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From leak to live: Sony Ericsson officially reveals Xperia Acro for Japan
The Arc's Japan-bound baby brother hasn't exactly been a well kept secret. After last month's website and image leaks, we've been waiting for Sony Ericsson to make it official. And now they have. The Xperia Acro, flaunting a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 8.1 megapixel camera, and Adreno 205 GPU is heading to Japan this summer -- making it a possible match for the Azusa, uncovered by NenaMark earlier this week. The new kid in Akihabara was designed specifically for the Japanese market, runs Android 2.3.3 on a 4.2-inch touchscreen, and adds unique features like a mobile wallet and TV functionality. Hit the break for some quick and dirty PR.
Xperia Acro images leaked, Arc's Japan-bound sibling puts on a little weight at the circus
If you'll remember last week's funny when Sony Ericsson accidentally outed the Xperia Acro on their PC Companion software, we were at an utter loss for quality shots of the device... happily, that's now changed. Yes, dear readers, we present you with a multi-angle look at the Acro, and if it appears decidedly similar to the Arc, you're close to understanding Sony's intent. As expected, this Japanese Xperia has bulked up after tossing on NFC, IrDA and DTV features. If this weren't enough, SE's show-off gets another bonus over its svelte sibling and is expected to ship with Android 2.3.3, (you know, for all that NFC-writing you were planning).
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's Acro leaked, shows up its older brother
Whoa there, Mister Clickety-click, contain that check-box excitement just a tick. Thanks to a keen set of eyes (and an overly-eager Sony Ericsson employee), we present SE's latest unreleased Xperia, the Acro -- a refinement to its recent Gingerbread-wielding Arc that you most certainly weren't meant to see. Duplicating the core specs of its sibling, Sony's future stuntman takes it a step further, performing infrared and NFC communication, while also showcasing its DTV reception skills -- you know, so the locals can get their fill of zany game shows on the commute. Like its kin, the Arc features a 1GHz Snapdragon MSM8255, 4.2-inch display and an 8.1 megapixel Exmor R sensor, just like the one you may or may not see in future iPhones. Even though the TV function is decidedly intriguing, we know you're just considering beaming bits of IrDA glory to your graphing calculator. Hey, there's no shame in that. Update: Based on the model number, we're pretty sure the Acro is destined for KDDI's au brand. [Thanks, Chris]
Rogers puts Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Arc up for pre-order
Well, it's not yet confirming the "late April" launch date that leaked out yesterday, but Rogers has now just started accepting pre-orders for both the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Xperia Arc, each of which will run you $99.99 on a three-year contract (there's no indication of off-contract pricing). It does say, however, that the current "offer" will expire on May 2nd, which could possibly be an indication of an actual release date, or just the beginning of a different offer. What's more, Rogers has also revealed a small surprise of another sort -- it turns out that it will be carrying both the black and white versions of the Xperia Play. Hit up the link below to get your order in if you're interested. [Thanks, Caleb]
Rogers' Xperia Arc and Xperia Play launch details leaked
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee -- in this case "we" being the Xperia Arc imaging flagship and Xperia Play gaming handset. We knew this day was coming, but it now looks like Sony Ericsson's hottest new pair of Android smartphones will be available from Rogers "late April" for $99. Of course, you'll have to commit to one of those insane 3-year contracts with a minimum $45 voice and data plan for the privilege, but the Gingerbread toting Xperia Arc and Xperia Play could be yours as soon as April 19-21, which is when the devices are expected to ship to stores. While there's no indication when pre-orders will be starting, folks who pre-order could win a trip to sunny Florida. Just promise to send us pictures of Shamu taken with your new phone if you win, OK?
Xperia Play goes back to the FCC, this time with GSM (update)
We're all familiar with this handset by now, but what we weren't suspecting (although we have yet to finish our first cup of coffee) to see a GSM version of the Xperia Play come through the FCC this sunny Tuesday morning. While we know that Verizon won't be the sole carrier of the phone in the states (we heard that from Sony Ericsson CTO Jan Uddenfeldt himself), there is yet to be another carrier confirmed. So maybe this is an indication of another possible future? Or, most likely, this is just one of those "north of the border" jobs -- as you know, the FCC gets its look at all Canada-bound phones, and this particular phone is exclusive to Rogers. Get a closer look after the break. Update: Further examination of the docs reveal that this bad boy has global GSM bands and 900 / 2100MHz 3G, which is primarily used in Europe and Asia.
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%
Xperia Play and Xperia Arc confirmed for Rogers in Canada (update)
In case you missed the announcement, a recent press release has confirmed what we already knew: Xperia Play is coming to Canada, exclusively to Rogers. Set to hit shelves sometime this spring in late March alongside the Xperia Arc, both of these bad boys will run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, with prices to be disclosed at launch. Remember when we used to call Xperia Play the "PlayStation Phone?" That was fun. PR after the break.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc preview (video)
Sony Ericsson's MWC presser today may have been all about its new Play, Pro and Neo members of the Xperia family, but the CES debutant we know and love as the Arc was out in force as well. So, we thought, why not throw together our thoughts on this phone and splice them with a gallery of delicious new images plus some video action to boot? The first thing to note is that the Xperia Arc will be shipping globally in March and Sony Ericsson is aiming for the broadest possible operator coverage. Focusing on the handset itself, we've been wildly impressed by its design since first laying eyes on it, there's something fundamentally attractive about the Arc's look, something less tangible than its ridiculously slim profile. Sony Ericsson has used a similar plasticky material on the back as it does in the Neo, which doesn't overwhelm us with any sensations of reassurance or quality, but seems to do the job. Guess some corners had to inevitably be cut along with the fat on this phone's body. The 4.2-inch screen is bright and lucid, though we'd warn against expecting too much from the Bravia Reality Display marketing. As we've mentioned before, the display enhancements only kick in when you're consuming multimedia. Still, general performance looks more than satisfactory. Hard buttons around the body are well arranged and designed, a contrast from the fiddly keys we found on the Xperia Pro. What was consistent with the rest of Sony Ericsson's Xperia crew, however, was the Arc's inability to execute its pinch-to-zoom widget summary screen. It's an ambitious function -- gathering all your widgets from each screen into one cohesive overview -- but, basically, it's laggy as hell. Aside from that, general UI responsiveness could also stand some improvement, but we like where Sony Ericsson is going with the whole thing. If it keeps up its promise to repent from last year's sins with relation to Android updates, the company has a very good chance of striking it rich with the Xperia Arc. It's a phone that can truly get by on its looks alone. Video after the break! %Gallery-116464%
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc vs. LG Optimus 2X... fight!
Android is our future, the stat mavens all agree, but for all its rapid growth, Google's OS still suffers from a shortage of top tier differentiation. This has in part been down to LG and Sony -- two of the world's biggest phone makers -- spending the majority of 2010 watching the battle for Android supremacy from the sidelines (the X10 disqualified itself when it announced it neither knew nor cared what Froyo was). 2011 might just be the year of redemption for both, however, as LG will soon assault the European market with a pair of truly desirable and powerful Android smartphones in the Optimus 2X and Black, while Sony Ericsson's well leaked portfolio of new Xperias includes the Arc, Neo and Play, each one of them coming with Gingerbread preloaded. We've wrapped our mitts around a pair of these high-hope devices, one from each manufacturer, and photographed the living daylights out of them sat side by side. %Gallery-115722% We humbly submit that the Xperia Arc looks and feels far more refined than LG's admittedly well designed Optimus 2X. The Arc's curvature seriously makes it feel like the thinnest phone we've ever handled and its weight is also dramatically, unreasonably minimal. Another note of import is that the 2X comes with a 4-inch screen whereas the Arc offers a more generous 4.2-inch display, yet their overall dimensions are nearly identical. All in all, we'd hardly object to having either one in our pockets, but the Arc wins it for us in terms of aesthetic appeal. Of course, the Optimus 2X has a dual-core Tegra 2 heart beating within, it's not all about looks, though in the case of this hands-on comparison, it kind of was. We'll have a full review of LG's handset in the coming days, while Sony Ericsson promises the Xperia Arc will land in Europe by the end of March. You can see more of the prototype unit we got to handle in the gallery below and there's a video comparison of the two Android newcomers after the break as well. %Gallery-115723%
Monome Arc OSC controller is simple, elegant, and expensive
If you're not familiar with Monome, the company designs and builds unique, minimalist controllers in limited editions for the discriminating music maker with deep pockets. The company's latest, Arc, features two anodized milled aluminum knobs, an enclosure made of black walnut (sustainably harvested in central Pennsylvania, of course), lead free printed circuit boards and circuitry, a felt slip mat made from wool purchased from small farms in the US, and -- well, that's pretty much it. Hand assembled on a farm in upstate New York, this device sends OSC data to a computer via USB. Each knob is circled by a ring of 64 LEDs, and each knob can be configured for whatever your musician's heart desires. On the video (after the break) it is paired with a Series Sixty Four controller to make a sample looper. Looks like fun! Too bad it costs more than our rent for the month. Available on February 18 in two knob ($500) and four knob ($800) configurations. [Thanks, Zack]
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc subjected to a thorough video preview
This won't be the first (or by any means last) video you'll see the Xperia Arc starring in, but it is the most comprehensive look we've had so far at this finely crafted Android Gingerbread handset. The guys over at HDBlog.it have somehow sourced both the silver and black variants of Sony Ericsson's upcoming 4.2-incher and they've given the pair a nice and thorough video overview. They happily report that Timescape and Mediascape, Sony Ericsson's pervasive features in the earlier X10, have been scaled down to mere widgets, making them "far less intrusive" and resulting in the rest of the UI being "faster and easier to use." Make the leap past the break to get the full dish on SE's latest and greatest.
Sony Ericsson names Xperia Arc CPU, dubs Android 2.4 appearance a 'misconfiguration'
The Xperia Arc is one pretty slice of Gingerbread, don't you think? We certainly did when we got the chance to handle one for ourselves at CES, but today we're less concerned with its exterior and more interested in what lies beneath. The 1GHz processor we knew about already has been specified as a Qualcomm MSM8255 and will be joined in the good fight against sluggish performance by an Adreno 205 graphics chip. On the software front, that random sighting of an Arc with Android 2.4 has been put down as a simple "misconfiguration" by Sony Ericsson, exploding a million conspiracy theories around the web. One encouraging note here is that SE (kinda) acknowledges its inglorious record with Android updates and promises recent changes have put it in "a good position to make sure that Xperia Arc will get later versions in a timely manner." We'll believe it when you make it, Sony.
Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc seeing an April release?
We've gotten up close and personal with Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc this week at CES, but one bit of information that the firm refused to hand over was an estimated release date. If the outfit's Indonesian portal is to be believed, however, we've just three more months to wait before at least some portions of the world have access. The image shown above translates into "three more months," which means that we'll be both saddened and depressed if our pals in the Asia-Pacific region don't have one by April. Don't make us weep, SE. [Thanks, Matthew]
JVC announces ACR-equipped TH-BC3 sound bar
Sound bars are nothing revolutionary, but JVC's newly announced TH-BC3 packs a few features worth mentioning. At the top of the list is the inclusion of an HDMI 1.4 enabled ARC (Audio Return Channel), which allows for simplified wiring since audio can travel in both directions through the HDMI cable. Additional connectivity options include one analog input and two digital audio inputs (optical and coaxial) plus a subwoofer pre-out. A slick push-open iPod / iPhone dock is another nice edition especially when combined with a composite video output. In terms of more general specs, the device features 30 watts per channel, a built-in FM tuner, and SRS StudioSound HD which is basically a branded complication of SRS TruSurround HD and SRS TruVolume. SRS TruVolume is designed to eliminate volume changes when switching sources while TruSurround HD can convert up to 6.1 channels of audio for playback over two speakers. JVC says the speaker will be available in February for $249. If that's above your budget, the TH-BC1 is essentially the same product minus the ARC and iPod dock and will be available this month for $149.
Nyko's CES 2011 gaming peripheral lineup: Intercooler STS, Perfect Shot Pro, and more
A pinch of gaming here at the annual Consumer Electronics Show? Yeah, we'll take that. Nyko's just revealed a wheelbarrow full of new goods to pore over at this year's edition of the show, and we get the feeling that PlayStation Move owners will be particularly pleased with what's on offer. For the PS3, the outfit has revealed that its Raven Standard and Raven Alternative controllers are shipping now for $34.99 apiece, as is the 2- / 4-port charging station. Moving onto newer goods, the Power Shot for Move is a newfangled rifle attachment (seen above) for Sony's play on motion gaming, with an MSRP that's not quite final and a projected release date of March 2011. Moreover, there's a pistol-like Perfect Shot for Move (also shipping in March at a price that's TBD), and if you're looking for a similar charging solution for your Xbox 360, the Charge Base S will do just that for $24.99. Comically enough, this year marks the return of the infamous Intercooler, but hopefully the STS version won't cause your Xbox 360 S to go up in smoke. For those who like to take chances, it'll hit retail next month for $19.99. Closing things out is the Perfect Shot Pro for Wii, which is a revamped version of the original Perfect Shot that features vibration support; it'll ship in April for right around $20. Head on past the break for the full release, or spend a few precious minutes digging into the eye candy below. Or both. %Gallery-112561%
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc announced, we go hands-on (update: video!)
The cat is out of the bag, Sony! We just walked into Sony's CES press conference and look at what we found hanging around in the back? It's Sony's Xperia Arc, and it is one slim smartphone. Seriously, it's really thin and its concave back reminds us a lot of the Nexus S. According to the placard it has a "Reality Display" with a Mobile BRAVIA Engine. We're not sure what those fancy words mean, but the display (we're assuming it is 4.2 inches) is definitely extremely bright and crisp -- like AMOLED bright and crisp. We don't know the exact measurements of the handset, but it looks just as thin as the iPhone... if not thinner. Other than that we know it has an mini-HDMI port and runs Android 2.3 (confirmed on the device itself!). It also has a Sony Exmor R camera. We should be learning much more about this thing as soon as it becomes "official," but until then hit the break for some hands-on shots. %Gallery-112806% Update: Ah, finally some confirmed specs. The Arc does in fact have a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4.2-inch display, 8.3 megapixel camera, and measures just 8.7mm thick. Hit the break for the full PR and specs.
Sony poster at CES shows unannounced, extremely slim-looking phone (update: it's the Arc)
Sony's CES banners have been unfurled around the Las Vegas Convention Center here and one of them has a particularly alluring, and particularly skinny, phone to show us. The above image of half a touchscreen handset (more closeup photography of which you'll find in the gallery below) shows a Sony Ericsson brand and what looks like a 3.5mm headphone jack -- the latter of which would suggest that this phone is no more than six or seven millimeters thick. Even more enticing is the promise of "more entertainment at the touch of a button," suggesting some processing and graphics firepower contained within as well -- could it be SE's answer to the dual-core LG Optimus 2X? We get the feeling we'll love this thing whatever the hell's inside it. Update: Closer investigation of the imagery has led us to believe this is probably the Anzu / X12 that we first saw back in November. That device's claim to fame was a 4.3-inch display allied to a "very, very thin" profile. Update 2: The mysterious handset has now been revealed as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. %Gallery-112523%
Arc Touch Mouse now on sale for $60 at all Microsoft retail stores
It may not be available at your favorite e-tailer quite yet, but Microsoft's Arc Touch Mouse is indeed on sale at the company's seven retail stores, each of which got a shipment of the flexible critters this morning. (How do we know? We just called every one.) What's more, they'll only cost you $60 apiece, a full portrait of Alexander Hamilton less than the original batch of preorders, so if you're looking for a thoroughly unique rodent partner that bows to your will, now might be the best chance to nab one. [Thanks, Elliot B.]
