You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
With the Sony XPERIA ZL, the company took a double-tiered approach to a hero smartphone release – unlike what Samsung and HTC have done with their HTC One and GALAXY S 4, Sony has created a machine that’s got the same innards as the XPERIA Z, but with a body that’s almost like an alternate reality iteration. Here with the XPERIA ZL, Sony has taken the display, the software, the processor, and the camera technology from the XPERIA Z, putting it in a body that’s both more rugged and thinner than the hero.
The XPERIA ZL works with a body that’s less wide than the ZPERIA Z, complete with a smaller bezel and rubbery back panel that makes it a bit less prone to busting on a violent drop. Here the device is much easier to grip, but no longer works with the waterproofing provided in the Z. You’ll also notice there’s no massive barrage of port covers, either.
This smartphone works with a 5-inch 1080 x 1920 pixel full HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, easily the nicest display brought to the market by Sony on a smartphone. While it’s still not exactly a display you’ll be using in direct sunlight on the regular, it’s still one of the best on the market.
Around the edges you’ll find a power button – a little above the center on the right side of the phone – as well as a camera shutter button and a volume bar. Each of these buttons rest on the right side of the phone, while the back has a rather large flap that pulls down and out to reveal slots for both a microSD card and a microSIM.
The back-facing camera on this device has a large metal rim around its lens, this allowing for some protection of the lens, but also adds a bit of difficulty to cleaning said lens without a miniature tool. Around the ring you’ll find this device’s external speakers and a single LED flash as well.
Inside an XPERIA device you’re going to be working with some apps you’re not going to see anywhere else in the Android universe. You’ve got apps like WALKMAN, Sony Album, Movies, and Sony Select. Each of these apps makes the case for you staying inside a strictly Sony environment, and makes it comfortable for you to be there if you’re willing. Xperia Link also makes a similar case with a Sony-specific connection to your desktop-based files.
You’ll also see Smart Connect – similar to Xperia Link, as well as Wisepilot for XPERIA. While we were surprised by the amount of apps built-in to this system back when it was first shown, the launch of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 has taught us a valuable lesson: the average consumer doesn’t count a cleaner system amongst their must-have items in a popular smartphone – it does not seem to be an issue, as 10 million unit sales in the GALAXY S 4′s first month can attest.
Apps like “Remote Control”, on the other hand, are extremely useful and add to the value of the smartphone. The Sony XPERIA ZL has an IR-Blaster for control of your television, stereo, or home entertainment system set, and with the simple Remote Control app, it’s quite easy to implement. A couple taps through the system to find the device you want to control, a test run, and you’re off.
Beyond that, Sony’s implementation of their own user interface has proven itself to be swift and responsive as it should be, doing the processor under the hood justice. This Qualcomm SoC also lends itself to a long battery life: more info on that below.
The camera here is 13 megapixels strong, and it shows. The Sony-made custom camera interface here brings a “Superior Auto” system that calls upon the many modes available outside it – this means that if sensors on the device notice it’s dark where you’re about to take a photo, the system’s night compensation switches on. There are also customizations to your user interface here in the camera app that allow you to make the experience your own.
This machine works with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, meaning you’ll be seeing some optimization of the system with regard to battery life specifically. Because of this, you’ll be rolling with at least a full day of up-time just so long as you’re not a heavy user. If you’re thinking about testing this device’s ability to keep its display on while you’re downloading files and streaming video at the same time, you can expect something more like a few hours of battery life.
Bringing down the brightness on this device’s extremely bright display will do wonders for conserving battery life, while blasting the light all night will knock it out.
The Sony XPERIA ZL takes what the Sony XPERIA Z was good at – and remains good at – and puts it in a slightly more hand-friendly form factor. If you’d like your handset to have a massive amount of glass, you’ll want the Z. If instead you want a slightly less pretty machine that’s better for an accident here or there, go ZL.
Both the Sony XPERIA Z and the Sony XPERIA ZL are available in the United States today, though you’ll not find them attached to any one unique carrier. This unit works with AT&T and T-Mobile microSIM cards: you’ll also not find any Verizon 4G LTE attaching itself to this set. Consider that, but consider this too: here Sony puts forth its greatest effort to date. If you’ve enjoyed Sony smartphones in the past, you’ll certainly have an impressive time here.
Sony XPERIA ZL Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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At today’s 2013 summer new collection press conference, au announced the new “XPERIA UL” smartphone, to be released May 25.
According to CEO Takashi Tanaka, “XPERIA UL” is a smartphone that they especially focused on because of its ease of hold and were meticulous about the design to the last millimeter. Although XPERIA smartphones that are out from other companies have a more square design, Sony changed the “XPERIA UL” design only for au to make it fit more comfortably in users’ hands.
“XPERIA UL” has a large 5 inch high-resolution display with Direct Touch (for better touch accurately) built-in. Its camera features Sony’s CMOS image sensor “Exmor RS for mobile” and is 13 million pixels. One of the notable camera functions is “Continuous Shooting Mode” that enables you to take 15 photos per second without any limit (within memory capacity).
Model: Xperia UL SOL22
Release date: May 25
OS: Android 4.1
Size: 71 x 135 x 10.5mm
Weight: 145g
Display: 5 inch Reality Display LCD FHD
Battery: 2,300mAh
Color: White, Pink, Black
Compliant with: Bluetooth, One-seg, Wi-Fi, Tethering, au Smart Pass, Wallet phone, 4G LTE, NFC, Infrared data communication, Waterproof, Dustproof
Popular young actress Ayame Goriki and current world-wide famous Japanese pop singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu joined the event, brightening up the venue…
The au 2013 summer new collection press conference took place at Shibuya Excel (Cerulean) Tokyu Hotel in Shibuya, Tokyo.
The FCC may have spoiled the surprise, but Sony’s now gone official with yet another smartphone and this one’s for its native Japan. The Xperia UL appears to be a slightly thicker riff on the Xperia Z, matching the display of the company’s early-2013 flagship, with a quad-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) ticking behind the 5-inch 1080p screen. It’s worth noting that it’s a substantial resolution bump from the similar-looking 720p NTT DoCoMo Xperia A. Although it’s not the Snapdragon 600 rumored, Qualcomm’s S4 Pro flexes its muscle through Exmor RS 13-megapixel camera sensor, offering up the ability to capture 15 frames in a second. NFC, naturally, is already in attendance as well as the Felica wireless payment system. You’ll also get the benefits of both a physical camera button and water (IPX5/8) and dust resistance (IP5X) — two features in tandem that should help separate it from Sony’s pair of existing 5-inch 1080p smartphones. The Xperia UL will launch on KDDI’s au network in white, black and hot pink colors on May 25th. Check out the obligatory close-up ad after the break.
Update: The Xperia UL runs on an S4 Pro processor, not the Snapdragon 600 initially stated.
Gallery: Sony Xperia UL press shots
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony
Source: Sony (Japanese)
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Sony gifted its flagship Xperia Z smartphone with an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) build just last month, and now the stock operating system has made its way to the device’s tablet counterpart, too. AOSP is now available for the Xperia Tablet Z — it’ll live on GitHub, along with instructions and other resources. Community Manager Marcus Hansson dropped by YouTube to demo AOSP. You’ll find that Jelly Bean (4.2.2) walkthrough posted after the break, along with a warning to non devs: “The software is not intended for everyday use, and therefore does not include all apps and services usually expected in ordinary software.” That could always change in the future, but if you’re expecting a seamless stock experience for personal use, you probably won’t find it here.
Filed under: Tablets, Software, Sony
Source: Sony Blog
It was only a couple of weeks ago that we got an early peek of T-Mobile’s Xperia Z thanks to the FCC, but we’ve now already gotten word of another unannounced Sony handset. While the published FCC report doesn’t offer much more than a label, Blog of Mobile has turned up some images of what’s purported to be the Xperia UL (codenamed “Gaga”), giving us an early look at the 5-inch device clearly inspired by other members of the family design-wise. What’s more, the UL is allegedly sporting Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 chip, along with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage, a 2,300mAh battery and waterproof / dustproof attributes (these being common Japanese standards). Word on the internet is the Xperia UL will be launching as a KDDI exclusive, though we’ll have to wait for something more concrete to see if that’s indeed the case. Until then, you can peruse the gallery after the break to get a slight idea of what to expect.
Gallery: Sony Xperia UL
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony
Via: UnwiredView
Source: Blog of Mobile, FCC
“XPERIA A SO-04E” is a smartphone designed with round edges to fit in your palm well with an approx. 4.6 inch (720×1280 dot) LCD. It’s Docomo’s version of XPERIA’s global model “Sony XPERIA ZR”.
If you say XPERIA, you might remember its highly-functional camera. Sony’s CMOS image sensor “Exmor RS for mobile” is featured with “XPERIA A SO-04E” and that makes it strong against backlight. When it’s in sleep mode, it will shift to camera mode instantly by pressing a small bottom on the side so it is harder to miss the moment than with other smartphones when you want to take a photo. This is functionality that we’ve only seen with XPERIA.
It is waterproof and dustproof, and it’s compatible with NFC, infrared data communication, Bluetooth, and wallet phone function.
Release date: May 17
Colors: white, black, pink, mint
Dimensions: 131 x 67 x 10.5mm
Weight: 141g
Display: 4.6 inch, 720×1280 dots, HD, TFT display, 16.77 million colors
External memory: microSD (2GB), microSDHC (32GB), microSDXC (64GB)
CPU: APQ8064 (1.5GHz Quad Core)
OS: Android 4.1
Sony is adding another option to its smartphone lineup with this Xperia A it just announced in Japan. Spotted a few days ago in an FCC filing, the SO-04E will be released on the 17th on NTT DoCoMo. It slots in a step below the Z and ZL models on the spec sheet however, with a 1,280 x 720 4.6-inch LCD. It shares most of their internals, with a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU and Android 4.1, which are nice, but not the latest out (Snapdragon 600 and Android 4.2.) It also packs a 2,300mAh battery, 13MP rear camera and 0.3MP front camera. Like all of the phones announced today in NTT DoCoMo’s summer push it supports LTE, and it will have NOTTV access after an update this fall.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony
Source: NTT DoCoMo (PDF), (2)
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