Developer World

Today, we’re announcing the Xperia™ go and Xperia™ acro S, our two newest additions to the line up of Sony Xperia™ smartphones. Xperia™ go is a refined IP67 classes smartphone , meaning it has the highest level of dust and water resistance you can find in a smartphone. Xperia™ acro S also offers PlayStation® certification. Designed for extra durability and water resistance, both Xperia™ go and Xperia™ acro S have scratch-resistant mineral glass displays and meet industry standard Internal Protection ratings for protection against dust and water immersion. Read more about the stylish durability of the Xperia™ go and Xperia™ acro S after the jump.

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***Update: This Sony specific API will be deprecated. Please use the hidden Android intent “android.intent.action.HDMI_PLUGGED” instead. This is supported on smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and Jellybean. Stay tuned to Developer World for more information going forward.*** 

Are you working on an Android™ app that you’d like users to experience on an external device like a TV or monitor? If your Xperia™ smartphone (or other Android™ device) has an HDMI port, then your app should detect when it’s plugged into a powered high-definition screen to ensure the display is rendered properly on the larger screen. This quick tutorial includes some code that shows you how. Read more after the jump.

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Our search for apps and app ideas that can be extended through the Sony SmartWatch kicked into full gear at last week’s AnDevCon and with great success. We got a great response from those attending the SmartWatch session and lines of developers eager to share their SmartWatch app extension ideas with our judges. Close to 100 SmartWatches were handed out among the 1,200 developers in attendance.

In addition, we will today start to ship the first SmartWatch devices to those developers who have applied online. Read on to learn how you can submit your apps/app ideas and get a free SmartWatch, as well as promotion in Sony online media channels if your app is successful!

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In the latest version of our Extension Development Kit (EDK 2.0), which will let you create app extensions for the Timescape and Music player apps in Sony Xperia™ phones, we’ve included some useful new API features. For example, you can now include the number of user reactions for your Timescape™ event. You can also make it possible for the end user to interact with an event object in the Timescape™ spline, without launching a detailed view. These updates will make it easier to create compelling app extensions that stand out. A bunch of developers have already created their own EDK extensions – learn more after the jump!

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Yesterday the winners of Ericsson Application Awards 2012 were announced. In the company category the winning team was MedAfrica from Nairobi, Kenya, with an app that will help improve health care in rural areas. In the student category, Clio Squad from Shanghai, China, won first prize with their app, which is a collaborative painting tool that can be used by several people working on the same drawing. Read more after the jump!

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For those of you who attended Magnus Helgstrand’s SmartWatch developer session at AnDevCon III, or for those of you who were not able to attend, we’ve made the full presentation available here. In this presentation, SmartWatch Development 101: Transforming the Mobile User Experience Through Sony Smart Accessories, you’ll find the basics on SmartWatch functionality, information on the Sony Add-on SDK, and an overview of the APIs with sample code.

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On May 22^nd, our friends at Ericsson will announce the winners of the Ericsson Application Awards 2012 at a prize ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden. Among the finalists are innovative apps within health care and social interaction. You’ll be able to follow the ceremony in a live webcast. Karl-Johan Dahlström, head of Developer Relations at Sony Mobile, will be one of the judges. Read more about Ericsson Application Awards after the jump!

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***Update: The campaign has formally ended but you can still pitch your idea and get a SmartWatch for free. See below for more information.***

Do you have a brilliant app idea for the Sony SmartWatch? If so, your innovation could earn you a SmartWatch of your own. That’s right, we’re giving qualified developers their very own SmartWatch, Sony’s micro display for Android smartphones, which gives users wireless and discreet access to calls, message and apps. And if you upload your app to Google Play before June 26, you will have the chance to be promoted in Sony’s online marketing channels.

Get all the details after the jump!

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Are you interested in rocking a cradle? A Sony Tablet™ S Cradle that is? Our friends from the Sony Developer team are looking for developers interested in nurturing innovative apps that work with the Sony Tablet™ S Cradle. Submit your app and you can win a Sony prize pack that includes a $1000 Sony Gift Card, Sony Tablet™ S, and Sony Tablet™ S Cradle. On top of that, Sony will promote the winning apps through their app recommendation site – Select App. Get the exciting details on the Cradle App Developer Contest page!

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Earlier today the Xperia™ GX and Xperia™ SX was announced for the Japanese market, making them Sony’s first LTE phones in Japan. Xperia™ GX features a 4.6” Reality Display for a superior viewing experience, and a 13 MP camera that lets you take great photos. Xperia™ SX is the world’s lightest LTE phone, weighing in on only 95 grams.

Read more about Xperia™ GX and Xperia™ SX after the jump.

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