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Sony to start Xperia upgrades to Jelly Bean by mid-Q1, rules out all 2011 phones
We've got mixed news for those who were wondering just where Sony's Jelly Bean updates were headed. The good? Sony has narrowed down its upgrade schedule for the Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V to the middle of 2013's first quarter, or roughly February. Just about every other reasonably capable 2012 model is also getting an upgrade once Sony has narrowed down the timetable, ranging from the Xperia S through to the Xperia ion and Xperia go. Brace yourself for the dark side of the news, however: not a single 2011 Xperia phone will make the Jelly Bean leap, no matter how quick or recent it might be. The company was "not able to guarantee" the experience the devices would have with the newer OS, we're told. While we know that some older phones would have been borderline at best, that cutoff won't be pleasant for anyone whose Xperia Arc S is already out of the Android upgrade loop after less than a year.
Bring the noise! Sony confirms HD Voice support for Xperia T
In the fast moving world of smartphones, giant HD displays just aren't enough anymore. The new hot commodity in the land of mobile is "HD Voice." Sure, the technology isn't exactly brand new, but using it over post-3G high speed networks is. The selling point here is high quality noise cancellation, which allows a phone's user to be heard clearly in the noisiest of environments. The latest device to hop on the bandwagon is Sony's Xperia T. When describing this feature, the herculean consumer electronics maker got downright emotional saying, "you feel closer to the person you are talking to." While we're not too sure about that, HD Voice did impress during our ears-on session. The major caveat here is that this feature requires that both parties have HD Voice capable handsets. So, until this concept becomes more mainstream, Xperia T owners' phone calls are likely to be close, but no cigar.
Sony's Xperia T is now available on O2 and ThreeUK, Walther PPK/S not included
O2 and ThreeUK have announced that they'll be carrying Sony's Xperia T, the phone James Bond totes 'round in Skyfall. He's got a tough decision on his hands depending on which network he chooses, however, with O2 offering an exclusive tie-in edition of the handset with custom ringtones and pre-release images. On the other hand, he probably gets through plenty of data reading classified files and flicking through the Tom Ford catalogue, so perhaps he'd prefer Three's unlimited data. Either way, you can follow in the footsteps of your hero right now, with price plans starting from £30 per month.
Sony Xperia T review: a new 4.6-inch smartphone flagship that isn't quite new enough
More Info Sony Xperia T unveiled Sony Xperia TX hands-on Sony Xperia T appears with AT&T branding Sony's Xperia T goes by a few names. Depending on which country you're in, you might pick it up as the Xperia GX, or possibly even the TX. The final review sample that's been passed our desk, however, is the Xperia T, the European HSPA version, headed to O2's UK stores in the coming weeks, at which point it will be free on £36 per-month contracts and likely replace the Xperia S as Sony's Android flagship. In comparison to Sony's spring smartphone, there's a similar 720p display, now stretched out to 4.6 inches, a different 13-megapixel camera, a new 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor and Android ICS -- with the promise of Jelly Bean soon after it hits store. The Xperia T also revives a familiar hardware curve and has picked up onscreen Android buttons on its design journey. Design twists and promises of the latest OS aside, has Sony finally built a top-tier phone capable of going toe-to-toe with the smartphone heavyweights? Have a look after the break.
Sony Xperia T for AT&T achieves FCC victory
We witnessed the Sony Xperia T make its way through the FCC approval process a few days ago, but there was still something drastically missing: compatibility with AT&T LTE. But as some images published by UK retailer Phones4U attested to, we figured it was only a matter of time. Now that time has come, as the FCC pushed through the Xperia Mint Amy LT30at (the global Xperia T is the Mint Rita LT30p, if you're keeping track) today. Not only does the Amy sport the requisite AT&T-friendly bands (4 and 17, with support for bands 2 and 5 as well), some of the docs specifically call this device out as the AT&T version. We've always admired Sony's bluntness around FCC docs when other manufacturers attempt to hide as much information as possible. To do some digging of your own, have a look-see at the source link.
Sony Xperia T lands at the FCC, lets us peek under the hood
There isn't much mystery left to an FCC-bound phone that's already been announced and thoroughly handled, but we must admit that Sony does a pretty good job at making the federal approval documents more exciting than most. How? More often than not, the confidentiality request has already been lifted, leaving us with a user manual and a full trove of teardown photos. Such is the case with the Xperia T, announced recently at IFA 2012. Aside from these additional elements, there likely isn't much for the average gadget-loving American to geek out about -- this particular model offers pentaband HSPA+ / UMTS but lacks LTE, which means it's probably only going to find its way to purple mountains majesty through the efforts of T-Mobile (or importers, worst-case) -- we're still holding out hope for the AT&T-branded version that leaked a few days ago, however. No matter its fate, follow us below for a gallery full of revealing photos. %Gallery-165231%
Sony Xperia T shown on UK's Phones4U... with AT&T branding
Seeing the trademark AT&T globe brandished on the front of the Sony Xperia T may simply pass as a pleasant surprise for US customers if it were leaked through a Stateside e-tailer, but the GSM giant's logo popping up on a UK website is more of a head-scratcher. Yet, as you can see in the shot above, the Phones4U image of the new Xperia flagship (likely the TX, in this case) sports the famous icon below the screen, in place of the traditional Xperia branding. To add more fuel to the rumor fire, the back of the AT&T-ized variant is broken up into three segments, setting it apart from the international version's one-piece. Naturally we remain skeptics on the matter, but the two pieces of evidence at least hold a little more weight than your standard website blunder.
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 27th, 2012
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, MetroPCS welcomed the Coolpad Quattro 4G into its stable and we also caught wind of a redesigned Huawei Mercury for Cricket. 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 August 27th, 2012.
Early benchmark scores are in for the Sony Xperia T, TX and V
We've already benchmarked the Galaxy Note II and the ZTE Grand X IN at IFA, and as the week wraps up we're circling back to test the mettle of other handsets announced here in Berlin. We ran mobile benchmarks on Sony's new flagship Xperia T, the Xperia TX (the US version of the T) and the LTE-enabled Xperia V. All three devices pack dual-core Snapdragon S4 Krait processors clocked at 1.5GHz, and they're currently running Ice Cream Sandwich -- though a Jelly Bean update is reportedly on the way. Meet us past the break for a first look at how these smartphones stack up.
Carphone Warehouse stocking Sony's Xperia T, J and Tablet S for wannabe James Bonds
Given that James Bond himself is rocking Sony's Xperia T as his handset of choice in Skyfall, it's natural that wannabe Bonds will be clamoring for similar gear. Fortunately, Carphone Warehouse has announced that it's stocking the T, Xperia J and Xperia Tablet S when they make their debut in the UK. The two smartphones will be arriving on the increasingly busy September 5th, while the Tablet S's arrival date is still in the air, but we know it'll cost you £330 for the WiFi or £430 for the 3G version.
Sony Xperia T flagship unveiled at IFA 2012: offers 4.6-inch HD display, 13MP camera and NFC
The Xperia T, formerly codenamed Mint, rumor and leak victim since January, has officially broken cover. Revealing its 4.55-inch face to the crowds in Berlin, the Reality Display packs a 1,280 x 720 resolution and offers what Sony is calling the "best HD experience on a phone to date." The company claims you can view vids in full 1080p HD quality, though we're still waiting to receive additional clarification on this statement. (Update: Sony clarified that it was merely referring to the 1080p video recording capabilities of the phone.) The Xperia T runs on Ice Cream Sandwich, but we're told it will be upgraded to Jelly Bean shortly after launch. It also features a 13MP fast capture camera and boasts a feature Sony is calling Sleep to Snap, which means you can go from a black screen to taking photos in an instant. What else does this new flagship offer? A one-touch function with NFC which you can use to tap to connect to other Sony devices, a 60-day premium trial of Music Unlimited and a new tier called Access which will be available in Europe for 0.99 Euros per month and will deliver full access of the service to PCs and the PS3. The T -- which will be known as the TX in select markets, and should be launching globally over the next few weeks -- also sports a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260A Snapdragon S4 CPU, pentaband UMTS / HSPA+ radios, a front-facing cam with 720p video capture, MHL connectivity, FM radio, 16GB onboard storage and an 1,850mAh battery. Dimension-wise, the T will weigh 4.9 ounces (139g) and come in at 9.35mm thick. Lastly, the new Xperia flagship will be available in black, silver and white hues (while the TX appears to come in pink as well). Pricing is still an unknown, but as we've seen before, it may largely depend on the market anyway. We'll keep you posted as more details come in. %Gallery-163659% %Gallery-163662% %Gallery-163658% Brad Molen contributed to this post.
New Sony Xperia T photos bare all, show its 'Mint' condition
If we didn't know better, we'd say that Sony was playing some sort of protracted game of hang-man with its Xperia line. S... P... U... and now possibly T? It's the phone bearing that latest letter in the cryptic message that we see before us today. In fact -- thanks to nixanbal.com -- we can see it from pretty much every conceivable angle. The S4-powered droid -- complete with foldout memory card slot and protruding camera -- is tipped to be announced pre-IFA, so we'll no doubt have the full skinny then. In the meantime head past the break -- and then tap the source -- to see the minty-phone in all its glory.
Mobile Miscellany: week of July 30th, 2012
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 Galaxy Nexus for Sprint and Verizon Wireless each became available for free, while in the MVNO world, Simple Mobile dropped the price of its high-speed unlimited smartphone plan to $50. 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 July 30th, 2012.
