Sony today indicated via its web site that it will push the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update to the Xperia arc S, neo V, and ray starting in mid-April. The update will be distributed over the course of four to six weeks. Sony said the next batch of updates, slated for the Xperia arc, PLAY, neo, mini, mini pro, pro, and active, will commence in late May or early June. The update will only be available for download and installation via Windows or Mac computers, and won’t be pushed out over the air. Sony won’t deliver Android 4.0 to the Xperia S line of devices until the ...

Sony Mobile today announced the Xperia Sola smartphone. The stand-out feature of the Sola is what Sony calls “floating touch navigation,” which allows users to navigate through web pages by hovering their finger over the display. Sony said the technology will evolve and add more features over time. The Sola also ships with NFC-based SmartTags, which can be used to automatically configure certain profiles/settings. Other features of the Sola include a 3.7-inch Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine; 1GHz dual-core processor; 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, and ...

At Mobile World Congress 2012, we learned that we can expect to see the three members of the Sony NXT family of Xperia Android smartphones, the Xperia S, Xperia P, and Xperia U, made available unlocked for purchase at Sony stores and online in the U.S. in the June/July time frame. The Sony Mobile executive we spoke with also hinted that we could well see the phones available from a big box retailer or two later this year, though no particular chains were mentioned. Sony did say that it was going to be “aggressive” with distribution of the new devices, and that it is working ...

Ericsson today announced that it has devised a way to triple the upload speeds across HSPA networks by making some alterations to how base stations handle such traffic. Ericsson said that a new set of software algorithms allows it to surpress the interference that WCDMA/HSPA base stations have to deal with on the uplink. Using the interference suppression technique in combination with configuring base stations with four antennas allows it to triple uplink speeds from 4Mbps to 12Mbps for a given 5MHz carrier. Ericsson says that this technique will not require network operators to invest in ...

New pictures of the purported Sony Xperia U handset have emerged ahead of a potential launch at Mobile World Congress next week.The diminutive device is shown next to the recently-unveiled Xperia S and will reportedly arrive toting a 3.5-inch WVGA display and a scaled-back 1GHz processor.According to the snaps, the Android handset, known in some circles as the Kumquat or the ST25i, brings the same aesthetic qualities to the table, although the Sony Ericsson branding is still present.The attractive, squarer design, curved back, protruding chin and the transparent strip of capacitive buttons ...

The Sony Xperia S is now available for pre-order in the UK on monthly contracts from O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone.Website BuyMobilePhones has listed Sony’s first solo handset on a range of contracts available for customers to pre-order.You can pick up a free Xperia S handset on contract for as little as £21.50 per month (with O2) which will give you with 100 mins, 500 texts and 500MB of data each month. Tweet Vote on HN ...

Sony today announced a new back-illuminated CMOS image sensor for smartphones, tablets, and other devices. Sony says that this sensor was made by laying the “pixel section containing formations of back-illuminated structure pixels onto chips containing the circuit section for signal processing.” According to Sony, the chief benefit of this design is to reduce the size of the image sensor to be installed in end-user devices. Other benefits include the ability to handle higher-quality images, faster processing speeds, and lower power requirements. The sensor will begin sampling in ...

O2 has announced that it will soon offer Sony’s new flagship smartphone, the Xperia S, to its customers. The Xperia S is an Android smartphone that offers a massive 4.3-inch color HD touchscreen display and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Other features include a 12MP rear facing camera for video and pictures as well as a 1.3MP user facing camera for video chats. The Xperia S also offers a micro-HDMI port and NFC capabilities. No word yet on exact launch date or pricing from the carrier. ...

There was much rumour and speculation over just what smartphone Sony would launch at CES 2012. Most, including TechRadar, thought the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD would get a look in but it ended up being the Sony Xperia S.Now, notice that this is a mobile phone without the Ericsson moniker – well, this is what the press release is stating but when we actually got our hands on with the device, it clearly stated Sony Ericsson.This does mean that Xperia S we played with won’t be the final version that hits shops. Taking a closer inspection of Sony’s release about the phone ...

Sony today announced the Xperia S, a new Android smartphone that is among the first wave of products to lose the Sony Ericsson branding. The Xperia S is similar to the Xperia Ion announced earlier today. It has a 4.3-inch 720p HD display, 12-megapixel Exmor camera, and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. The Xperia S will include support for near-field communications and ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich promised for the second quarter of the year. It will come in black and white, and will be available in select markets by the end of the first quarter. ...