Sony & Box Renew Free 50GB Cloud Storage For Life Promotion For 2013

You remember how Sony and Box came together to offer Xperia owners a cloud storage deal they couldn’t refuse? Well both are back and set to offer the same free 50GB of cloud storage for life promotion— this time running until the end of 2013. You read that right folks: if you happen to own a Sony Xperia variant, Sony and Box are offering 50GB of free cloud storage all for the price of gratis. The promotion applies to most of the various Xperia-esque models—- though the deal doesn’t apply to the Xperia X10 mini, X10 mini pro or any device that runs on Android 2.1 or older. Nevertheless, those of you who do own a fairly recent Xperia smartphone have no excuse not to take advantage of this awesome promotion. After all— how else will you store those vast amounts of Frank Zappa albums?

You can find full details of the promotion in the presser after the break.

Sony introduces Xperia E budget phone for Europe with option of dual SIM

Today Sony announced the Xperia E, a budget device that’ll sport a 3.5-inch HVGA 320 x 480 display and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The device will be available with either a single or dual (Xperia E dual) SIMs. Sony is marketing the device as, “affordable access to the quality and functionality more traditionally associated with high-end Android smartphones.” They also mention using the device while being able to ”stay on top of your data and battery usage.” Apparently there is software which manages battery usage in order to get the most out of it. The E dual, dual SIM version, will offer the ability to switch between carriers with a single touch in order to  ”to stay on the most cost effective plan,” according to Sony.

As far as specs, we’re looking at a 1GHz processor, wireless DNLA connectivity, and a 1500 mAh battery. To beef up the sound quality, it’ll come with Walkman xLOUD and HD Voice. You can grab the Xperia E in either black, white, or pink flavors and the Xperia E dual in black or gold. There’s no word on pricing, but it’ll launch in Q1 2013. Hit the break for the full press release.

Sony Xperia S Jelly Bean Update Details Coming Mid-December

Apparently just asking Sony for an ETA on software updates works sometimes. Sony responded, via its Sony Xperia News twiter account, to a tweet regarding the pending Jelly Bean update for the Xperia S by saying it would provide details in mid-December.  The update news falls in line with Sony’s statement regarding updating most 2012-release Xperia devices to Jelly Bean.

Source: @SonyMobileNews

Sony Xperia Tablet S Gets Minor “release6a” Update

While the Sony Xperia Tablet S may just be getting over its physical defects, it is now getting some love thanks to a minor OTA update that is being pushed out to the tablet. This minor update dubbed “release6a” brings a major VPN fix to users who encountered issues trying to log onto corporate or enterprise networks. Sure the minor update still keeps the tablet on Android 4.0.3, but any update is better than no update, right?

If you own the tablet, be sure to head on down to your Settings and System Updates in order to grab the latest update immediately.

source: Xperia Blog

US Gets Sony Xperia Advance AKA the Xperia Go

 The rugged Xperia Go has made its way to the US as the Xperia Advance. The 1 GHz dual-core processor and 512 MB of RAM isn’t going to break any benchmark records but the $249 contract-free price might make it an attractive option for some. It’s designed to be dust & water resistant and its 3.5-inch display will even support wet finger tracking. The Xperia Advance looks like an excellent choice for the
cheap frugal and/or clumsy. Our friends to the North should get their chance at the Xperia Go this month as well.

Source: Newegg

Sony Xperia S removed from AOSP, Sony to keep project alive on GitHub

As many of you are aware, Sony’s Xperia S was recently made a target device in AOSP, which essentially turned it into a pseudo-Nexus device. It wasn’t an official target, but it was a decent option for those willing to tinker around. It was a big move for Sony and Google, and a step in the right direction for Android and manufacturers. It was great while it lasted, but unfortunately, today the plug was pulled and the Xperia S is no longer in AOSP.

There’s been a bit of speculation over why this happened, with Sony responding saying that Google doesn’t have the time and resources to devote to a non-Nexus device. Believable, but there does seem to be more to the issue. Sony hasn’t released binaries for specific parts of the Xperia S, so it’s pretty unusable in its current state. That’s as good a reason as any to pull it from AOSP. The good news, though, is that Sony intends on keeping the project alive on Sony’s GitHub space. So if you’re content to tinker with 4.1, you’re still in luck! To be fair, 4.1 is more than most devices have seen so far, so that’s not a bad deal.

Sony has done a better job than many at embracing the developer and enthusiast communities, and this brief endeavor was no exception. It’s sad to see it end, but there’s more than likely some other factors at play here that are keeping Sony from releasing those necessary binary files. Regardless, I’m hopeful that this won’t be the last non-Nexus device to follow in the Xperia S footsteps.

source: SonyMobile

Images leak for the Sony C6603 ‘Yuga’

We reported about a new Sony beast dubbed the “Odin” or C650X (the X gets replaced with a number) from a leaked agent profile and shortly after, an image leaked. Now we have images of a C6603 compliments of German site Android Schweiz, with a codename “Yuga”. I am assuming this is the same phone, but with a new bump in the model number. The specs seem the same as anticipated, 5-inch 1080p display, 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, and running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. They are claiming the camera is 12MP, but you would think it would be the 13MP Exmor RS. Who knows, that could still change. Another tidbit is that it will sport a unibody design so that means no removable battery, but they will include a microSD slot and microHDMI port. Could we see this at CES? More pics after the break.

Miracast streaming, other additions coming to Sony Xperia T/TX via latest update

We discussed Miracast, the newest player in the streaming video segment earlier this year. It’s a segment that’s been around for a while that Android is playing catch up with, as it were. As a refresher, Miracast is similar to Samsung’s DLNA feature and a more recently announced feature of the Nexus 4 coupled with Android 4.2, which allows a person to mirror the images straight from a phone or tablet to a display over WiFi. This week a software update is beginning to roll out in Europe and Asia for the Xperia T/TX which includes this streaming functionality. The only catch is your network and your monitor will need to be Miracast-compatible.

An additional function which will likely appeal to battery-conscious users out there – and honestly who among us isn’t – is a feature which allows users to enable an extended standby function. This feature will disable data connections after a set amount of time, however what differentiates this from other features is that it’ll still allow for texts and calls to function as normal. Sony claims and extension of standby time by four-fold when opting in with this option. Other changes included with this update are some changes with the Movie and Walkman apps.

source:  Sony Mobile

Sony To Launch Xperia V Smartphone With Jelly Bean By January 2013 In France

We know there’s more than a few of you out there who have been patiently waiting for the Sony Xperia V smartphone and now it appears as if your patience will now pay off. Sony Mobile France has confirmed the elusive device will not arrive at the end of the year, but rather the end of January 2013 instead. While some of you may be disappointed, there is a positive twist— The device will launch with Jelly Bean loaded up instead of the now seemingly outdated Ice Cream Sandwich.

It is worth noting the Xperia V is already out in Japan through several wireless carriers as of the time of this writing, though the expectation is that the version of the Xperia V due next year will be the international version.

source: Xperia Blog

Sony Xperia TL hits AT&T on November 2 for $99 on contract

Earlier in the month AT&T announced they would release Sony’s Xperia T in time for the holidays as the Xperia TL. They just officially announced that it will be available starting November 2 for $99 on contract. That’s a screaming good deal for a darn good phone. As a reminder, the Xperia TL sports a 4.6-inch (1280 x 720) Reality display, a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, 1GB of RAM, a 13MP camera, NFC, LTE, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Full press release and quick video after the break:

Sony Xperia T Smartphone Achieves Full HD Voice Certification

Considering Sony’s upcoming Xperia T smartphone has all the typical bells and whistles of a flagship phone, it should come as no real surprise that we see features considered as innovative as well. Sony has announced the Xperia T has achieved full HD Voice certification. How HD Voice works is fairly simple: the technology differentiates mobile devices by voice call quality and the technology creates a quality hearing experience which is definitely improved from typical voice calls heard on both traditional and mobile calls. The effect is that HD Voice technology allows for a clear voice to be heard in usually noisier environments— as if the both individuals on a call are right next to each other.

So now that the technology is approved for the Xperia T, it will certainly allow us get through our various jobs and missions out there in the world— no matter how loud the circumstances may be.

Sony Provides Specific List Of Xperia Tablet S Serial Numbers Affected By Water Resistance Defect

It looks like we have an update to the Sony Xperia Tablet S fiasco. As stood before, all Sony mentioned is that there was approximately 100,000 tablet units that are affected by a water-resistance defect— though there was no way of confirming which tablets exactly were affected. However Sony UK and Sony US each have identified a means to pinpoint which exact tablet models are indeed affected. Both have released statements highlighting owners of the tablet can use the device’s serial number to see if it is part of the massive recall. For now, the specific Sony US units affected are:

• SGPT121US/S
• SGPT122US/S
• SGPT123US/S
• SGPT121US/MC
• SGPT122US/KB

Sony UK hasn’t provided a list of what specific serial numbers are potentially affected, though it plans to release the full list “soon”.

Sony halts sales of the Xperia Tablet S over lack of ‘water-resistance’, will fix already purchased units

The Xperia Tablet S launched only a month ago, but Sony has already halted sales. The tablet itself is supposed to be water resistant, but they found gaps between the screen and the case that would actually make the tabs susceptible to water damage. So far, there are about 100,000 units in the wild, but Sony said they will fix any and all of the tablets sold. As to when sales will start up again, nothing was announced.

Sony Xperia T release day commercial shows Bond-like action

Today the Sony Xperia T was released in the UK and to commemorate the occasion, Sony released a commercial that resembles a 007 movie. The most exciting part might be at the end when you discover that the phone comes “packed with exclusive Bond content”. This is the second Xperia T commercial Sony has released recently, but this one undoubtedly had a larger budget. Directed by Joe Carnahan, it features a car chase and some explosions that will certainly add to this phone’s high expectations. The phone is only available in the UK right now with a roll out for the rest of Europe not far behind. It will hit the states as the Xperia TL on AT&T soon. Hit the break to watch the commercial.

Sony brings Xperia Tipo and Xperia Tipo Dual to the US

Following the company’s Xperia acro S release, Sony has announced the impending US availability of its budget-level Xperia Tipo and Xperia Tipo Dual handsets. Currently available in Europe, the smartphones both sport an 800MHz single-core Snapdragon CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 3.2-inch HVGA (480×320) display and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Xperia Tipo Dual, however, will feature two SIM slots, which isn’t something that usually makes its way to the United States. Customers will also get a rather disappointing 3-megapixel rear camera. Unfortunately, both units will only support 3G HSPA connectivity for use with AT&T.

The Xperia Tipo and Xperia Tipo Dual are now available to purchase from Sony’s official online store for $179.99  and $189.99, respectively. Color choices include serene black, classic silver, navy blue and deep red for the Xperia Tipo, and classic black and classic white for the Xperia Tipo Dual. For more information, you can catch the full press release past the break.

SIM-free Sony Xperia T sales to be unrestricted

This past weekend we reported that customers looking to purchase a SIM-free Sony Xperia T off-contract in the UK could be in for a long wait. Today, Sony has managed to slightly clear things up, reiterating that the Xperia T will be available “within timescales previously announced through Vodafone, EE, O2, 3, Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U and Tesco.” Furthermore, Sony made it known that it would not be imposing restrictions on how the units are sold. This means the above retailers will be the ultimate deciders when it comes to whether or not SIM-free devices are actually sold.

In the past, Phones4U and Carphone Warehouse have offered SIM-free deals on the latest phones, which leads us to believe that they would do the same for Sony’s latest flagship. With the phone launching next week in the UK, it looks like we won’t have to wait much longer to find out.

Sony’s Xperia Tablet S now shipping in the UK

Sony unveiled its revamped Tablet S last week at IFA 2012, and announced that the device would be available beginning September 7th. The manufacturer has kept its promise, as the newspaper inspired tablet is now officially available to purchase in the UK.

Currently, Sony’s official website has two different models that are listed as ready to ship. Customers can select either the 16GB version for £329 ($524), or the 32GB model for £379 ($603). Keep in mind both of these models are Wi-Fi only, with the 3G-enabled 16GB version still up for pre-order for £429 ($683). Additionally, the Tablet S is expected to begin making its way to other regions over the course of the next few weeks.