Hasta La Gadget!

Amazing! Sony Ericsson actually managed to keep something secret from us. The Xperia Pro is the one handset from its MWC presser today that wasn’t known about in advance, but we’re damn happy to see it anyhow. It features a well-spaced QWERTY keyboard that slides out much in the same way as the gamepad would on the Xperia Play. We did notice there were some software issues on our demo devices — the Sony Ericsson-customized Android 2.3 installation was nowhere near as smooth as what we’ve seen on the Xperia Arc previously, so maybe SE will need a bit more time to fashion out its software here. Physically, the Pro is compact and seems decently well built — we did find the oddly placed power button and teeny tiny volume controls a bit of a bother to locate and operate, however. Obviously, this is a big step up in size from the Xperia X10 Mini Pro, but thickness is kept mercifully in check. It doesn’t feel significantly thicker in the hand than phones that lack its hardware keyboard. We’ll have video of the device for you very shortly, but for now, enjoy the hands-on shots below.

Update: Video now embedded after the break.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro first hands-on! (updated with video)

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro first hands-on! (updated with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 15:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Sony Ericsson touts Xperia Play multiplayer gaming, promises 50 titles at launch

Sony Ericsson touts Xperia Play multiplayer gaming, promises 50 titles at launch originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 13:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll forgive you if you thought the Xperia Play was eons before. Let’s quickly run through its short-yet-illustrious history: we published first details in August last year, followed by the very first pictures in late October. More and more details emerged throughout the remainder of the year. By the time 2011 hit, a prototype was making the Chinese media rounds (teardown included), and then we managed to get our own Xperia Play prototype for preview. It’s at this point that Sony Ericsson joins in on the fun with its creepy Super Bowl ad reveal.

But after months of detailed leaks, early hands-on previews, and numerous executive non–denials, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is finally 100 percent official.

As we’ve heard for ages now, it’ll run Android 2.3 Gingerbread on a 1GHz Snapdragon processor with Qualcomm Adreno 205 graphics and display those games on a sizable 4-inch, 854 x 480 multi-touch LCD screen, the combination of which Sony says will provide 60 frames per second playback and manage up to 5 hours, 35 minutes of battery life in a single game session with the slide-out PlayStation Certified controller. Gaming credentials aside, you’re looking at either a quad-band GSM or CDMA and EV-DO smartphone with a 5-megapixel autofocus camera, LED flash, stereo speakers, Bluetooth and WiFi functionality baked in, as well as Sony Ericsson’s Timescape UI layer.

The phone comes preloaded with a “legendary” PSone game of the undisclosed variety, as well as a bevy of popular Android games including Asphalt 6, The Sims 3 and Tetris, and Sony Ericsson promises a library of 50 additional titles available at launch from 20 publishing partners. Some games ported from existing smartphone platforms (like Reckless Racing) will have bonus content on Xperia Play, too. Local area multiplayer gaming is a go, as you’ll be able to host a WiFi hotspot on one device and join the game with another. It’s launching in March, and will be available on Verizon (a US timed exclusive) in “early spring,” suggesting that we’ll see the European launch before it hits the States.

Update: Press release, full, gigantic spec sheet and loads of video after the break!

Update 2: A brand new Xperia Play hands-on with games!

Continue reading The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (update: video and full spec sheet!)

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (update: video and full spec sheet!) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 13:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading The Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re looking for reasons not to jump on the Verizon iPhone bandwagon, here’s a pretty compelling, albeit unconfirmed, one: the Xperia Play may be headed to Big Red as well. In comparing Sony Ericsson’s thumb-friendly Android handset to the iPhone 4, Wirefly has listed VZW as the carrier for the Play. This is the first we’ve really heard of a US provider for the phone, though we’d hardly be surprised if Sony Ericsson opts to spam it out to all four major networks. It did as much in the UK, where every single operator will try to sell you one in April, and we don’t see why that strategy should change on US soil. The Xperia Play will be announced in full this Sunday, February 13th, when we might just learn more about its global availability… if we’re really polite and wear our PlayStation T-shirts, presumably.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play may be headed to Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 03:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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