The choice of Android Gingerbread handsets just grew by one, courtesy of the Sony Ericsson MT15i and Russia’s premier mobile reviewer, Eldar Murtazin, who has put it through his rigorous preview cycle. The typically curmudgeonly gent was pleasantly surprised by SE’s latest (and entirely unofficial) handset, claiming that the company “has developed and is about to launch truly cutting edge devices and … has almost nothing to fear in the hardware department as well.” He has praise for the above-average front-facing cam, the endurance offered by the 1500mAh battery, and the 854 x 480 res on the Reality Display — though he does warn that Sony’s Bravia Engine is only used when consuming multimedia and therefore has limited impact on improving output quality.

Internally, you’re looking at 512MB of RAM and a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM7630 with Adreno 205 graphics, all of which resulted in perfectly smooth, lag-free operation. In spite of its many pluses, Eldar describes the MT15i as a phone targeting the mid-range, which invites all sorts of delicious pricing speculation, though we’re not entirely sure we agree with his postulation that this handset will be called the Vivaz 2. The Xperia branding up front and the replacement of Symbian with Android would collectively suggest it’ll bear an altogether new name when it’s unveiled — which we’ll go ahead and presume is going to happen at MWC next month.

Sony Ericsson MT15i / Vivaz 2 ensnared by Eldar Murtazin, given glowing preview originally appeared on Mobile Phone Street on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 02:31:00 EST. .

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by niallkennedy

Motorola MILESTONE XT720 GSM Quadband Unlocked Cell Phone with 8MP Camera and gps navigation–International Version with Warranty (Blue/Silver)

• Android 2.1
• Touchscreen
• 8mp camera
• Gps
• Wifi

The Motorola MILESTONE XT720 features an 8MP camera with Xenon flash and geo-tagging, high-definition experience and enhanced media and mobile internet capabilities, all packaged in a slim design and Android 2.1 software.

List Price: $ 499.00

Price: $ 349.00

Do you recognize this handset? Neither do we, and that’s kind of the point. We’re looking at a never-before seen Sony Ericsson smartphone running Android — neither the Anzu / X12 nor the PlayStation Phone — and if we’re not terribly mistaken, that’s the company’s translucent Timescape UI on top. Oh, and it seems to be attached to Vodafone Germany, for whatever that’s worth. What’s more, the picture itself only tells half the story, as the other half is where it came from — a Picasa account filled to the brim with 8 megapixel test shots from a pair of camera phones. It’s hard to say whether either the Sony Ericsson “LT15i” or the “MT15i” are the device we’re actually looking at here, but the brethren have now fired off over 150 images testing out these camera modules. Rumor has it that both are running Gingerbread and that this one’s internal codename is “Hallon,” but honestly we’re more interested in that huge camera module on the front. HD video chat, perhaps? Find a full-frontal picture after the break, and plenty more at our source links.

[Thanks, Brenton]

Continue reading Sony Ericsson mystery handset leaks out, provides juicy rumor material

Sony Ericsson mystery handset leaks out, provides juicy rumor material originally appeared on Mobile Phone Street on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 00:51:00 EST. .

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by Shekhar_Sahu

Is there an android app that changes the appearance of an incoming call? I have the samsung intercept, and I don’t like the way an incoming call looks. Its too plain and when I assign an personal caller ID to a contact, the picture is too small.
By the way, I don’t get the little AndroidBot that usually pops up on android devices. Its the outline of a person and its gray.

HTC A8181 Desire Unlocked Quad-Band GSM Phone with Android OS, HTC Sense UI, 5 MP Camera, Wi-Fi and gps navigation–International Version with Warranty (Brown)

• This unlocked cell phone is compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Not all carrier features may be supported.
• Quad-Band Unlocked GSM cell phone compatible with 850/900/1800/1900 GSM and 900/2100 3G frequencies plus GPRS/EDGE capabilities
• Camera: 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash; Display: 3.7 inches, 480 x 800 pixels; Multi-touch input method
• Platform: Android OS, v2.1 (Eclair); CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 1 GHz processor; Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Up to 6 hours of talk time, up to 340 hours of standby time.

HTC Desire delivers intense brilliance, sharp contrast, and true colors on the expansive 3.7-inch AMOLED display. The 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor makes the phone incredibly responsive as you multitask from app to app without skipping a beat, while the instinctive HTC Sense experience lets you wield the power of the HTC Desire with the greatest of ease. With the HTC Desire, it?s all about your information, your entertainment, your multimedia, your way. A multitude of HTC Sense widgets mak

List Price: $ 619.99

Price: $ 479.00

Good news for those early adopters burdened by an underperforming Sony Ericsson’s LiveView: help is on the way. According to the official Sony Ericsson Product Blog, the company will roll out an update via its SE Update Service in January that should address connection issues between the wrist-worn display / remote control and Android phones. Other “minor issues” will be solved with updates to the LiveView Application in the Android Market, though SE isn’t clear on when those might be made available — hopefully soon because we can’t wait for this device to finally achieve its potential.

Sony Ericsson LiveView getting much needed January update originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look, we’ll be honest: the idea of an X10 mini running dumbphone software never really appealed to us from the start, so the news that it’s apparently been delayed into 2011 doesn’t elicit much of a reaction from anyone here at Engadget HQ. The Walkman-branded Yendo is currently targeting February to be specific, which would put it well past CES and pit it against what is likely to be a strong lineup of announcements at Mobile World Congress in the middle of the month, so we’re thinking there isn’t much retail traction in its future. And hey, in this cutesy, diminutive form factor, the keyboard-equipped X10 mini pro is where it’s at anyway.

Sony Ericsson Yendo delayed right into a fiery pit of irrelevance originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chumby isn’t just taking its platform to dedicated devices from other manufacturers, it’s also moving to software — a strategy that right out of Amazon’s playbook now that Kindle is available on just about every computer and handheld under the sun. The company’s new Android app simply connects to your Chumby account and lets you view and use the same Flash-based apps that you would on any other Chumby device, a testament to the fact that pretty much every Android handset hitting the market these days comes Flash-capable out of the box. Chumby says that the app works best for tablets and docked devices — which makes sense when you think of how you’d use a Sony Dash or Chumby One — and conveniently, you can set it to automatically show up as a screen saver whenever your phone is docked. Look for it in the Market right now for $4.99; follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Chumby releases Android app, not quite as plush as the original

Chumby releases Android app, not quite as plush as the original originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Step aside, Sony Ericsson, your Xperia Pureness has been beaten at its own game by an enigmatic new handset that Lenovo has been showing off over in China. The above images come from a Beijing fashion event, where Lenovo chose to debut its S800 featurephone with a color translucent display. It looks to still be at the concept stage, one that not many of these luxury items seem to ever exit, but lest you think it’s not for real, the models showing it off at the show were photographed backstage using the lustworthy piece of glass to do whatever it is that models do with their phones. Check out the links below for more.

Lenovo teases S800 phone with translucent color display, won’t let anyone touch it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s an extra bonus for those of you who snapped up an unlocked Xperia X8 on a frosty Friday morn — Sony Ericsson is starting to push Android 2.1 to the handset right now. Thirty-two tasty batches of Eclair are already in the oven, and you can easily check to see if you’re a likely candidate for upgrade by scanning the back of your phone. If your eight-digit “SI-number” (e.g. 1242-4859) matches any of those on the list at our source link, your 720p video recording mode, enhanced social networking integration and five homescreens are on the way. Just don’t necessarily expect to see them anytime soon on AT&T.

Android 2.1 rolling out to Sony Ericcson Xperia X8, depending on product code originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Nov 2010 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plausible deniability seems to be Sony’s strategy when it comes to the PlayStation Phone, and that apparently goes for Sony Ericsson as well — once again, without actually confirming the existence of the Android-based gaming handset, its manufacturer is hinting strongly at an impending reveal. “There’s a lot of smoke, and I tell you there must be a fire somewhere,” CEO Bert Nordberg told the Wall Street Journal, adding that some sort of new Sony Ericsson product will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress this Februrary. While that particular item could easily be the 4.3-inch Anzu slate rather than a PlayStation slider phone, the chief executive didn’t seem to shy away from video games in a series of additional quotes. “I haven’t dug into that history, but the future might be brighter,” he said when asked why the company didn’t make a PlayStation Phone years ago, and later suggested that gaming might be the ticket to help SE diversify its offerings. “Sony is of course a very strong brand, and why shouldn’t we use that?” he asked the Journal. We can’t think of a single compelling reason, Mr. Nordberg. Bring on the games.

Sony Ericsson CEO suggests February reveal, perhaps the PlayStation Phone? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Nov 2010 12:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re not sure what Sony Ericsson’s gotten to lately with its mythological codenames, but if Xperia X10 Blog’s source is to be trusted, what we’re looking at here is supposedly an upcoming handset codenamed “Anzu” (a lesser god of Akkadian mythology), or simply the X12 according to the often reliable Eldar Murtazin. Details are thin right now, but the leakster claims that said device is “very, very slim” yet packing a 4.3-inch display and HDMI output — sounds very much like the Droid X, if you ask us. Although this particular photo shows an Android 2.1 build on the phone, rumor has it that it’ll be shipped with Gingerbread (which is now pretty much officially 2.3) in Q1 next year.

Here’s another interesting bit of gossip to take with you: we’ve heard from a couple of reliable sources close to the matter that the Anzu lies in the same category as the PlayStation Phone “Zeus” (also on Gingerbread but lacking the Xperia branding), and that they’re being tested alongside each other. Whether this is an indication that the mystical Z-System gaming platform is heading to the Anzu, we don’t know, but it makes sense given that both upcoming SE devices appear to bear the same screen size, or at least the same aspect ratio. Either way, we’re told the pair will be officially announced some time before or shortly after Christmas, which again supports Xperia X10 Blog’s leak. Time to stock up on some fine champagne, folks — looks like 2011 is going to be a good year.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: Well that was quick. Xperia X10 Blog’s just posted a few more lovely pics of the Anzu, and boy it sure is thin — check out the profile shot after the break. The site’s also just heard that said phone can capture 1080p video and will have a front-facing camera. [Thanks, Tejstar]

Continue reading Sony Ericsson’s Anzu / X12 to be Xperia Gingerbread flagship? (Update: more pics!)

Sony Ericsson’s Anzu / X12 to be Xperia Gingerbread flagship? (Update: more pics!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 07:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earnings calls aren’t usually that interesting, and that’s doubly true when trying to listen via official translators. Still, we couldn’t help but give an ear to Sony’s fiscals, and sure enough, someone asked about our (still real) PlayStation Phone leak. We’re not sure who answered since it’s through interpreter, either Executive VP / CFO Masaru Kato or Senior General Manager of Investor Relations Division Gen Tsuchikawa (we’re assuming the former).

Citing the aforementioned device, the curious party asked if such a product would come out of Sony or of Sony Ericsson, and no, it wasn’t a complete denial. Instead, we’re told just how such a device would happen, that a gaming phone would be planned and prototyped under the (recently restructured) Network Services umbrella. We’re also told how SCE’s move to Sony City headquarters now puts them closer to the planning and engineering group, meaning the company “can better incorporate all these capabilities better… so when the timing is right we can probably announce to you the new product we have.” Ericsson is later cited as a resource “on smartphone and for the games devices,” although this might be something peculiar with translation. Again, that’s far from a confirmation, but they’re certainly entertaining the notion in a very, very detailed response.

But that’s not all; there’s also apparently a tablet brewing in the background, one that would obviously fall somewhere in between PC and Sony Ericsson’s efforts. There isn’t much else said, but if you’re up for psychoanalyzing executive commentary, we’ve transcribed and placed the full quote after the break.

Continue reading Sony earnings call entertains PlayStation Phone, reveals tablets are on the radar

Sony earnings call entertains PlayStation Phone, reveals tablets are on the radar originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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