Have you heard of our new feature called Extended Standby Mode, which became available for Xperia P earlier this autumn? With Extended Standby Mode, you can increase your standby time with up to four times. Now it reaches Xperia U, Xperia sola and Xperia go with the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) software upgrade, and we thought we would give you some more details about how Extended Standby Mode really works, and how much power you can save. Read more after the jump!
![Learn about Extended Standby Mode, Sony’s new power save feature [video]](http://img.youtube.com/vi/XM2fSp1_XuM/0.jpg)
Ahoy ahoy developers! Here’s a short note for you – there are some parameters in class android.os.Build which are manufacturer and brand dependent, and as of now we are changing our manufacturer ID from “Sony Ericsson” to “Sony” in the parameter called android.os.Build.MANUFACTURER. Read on for more information on how to handle this.
Sony is committed to be at the forefront of augmented reality (AR) research, which is all about creating live physical views that are enhanced by computer-generated sensory input. This week, Günter Alce and Klas Hermodsson from Sony’s mobile division are participating in the insideAR 2012 conference in Munich, Germany. Günter and Klas are part of the VENTURI project, which is all about constructing augmented realities in new ways, where the available information is presented in a ‘user’ rather than a ‘device’ centric way, which often is the case. This actually requires a change in how we think of and develop user interaction interfaces. Read on for more information VENTURI and other augmented reality research concepts!
![Sony contributes to advanced research on user centric augmented reality [video]](http://developer-static.se-mc.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/10/venturi_660x384-220x128.jpg)
If you’ve ever tried to use your smartphone in the freezing cold, no doubt you’ve had to take your gloves off in order to use it. Or maybe you’ve spent money on special smartphone gloves with finger flaps. Well, keep your money, stick to your old gloves and wave goodbye those cold fingers! With the new Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) update for Xperia™ sola, you’ll find a new feature called glove mode, which is an extension of the Floating touch technology. As you might guess, this makes it possible to use the touch screen even though you’re wearing gloves. In this article, we explain the benefits of glove mode, and talk to Andreas Sandblad at Sony, who’s the inventor of this technology. Read on for the full story!
![ICS update lets you use Xperia™ sola with your gloves on [video]](http://img.youtube.com/vi/7AgnO6Vvcos/0.jpg)
App developers, do you want to enhance your user experience, and reduce the power consumption & improve the network efficiency of your app? Håkan Jonsson from our Technology department has picked out some areas that he thinks are most important for increasing efficiency of power and network usage. You will find useful and hands-on tips, as well as some brand new code examples that will help you improve your app. Head over to our tips & tutorials section to read more!
![How to develop energy and network efficient apps [tutorial]](http://developer-static.se-mc.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/09/energy-saver1-220x128.jpg)
Are you an Android developer based in Europe? If so, you might be interested in Droidcon London, one of the most influential Android events of the year. It will take place in London, UK, on October 25-26. And while you’re there, why not take part in the VHack on October 26-28 to celebrate 5 years of Android? Learn more about these events, and how to sign up, after the jump.
In this tenth weekly app promotion tip together with our friends at App Promo, we conclude the series with a focus on analytics and monitoring. Once you’ve set your marketing plan in motion, how do you know if your efforts to promote your app are paying off? To gauge your results, the common metrics for mobile apps are usually downloads or activity, and there a number of ways to collect this data. In our tips & tutorials section, read the rest of App Promo tip #10 to learn what kinds of data to analyse, and the methodologies to collect them.
In this ninth weekly app promotion tip together with our friends at App Promo, we cover the subject of winning! Specifically, we’re talking about holding contests and promotions. If you’re thinking of having a contest to promote your app, consider leveraging the time of the year for added value. For instance, if you’ve got a mobile game that includes ghosts and goblins, hold a contest around Halloween time. And even if the time of year doesn’t provide you with an opportunity to promote your app, create your own occasion using a contest or promotion. Head over to our tips & tutorials section and read the rest of App Promo tip #9 to learn how to use contests and promotions to draw attention to your apps.
Today we’re proud to announce a new Developer World website. With the new site, we will continue to bring you the latest developer and technology news & tools for Sony Xperia™ products in an even better way than before. Now it will be easier for you to find our most popular content, such as tutorials, popular posts, articles, open sourced phone software, drivers and many other downloads, as we have restructured and cleaned up the site based on the feedback we have received from many of you. Read on to learn more!
One of the biggest and most influential music festivals in Northern Europe is Way Out West, in Gothenburg, Sweden. This year it took place on August 9-11, and it was preceded by a three day music hackathon in which Sony was part. The mission for the developers taking part in this hackathon was to try to create and build the next great music app. As part of the Sony collaboration with Gracenote, developers were presented with the opportunity to develop apps using the Gracenote API. Through the API, the participating developers could get access to the world’s largest database of music and video material. Check out the video above to get a glimpse of the action!
![Developing the next gen music app at Way out West [video]](http://img.youtube.com/vi/B1eL2RrMQew/0.jpg)
