Category Archives: News

A few weeks back we announced the new Xperia V, which is a smart, sleek and durable LTE smartphone. It also features Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 and OptiContrast Panel, which delivers a superior viewing experience. But did you know that Xperia™ V includes innovative sensor-on-lens touch screen technology? This technology adds the same user benefits as in-cell and on-cell touch technology, which means you will get better image quality and a true direct touch experience.

Read on to learn more about sensor-on-lens technology and its benefits.

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BacklogTool is a web based planning tool that we’ve developed internally to keep track of backlogs. Since we like it so much we have now published it on GitHub to give you the chance to use it, and to help us improve it. BacklogTool is great to use with well-known development methods like Scrum, as well as on its own. In this blog post, software engineer Gustaf Lundh explains the benefits of this tool and how it is used. Read on for the full story!

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As many of you already know, Jean-Baptiste Queru, aka JBQ, Technical Lead for the Android™ Open-Source Project (AOSP) at Google, recently started an open source project to build a vanilla Android version for Xperia S (LT26i). From Sony side, we welcome the project and support it with resources and contributions. We always try to promote and support external innovation and the openness that Android brings. We have now published binaries required for the LT26i project to progress. In addition, we want to encourage the open Android community to participate. Read on for download links and more information!

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Yesterday, Sony announced the Smart Connect app, which improves the way your smartphone connects and controls accessories or other devices. Smart Connect (which replaces LiveWare™ Manager) will be available on Google Play starting in mid September, but we thought we would give you developers an introduction to the user experience in advance.  Just like the LiveWare™ manager, Smart Connect lets you set up actions to perform when your Android™ smartphone connects to an accessory or another device. In addition, Smart Connect also lets you condition Events depending on what time it is, which opens possibilities for a new, smooth experience. Read on for more details!

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Today, we’re announcing a number of Sony smartphones joining the 2012 Xperia™ line up – Xperia™ T, Xperia™ V, and Xperia™ J. The Xperia™ T (Xperia™ TX in some markets) is our new flagship smartphone, and it includes Sony’s best HD smartphone screen – a 4.6” HD Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA® Engine, and best camera – a 13 MP fast capture camera that goes from sleep mode to snap in just over a second. The Xperia™ V is a sleek and durable (dust proof and water resistant!) LTE smartphone featuring a 4.3” HD Reality Display, 13MP fast capture camera, and is PlayStation® certified. Finally, the Xperia™ J combines the eye-catching design with a large, 4.0” FWVGA screen, a 5 MP AF camera, and social media updates with illumination.

Read on to learn more about Xperia™ T, as well as Xperia™ V and Xperia™ J!

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Today we officially unveil the Xperia™ Tablet S, Sony’s second-generation tablet that features a slim, aluminium body, splash-proof design, and a 9.4“ HD display with low-friction coating and OptiContrast™ Panel for minimal reflection, high contrast and a real sense of depth. Inside this Android 4.0.3 (ICS ) tablet, you’ll find an NVIDIA® Tegra™3 1.4 GHz processor with ULP GeForce GPU. The Xperia™ Tablet S also provides a guest mode for versatile use, Small Apps (extended widgets) for easier multi-tasking, and the ability to play games wirelessly using a PS3 Controller. Read on to learn more about the Xperia™ Tablet S.

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We’re excited to introduce the In-Location Alliance, launched today by 22 technology companies with the goal of driving the innovation and development of indoor positioning. As a founding member, we feel it’s important to continue supporting the innovation of indoor mapping. It’s also a relevant continuation to our ongoing work here at Sony Mobile, as mentioned in our previous indoor maps blog post. Read on for more details on what this unique collaboration means to the mobile community.

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We are now releasing a sensor framework, referred to as DASH (Dynamic Android Sensor HAL), as an open source GitHub project. This actually means that we are the first manufacturer to release such a sensor framework. By making this open source, we hope that custom ROM developers will gain a lot from using it, and we also hope to see the community of developers help us improve the framework by contributing back (which we’ve already seen from CyanogenMod team). In this article, Oskar Anderö, a Sony Mobile software engineer, explains how DASH works, and how developers can contribute.

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Uplinq 2012 is just around the corner (June 27 & 28 in San Diego, California), and it’s a great opportunity to pitch us your last-minute SmartWatch app ideas for the SmartWatch Developer Campaign. In addition, we’ve got a great line up of developer activities for you during the event. Schedule a private, one-on-one meeting with us through the Uplinq Market Match program. Join the Mobile CodeFest and Hackathon happening on June 26 to get exclusive, hands-on programming and testing with recently announced Sony Mobile smartphones. And come stop by our booth (#218) to demo our latest products.

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With the update to Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich), Sony Tablet S and Sony Tablet P  just got even better.  This update combines the features of Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) with unique new features and apps from Sony. Upgrade your Sony Tablet to experience a streamlined user interface with drag-and-drop folder creation, improved multi-tasking and browser. New Sony features include direct access to SD card, ”Small Apps” and enhanced photo viewing options. Please note that the Tablet P update is only available in selected markets. Check out the official press release, Sony Tablet Evolution and this Android 4.0 for Tablet S video to learn more about the new features!

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