Developer World

The latest version of AppXplore – version 2.5 – is now available for download on Google Play. AppXplore is a free analysis tool that lists all the apps on your Android device, and gives you detailed information for each, including permissions used, Android™ versions supported, libraries shared, and much more. AppXplore is especially useful for seeing how much memory an app is using, and if the file is movable to the SD card. Likewise, developers can use AppXplore for QA purposes, to make sure their apps are showing the proper permissions in the manifest file. Read on to learn more about the latest features of AppXplore 2.5.

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Have you ever tried to shoot a video of a scene that has a strong backlight, like when a person stands in front of a window or direct sunlight? Well, then you will know that it can be almost impossible to get the right exposure of all parts of the picture. Now with the HDR function of the Exmor RS™ image sensor in the new Xperia™ Z, you can get great videos and photos even in these high contrast scenes. For our implementation of HDR video, we use different exposures on every two lines of pixels, to create an optimal result, with really good contrasts. Read on as we explain more how this works!

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Remember when we explained Mobile BRAVIA® Engine earlier this year? Now we’ve deployed an improved version, Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2, which is a key part of the great viewing experience of the recently announced Xperia Z. It is also included on Xperia ZL and Xperia V. Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 has an updated contrast enhancement algorithm and a more advanced sharpness filter, to further improve viewing experience. Continue reading as we will tell you all about what’s new, and how Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 works!

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The newly-announced Xperia ZL is the first smartphone from Sony with an IR (infrared) remote control. With it, you can use your smartphone to control entertainment devices that use IR, including the TV, DVD player, satellite box, and more! And if this triggers any innovative use case ideas for you as a developer, you can actually create IR remote sensor-enabled apps by using the Sony Tablet SDK Add-on! Because this feature is so new, the potential use-cases are only limited to your imagination. Read further to learn more about the IR remote sensor functionality.

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Many of the regular Developer World readers surely know of the Small Apps functionality for Sony tablets, but did you know that the newly announced Xperia Z also includes Small App functionality? Small Apps are like super-widgets that run on top of other applications and can add smart solutions for daily routines requiring multi-tasking. And if you’re a developer, you can start creating Small Apps for Xperia™ Z today! If you’ve already created Small Apps for Sony tablets, those extensions will also work on all Small Apps-supported smartphones, including Xperia™ Z and Xperia™ ZL. Read more after the jump.

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Yesterday we announced the Xperia Z, which includes the new feature Throw. This feature lets you seamlessly play your music, and share videos and photos on your smartphone on another device.  With only a few clicks, you can easily connect your phone to a TV or a speaker by using screen mirroring, DLNA or Bluetooth®. To enable this seamless wireless content sharing, we have developed the Throw software engine which helps optimise and streamline your experience.  Read on for more details about how Throw works!

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We’re excited to announce a ground-breaking addition to the Xperia™ smartphone lineup – Xperia™ Z. This new smartphone comes with a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S4 Pro quad core processor with the Adreno 320 GPU, 2 GB RAM, 5” full HD screen, OptiContrast™ display with 443 ppi, Android™ 4.1 (Jelly Bean), NFC, Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2, and a 13 MP camera with HDR (High Dynamic Range). Xperia™ Z is also water-resistant and dust-resistant (IP55 & IP57), and designed with tempered glass on the front and back. The new Sony superphone will be launch globally in Q1 2013. Read more about Xperia™ Z after the jump.

Note: Icons displayed are for illustrative purposes only. The homescreen may appear different in your product. Some features may not be available in your country or area.

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CES in Las Vegas is just around the corner next week, and if you’re planning on going to Vegas this week, why not stop by and visit us at the AT&T Developer Summit or the CES Modev Hackation?  Or you can visit the Developer University at CES, where software engineer Anupam Nath from Sony will host a session called “Developer opportunities with Sony SmartWatch ecosystem”. Get the full story after the jump!

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At the start of the year, we reported on a number of Sony Xperia smartphones and accessories supporting NFC (Near Field Communication). In that article, we also looked at NFC technology in more detail, provided some use cases, and explained how we work with NFC. And in that time, we’ve introduced even more NFC-supported smartphones. Read on to get the full list and a general recap of what NFC is all about.

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If you’re currently working on an app where image scaling is needed, such as when you’re developing a SmartWatch extension for your application, don’t forget that we have a handy tutorial to explain how to get images scaled correctly. Andreas Agvard, a Senior Software Engineer at Sony, has created an image scaling code example that you can download, compile, and run. Read more after the jump.

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