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Explay Crystal revives transparent display phones with dash of color, low price
If you've been lamenting the passing of transparent display phones like the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness as those vile, opaque smartphones took over, you'll be happy to know that Russia's Explay has taken up the mantle with the Crystal. The basic song remains the same, a numberpad-driven dumbphone with a display that will help you avoid the lamp post up ahead, but it's remixed through colors that render the experience a lot less monotone. We saw this in the Lenovo S800, but the dual SIM card slots and Bluetooth 3.0 at least see the Crystal keep pace with more recent phones in its category. By far the biggest advantage Explay has over its ancestors is pure cost: at 7,000 rubles ($218), it's less than half the $500 that Lenovo wanted and that much more palatable for a handset that isn't running a sophisticated OS like Android or Windows Phone. Russians have to wait until July 1st to pick up the Crystal, but wouldn't count on the see-through phone seeing its way to the US through official channels.
Minecraft Pocket Edition hits Android Market, only Xperia Play users need apply
Just a couple months after making its grand debut at this year's E3, Minecraft has finally made its way to the Android Market, much to the delight of cube enthusiasts and time-wasters everywhere. With this new, Pocket Edition app, Mojang is hoping to faithfully recreate the Minecraft experience on mobile platforms, with a special emphasis placed on the game's creative side. In version Alpha 0.1, users will be able to explore randomized worlds, invite friends to play along in their worlds and save multi-player realms directly to their phones -- all while manipulating 36 different kinds of blocks from the comfort of their touchscreens. For now, the game will only be available for Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play, though Mojang plans to release it for other Android handsets "in the near future." You can grab it now for $6.99, or swerve past the break for more information, in the full press release.
Somy X5: basically a Sony Ericsson Pureness for a tenth the price
Here's the thing about Sony Ericsson's Xperia Pureness: once you get past the translucent display, there's not much to it. Seriously -- it doesn't have 3G, a camera, hunks of precious metal, or even a fancy name to flaunt like Vertu, Dior, or Versace; it's just a low-end phone from a mass-market manufacturer that can't do much other than make calls. We suppose that's why it was so easy for a Shenzhen KIRFer to pop out this near-perfect duplicate of the Pureness -- the Somy X5 -- in no time. Heck, it's even got support for two SIMs, or exactly twice as many as you'll find on the $1,000 genuine article -- which, if you're keeping track, is over twelve times the bargain-basement sticker on the Somy here at RMB 550 ($81). Anyhow, looks like it's back to that search for a faithful Aura replica, eh?
Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness hands-on
Occasionally, a phone exists simply because it can. Not because it's powerful; not because it offers amazing bang for the buck; not because the manufacturer negotiated some lucrative exclusivity agreement with a major carrier, and certainly not because it's introducing some groundbreaking new smartphone operating system. Yeah -- not even Sony Ericsson is attempting to frame or formulate a legitimate business case for the sinfully hedonistic Xperia Pureness, because they don't have to. One look at that wild transparent display and you'll either be smitten or confused and dismayed by the $1,000 sticker price. It's that simple. Anyhow, we've just taken delivery of a Pureness today and have had a few fleeting moments to check it out. If it weren't for the screen, you'd be looking at a $30 prepaid candybar here -- you don't have a camera, a high-res display, or any sexy metal or soft-touch bits to give the phone a premium feel. The UI is about the simplest possible incarnation of Sony Ericsson's typical dumbphone platform, owing largely to the fact that the display's just grayscale; you've got an FM radio (with a headset attached) and a basic music player and browser, but if you're in North America, don't expect any 3G. That said, seriously, look at that shot we took up there: the display is insane. We can't quite get over it -- it's the ultimate conversation piece. Motorola Aura owners looking for a fresh way to draw a crowd might look at this as their next purchase, but if you're looking to do anything but talk (and occasionally browse an eerily translucent version of Engadget), make no mistake, this isn't your phone. Did we mention we want one really, really badly? %Gallery-81161%
Xperia Pureness available now - includes concierge service, avarice
Great news for the disposable income crowd: The Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness is finally available online through Saks Fifth Avenue -- and it can be yours for a mere $990. According to some seriously high-minded PR, the sleek and feature-poor handset "represents an alternative approach to life in the complex, digital age by refining the mobile phone to its most essentials functions." You see, this bad boy "is not simply about a phone; it is about opening a debate about people's relationship with technology in a complex world." Got that? In case you're still not sold, did we mention that the purchase price includes a concierge service? Although we don't know for sure, it's probably not a leap to assume that this "concierge" is a help desk employee somewhere who could feed his village for a month with the grand you dropped on a cell phone. PR after the break.
Sony Ericsson already working on second version of Xperia Pureness, possibly Xperia Pureness 2?
Electric Pig is reporting that Sony Ericsson's already working on a followup to the Xperia Pureness. The designer of the original handset, Daniel Mauritzson, says that the second version of the Pureness will pack even fewer "features" than its predecessor, to hone in even further on the contrast between the handset and available smartphones. There's also been some murmuring of removing the buttons, apparently -- which makes us wonder if the next Pureness might not just be a four-inch long piece of black plastic we'll only be able to pretend to make calls on. Regardless, it sounds like the next Pureness is only in the very earliest stages of design, so don't get too excited yet -- it'll be a while.
Xperia Pureness unboxed, performs for the camera (video)
As you are no doubt well aware, the launch date for the Xperia Pureness is looming. If you've been dying for a closer look, you're in luck: the fashion icons over at MobileBurn have got their hands on one and have been kind enough to make us a short film of the reveal. At first blush, the phone doesn't look any less impressive than it did in the shots and video we've seen before. There doesn't appear to be any hint of a keypad before the thing when shut off, although that obviously changes once it's powered on. As far as that transparent glass display goes, we can tell from here that it's not likely to be visible in direct (or even some indirect) sunlight -- but since you're a jet-setting nightclub habitue' who hasn't been outside in the daylight in four years that probably shouldn't bother you much. The UI is pretty much standard for an SE feature phone, and the battery is not removable. The price? Looks like it will run you a healthy £530 (about $875). Still interested? Peep the video in action after the break.
Sony Ericsson's wild Xperia Pureness gets FCC approval
So the bad news is that we're not seeing a lick of North American 3G listed in the FCC filing for Sony Ericsson's upcoming Xperia Pureness, that totally crazy candybar with the transparent display. The good news, however, is that we have absolutely no idea what you'd need 3G for, considering that a see-through screen doesn't really lend itself to hours upon hours of rich streaming media or web browsing; yes, sure, you could tether, but would you seriously subject a work of art to the shame of being cabled to a far less visually stunning laptop? Nah, we know you wouldn't -- and that Aura of yours doesn't have 3G, either, so it's pretty much par for the course. We're encouraged by FCC certification, but let's hope the Pureness actually makes it all the way to Sony Style's online store as an unlocked piece -- and furthermore, let's hope it undercuts the Aura by hundreds (nay, thousands) of dollars.
Video: Xperia Pureness (codename Kiki) announced
Xperia Pureness -- the phone formerly known as Kiki -- reared its head today, mostly in the form of press shots of stylish people who demand stylish handsets. Don't have any tech details yet, but we do know that it's a fine example of Sony Ericsson's new "brand direction," which -- as we heard yesterday -- can be summed up succinctly (and a bit nauseously) as "make.believe." Right. What we do know, however, is that it will be officially launched in November 2009 "through selected retail distribution channels in key cities around the world," that the company wants us to approach this as "a work of art rather than technology," and that the company hoped to "sculpt an object of design that reflected the purity of water and a sense of calmness when not in use." Just what we needed! We're sure Frank Lloyd Wright would approve -- you know, if only he hadn't died fifty years ago. See for yourself in the video after the break. [Via Mobile Bulgaria, thanks Reggie]
