Artists hack Sony Ericsson’s Xperia phones to see the unseen universe, use fire as a flash

For most of us, cellphones are for texting, calling and maybe the occasional tweet, but what happens when you hand them over to some of the world’s most creative minds? Giving hackers, artists and intellectuals free reign to mess with the various Xperia phones, Sony found out just how capable its handsets really are. Using a few tweaks and hacks, artists were able to create an installation that breathes fire when you snap a photo, a remote-controlled boat with GPS and a bike that uses colored lights to spell out secret words only visible when captured on camera. When Sony asked astrophysicist Joshua Peek to give it a go, he took full sky maps and telescope image data to build an app with an up-close view of electromagnetic patterns in the sky. To round out the project, musician Annabel Lindquist composed a song based on the sounds of Paris she recorded with an Arc. Now, if they could just mod one to avoid dropped calls, we’d be all set. Videos of their ingenuity in action after the break.

Continue reading Artists hack Sony Ericsson’s Xperia phones to see the unseen universe, use fire as a flash

Artists hack Sony Ericsson’s Xperia phones to see the unseen universe, use fire as a flash originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Sep 2011 04:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceXperia Studio  | Email this | Comments

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play 4G hitting AT&T on September 18th for $50 on contract

We knew good and well it was coming, and come it has. Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play has made the natural GSM shift in the States in order to grace Ma Bell’s airwaves, and despite the “4G” naming convention, this fellow will be topping out at HSPA+. In other words, LTE lovers will need to look elsewhere. This marks the first launch of a PlayStation-certified smartphone for AT&T, and given that it’s been around the block a time or two, the carrier is (smartly) pricing it at just $49.99 on a two-year contract — a buck-fifty less than what it launched for on Verizon Wireless. As we’d heard, it’ll ship with Android 2.3.3, a 1GHz CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, a 4-inch display (854 x 480) and will arrive in an exclusive ‘stealth blue’ hue. AT&T customers will also be blessed with a gratis Multimedia Dock (DK300) and MC100 music cable, not to mention seven pre-loaded games at no charge. Full details on that are hosted up after the break, and interested consumers can line up to grab their own on September 18th.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play 4G hitting AT&T on September 18th for $50 on contract

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play 4G hitting AT&T on September 18th for $50 on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAT&T  | Email this | Comments

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S hands-on (video)

The only way you missed Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc S at today’s IFA press conference, is if the slim handset happened to be turned sideways at the time. The 4.2-inch phone was the one of the bigger announcements at the event, sporting a 1.4GHz processor, an 8.1 megapixel camera, a Reality Display and the ability to convert 2D images into 3D. Like the new Walkman, however, Sony seemed largely interested in showing off the handset’s ability to transfer content onto its line of Bravia displays. Check out a brief hands-on video with the new Arc after the break.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S hands-on (video)

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Sony Ericsson announces Xperia arc S at IFA, coming in October

Sony took to the stage at IFA 2011 to unveil its latest handset, the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S. It appears to be a refresh of the original that was launched earlier this year. The super-slim device just got a few bumps in features, including a 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor and an 8.1 megapixel camera with an Exmor R sensor that includes a “3D sweep panorama” mode, which offers the ability to take 2D (read: not stereoscopic) images and convert them into 3D. The new device will offer a similar 4.2-inch Reality Display that we’ve seen in the original Arc, and will be available in five colors globally this October. Click on past the break for the company’s official presser.

Joseph Volpe contributed to this report.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson announces Xperia arc S at IFA, coming in October

Sony Ericsson announces Xperia arc S at IFA, coming in October originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Sony Ericsson updates Xperia line with the latest Gingerbread goods

Android update junkies are in for a treat from Sony Ericsson. The handset maker’s serving up the freshest batch of Gingerbread to its Xperia line of smartphones starting this October. Bundled in to this 2.3.4 rollout are a bunch of OEM enhancements, bringing along deeper Facebook integration that’ll let you like and share your app discoveries with friends, and “3D sweep panorama technology,” so you can snap those self-portraits for 3DTV viewing. SE’s also thrown in a native screen capture function and, of course, there’s Google Talk with Video Chat. The Neo V will be the first phone out of the launch gate with these baked-in tweaks, but if you’ve got a beefier Xperia device, it’s probably better just to wait.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson updates Xperia line with the latest Gingerbread goods

Sony Ericsson updates Xperia line with the latest Gingerbread goods originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray shows up on Vodafone UK, inches towards launch

If you’ve been counting down the days leading up to the Xperia Ray’s release, get set to add a few more X’s to that calendar. A recent product page over on Vodafone UK teases an imminent launch for the svelte, Sony Ericsson handset, and slims down that multi-hued selection to one gold-backed option. The 3.3-incher had previously been up for pre-order on Play.com with a purported mid-August release, only to see that date slip back into the folds of September. Whenever the phone does finally make it to market, expect to see this quadband HSPA-capable device sporting an 854 x 480 Reality display, 1GHz processor, 8.1 megapixel rear-facing camera and Android 2.3. Import-minded types can look forward to running an unlocked version on AT&T, or just wait around for a potential stateside release. Eager for more info? Then head to the source below where you can sign-up for the deets.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray shows up on Vodafone UK, inches towards launch originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Aug 2011 19:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceVodafone UK  | Email this | Comments

Minecraft Pocket Edition hits Android Market, only Xperia Play users need apply

Just a couple months after making its grand debut at this year’s E3, Minecraft has finally made its way to the Android Market, much to the delight of cube enthusiasts and time-wasters everywhere. With this new, Pocket Edition app, Mojang is hoping to faithfully recreate the Minecraft experience on mobile platforms, with a special emphasis placed on the game’s creative side. In version Alpha 0.1, users will be able to explore randomized worlds, invite friends to play along in their worlds and save multi-player realms directly to their phones — all while manipulating 36 different kinds of blocks from the comfort of their touchscreens. For now, the game will only be available for Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play, though Mojang plans to release it for other Android handsets “in the near future.” You can grab it now for $6.99, or swerve past the break for more information, in the full press release.

Continue reading Minecraft Pocket Edition hits Android Market, only Xperia Play users need apply

Minecraft Pocket Edition hits Android Market, only Xperia Play users need apply originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAndroid Market  | Email this | Comments

Xperia Play spins original PlayStation One ISOs via emulator hack

Android developer Yifan Lu has reverse engineered the Xperia Play’s native PlayStation emulator to make it run ripped PSX ISOs. That means you’re no longer limited to Crash Bandicoot or the handful of other PSX titles that have officially trickled out from Sony Ericsson. Instead, you can grab your original games from the attic, rip them into disc images, and bring them back to life on your Play. Er, assuming that’s legal, of course. Perhaps you should move to Papua New Guinea before trying it. We’ve attached one of Lu’s videos to prove that his tweaked emulator actually works. His custom ISO of choice? More Bandicoot.

Continue reading Xperia Play spins original PlayStation One ISOs via emulator hack

Xperia Play spins original PlayStation One ISOs via emulator hack originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 16:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phandroid  |  sourceYifan.Lu  | Email this | Comments

Sony Ericsson’s tiny Xperia Mini and Mini Pro on sale now in Taiwan and Hong Kong

Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini and Mini Pro

They’ve been announced, manhandled (by us and the FCC), and now they’re finally on sale… in Taiwan and Hong Kong. That’s right, some of the first folks to put Sony Ericsson’s latest Android phones in their pockets will be the citizens around HTC’s very own turf. According to VR-Zone and our brethren over at Engadget Chinese, both the Xperia Mini and Xperia Mini Pro are on shelves now for NT$7990 / HK$2,098 (about US$270) and NT$8990 (US$310) / HK$2,198 (US$280) respectively. It probably won’t be much longer now till these pair of itty-bitty, 3-inch Gingerbread phones hit the states but, if you’re impatient, those two cities are only about a 13-hour flight away.

Sony Ericsson’s tiny Xperia Mini and Mini Pro on sale now in Taiwan and Hong Kong originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Aug 2011 10:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceVR-Zone, Engadget Chinese  | Email this | Comments

Qriocity video streaming coming to Xperia packing pocket near you

Qriocity on Xperia phone

Sony’s Qriocity video streaming service is going mobile. The on-demand pay-per-view offering (which is probably best known for its supporting role in the recent PSN outage debacle) is making the jump from the living room to your pocket — provided said pocket is stuffed with a 2011 Xperia smartphone. Initially it will only be available to Mini and Mini Pro owners, but eventually it’ll be pushed to rest of the current lineup in nine markets, including the US, UK and Japan. Check out the source link for more details.

Qriocity video streaming coming to Xperia packing pocket near you originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSony Ericsson  | Email this | Comments