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Sony Xperia sola: a pint-sized Android handset with floating touch (hands-on)
Sometimes getting lost in the maze-like sprawl of the Messe can turn up unexpected surprises. In this case, we chanced upon Sony's Xperia sola hiding in plain sight at Sparhandy's booth. The petite Android handset, formerly codenamed "Pepper", was officially announced earlier this spring and even crept up in FCC filings. But until now, we'd never had quality hands-on time with the 3.7-inch Gingerbread device. For its diminutive size, the wee phone sports a 854 x 480 LCD display powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine, a dual-core CPU clocked at 1GHz, 5-megapixel rear shooter and NFC functionality for Smart Tag use. As you might expect, the sola fits quite nicely into the palm of your hand, though its tiny screen can pose an issue for those with larger digits. And speaking of touch navigation, this Sony phone separates itself from the rest of the Xperia pack with the inclusion of floating touch technology -- much like the Galaxy Note 2. What's that? Well, turns out this device can detect your finger's presence up to 20mm away from the screen, allowing users to highlight links, but only from within the browser. Apart from that neat touch, which in practice, is a bit awkward to properly use, the phone functions exactly as it should for the low-to-mid range it occupies. Performance is appreciably quick and pages loaded up in the browser in just about 30 seconds time. There's still no word on whether the sola will ever make it stateside, but if you're keen to see that hovering functionality in action, head past the break for a video demo and check out our gallery below. %Gallery-164038% Mat Smith contributed to this report.
Sony starts pushing Android 4.0 update to Xperia P owners, Xperia U and more coming soon
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.
Sony Xperia Sola hits the FCC, gets dissected by regulators
Sola, Pepper, MT27i -- it's got many names, and now it's got the official thumbs up from American regulators. The Sony Xperia Sola made an appearance at the FCC, got itself torn asunder and even dragged along its user manual. Beneath the rather underwhelming 3.7-inch 854 x 480 LCD is quite a collection of antennas, including NFC, 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 and a quadband GSM radio. Of course, all that is being powered by a serviceable, but hardly barn-burning, 1GHz dual-core processor and saddled with Gingerbread. (Though, Sony promises an ICS upgrade will be delivered this summer.) Check out the source link for all the regulatory filing fun and to see the Sola splayed open on a table.
Sony outs Xperia sola: 3.7-inch LCD, 1GHz CPU, 'floating touch' navigation
So, it turns out the sola isn't a US-specific version of the Xperia S after all, but a new handset in its own right -- albeit one we've already seen under the "Pepper" codename. In some ways, it's a budget version of the S, with a similar appearance minus the glittery translucent strip along the bottom and with various other reductions, including a 3.7-inch 854 x 480 LCD, 1GHz dual-core processor and 5-megapixel rear camera. On the other hand, it's a fully hazed member of the Xperia gang, with NFC SmartTags, an xLOUD "surround sound" speaker, Mobile BRAVIA image processing and, of course, full access to the Sony Entertainment Network. As expected, the sola will ship with Gingerbread but be upgradeable to ICS soon after launch. There's also one completely new spec: "floating touch" navigation for "magic web browsing without touching the screen." What is it? Does it work? We should have answers pretty soon -- the handset is due for a global release in black, white and red colors in Q2. Check the source link for full specs.Update: More on "floating touch" right here.
