neo
Latest
Xperia Neo now shipping from Vodafone UK in stunning red apparel
Go ahead and admit it: ever since Sony Ericsson debuted the Xperia Neo, you've been concocting wild situations for exploiting the low-light imaging prowess of that 8.1 megapixel Exmor R sensor. Now thanks to Vodafone UK, you can actualize that vision for free with all monthly plans starting at £26 -- and score a ravishing red exterior to boot. With production back in swing for this Gingerbread-wielding handset, the only question that remains is whether you'll be cracking that bootloader wide open following the unboxing, or if you'll be waiting a few weeks before abusing the Neo's inner delights.
Sony Ericsson teaches course on building custom Linux kernels, admission is free
When Sony Ericsson stepped out of line and opened its bootloader unlocking service, it provided a tacit acknowledgment that users should have the ability to use and abuse their phones however they see fit -- even if it voids the warranty. Frankly, we applaud SE's move, despite the caveat that supported handsets cannot be SIM-locked to a carrier (or CDMA, for that matter). Now, Sony's embracing its own movement and is teaching a free online class (of sorts) on how to build a Linux kernel and flash it to your phone. Of course, the article requires that you get comfy with the command line, but whether you're an Android developer, a casual enthusiast, or a curious observer, this tutorial is worth reading and learning from. Welcome to Computer Lib for the handset generation -- where you can and must understand smartphones now.
Sony Ericsson's Android bootloader unlocking site goes live, modders rejoice
As promised, Sony Ericsson has just flipped the switch for its Android bootloader unlocking service, meaning those with an unbranded Xperia device from 2011 and onwards -- Play, Arc, Neo, and Pro so far -- will be able to try out custom ROMs and other dirty mods with ease. All that's required here is your phone's IMEI number, which in return gives you the unlocking key to go with the Android SDK's fastboot program -- all will be clear once you've read the instructions at the source link. But remember: SE does warn that this service may void your warranty if all goes pear-shaped, so just be careful, won't ya?
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo delayed to Q3, Arc and Play facing limited supply due to Japanese quake
There hasn't been much good news coming out of Japan lately and this sadly keeps up with the unhappy trend. Sony Ericsson has officially bumped the broad launch (it's already available in limited quantities) of its Xperia Neo handset to at least July, explaining the delay as the result of "supply chain disruptions." Additionally, the Xperia Arc and Play devices, two other members of the company's new Android Gingerbread family, will be available in smaller volume than expected, at least for the near term. We guess that might go some way to explaining why the Xperia Play failed to reach some UK carriers in time for its April 1st launch date. Skip past the break for a statement from Sony Ericsson, who promises to be more explicit about the situation when it delivers its latest quarterly results on April 19th.
Sony Ericsson Xperia family portrait at MWC 2011
Sony Ericsson shook up MWC before it had even begun this year by introducing the Xperia Play -- the world's first PlayStation Certified phone -- alongside a pair of new members of its Xperia line of smartphones, the midrange Neo and QWERTY-sliding Pro. Taken together with the Xperia Arc that debuted at CES in January, this little bunch of Android Gingerbread runners will form SE's principal attack on the ever-fickle smartphone consumer's wallet this year. We can't yet tell you which of them might be the one for you, but we can certainly provide a gallery stuffed full of side-by-side pictures to help you visualize the differences, both big and small, between the four new Xperias. Enjoy! %Gallery-116992%
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo first hands-on! (updated with video)
Would sir like some Gingerbread with his Sunday lunch? Sony Ericsson's Xperia Neo just became official -- having already graced these pages thanks to sneaky leaksters and prying mobile reviewers -- and it is pretty much what we thought it was: a downmarket alternative for those not keen or able to afford the Xperia Arc. It has an 8.1 megapixel camera round the back, Sony Ericsson's "human curvature" design, and the same Bravia screen technology as the Arc. The sides are extremely shiny and there's an abundance of plastic on show. In simple physical terms, you can just feel the difference in (likely future) price between the Neo and its more reputed siblings. We also found the multitouch widget-summoning feature extremely laggy. We'll have video of that and more for you very soon. Don't go anywhere! Update: Video's in! %Gallery-116450%
Live from Sony Ericsson's MWC 2011 press event!
It's really no secret what Sony Ericsson plans to show off at its MWC 2011 press conference -- leaks notwithstanding, the Xperia Play (aka PlayStation Phone) was unveiled and made quite official in a Super Bowl commercial. We're about to see it presented all over again, but we'll also get a chance to see what else the company has up its sleeve... and under its thumbs, of course. The event kicks off 6PM local time (that's noon ET), so join us promptly, won't ya?
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo put through its paces on video
The rumored Xperia Neo still isn't official -- we think we're probably looking at MWC next week for that -- but there are enough floating around at this point so that they're getting tested pretty thoroughly (or, at least as thoroughly as you can test a pre-production device). The latest tidbit comes via a series of videos and stills that put the phone's 8.1 megapixel sensor through its paces; frankly, they look a little washed out, but it's really common for camera performance to improve by leaps and bounds through firmware updates right up until a phone's commercial release so we don't want to sound the alarm quite yet. My Android Life has also thrown together a quick video walkthrough of the UI, where you see that Sony Ericsson seems to be standardizing on the same experience first seen on the Xperia Arc and later on the Xperia Play -- highly widgetized with a Gingerbread core. All things considered, it seems the Arc's a higher-end device -- but if the price is right, this Neo could win some hearts as well. Follow the break for the UI walkthrough.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo named and previewed in one fell swoop, bringing Gingerbread to MWC 2011
We said it at the Show and we'll say it again, Sony Ericsson just doesn't know how to keep a secret. One of its phones set for launch at Mobile World Congress 2011 has just slipped the net (again) and this time we have its full product name to boot, the Xperia Neo. You'll be familiar with this Android 2.3 handset already from mobile-review's thorough preview a couple of weeks ago, though at the time it was known under its codename of MT15i. This latest hands-on look at the hardware is similarly positive about the Neo, describing it as a well constructed phone and praising Sony's Android modifications as restrained and actually useful. Talk about a 180-degree turn from the way things used to be.There's another reason to be excited about this phone, however. Back in December, Sony Ericsson registered trademarks for Xperia Arc, Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, and... an Xperia Duo. We expect all four to be out and about at MWC this year, and we may have already seen the latter device in yet another bit of leaked photography.
ASUS Eee PC 1015T now on sale, complete with AMD V105 CPU
So, the mystery's solved. If you'll recall, we spotted ASUS' Eee PC 1015T sittin' pretty at Computex, but considering that the OS was wiped by the time we got to it, we were left to take the placard's word for it when it came to specifications. Now, B&H has begun to offer this bad boy here in the States, with $349.99 nabbing you a 1.2GHz AMD V105 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB (5400RPM) hard drive, ATI's Mobility Radeon HD 4250, a 10.1-inch LED-backlit panel, inbuilt webcam, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 32-bit copy of Windows 7 Starter and a six-cell battery. All told, it rings up at 2.8 pounds and should last anywhere between three and six hours on a full charge, but we're guessing real-world performance will swing towards the former. It's available right now in blue, black and white, and if you're looking for a way to stick it to Intel's sluggish Atom line, here it is.
OGPlanet announces N.E.O. Online
OGPlanet has announced the release of its latest free-to-play MMORPG, a fantasy title called N.E.O. Online. Set in the monster-infested world of Gaia, N.E.O. allows players the freedom to upgrade abilities and statistics at will, rather than being restricted to a traditional class/level system. While at first blush N.E.O. may sound like yet another entry into the increasingly overcrowded free-to-play fantasy market, the title boasts at least one unique feature that bears watching. Player actions are the centerpiece of the Chaos Meter system, in which user decisions determine how dangerous particular sections of the game world are at a given time. If players fight evil, the Chaos Meter will empty and the world will reflect peace. If players disrupt the peace or engage in evil acts, the Chaos Meter will fill, and Gaia will become populated with powerful creatures. PvP also becomes available as the Chaos Meter increases, and player conflict comes in mano-a-mano, group, and guild flavors. Spoils of victory include fame, money, and stat-boosting titles, many of which can only be worn by a single player in the game at any given time. N.E.O. Online also features crafting, a pet and mount system, and a marriage mechanic. Check out the official website for all the details.
eMachines Mini-e ER1402: all the PC your mother can handle for just $300
We're guessing that you may actually save even more space if you take the Mini-e from atop that stand and actually let it lay flat on your desk, but it sure looks cute, don't it? eMachines latest, um, machine "looks more like modern art than a computer," or at least that's what we're being told in the presser hosted up just past the break. The Mini-e ER1402 measures just 7.1 inches in diameter and weighs 9 pounds, and while it won't handle the latest installment of Crysis, it should plow through those late night Hulu catch-up sessions with ease. Touting an AMD Athlon II Neo CPU, NVIDIA's GeForce 9200 GPU, 2GB of RAM, four USB 2.0 ports, a built-in card reader, 160GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi and an HDMI port, this SFF PC can also be mounted upside your wall or closet if you so choose. Best of all? That totally reasonable $299.99 price tag, coupled with an availability of status of "right now, compadre."
ASUS Eee PC 1015T strolls into Computex with AMD V105... we think
So, here's the thing -- there's no denying that the Eee PC 1015T, based on model name alone, is brand new and heretofore unknown. But what's really under the hood? As the story goes, this here machine was spotted lurking in the rear of ASUS' Computex booth, complete with a placard that informed us of its 10.1-inch glossy display (1,024 x 600), AMD V105 processor, an ATI Radeon HD 4200 series GPU, room for 4GB of DDR3 memory, 250/320/500GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, optional Bluetooth 3.0, a 6-cell battery and a few color options. But strangely enough, it seems as if the hard drive had been completely wiped, with only a brief boot-up screen informing us that this machine was an engineering release meant not for public use, and that NVIDIA parts were within. Hmm. In all honesty, we're guessing that ASUS simply had to rush this particular unit out to make it before the show's start, but we wouldn't go placing bets either way -- for all we know, the final version will get outfitted with a Core i5, Ion 2, inbuilt WiMAX and a Vmedia drive. Yeah, a Vmedia drive.%Gallery-94442%
Inspiron M301z: Dell's first laptop to take on AMD's new dual-core Neo
If the words "Dell" and "AMD" excite you then lean in, we've got something for you. You won't find it on Dell's US site just yet, but Dell Singapore is showing off its first laptop to feature AMD's new Nile-class of processors. The Inspiron M301z starts at $999 (that's about $715 of the US green stuff) with a 1.3GHz dual-core Athlon II Neo K325 processor (optional 1.5GHz Neo K625), 2GB (up to 4GB supported) of 1,333MHz DDR3 memory and a 320GB hard disk spinning at 7,200RPM, ATi Mobility Radeon HD 4225 integrated graphics, a glossy 13.3-inch WLED display pushing 1,366x768 pixels, and a 6-cell 44WHr battery for up to 5-hours of promised life. It's available for purchase now in Singapore and likely elsewhere just as soon as the sun begins to warm the western world. [Thanks, Qayser]
AMD promises better battery life and thermals with new Neo CPUs, more power with Phenom II platform
Could 2010 be the year AMD poses a real threat to Intel on the laptop front? Well, you know that rumor that it's gonna be powering 109 new laptops? Not only is that true, but it's also going to be in 26 more thin and light systems. Frankly, we're not all that surprised, particularly since it's been no huge secret that AMD's had a bunch of new processors floating about -- some of which have been finding homes in new HP, Lenovo, Acer, and Dell laptops. Thankfully, the silicon heavyweight is finally revealing the source of all this mojo by sharing details about these mighty, yet energy efficient slabs of silicon. Up first is the Ultrathin platform (codenamed "Nile"), which now includes the new 23w Turion II Neo dual-core, Athlon II Neo dual-core, and Athlon II Neo processors -- there's clock speed and TDP specifics of each in the gallery, if that's your sort of thing. To be found in 11- to 13- inch laptops like HP's dm1 and Acer's Aspire One 721, the CPUs can be coupled with ATI Radeon HD 5400 or Radeon 4200 integrated graphics options, not to mention DDR3 and Direct X 10.1 support. The biggest change? Apparently, the line up has been improved in terms of battery life and thermals, and AMD's promising over eight hours of usage when fully charged. Given that battery life and heat were our biggest issues with the previous Neo processors, we're happy to see those problem areas being addressed, but we'll believe it when we really test some of these bad boys in the near future. On the mainstream side of things, AMD continues to cram desktop power into its Athlon II dual-core, Athlon Turion II dual-core, Phenom II dual-, triple- and quad-core processors. There's 12 new chips in all, but the top of the line 2.3GHz quad-core Phenom II Black Edition X920 is definitely the most juicy, and should give some Core i7 rigs a run for their money. Obviously those powerful CPUs can all be paired with ATI's Radeon HD 4500 or higher discrete graphics (which will support Direct X11) or a lower-end Radeon 4200 integrated graphics option. Because AMD now likes to use simple terms with its Vision branding, it didn't provide any hard benchmark numbers, but it promises 80 percent smoother gaming performance than comparable competitive mainstream systems, and 30 percent longer battery life than AMD's previous generation of processors. Hit the break for the full presser, and click on through the gallery for a closer look at the technical details. %Gallery-92770%
ASUS / Pegatron Neo with Tegra 2 hands-on
ASUS may be in the process of spinning off the Pegatron brand, but for now it's still the same company behind this here slick white smartbook. Running the inevitable Android OS on a 10-inch display, but offering the never-boring Tegra 2 combo of 1080p playback and up to a "full day" of WiFi-enabled battery juice, the prototype machine was being shown off to give us a hint of what's to come. We're told the Neo is definitely coming later in the year, though the particulars of the price tag and distributor badge are not yet revealed. For our money, this was a spectacularly thin and light pseudo-laptop -- it's hard to overstate just how deprived of weight this thing is. Opening it up shows an appealing layout and keyboard, which were rather spoiled by a number of creaky and unstable parts. We found deep flex in the keyboard panel and around the hinges, but our optimistic souls are willing to put those things down to it being a demo unit. If this featherweight design makes it to market without sacrificing any of the good bits while getting rid of the bad ones, we'd recommend it in a hot and sweaty second. %Gallery-82366%
Kohjinsha DZ gets unboxed and stretched out
It's been a good while since we've seen an unboxing as thorough as this, even if the quality of the recording could be better. The chaps over at Wow Pow have sourced one of them dual-screen Kohjinsha DZ netbooks, which have had us intrigued since we saw them at CEATEC earlier this year. What we find from their cardboard adventuring is that the DZ comes with a LiteOn charger, a 6-cell 5,200mAh battery with endurance rated at four hours (though they've suggested that might be for only one screen), a 1Seg tuner that works only in Japan, and a multitouch trackpad. Powered by a 1.6GHz AMD Neo and 4 gigs of RAM, this machine definitely wants to escape the netbook tag, and its neat inclusion of an internal USB port intended for wireless connectivity dongles gives it another unorthodox selling point. Go beyond the break to see its de-boxing.
Onkyo's DX dual-screen laptop is a far better deal than Kohjinsha's DZ
Hellooo Onkyo. Sure, it's just a rebadge of the Japanese Kohjinsha DZ-series dual-display rig we've already seen. But Onkyo's DX raises the bar significantly by delivering a pair of 10.1-inch 1,366 × 768 pixel LCD displays (as promised at CEATEC) that easily trump the 1,024 x 600 panels used on the Kohjinsha without increasing the portable's overall size. While we're still looking at the same 1.6GHz Athlon Neo MV-40 CPU, ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and 3x USB jacks, Oknyo's offering starts with 2GB (not 1GB) of memory standard expandable to 4GB, a 320GB 5,400rpm disk (not 160GB), Gigabit Ethernet, and 32-bit Windows 7 Home Premium. Here's the best part: it's priced at just ¥84,800 (about $966) compared to the Kohjinsha which lists for ¥79,800 / $909 on Kohjinsha's retail site or a steep ¥100,800 / $1,148 premium if purchased through the GeekStuff4u exporter. Guess which one we'd choose?%Gallery-79982%
MSI Wind U230 gets handled on video, SIM slot found hiding underneath
MSI's latest (and arguably greatest) 12.1-inch netbook just popped official earlier this month, and already it's making the rounds at various shows. The crew over at NetbookNews managed to get their hands around one for just under three minutes, and during that brief window of time they were able to confirm that an AMD Athlon Neo X2 chip was within. Also on tap was a 500GB hard drive and a previously unannounced SIM card slot, though the €440 ($661) price tag seems a bit steep for "a netbook." Check the walk-around just after the break.
Kohjinsha's dual-screen DZ Series laptop now for sale
Remember IBM's ThinkPad 701 with the butterfly keyboard? This isn't it, it's better... conceptually anyway. Instead of two halves of a keyboard magically jigsawing themselves together, Kohjinsha achieves a similar result with its DZ-series using a pair of 10.1-inch TFT displays with 1,024 x 600 pixel resolution (each) packed into an otherwise svelte 1.02 x 8.26 x 0.74~1.65 inches / 4.09 pounds (1.84 kg) portable. Best of all it's on sale now for ¥95,800 (about $1,110) with a Linux pre-load -- add another ¥5,000 (about $58) for 32-bit Windows 7 Home Premium. For that you get a 1.6GHz AMD Athlon Neo with RS780MN chipset and ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 3x USB, a 3-in-1 card reader, 1.3 megapixel webcam, 1GB memory (expandable to 4GB), and 160GB 5,400RPM hard disk with claimed 4.5-hours "max" of battery power (1.1V, 5200mAh) -- likely far less in real-world usage. Ships worldwide ($60ish for US or €50ish for European delivery) in 3 weeks if you order today. Video of the sliding action after the break from our hands-on session back at the CEATEC show in Japan.
