May 22

Sony Ericsson drops clues on Android 2.0-based smartphone

Posted in: Android, cellphone, rumor, smartphone, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili, xperia

Sony Ericsson’s finance team may figure that it needs a wheelbarrow full of cold, hard cash in order to steamroll through the next decade, but we know better than that. What it needs, friends, is Android, and in the worst possible way. At a launch event over in Taiwan this week, SE Asia-Pacific’s vice president of marketing Peter Ang was quoted as saying that the outfit’s first Android-based smartphone would actually be humming along on Android 2.0. So, there are two ways to take this: one is that Android 2.0 is just around the bend, which would totally rule, but is absolutely unrealistic to believe. The other, more feasible possibility is that SE’s first Android-based phone won’t hit the market until your next grandchild is born, which definitely doesn’t bode well for a handset maker that can’t possibly reinvent itself soon enough.

[Via Slashphone]

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Sony Ericsson drops clues on Android 2.0-based smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 May 2009 08:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 21

Sony Ericsson’s facial recognition patent plays the perfect song to complement your mood

Posted in: camera, cellphone, ericsson, media player, MediaPlayer, Music, patent, patents, sony, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili

We don’t expect this to be indicative of any near-term projects for the now financially hindered phone maker, but one of Sony Ericsson’s recently unearthed patents paves the way for some interesting uses. From what we gather, while listening to music on your device, a picture of your face would be taken. That image would then be run through software that interprets your mood, and an appropriate next song based on those emotions would be picked — so much for the art of mixtapes. Presumably, it’d also require a phone or device with a camera mounted on the same side as the screen, so unless mobile video conferencing takes off in a huge way, we can’t see people paying extra for a phone or device with this configuration. And if you just got dumped over SMS, we hope it doesn’t intepret those tears as a good time to play that Damien Rice song you two fell in love with. Hit up the read link for the full patent details.

[Via Slash Gear]

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Sony Ericsson’s facial recognition patent plays the perfect song to complement your mood originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 23:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 20

Sony Ericsson needs to raise 100 million euros to stay afloat, says CFO

Posted in: cellphones, earnings, ericsson, recession, sony, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili
Things haven’t looked great for Sony Ericsson — which reported its sales were down 50% during the first quarter — for quite a piece of time now. Well, now Sony’s CFO has admitted that falling demand combined with a “gap” in its product portfolio has created problems for the company. He also acknowledged that the company needs to raise about 100 million euros by the end of this fiscal year (March of 2010) to keep on trucking. Sony Ericsson is reportedly considering numberless cash-raising options, but no plans are yet set in stone. We wish them luck!

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Sony Ericsson needs to raise 100 million euros to stay afloat, says CFO originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 May 2009 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 08

Sony Ericsson president: PlayStation phone “could happen”

Posted in: cellphones, gaming, playstation, psp, rumor, sony, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, speculation, Today's Chili, VideoGames

Well, this is certainly one rumor that just won’t die — nor is it likely to, not as long as the company has its hands in both manufacturing handsets and game consoles. According to an article in the Financial Times, Sony Ericsson president Hideki “Handsome Dick” Komiyama discusses his struggle to reposition the company as one the world’s top three phone makers. Among bright ideas and desperate measures mulled over, the man in charge lets slip that no plan is too crazy or far-fetched to consider. Even a PlayStation-branded phone? “Could happen,” he is quoted as saying. And there you have it! Begin warrantless speculation: now.

[Via Unwired View]

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Sony Ericsson president: PlayStation phone “could happen” originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 05

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCV: Sonia F2 doesn’t do Idou justice

Posted in: kirf, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili

Sony Ericsson’s Idou is still a ways off — possibly October according to some reports — but if you’re jonesing for the form factor now, or if you find the 12.1 megapixel camera somehow intimidating, Sonia’s KIRF-tacular F2 might be right up your alley. The doppelganger eschews a Symbian-powered OS in favor of Android, shrinks the screen by about half an inch diagonally, and even though its camera only shoots at 1.3 megapixels, it still says 12.1 on the back, which should be just enough to convince your friends before you quickly hide it back in your pocket and slyly change the subject.

Read – Specs
Read – Hands-on pics

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Keepin’ it real fake, part CCV: Sonia F2 doesn’t do Idou justice originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 May 2009 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 21

Sony Ericsson CS8 passes FCC, looking T-Mobile bound

Posted in: ericsson, slider, sony, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, t-mobile, Today's Chili

If you were looking for a C905 with just a little dash of AWS 3G thrown in, look no further than this little gem. The so-called CS8 breaks from Sony Ericsson’s traditional model naming convention, but they could call this thing the Behold 2 if they wanted to — all we care is that we’re getting access to an 8.1 megapixel slider with myFaves (you can clearly see the myFaves logo plastered on the back of the user manual’s diagrams, and yes, it’s that important). It also sports Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and our undying love and affection, so we hope to see you soon, dearest Cyber-shot.

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Sony Ericsson CS8 passes FCC, looking T-Mobile bound originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 17

Sony Ericsson says no Android phone anytime soon

Posted in: Android, Google, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili

There’s a mild chance that Sony Ericsson CEO Hideki Komiyama has been hitting the sauce just a wee bit too hard of late, but we’re guessing it’s mostly just an inability to comprehend his own company’s situation. As SE pushes out awful report after awful report, the company’s head honcho has just revealed that it’ll be some time yet before it hops on the Android bandwagon — as if it really has time on its side. In an interview with Reuters, he stated: “[Going Android] does require a lot of evaluation, as well as a lot of testing, a lot of acceptance from a consumer viewpoint, and there is still some time to go.” He did confess that “looking ahead,” he viewed it as an “important operating system,” but he definitely gave no indication that we’d see an Android-based SE handset in the near future. Which is strange, really, considering that we’d already heard it would produce one during this calender year…

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Sony Ericsson says no Android phone anytime soon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 07

Rumor mill says Sony Ericsson Idou might be coming this October

Posted in: cellphones, ericsson, sony, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili

It’s all a tiny bit hazy, but it sounds like a Sony Ericsson PR rep in Germany has confirmed that the 12 megapixel camera-boasting Idou will be hitting the streets in October. Gustaf Brusewitz of Sony Ericsson Sweden didn’t have too much to say about that statement, and only repeated what he’d said in the past — that the Idou will be shipping “sometime in the second half of the year.” Come on Gustaf, throw us a hint!

[Via BoyGenius Report]

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Rumor mill says Sony Ericsson Idou might be coming this October originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 07

AU Mobile’s iida pico projector for G9 handsets unveiled to a chorus of cheers

Posted in: pico projector, PicoProjector, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili

Unless you’re in the thick of it here in the Engadget organization, you can’t possibly realize how many desperate (and sometimes, just plain odd) emails we get in the average day. The high weirdness can, at times, become staggering — dire warnings of robot apocalypse come to mind — but we do take our responsibility as media darlings and role models very seriously. Case in point: many of you have been asking, “what’s up with that iida pico projector for the G9 phone?” Well, we dug up some more details for you, and if you’re anywhere near Japan you just might want to check this bad boy out. The device boasts approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes of charge time, projects and image anywhere from six to sixty-three inches, and features a 0.5W (mono) speaker. In case this particular handset isn’t on your short list, the proj is also compatible with AU S001, VA001, H001, W63CA, W63H, W62CA and W62H series phones. You’re welcome.

[Via Pico Projector Info]

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AU Mobile’s iida pico projector for G9 handsets unveiled to a chorus of cheers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 07

Video: Sony Ericsson’s S312 and W205 handsets for cruel, mocking teens

Posted in: Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili

Judging by their reactions, these beautiful urban teens are not too impressed by our awkward, yet heart-felt love song to Nintendo’s GameCube. That’s ok, at least we’re not stuck with these two entry-level, dual-band, non-3G handsets from Sony Ericsson. First up, the S312 (available in Q2) candy bar whose main feature is a 2 megapixel camera that “can be used horizontally” (wow, just wow) and a dedicated camcorder key for quick capture of all the things you love to mock on YouTube. Unfortunately, sharing those precious moments will be less than spontaneous on this HSPA-less handset — dual-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE-only kids. Next is the W205 (available in Q3) GSM/GPRS slider meant for first time Walkman owners. It features a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, FM radio and TrackID music recognition with an integrated speaker to prove to others just how awesome your music tastes are. An optional, strap-on MS410 speaker stand that’s powered by the phone will extend the range of your ego all the way to the front of the bus. No prices given, though we expect them to be free with contract when they land in and around Croydon. See what they’re laughing at after the break.

Read — S312
Read — W205

Continue reading Video: Sony Ericsson’s S312 and W205 handsets for cruel, mocking teens

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Video: Sony Ericsson’s S312 and W205 handsets for cruel, mocking teens originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 03:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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