Adobe to Introduce New Android Apps for Upcoming Sony Tablets

Adobe and Sony have announced the new ‘Adobe AIR App Challenge’ to entice developers to create and develop unique high-performance mobile applications - a precursor to their upcoming ‘Sony Tablet’ rumored to become available in the global market starting Fall 2011.

Both companies will enable tapping into native device capabilities to combine Adobe Flash technology and HTML 5 to enable a wide range of applications including media, gaming and data-driven applications. Adobe says that their Creative Suite 5.5 and their latest developer tools combined with Sony’s upcoming tablets will provide content publishers with a platform to deliver better tablet experiences. 

Sony Tablets to get taste of Adobe Air

 

Sony, as we've already reported, are developing two tablets - the S1 optimized for media and the S2 designed for mobile communication as well as entertainment. As part of the collaboration, Sony will pre-install Adobe Flash Player on ‘Sony Tablet’ devices enabling a more 'complete' Web browsing experience that includes an array of videos, games and other multimedia content.

This sounds like good news for developers as it’s relatively easy to build AIR applications with Adobe tools and deploy them as native applications via the Android Market. The new apps, it seems, will have tight device integration, including support for camera, video, microphone, multi-touch and more. Also, support for geo-location allows developers to create location-based applications and services. However, only time will tell if this new tablet with ‘new’ applications will satiate the ever-increasing needs of the consumer. 

Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo to Have 1.4GHz Dual Core processor

It has been nearly a month since the first image of the Sony Xperia Duo was seen. It now seems that an official image of Sony Ericsson’s flagship model has emerged. According to a report, the press image had surfaced through a Chinese website and with it some information of the possible specifications it may feature - a powerful NovaThor A9500 chipset that is coupled with a Dual Cortex A9 cores as well as a Mali-400 GPU. The smartphone also features a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor; so far this will be the highest capacity processor as compared to the 1.2 GHz dual-core processor seen on the SGSII and the LG Optimus 2X. The Android 2.3 aka Gingerbread running handset is also rumoured to be having a Sony Bravia Mobile engine. An official image surfaces of the Xperia Duo Other rumored specifications of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo are: 4.5-inch qHD screen (540 x 960 pixels) 12 megapixel camera 2500 mAh battery This is Sony Ericsson’s second 12 mega pixel camera the first being the Sony Ericsson Satio; however, unlike the first this Xperia Duo is aesthetically styled with its slim form factor and looks like it has been targeted at an audience who want style as well as power. These are pretty impressive specifications and a smartphone one has to surely look out for. As of now there is no word on a release date or price. But we are pretty sure the wait won’t be for too long. Hopefully, this will be the first to launch with such a high capacity processor unless someone else beats them to it.

Sony Ericsson Working on Android 2.3.4 for Select Xperia Smartphones

A week ago, Android 2.3.3 started rolling out for the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. It now looks like a select range of Xperia handsets will be getting another minor tweak to Android 2.3.4. There are rumours suggesting that Sony Ericsson is working on them and it should be coming out later this year.

Better features along with 2.3.4

The update will bring a few bug fixes that the previous operating system had and a few features will be added. One of them is Sony’s audio filter technology called xLOUD. Sources say that the update will be brought for the Xperia Arc, Xperia Play, Xperia Neo and Xperia Pro. There’s no mention of the X10 mini, X10 mini pro and the X8 smartphones. Another handset – the Xperia X10 has not been mentioned although, it’s being said that the smartphone is being tested on Android 2.3.4.

These definitely look like some good developments that Sony Ericsson’s making. They weren’t very renowned when it came to providing support for their Android handsets, but by doing this, things might just change with the company.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray pops up on Carphone Warehouse, expected August

The Xperia Ray recently joined an ever-growing list of Sony Ericsson Android handsets we’ve met this year, including the Xperia Pro, Neo, Arc, Play, Mini and Mini Pro.
Three has confirmed that it’ll carry the Xperia Ray “soon”, and now the phone has popped up on The Carphone Warehouse with an expected release date of August.


Sony Ericsson promises an “irresistibly elegant Android smartphone”. We reckon “irresistible” is a bit of a stretch, but it looks ok-ish.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray has a 3.3in BRAVIA display, 1GHz processor, 8.1MP camera, 720p video recording, and rocks Gingerbread (Android 2.3). It’ll be available in gold, pink, black and white.
The Xperia Ray also claims to be one of the “slimmest, sleekest smartphones around”, with a thickness of 9.4mm.
No pricing just yet, but you can “pre-register” your interest over at The Carphone Warehouse.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray lights up fans of smaller smart phones

Mobile Phones

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray offers a glimmer of light for smart phone fans looking for a smaller handset. It's got a 3.3-inch screen packed into a 9.4mm-thick case that offers a spot of bling in black, gold, white or pink.
Android 2.3 Gingerbread software ensures you're up to date with the latest apps and games from the Android Market. With a slightly smaller than average screen, there could be a handful of games or apps that look a little hard to handle, but the 480x854-pixel resolution should be enough to keep everything looking fairly sharp.
A 1GHz processor should also help keep things snappy when running apps and games.
The Ray uses the Exmor R sensor in its camera, which impressed us with its ability to shoot in low light when we tested it on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. Hopefully the same 8.1-megapixel sensor will perform equally well on the Ray.
Another feature that debuted on the Arc was the Bravia engine that cleans up video so it looks sharper, and is also found on the Ray.
Son Eric has done a good job of shrinking smart phones down to ridiculous levels with the barely visible Xperia Mini. The Mini is fairly chubby for its tiny size though. The Ray looks like a good-sized alternative to a slab of touchscreen if you're looking for a smaller phone that's still pleasingly thin.
Its price is still shrouded in darkness, but expect to see the Ray bursting through the clouds in autumn this year.

Sony's S1 and S2 Tablets Featured in a New Teaser Video

Looks like Sony is leaving nothing to chance with their upcoming tablets and have released a first in a series of videos for the S1 and S2 tablets. The first video tagged “The First Impression” is a little misleading, since we can’t really get a good look at the tablets themselves. The video is beautifully done though with the whole domino effect going on. I really like the way they’ve used the lighting and placement of power lines and trees to create a cool shadow effect. Towards the end you’ll notice both the tablets running Honeycomb but that’s about it. We’ve covered the announcement of the S1 and S2, back in April itself in depth, so you can take a look here for more information. Most likely, the features and specifications shouldn’t change much, but we’ll know soon enough. For now, enjoy the video.

Facebook Inside Xperia for the X10

That your Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 will be getting a Gingerbread update is not surprising. However, the update is also said to be bringing the “Facebook inside Xperia” feature to the handset. With Facebook features incoming From what the Mobile Indian has to say, a certain Sony Ericsson spokesperson said that the Gingerbread update will be arriving to handsets in India, but they didn’t have an idea about the timing of the launch. What we know is that the update should be launching at the end of this month or maybe beginning of July. A few days back we saw SE releasing the “Facebook inside Xperia” feature for the Xperia Play and the Xperia Arc. If these features make it to the X10, that’ll just add to the happiness to the X10 users, as well. These small progresses definitely are going to earn Sony Ericsson those brownie points that they have been in need of for a while now. Let’s just wish that there’s no change of plans or anything of that sort.

Sony Ericsson ST18i Surface

We found the Xperia Arc to be quite a turn on and with news of a smaller version of the same doing the rounds, we don’t mind getting some more of it either. The ST18i has been caught on camera again and this time with some specifications as well.

BRAVIA Engine on a 3-inch display

The ST18i had earlier made an appearance along with the CK15i, but back then there weren’t any specs of the former. Now GSMArena’s got hold of some more photos of the ST18i which is codenamed Urushi and flaunts a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor with an Adreno 205 GPU to give a boost to the graphics. The smartphone will be running on Android 2.3 aka Gingerbread and is said to have a 3.2-inch display that has a BRAVIA engine and comes with a nice resolution of 854 x 480 pixels. That’s not all though, the handset has an 8 megapixel camera with LED Flash that can record videos at 720p.

Belongs to the Xperia family

Keeping the specifications aside, there’s something about ST18i launching some time in September this year, but that along with the specifications has to be confirmed with an official announcement.

Upcoming Smartphones to Look for

This month has already been a big one for mobile maniacs. We’ve been witness to big announcements and launches from the likes of LG, Samsung and HTC. While some handsets have already hit the shelves, others will be making their presence felt in the next month or so. As if making a choice for a smartphone wasn’t hard enough, it’s only going to get harder in the coming months. But just to give you a quick heads up, here’s a short list of upcoming devices you might want to consider.  Nokia X7 In a bid to obviously keep existing customers happy and try and enthrall new ones, Nokia has announced this rather funky/edgy looking handset, the X7. It’ll feature their newest upgrade to the Symbian platform that’s been dubbed Anna. Hopefully it’ll offer more than what Symbian ^3 does and possibly put it closer to the ranks of the very popular Android or iOS systems. The X7 will run on a 680 MHz ARM 11 processor and even offer DivX/XviD video codec support, much like the Nokia N8 and Nokia E7. However it seems to be sans an HDMI output but Nokia’s USB-on-the-go functionality is on board. Not really a radical but ceratinly an edgy design The X7 features - 4.0-inch AMOLED Capacitive Touchscreen with a 360 x 640 pixel resolution 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi GPS with A-GPS support and Nokia Maps Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0 8 Megapixel camera dual LED flash, 720p video recording Stereo FM radio with RDS Memory expandable up to 32 GB via microSD card 3.5 mm handsfree socket Samsung Galaxy S II One of the most anticipated handsets of this quarter is the Galaxy S II. It’s a slim, sleek looking handset that is equipped with all kinds of functionality to rival a tablet. From its 1.2 GHz  dual Core processor to active noise cancellation, NFC support, DivX and Xvid codec support and a fresh new TouchWiz UI look, the Galaxy S II is going to turn a few heads when it makes it out in May. It’ll ship with Android Gingerbread even support full HD video recording and playback. With 8 GB or 16 GB capacities plus the ability to use microSD cards up to 32 GB, you’ll have plenty of space for media. Galaxy S II, a powerhouse The S II comes with - 4.3-inch Capacitive Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen (scratch resistant) with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot, DLNA, GPS with A-GPS Bluetooth 3.0 + HS, USB 2.0 with MHL (Mobile Hio-Def Link) 8 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED Flash and 1080p video recording and playback 2 megapixel secondary camera 3.5 mm audio jack Stereo FM with RDS TV out via USB MHL 16/32 GB Internal memory, 1 GB RAM and support for microSD cards MILESTONE 2 The MILESTONE was a popular handset when it made it out but lacked that certain ‘oomph’ when it came to power. Realizing the space it left vacant, Motorola has rehashed and slightly redesigned the MILESTONE with some much needed upgrades. The MILESTONE 2 will be equipped with a gorilla glass display, support DivX and Xvid codecs and also come with 8 GB of internal storage. More importunately the processing power has been drastically upped to a 1 GHz Cortex-A8 model which should make it significantly faster running on FroYo. MILESTONE 2, a few steps ahead of the original Here are what the MILESTONE 2's specs are like - 3.7-inch touchscreen display with a 480 x 854 pixel resolution Slide out QWERTY 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with DLNA, Wi-Fi Hotspot GPS with A-GPS Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0 5MP autofocus/Touch focus camera, dual LED flash, 720p video recording 8GB internal memory and microSD card support 3.5mm handsfree socket Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro Sony Ericsson’s Xperia range of devices is extremely popular as they’re designed to be funky and quite functionally stable. The Xperia Pro looks elegantly shaped and its slide out QWERTY keypad with separated keys looks well laid out. It will feature Android Gingerbread running on a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine to as well to enhance the display’s visual capabilities. The Xpreia Pro, sexy and well designed Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Pro will also come equipped with - 3.7-inch LED Backlit LCD touchscreen display (scratch resistant) with a 480 x 854 pixel resolution Slide out QWERTY 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with DLNA, Wi-Fi Hotspot GPS with A-GPS Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0 8MP autofocus/Touch focus camera, LED flash, 720p video recording Secondary VGA camera FM radio with RDS 1GB internal memory and microSD card support HDMI out 3.5mm handsfree socket

HTC Sensation 
With a high resolution display falling just a tad short of Apple’s Retina Display in terms of resolution, the HTC Sensation is slated to be a handset to look out for. It’s packed with features that include the company’s latest version of their Sense UI with Sense.com added functionality. The 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and Adreno 220 GPU will ensure that the Android 2.3 aka Gingerbread UI runs smoothly. The handset will also support DivX and XviD playback and full HD video recording and playback as well.

Will surely casue a Sensation in the community

The Sensation will be loaded up with -

• 4.3-inch S-LCD touchscreen display (Gorilla Glass) with a 540 x 960 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with DLNA, Wi-Fi Hotspot
• GPS with A-GPS
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0 + MHL
• 8 MP autofocus/Touch focus camera, dual LED flash, 1080p video recording
• Secondary VGA camera
• FM radio with RDS
• 1 GB internal memory and microSD card support
• TV out via MHL
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket

BlackBerry Bold Touch
RIM’s BlackBerry Bold series has been faring very well amongst the high end business class mobile users. However they haven’t really managed to offer the devices in a better form factor so it was only a matter of time before their tried a slightly different approach. From all the leaked information that’s been making it out about the Bold Touch 9930 aka the Montana, I’m eager to see just how well the added functionality of a touchscreen works for users, with not much of a change in overall design form still.

Same old design but with added fucntionality - Image Source

Although the details of the Bold Touch are still nor officially available from the company, here’s what the community claims it will feature -

• 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen with a 640 x 480 pixel resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
• GPS with A-GPS for Blackberry Maps (most likely)
• Bluetooth with A2DP, USB
• 5 megapixel AF camera with 720p video recording
• 4 GB of built in storage + microSD card support

Apple iPhone 4
The iPhone 4 is not one that I could leave out of this list as it’s also on its way even if it is a year late (as usual) and the next model is already peeking its display out from behind Apple’s veil. While we happen to live in a country and an age where technology, no matter when or where it’s launched is easily available (for a hefty sum), the iPhone 4 is still a handset we’re looking forward to having on our shelves in an official capacity.

No list seems complete without it

Here’s a quick recap of the specs in case you missed them earlier -

• 3.5-inch LED backlit IPS Capacitive Touchscreen with a 640 x 960 pixel resolution (Retina Display)
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi with a hotspot option
• GPS with A-GPS support for Google Maps
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, USB 2.0 (proprietary)
• 5 Megapixel camera with autofocus, touch-focus, LED flash, 720p video recording
• Secondary front facing camera for Face-Time chatting via Wi-Fi
• 16GB or 8GB internal memory
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket

Sony Ericsson Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro announced

The mobile phone segment is growing tremendously as scrupulously devised handsets with breakthrough technology are being unleashed each day from distinct brands like Nokia, Samsung, Motorola and more. Sony Ericsson has now unleashed its new Xperia mini and Xperia mini pro.
These new phones are driven by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and the Android Gingerbread 2.3 operating system. Designed with utmost elegance and style, the devices integrate superior imaging and display technology from Sony, comprising Reality Display with Mobile Bravia Engine and 720p HD video recording.

Steve Walker, Head of Marketing, Sony Ericsson, commented, “We wanted to provide consumers even greater choice across the Xperia range, while building on the success of the original mini series. These turbo-charged smartphones now contain even more power, enhanced functionality, a larger screen and premium features unique to Sony Ericsson. They are packed full of features, making them a perfect choice for consumers looking for all the benefits of Android and Sony in a beautiful and easy to use compact form factor.”
Users can personalize their mobile phone with several apps from the Android Market. Adorned by a 3-inch scratch-resistant, multi-touch glass screen, the Sony Ericsson Xperia mini and Xperia mini pro render a seamless user interface and come along with Facebook inside Xperia feature which puts forth effortless social media integration.
The compact Xperia mini pro comes equipped with a slide-out keyboard. The typing experience is further enhanced with Type & Send functionality which avoids the necessity to open a dedicated app for each type of message while Smart Keyboard intuitively offers predictive messaging actions when the user slides out the keyboard. It also includes Office Suite and McAfee antivirus software.
The handsets are capable of displaying around 16 applications on the homescreen. The Xperia mini is dipped in attractive hues such as black, white, dark pink and blue whereas Xperia mini pro is drenched in black, white, pink and turquoise. Users can capture crisp images using the incorporated 5 megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom, auto-focus and LED flash. These new units also offer 320MB of internal memory and different Google services, and are powered by a 1200mAh removable battery.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia mini pro and Xperia mini with HD are expected to hit shelves globally in selected markets from Q3.

Sony Evaluating Compensation for PlayStation Network Downtime

Sony said in a Friday blog post that it is considering how to "show appreciation" for its customers' patience in dealing with the ongoing PlayStation Network outage.

Sony Online Entertainment also said that it will be holding "special events" for subscribers to its "DC Universe Online" and "Free Realms" massively multiplayer online games.

Sony's online network has been down since April 20, when the company took down the PlayStation Network and the related Qriocity cloud music service due to a external intrusion, or hack into the network. Sony has since been sued over the hack, accusing the company of failing to adequately protect, encrypt, and secure its customer data. The suit seeks damages for the data loss and PlayStation Network downtime.

That may have been on Sony's mind on Friday, when the company's latest blog post addressed what will happen to customer's saved games, data, and other aspects of game play.

Perhaps the most interesting bit of information is listed at the bottom, however: "Will there be a goodwill gesture for the time we haven't been able to utilize PSN/Qriocity?" the blog's FAQ asks. "We are currently evaluating ways to show appreciation for your extraordinary patience as we work to get these services back online."

The blog also addresses the two MMOs.

"What if we have a subscription to PS3 MMOs DC Universe Online or Free Realms? Will we get compensation for that?" it asks.

"From Sony Online Entertainment: 'We apologize for any inconvenience players may have experienced as a result of the recent service interruption,'" the FAQ states. "'As a global leader in online gaming, SOE is committed to delivering stable and entertaining games for players of all ages. To thank players for their patience, we will be hosting special events across our game portfolio. We are also working on a "make good" plan for players of the PS3 versions of DC Universe Online and Free Realms. Details will be available soon on the individual game websites and forums.'"

Sony also goes on to say that download lists, friends history, and settings will not be affected, and that trophies (Sony's version of the Xbox "Achievements") will also be intact and sync with the server when the PSN is restored. Cloud saves will also be "retrievable," Sony said.

Sony has also said previously that its credit-card data has been encrypted, theoretically preventing it from being stolen. Still, it said, it cannot rule out the possibility that it was obtained by the hackers.

On Friday, reports circulated that the credit-card information had in face been obtained and was being circulated by hackers.