The most exciting things in life, we are told, are measured not by the kilo, but the gram. Is that the case with Sony's Xperia U? The runt of the company's mid-year litter has an unspectacular camera, adequate internals and a middling five-hour battery life, and yet somehow, it's more than the sum of its parts. Combine that with the sheer charm of the unit, and you can't discount it as just another unexciting Sony phone. You've had nearly half a year to live cheek-by-jowl with this handset, so why not tell us what you love, what you loathe and what you'd change?

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Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

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Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

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Well, it looks like Sony's in-house software developers have decided this is the perfect week to deliver delicious treats to a large portion of the company's mobile lineup. Not long after outing updates for the Tablet S and Xperia Ion (in the US), the electronics giant is now bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to handsets such as the Xperia go, Xperia U and Xperia sola. The refresh itself brings a slew of novel traits to the trio of Xperia slabs, including a "new way to experience" music, photos and video, improvements to the lockscreen, the ability to resize widgets and the addition of a "multitasking" button. While the standout features remain the same across the board, the Xperia sola does get an added bonus in the form of a so-called, self-explanatory glove mode -- which is made possible by the device's "floating touch" technology. Sony does note that availability of the 4.0 upgrade will vary by market and, not surprisingly, carrier requirements. Let's just hope you get to enjoy the changes soon.

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Source: Sony (1), (2)

Sony has been steadily deploying its Android 4.0 updates, but it's been leaving some of its newest phones out of the loop. Consider the Xperia P back in the groove: its upgrade is rolling out over the course of a few weeks, starting today. As always, the exact timing will depend on the carrier and country, and some owners may have to download the update the archaic, wired way instead of through the air. Should the Xperia P deployment still leave your device out of the running, Sony keenly points out that the Xperia U, Xperia go and Xperia sola are next on deck to receive a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich. About the only question left is when Android 4.1 will reach any Xperia models, although we're really just thankful to have much of Sony's current lineup on the same page.

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The waiting is the hardest part -- just ask stateside fans of the Xperia NXT series. But in a welcome change of fortune, Sony's breaking down international borders and making its Android trio available unlocked for American mitts. Interested parties can hit up Sony stores or visit the usual online mega retailers now to snag the 12-megapixel-toting Xperia S, WhiteMagic-y P and wee U for $560, $480 and $300, respectively. You'll have to hitch your wireless ride to AT&T to take full advantage of the goods and there's no 4G LTE service to speak of, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Hit up the source link below to get'em while they're hot.

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Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we learned of the first market outside of China for ZTE's new Grand X smartphone, and received news that both the Sony Xperia U and Xperia P will arrive in Australia. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of June 18th, 2012.

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If there's one thing Sony got right with its NXT line, it's that design-distinctive, transparent element. Problem is, aside from color matching with your photo collection, that incognito antenna doesn't do much -- well, not with the company's official blessing anyway. Users that take a quick trip to the Google Play store can download a third-party app dubbed, rather self-evidently, Illumination Bar Notification. And it does just what it claims to do, letting Xperia U users set myriad notification hues (P and S owners will have to make do with white only) and blinking speeds for texts and calls. It's free to download, so if you're looking to make that handset sit and look even prettier, you'd be well advised to hit up the source below.

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Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, the LG Optimus L7 and Sony Xperia U both arrived at Fido, and Verizon Wireless unleashed some wicked LTE expansion across the US. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of June 4th, 2012.

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There's an oft-used idiom about small packages, which frequently doesn't apply to the world of technology. That's to say that a diminished form factor often doesn't bring the "best things" with it. For example, Sony's NXT family members, revealed between CES and MWC, gifted consumers with the choice of three new handsets: the Xperia P, S and U. The last one in that list is by far the smallest, and in congruence with the general trend of mobile technology, the most lightly armored.

However, we're not ones to make assumptions, and heaven forbid we pre-judge something based on size alone. We're as willing to be surprised as anyone, and the new baby of the Sony bunch is as likely a candidate as any to throw us a curveball. Our initial impressions in Barcelona were largely positive, so this review -- as the firm says on its marketing material for the phone -- is all about (the Xperia) U.

Gallery: Sony Xperia U review

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Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, it was revealed that the HTC EVO 4G LTE likely supports simultaneous voice and data connections on Sprint's network, Samsung's Galaxy Ace 2 landed at Three in the UK and Vertu revealed a refresh to its Constellation series of luxury phones. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of May 21st, 2012.

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Owners of the Xperia Play, it's time to curl up with a teddy bear and your favorite ice cream -- just as long as it's not in sandwich form. After the sudden and unexplained disappearance of the "PlayStation Phone" from the Android 4.0 upgrade list yesterday, Sony has followed it up with a full confirmation accompanied by the usual explanation. As you may have already guessed, the manufacturer tells us that after extensive testing, it was determined that "a consistent and stable experience, particularly with gaming, cannot be guaranteed for this smartphone on Ice Cream Sandwich... in this instance the ICS upgrade would have compromised stability." Sony went on to discuss that it received similar feedback from the developer community after releasing a beta ROM. Still, after being told repeatedly that the entire 2011 smartphone lineup would receive the update, we can't help but be a bit heartbroken by the news.

In the same breath, however, Sony also updated its timeline for the rest of the lineup that is still on schedule to receive upgrades to Ice Cream Sandwich: the Xperia arc, neo, mini, mini pro, pro, active and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman will begin receiving their refreshes next week. The Xperia S is still on track for an end of June rollout, with the Xperia P closely following it and the Xperia U sometime in the third quarter. It's just unfortunate that the good tidings must be balanced out by equally horrible news, depending on which device you own.

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We've been twiddling our thumbs waiting patiently for the littlest of Sony's new-look smartphone lineup, the Xperia U, to arrive in earnest. It's a bit of a relief then to see the Android 2.3 phone go on sale at Three UK. You'll be getting what we saw back in Barcelona, including Sony's Timescape interface and the trick color light-up strip. We're guessing that most will see the cheap-as-chips price as the real selling point: the Xperia U costs £170 ($269) without a plan, and it's free as in beer on a two-year contract for £23 ($36) per month. O2, Orange and T-Mobile will expand UK carrier choices soon, but if you're looking for a fresh entry point into Android, Three can take care of you today.

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Not all mobile news is destined for the front page, but if you're like us and really want to know what's going on, then you've come to the right place. This past week, we saw the first rollout of Verizon LTE from one of its rural partners, and both the Optimus L7 and Xperia U were spotted for Fido. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of April 30th, 2012.

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There's not much we don't already know about Sony's Xperia U (formerly the Kumquat), the entry-level Gingerbread handset for the company's revamped mobile offerings. Fortunately, those brave boys down in the FCC's underground bunker decided to dissect the handset and delve into its internals, where we can still see some of that Ericsson branding -- presumably it doesn't see any harm in using up some of its old parts if they're hidden from view. Old-timey livery issues aside, the appearance of the handset bodes that all is on schedule for arrival in the second quarter of the year.

Gallery: Sony Xperia U internal gallery

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Sony may be readying the Xperia Ion for US shores, but we haven't heard any news yet on whether the phone-maker's NXT family of phones will ever visit all those states. That's where Brightstar comes in. The wireless distributor has announced that it'll be offering up the Xperia S, P and U -- but hasn't yet offered up any concrete dates or specific markets. This means we may see the three Sony phone appearing on smaller, possibly lesser-known carriers -- Brightstar mentions its "regional and local expertise." The distributor's excitable press release is right below.

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Gallery: Sony Xperia family portrait at MWC 2012

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Gallery: Sony Xperia U hands-on

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