2009 December | Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog

Archive for December, 2009

WSJ: Should SE & Moto Merge … ?

Monday, December 21st, 2009

… it’s an interesting question to say the least. On the front of it many might say it’s an obvious solution for two manufacturers who aren’t doing too well and who really need some sort of push to get them back in the big time. The WSJ puts across some decent arguments, not the least of which is a speculated saving of 10% on operational costs, something that both companies would no doubt love to see.

Market share is another area that apparently makes a convincing case for a merger. Motorola has around 17% of the American market whilst SE has over 12% of the European market and they each have 10% in China and India respectively. Taking the numbers at face value that would seem like a great match-up, all the major markets covered with a strong presence and each would have access to markets where they have traditionally not been so strong i.e. Europe for Motorola and America for Sony Ericsson.

Android is another area where there could be a great conflux of synergy. Both companies are effectively betting their future performance on the success (or failure) of an Android device; Sony Ericsson has the X10 and Motorola has the Droid/Milestone. Up until now HTC has pretty much led the pack when it comes to Android, but a resurgent SE-Moto partnership focusing on Android might see HTC relegated to second place.

So why not? Well as the saying goes, two wrongs don’t make a right. Just shoving two declining companies together doesn’t guarantee success, all it does is generate some headlines and maybe slashes costs. Far more relevant would be how SE and Moto gel as cultures. Who will lead in R&D? Whose ethos will dominate? Whose ideas will come to the forefront? Don’t forget we aren’t talking about two companies joining up and having a cosy relationship, we’re talking about three companies joining up and having a menage-a-trois. Things haven’t always been peachy between Sony and Ericsson if reports are to be believed, is adding a third player into the mix really going to smooth the decision making process? I think not.

Leaving all that to one side for a moment though we are left with a very fundamental point, fewer manufacturers isn’t great for the consumer. I’m not just talking about direct capitalist competition, but competition in ideas. Homogenising the market into fewer and fewer players ends up leaving it with that little bit less diversity and creativity and that’s a price that’s, in my opinion, too high to pay for a 10% saving on operational costs.

Posted in Opinion | 12 Comments »

FCC Posts Up X10 Manual & Internal Pictures

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

The chaps over at the FCC (American equivalent of Ofcom) have bene putting the X10 through its paces as they do every new handset that is destined to be used in America. As part of that they’ve posted up the user manual and a few shots of the internal workings of the handset. The manual isn’t exactly riveting reading to be fair, but it does whet the appetite a little until it finally goes on sale next year.

Check out the manual here (warning PDF) and take a look at the internal pictures here (another PDF).

Posted in upcoming, x-series, xperia | No Comments »

Video: Nexus One

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

The last couple of days have seen something of a flurry of Android news, pretty much all centring around the ‘Google Phone’ or Nexus One to use its proper title. There have already been a few pictures leaked and of course the specs list is pretty much public knowledge, but there are finally some videos of the handset available. From what I’ve seen so far it looks nice, but X10 nice? I’ll still be buying Sony Ericsson …

[via Engadget]

Posted in android, rumour, upcoming, videos | 6 Comments »

HTC 2010 Android Lineup Part 3: Performance

Monday, December 7th, 2009

performance

With Design/Lifestyle and Social out of the way, it’s time for the interesting stuff…Performance. Unfortunately there is only one device but it’s by far and away the pick of the new HTC bunch and will provide real competition for the Sony Ericsson X10.

HTC Bravo - “Everything you want comes to life on Bravo” – April 2010

This is what everyone wants to see, a high end, high powered, feature packed device. The Bravo is the 1GHz Snapdragon device which has long been rumoured to be coming from HTC and while the RAM is listed as 256MB, B3ler3fonte at xda-developers claims this will be increased to 512MB. Focusing on the real specs however, the Bravo is still very impressive with a 3.7″ AMOLED, WVGA screen, a 5MP camera with flash and HD video recording at 720p, DivX & Dolby support and a 16GB microSD card in the box!

The obvious rival for the Bravo is the X10 and the release dates could be key. We already know that Sony Ericsson won’t make their original February estimate but now they have a real target as they must aim to release before the Bravo arrives in April 2010 with similar specs and a slimmer body at 112 x 56 x 11.7mm compared to the X10’s 119 x 63 x 13mm.

Tags: android, HTC, leak
Posted in android | No Comments »

HTC 2010 Android Lineup Part 2: Social

Monday, December 7th, 2009

We’ve seen the leaked Design/Lifestyle handsets from HTC’s 2010 portfolio and now it’s time to see what the company has in store for the social networking market. These devices have an obvious focus on the social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, flickr as well as IM and also present us with the first Android devices with full keypads on the front.

HTC Tide - Touch or type, you decide” – April 2010:

Here we have the first Android with a physical alpha-numeric keypad albeit at the cost of screen size, there’s just 2.68″ for you here. However, this isn’t trying to be an awe inspiring multi-media device and instead is geared for social networking and easier text input. There’s also HTC’s new “Friendstream” which is probably along the lines of Sony Ericsson’s Timescape which compiles all your social networking data into one place , it’s worth noting though that Friendstream is actually available on all these new HTC devices and not just the Social ones.

The bad news again is that the 528MHz Qualcomm makes another appearance along with 256MB RAM and a 3.2MP camera while the battery is a worrying 1130mAh.

HTC Salsa - “Social Networking with an EDGE” – June 2010:

The Salsa is the first Android with a full qwerty keypad on the front of the device and of course resembles it’s Blackberry and Nokia E-Series competitors. Personally I think it’s catastrophically ugly but there seems to be a market for this style of device. Again social networking and text input are the goals here while specs remain similar to the Tide with a 2.6″ screen (landscape this time), 3.2MP camera, 256MB RAM and yes, once again, the Qualcomm 528MHz processor! This is outdated now so I have real concerns for this device launching with such hardware in June of next year and as if that wasn’t enough the battery is a meagre 1100mAh, there may be trouble ahead for the Salsa.

Coming in Part 3: “Performance” from the HTC Bravo

Tags: android, HTC, leak
Posted in android | 2 Comments »

HTC 2010 Android Lineup Part 1: Design/Lifestyle

Monday, December 7th, 2009

design-lifestyle

HTC’s device portfolio for 2010 has been leaked via a scanned brochure over at HTC loving xda-developers.com. While there are WM devices in there too, it’s really only the Android ones which interest me.

HTC have grouped their new range into a few categories, the first of which is “Design/Lifestyle” and as you would expect this contains handsets focused on design and customisability.

HTC Legend - “Stlyed for life” - March 2010:

This is a device with a heavy focus on design with it’s stylish uni-body aluminium construction and just 11.4mm thickness, though the red backside on it looks a little odd to me and is reminiscent of the original iPhone. The device runs HTC Sense and clearly looks like a successor to the Hero with slightly changed, not necessarily improved, specs including a 600MHz processor, slightly less RAM and a lower capacity battery!

HTC Buzz - “Applications are meant for sharing” – May 2010:

The Buzz puts emphasis on customisation with various designs for the rear cover and UI and as such is likely to replace the Tattoo. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about this device is a feature listed as “Application Sharing”, quite what this is remains to be seen. Also worth a mention is that the camera include face recognition, with the Xperia X10 also having this we can hope to see this as a regular feature for future Android devices.

Less impressive is the tired old 528MHz Qualcomm processor being wheeled out again with 256MB RAM.

Coming in Part 2: “Social” with the HTC Salsa and Tide…

Tags: android, HTC, leak
Posted in android | No Comments »

Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 UK Release Delayed Until 2010

Monday, December 7th, 2009

sony-xperia-x2-keyboard Missing out on the big Xmas season, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 is now slated for a January release on the official Vodafone site in the UK, the network set to have a period of exclusivity for the business slider.

With a 3.2-inch high resolution touchscreen and 8.1 megapixel camera, the X2 is ready for pleasure as well as business…well, it would have been if the Windows Mobile 6.5-powered device had made its Q4 release window.

Between the Sony Ericsson Satio being pulled from shelves over problematic firmware and the Aino having touchscreen performance issues, the delay for their smarphone sequel is unfortunate.

With a swathe of hot handsets earmarked for launch early in the new year — including Sony Ericsson’s own Android-ready XPERIA X10 — the luxurious X2 will have to jostle for position amongst an array of releases from the competition.

Tags: sony, Sony Ericsson, x2, xperia, xperia x2
Posted in news | 2 Comments »

Android Developer Challenge 2 Winners

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

So the Android Developer Challenge 2 is complete and the winners of the big money prizes ($250,000 for overall winners!) have been announced. Essentially then, here is a list of the hottest new apps available on Android at the moment. There are some great apps in here, some not quite as great and lots I haven’t tried yet (something to do for later):

Overall Winners:

SweetDreams
SweetDreams is a revolutionary tool that will finally allow you to go to sleep without worrying about changing your phone settings in order to avoid unwelcome late night calls. You can even use those inactivity periods to save battery power as well, and of course forget about enabling WiFi, Bluetooth or ringtones volume …

What the Doodle!?
‘WTD!?’ is a real-time online multiplayer game where one player tries to draw out a given phrase and others try to guess it. Features FFA and Team games, Global Highscores, Personal Face Doodles, integrated Voice Recognition and more! Real-time drawing!? Built for performance, you’ll really see the magic at first doodle!

WaveSecure
WaveSecure is a complete mobile security solution that protects your device, data and privacy. 1. Track your phone’s location and who is using it 2. Lock down your phone remotely, making it worthless to the thief 3. Backup all your data 4. Wipe out your data remotely 5. Restore your data May the phone be with you!

Education/Reference Winners:

Plink Art
Plink Art is an app for identifying, discovering and sharing art. Take a photo of a painting, and the Plink Art servers will try to identify it. You can also browse our database of artwork by keyword or timeline and share your discoveries with friends.

Word Puzzle
The Word Puzzle is designed to provide a fun way to learn basic English words for preschool children. Kids can study spelling and pronunciation with flash card and check achievement with word puzzle. Interesting visual and sound interaction with awarding system helps kids to keep learning. Let kids play with your Android.

Celeste
An educational augmented reality app that displays the Sun, Moon, planets and their paths through the sky onto your camera view. You can navigate through the sky selecting celestial bodies to display interesting information about our solar system. See the exact spot on your horizon where the sun will rise and set.

Entertainment Winners:

A World of Photo
Loosely inspired by the traditional “Spin the bottle”, A World of Photo is a casual, geographic worldwide multiplayer online game with a social touch. Players spin their phones and will receive a photo from whomever in the world they pointed to. For best play experience, let the app run in the background.

SongDNA
Need any information on a song? Practicing for a big karaoke gig? Music quiz coming up tomorrow? The SongDNA widget allows you to quickly look up your favorite song’s detailed information. It includes the lyrics, artist’s bio, homepage, highest chart rank and video. Handy when you’re training for your next karaoke gig!!

Solo
Solo is a great, easy to play and feature rich pocket guitar for your phone. A must for all guitar enthusiasts! Features include -Huge chord library with 380+ chords & diagrams -Load/save chord layouts -Play along with music on your phone -Overlay music & lyrics from the internet -Various strum modes, including shake strum

Games: Arcade/Action Winners:

Speed Forge 3D
Speed Forge: Heavy duty hover vehicles, normally used for mining are now seen in illegal races organized in abondoned factories and dark Marsian alleys. The rock crushing explosives once used in these machines now serve a different purpose…

Graviturn
Tilt your phone to move the red circles out of the screen while keeping the green circles. Infinite levels from very easy to nearly impossible. Compare your performance with other players after each level (online highscore and statistics).

Moto X Mayhem
Jump, lean, and race through seven levels of amazing motorbike action in the best side scrolling bike game! Lean forward and back on your motorbike as you climb hills and fly through the air using accelerometer technology. Witness realistic physics as your shocks recoil when you land jumps! Or just flick your rider around!!

Games: Casual/Puzzle Winners:

Totemo
Unloose the spirit. Break the spell. Uncover the mystery hidden between the realms in a unique puzzle game. Storm your brain and relax your mind solving over 60 mind-soothing logic tasks. Play the survival mode for extra challenge and write your name into the on-line leaderboards. http://hexage.net

Mazeness
The goal of the game is rather simple – you need to bring all the balls ( up to 4 per level!) to their goals at the same time, with help of barriers, teleports and holders. It seems simple at first, but it’s not that easy. The difficulty is growing steadily from level to level.

Lifestyle Winners:

SpecTrek
Improve your fitness with this revolutionary augmented reality ghost hunting game. Walk or run around using GPS and your phone’s camera to find and catch virtual ghosts. You will experience a new adventure each SpecTrekking session. The game offers statistics, awards, titles, records, and most of all a whole lot of fun!

FoxyRing
FoxyRing makes your phone smarter by analyzing the ambient noise and adjust the ringer volume. Also: – Sleeping hours to silent your phone during the night. – Geolocated ringer profiles, change ringtone or make your phone vibrate only at work! – Widget to silent your phone for a timed period. – Great interface

Media Winners:

Buzz Deck
BuzzDeck is the quick and easy way to get all the web content you care about most. Flick through your daily hit of favourite news topics. And get Twitter & Facebook updates alongside. BuzzDeck learns what you like and recommends cool new stuff. Simple, elegant & fast. NB: No landscape mode yet. http://mippin.com/buzzdeck

SPB TV
SPB TV is a highly usable IP-TV solution, optimized to run on mobile devices. SPB TV provides users with lots of channels in multiple languages with easy-to-use features and settings. No subscription fee! Requires a reliable 3G or WiFi network connection for proper streaming. Full-featured 60-days trial.

FxCamera
FxCamera enables you to take a picture with various effects. – ToyCam (Toy Camera Emulator) – Polandroid – Fisheye – Warhol (Andy Warhol-izer) – Normal *this app requires SD card*

Productivity/Tools Winners:

Hoccer
Hoccer is your application for ad-hoc data exchange. Use gestures to “throw” your data through the air and let the recipients “catch” it. There is no need for prior exchange of contact details.

Tasker
Tasker let’s you link any Task (action set) to the Contexts (application, time, day, location, event, widget press) where it should run. Send an SMS at 3:15 Monday, make per-app settings or locks, map camera button to a menu, launch music app on headphone insert, timelapse photos, encrypt on-the-fly, the list is endless!

Social Networking Winners:

Ce:real – Everyday trends
Ce:real, What’s happening in this world? Are you curious about real world? How about North Pole or an edge of Africa? Also, it can be your neighborhood. It is offering to you hot photo stories with Twitter trends keyword which has speed of lights. Enjoy millions of happenings in real world and you participate in it as well.

SocialMuse
Check out what users on the other side of the world are listening to! Find people with similar musical taste, or just explore the world through music. Browse other users’ music libraries, listen to previews of their songs, and buy them if you like them. Check out their profiles on MySpace, Facebook and Last.fm.

SpotMessage
SpotMessage is a communication tool using GPS. Send a message designating a spot with Google Maps then the message will be notified when the recipient arrives at the spot. SpotMsg finds various uses; as an alarm reminding you of a task at a certain spot or for sending your friend a surprise message on his or her arrival.

Travel Winners:

Trip Journal
Trip Journal is the ultimate trip tracking and sharing solution currently available on Android powered Smartphones. Impress your friends by sending them real time updates from the places you are visiting. GPS route tracking, record waypoints, photos & notes, trip statistics, KMZ & Picasa exports, incorporated Google Maps.

iNap: Arrival Alert
Ever wanted to get some sleep during a train ride, or a quick powernap on the bus to work? You either hoped to wake just in time not to miss your station, or set an alarm to wake you far too early… Using your phone’s GPS it will determine where you are, and wake you when you are close to your destination!

Car Locator
Save your location whenever you park, and Car Locator will navigate you back to your car should you ever have trouble finding it. – Points in direction of your car using GPS and compass – Radar view, map view, and split view – Parking timer alarm GPS and compass must be enabled. This free version expires after 25 runs.

Misc Winners:

Rhythm Guitar
Plays like a real 6-string, 5-fret guitar. Strum and pick chords, make new chords, string them together to create songs, transpose songs to fit your vocal range. Great for songwriting, chord reference, learning radio hits, or even plugging into speakers and pedals.

Andrometer
Andrometer allows you to measure the approximate distance from you to an object that you can see. Uses GPS, accelerometer and geomagnetic sensor. Tips: – Keep as steady as possible – The further you walk, the more accurate the measurement – Must be outdoors with clear view of sky – Works best under 1 km

Calton Hill GPSCaddy
GPSCaddy allows golfers to quickly and easily map any golf course either out on the course using GPS or in the comfort of home using satellite imagery. Then, when they are playing the course, it uses GPS to tell them exactly how far they are from the significant features of the hole they are playing (green, bunkers, etc).

Posted in news | No Comments »

Android 2.1 Leaked (on a Hero)

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

(Apologies for the late news on this but I have been unavailable to post)

It seems Android 2.1 (is it Flan, I’m not sure) has been spotted running on the HTC Hero. While we’re still waiting patiently to get a big creamy Eclair, HTC may be going one further and really making up for those Hero users still stuck on 1.5 Cupcake. While they may not show much that we haven’t seen before, if these screenshots are to be believed then it’s great news for Hero users and quite probably users of other first generation Android handsets which could run Android 2.1. It has to be said though that there’s some things which may cause people to doubt the authenticity of these shots, the launcher tabs on the landscape shot for example looks decidedly dodgy!

Mik

Tags: android, Screenshots
Posted in android | 3 Comments »

SE-NSE Forums:

Archive for December, 2009

WSJ: Should SE & Moto Merge … ?

FCC Posts Up X10 Manual & Internal Pictures

Video: Nexus One

HTC 2010 Android Lineup Part 3: Performance

HTC 2010 Android Lineup Part 2: Social

HTC 2010 Android Lineup Part 1: Design/Lifestyle

Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 UK Release Delayed Until 2010

More Xperia X10 Tutorials: Messaging & Timescape

Android Developer Challenge 2 Winners

Android 2.1 Leaked (on a Hero)

Pages

Polls

Recent Comments

Categories

Archives

Skin and Language

Execution Stats