Hasta La Gadget!

Outside of a bit of bootloader talk, we haven’t heard much about Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Pro since it made its debut at Mobile World Congress in February. The company’s now gotten things rolling again, however, and has made the phone available for pre-order in the UK. As you can see above, it’ll set you back £349.99 SIM-free (or roughly $575), and it should be available sometime next month. Not pictured above is one of the phone’s main selling points: a sliding QWERTY keyboard — but don’t worry, you can get a good look at it in our hands-on.

[Thanks, Amarjit]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro now available for pre-order in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 07:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It took a while, but that O2-exclusive (for the UK) white Xperia Play is finally with us. Earlier this month, the UK carrier had promised to deliver the Play in June, but evidently things have gone better than expected, as we now see “in stock” signage next to both the black and white models of Sony Ericsson’s gaming phone. Pricing is identical for both color variants, starting at “free” when attached to expensive (£34 per month) two-year contracts and peaking at £430 ($702) on pre-pay deals. O2 also throws in a matching multimedia dock plus three bonus games to sweeten the deal. We’re guessing that Android 2.3.3 update that Sony Ericsson just rolled out for the Xperia Play might finally have allayed O2’s software concerns, which has allowed it to now start selling the device in earnest.

Xperia Play finally lands at O2 UK, available in black or white originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 06:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon is seriously diversifying its portfolio today with the official in-store launch of four new smartphones. Three of them roll up in Android gear, though they all have major selling points beyond Google’s software. LG’s Revolution is the sole LTE-capable handset of the bunch, bringing with it a 4.3-inch screen and pre-installed Netflix for $250. The Droid X2 undercuts it on price, at $200, but doubles the core count with its Tegra 2 processor and ramps up resolution to qHD (960 x 540). Gaming aficionados can spend the same amount on the Xperia Play from Sony Ericsson, which offers a slideout gamepad and unique PlayStation Certified status. Bringing up the rear is HTC’s well-traveled Trophy, a 3.8-inch Windows Phone that accepts it’s a little late to the party and therefore slices $50 off its asking price, with a $150 levy before the obligatory two-year contract. What say you — buy, try, or keep waiting?

Verizon bonanza: Droid X2, Revolution, Trophy, and Xperia Play hit Big Red today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 May 2011 02:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you want to be the first in your hood to take Minecraft with you wherever you go, you’ll have to pick up an Xperia Play. The block-building game where cubed avatars hide from creepers and create virtual CPUs will land on the so-called PlayStation Phone before coming to other Android devices and iOS later this year. The Play version will have customized controls that take advantage of the gamepad and button layout found on the Sony Ericsson handheld, though when exactly it will launch or how much it will cost is still unknown. It’s also unclear how long the title will be exclusive to the gamer-centric smartphone, but developer Mojang will be holding an event at E3 where, presumably, we’ll be getting more details. Now is the time to wrap up any loose ends in your life before what little free time you have left gets buried beneath a pile of bricks and mobs — even when your PC isn’t handy.

Update: If that pic of Minecraft running on the Xperia Play wasn’t doing for you, good news, we’ve got video of the title in action after the break.

[Thanks, stagueve]

Continue reading Xperia Play first in line for mobile Minecraft port (video)

Xperia Play first in line for mobile Minecraft port (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 10:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s SmartAR demoed live, raises the bar for augmented reality (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 May 2011 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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