Infinite button
• Phonebook
• Setup guide
• Widget manager

Connectivity

• 3.5 mm audio jack
• aGPS
• Bluetooth™ technology
• DLNA Certified™
• Google Latitude™
• Google Maps™ with Street View
• HDMI support
• Media Transfer Protocol support
• Micro USB support
• Modem
• Native USB tethering
• Synchronisation via Facebook™
• Synchronisation via Google Sync™
• Synchronisation via Sony Ericsson Sync
• Synchronisation via Exchange ActiveSync®
• USB mass storage
• USB High speed 2.0 support
• USB OTG
• Wi-Fi®
• Wi-Fi® Hotspot functionality

Display

• 16,777,216 colour TFT
•  Capacitive multi-touch
•  4.2 inches
•  854 x 480 pixels (FWVGA)
•  Shatter proof sheet on scratch-resistant mineral glass

Memory

• Phone memory (user-free): Up to 320MB
• Memory card support: microSD™, up to 32GB

Networks

• UMTS HSPA 900, 2100
• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

• UMTS HSPA 800, 850, 1900, 2100
• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

Battery life

• Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 7 hrs 25 min*
• Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 460 hrs*

• Talk time UMTS: Up to 7 hrs 35 min*
• Standby time UMTS: Up to 460 hrs*

• Music listening time: Up to 37 hrs*
• Video playback time: Up to 6 hrs 25 min*

In the kit

• Xperia™ arc S
• Removable battery
• Stereo portable handsfree
• 8GB microSD™ memory card
• Charger
• Micro USB cable for charging
• Synchronisation and file transfer
• User documentation

The updates will be rolled out on a regional basis for the X10, X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro. All these phones were initially shipped with Android 1.6 (Cupcake) from the factory.

The key changes for the different products are the following:

Xperia X10:

• HD video recording with continuous auto-focus for high quality videos
• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android 2.1
• New back up and restore application, with extended content back up
• 5 homescreens for apps, widgets, shortcuts and folders
• Social phonebook which automatically syncs contact pictures from Facebook and shows when your friends are online

Xperia X10 mini and X10 mini pro:

• Improved Bluetooth functionality with support for sending and receiving pictures, contacts and more
• New backup and restore application with extended content back up
• Automatic synchronization of your contact pictures between Facebook and your phone book
• Improved ways of handling pictures, audio, text and numbers in your messages
• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android platform 2.1

Your phone will automatically let you know with a notification when the update is ready for your specific software version and then you will be guided to how to perform the update using the PC Companion software.

Sony Ericsson recommends that you backup your personal data before carrying out this update.

Source: Sony Ericsson Product Blog

I have had the X10 Mini Pro for a couple of months now. As a rule, it gets me through a day of intensive use. By intensive use, I mean that the Mini Pro is automatically syncing with Gmail, Google contacts and Google calendar on a 3G connection, making and receiving calls, sending and receiving SMS, and being used for Facebook and web browsing.

By way of comparison, for example, I had to set the Nokia N900 to connect to my mail server once every 2 hours in order to get the battery to last me till 5 p.m. If set the mail client to a sync time of 5 minutes, the N900′s battery gives up in a few hours.

I ran an extreme battery test on the X10 Mini Pro to see how much to expect of it in a worst case scenario. In this test, here are the parametres that I set up:

1. I charged the battery full
2. Set network mode to always-on 3G
3. switched WiFi radio on
4. switched Bluetooth on
5. set volume to loudest
6. set Gmail synchronisation to automatic, so delivering always-on real-time email
7. set the display backlight to brightest
8. watched a movie for about 20 minutes
9. played some music for about 10 minutes
10. automatic synchronisation with Google calendar and contacts

During the period of the test, I received 2 SMS conversations and had three phone calls of a little over 4 minutes. I also browsed the web for 1 hour.

The test commenced at 7.25 p.m. About nine hours and twenty minutes later, the X10 Mini pro shut down at 4.43 a.m. That kind of result in an extreme situation suggests that my regular experience of having the battery last a day or more is just fine.

The X10 Mini Pro’s battery life is very much comparable to the Touch Pro2′s. Certainly much, much better than what the N900 delivers.

Compact size
The Mini Pro is very, very compact. Usually, when you see the tag “mini” on a phone, it just denotes that this is a smaller version of a bigger device. In this case, the Mini Pro is not just smaller; it is a real mini.

Because of its size, it is the first touchscreen smartphone that I can vouch for as 100% usable with one hand. Whipping out the Mini Pro for use does not require the clumsiness of two-handed use that most others do today.

Even with the QWERTY keyboard slid out, I am able to type one-handed (of course, I have big hands), though its a little more work than using two hands. But the fact that its doable at all is a miracle.

Feel
Again, due to the compact size, shape and the materials used, the Mini Pro feels very good in the hand. The back of the device has a very solid feeel and a nice curve (Sony Ericsson calls it “Human Curvature”).

Very usable QWERTY keyboard
One would think that a device this small could never provide a usable QWERTY keyboard. Wrong. The keyboard is quite good and I am able to crank out text with almost no mistakes. It has no dedicated numeric keys though, as it has only four (4) rows, but that is forgivable on a device this small and with the good performance of the keyboard.

So, how about that 2.55″ display?
The display is not super-sharp but it certainly shows blacks very deep. Being capacitive, it is very sensitive and you can tap and swipe with minimum effort. I haven’t faced any usability problems from the screen size. Rather, it works very well partly because Sony Ericsson thought things out.

Because of the small display, Sony Ericsson wisely chose to customise the homescreen to make it user-friendly for the size. They did a good job. There are four large icons in the corners of the homescreen. You can set your favourite apps to these slots.

During ongoing calls, the same concept of large icons at the four corners is utilised to provide you in-call options.

Widgets can be placed on the homescreen, which has multiple desktop pages. Because of the display size, only one widget can be placed on each desktop page, though you can have as many pages as you desire.

Email
Sure, if Google’s Android cannot handle email exceptionally, what other platform can? Okay, I hear you say “BlackBerry”. Good enough. But the Mini Pro’s email handling is top-notch.

My mails regularly arrive on my device faster than they show up on my PC. I am talking of instantenous email. That’s as good as BlackBerry does. Okay, okay, minus the data compression that Blackberry offers.

Camera Performance
If you have seen the Mini Pro camera samples that I published earlier, you know that getting the Mini Pro for the camera alone is a good deal.

Colours are sharp and bright. Details are fine. Auto-focus is fast. The camera simply rocks. Permit me to point you to a thread on Esato where pictures taken with the Mini pro will blow your mind: Post your pictures/videos taken with SE X10 Mini/Pro.

It is undoubtedly one of the better 5 megapixel cameraphones out there.

Audio Quality and Loudness
The X10 Mini Pro’s speakers are good – both in terms of quality and loudness. Again, this is amazing for a device this small.

Conclusions
There are many other aspects of the Mini Pro that I haven’t touched in this mini-review. That is because this is not my full review yet. You can be sure that all bases will be covered in the full review.

Honestly, I really, really like the Xperia X10 Mini Pro. It is a powerful, compact and usable device that gets the job done. The Mini Pro is proof of the saying “bigger is not necesarilly better”.

When Sony Ericsson said “mini but mighty“, they weren’t kidding.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini

The Xperia minis pack a 600MHz processor and run Android 1.6, while the Vivaz pro runs on a 720MHz chip on the Symbian platform.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini pro

Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro

Specifications of the Vivaz Pro:

Camera

• 5.1 megapixel camera
• 4x digital zoom
• Auto focus (photos)
• Continuous auto focus (video)
• Face detection (photos)
• Geo tagging
• Image stabiliser
• Photo light
• Send to web
• Smile detection
• Touch capture
• Video light
• Video recording (720p HD recording)

Music

• Album art
• Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
• Media player
• Music player
• Music tones (MP3/AAC)
• PlayNow™
• TrackID™

Web

• Bookmarks
• Google™ search (from standby)
• Web feeds
• WebKit web browser

Voice

• Speakerphone
• Vibrating alert
• Video calling (main camera)

Messaging

• Conversations
• Email
• Handwriting recognition
• Instant messaging
• Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync®
• Picture messaging (MMS)
• Predictive text input
• Sound recorder
• Text messaging (SMS)

Design

• Auto rotate
• Full slide-out keyboard
• Picture wallpaper
• Touchscreen

Entertainment

• 3D games
• Facebook™ application
• FM radio
• Java
• Twitter™ application
• Video streaming
• Video viewing
• YouTube™

Organiser

• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Document readers
• Flight mode
• Notes
• Phone book

Location-based services

• A-GPS
• Google Maps™
• Wisepilot™ turn-by-turn navigation

Connectivity

• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Bluetooth™ technology
• DLNA Certified™ (photos and audio)
• Micro USB connector
• Modem
• PictBridge printing
• Synchronisation
• TV out (VGA resolution)
• USB mass storage
• USB support
• Wi-Fi™

Preloaded applications

• Facebook™ – social networking
• Google Maps™ – navigation
• QuickOffice – Microsoft® Office viewer (trial version)
• PDF Viewer (trial version)
• Road Sync – synchronisation
• SMS Preview – messaging app
• Twitter – social networking
• YouTube™ – video sharing
• Wisepilot™ – navigation
• World Mate – clock and weather app
• Quadrapop
• Rally Master Pro

Screen

• 16:9 nHD touchscreen (TFT)
• 16,777,216 colour
• 3.2 inches
• 360 x 640 pixels
• Scratch-resistant

Accessories

• In-Box:
• Sony Ericsson Vivaz™ pro
• Battery
• stereo portable handsfree
• 8 GB microSD™ card
• micro USB cable for charging and file transfer

• Optional:
• Hi-Fi Wireless Headset with FM Radio MW600

• Hi-Fi Stereo Headset MH710

Facts 1)2)

• Size: 109 x 52 x 15 mm
• Weight: 117 grams

• Phone memory: Up to 75 MB
• Memory card support: SanDisk microSD™, up to 16 GB

• Memory card included: 8 GB microSD™ card

• Operating system: Symbian™ S60 5th edition
  Processor: 720 MHz

• Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 12 hrs 30 min
• Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 430 hrs

• Talk time UMTS: Up to 5 hrs 10 min
• Standby time UMTS: Up to 440 hrs

• Video call time: Up to 2 hrs 30 min

That is an impressive specifications sheet. Now, let’s hope that SE keeps to the launch schedule of first half of 2010. And let’s hope that they get it right.

The X1 is a device with great potentials, and fans have been hoopeful of an official upgrade. If you really do want WinMo 6.5 on your X1 so bad, please take a look at some of our existing articles on the Xperia X1 and Windows Mobile 6.5 ROMs, some of which are listed below.

Related Articles:

• Sony Ericsson X1 Review – Part 1 (User Interface)
• HTC’s Sense UI on the Xperia X1?
• Best Custom ROM for Xperia X1
• Do You Have a Windows Phone or a Windows Mobile Device?

News Item via GSMArena

In the following discussion, Brymay correctly predicted that I would soon get bored and attempt a flash. Yes; he was correct. It took me only about two (2) weeks to arrive at that perfect state of boredom that geeks know too well.

Anyway, I rolled up my shirt sleeves today and gave it a go, transforming my X1 into an HTC clone running TouchFlo 3D. The flashing process was smooth and easy (thankfully).

Also, although I was shy of WM6.5 ROMs, Touch-IT v13.2, the ROM I downloaded turned out to be based on v6.5 – and I had no clue until it was purring smoothly on my device! Oh, well.

Touch-IT Xperience v13.2: My Thoughts

So far, this ROM has been impressive. While I have used installer/CAB versions of TouchFlo 3D (TF3D), this ROM update delivers a faster, smoother and sleeker experience. The difference is clear.

In addition, most of the issues on the TF3D CAB/panel installations don’t exist here. Landscape functionality is better, though there are a few glitches here and there.

It is a good job, but I’m still experimenting and will be sure to try out one or two others before settling down.

One thing I will be observing is battery life. Touch-IT v13.2 seems to have been optimised for performance and speed. How much impact that will make on battery life is yet to be seen.

Screenshots

Today Tab

Today tab in landscape mode

Contacts list

The Contacts menu integrates and synchronizes the list on your device with your Facebook contacts. Beautiful. It also presents Facebook updates.

SMS tab

Threaded SMS view

Replying an SMS

Music tab

Weather tab. The weather status can be set to update automatically

WM6.5 Start Menu - much finger-friendly, better optimized than WM6.1 version

About page

That’s it, folks. Now, who’s going to welcome me officially into the Windows Mobile ROM Flashers’ Club?