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Sony's new plan means fewer TVs and smartphones, more PlayStations
Sony may know how to build great gadgets, but convincing people to part with money in exchange for them has turned out to be nearly impossible. In the outfit's most recent financial results, its faltering mobile division was single-handedly responsible for wiping out the blockbuster profits earned by the PlayStation 4. At a recent investor conference, however, executive Hiroki Totoki told the audience that the company has a new three-year plan designed to staunch these losses. In fact, the plan can be summed up pretty simply as "make a lot fewer TVs and smartphones."
Sony's Xperia Tablet Z announced: 1.5GHz quad-core, 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 screen and 6.9mm thickness
Announced bright and early in Japan today is the Sony Xperia Tablet Z that we've been hearing about. As you'd expect, this 10.1-inch Android 4.1 tablet features the same design language as its smartphone counterpart, but it's what's inside that really sells this device: a Qualcomm 1.5GHz quad-core APQ8064 processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, a 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 screen (with Mobile Bravia Engine 2), an 8.1-megapixel Exmor R camera, NFC, LTE (MDM9215M radio), microSD expansion and Sony's very own "S-Force" virtual surround sound technology. Amazingly, these are all packed tightly into a 6.9mm-thick, 495g-heavy body which not only takes a huge leap from the retiring Xperia Tablet S, but it also beats the Toshiba Excite 10 LE that was once the champion in both fields. That's right, Sony now has the world's thinnest and lightest 10-inch tablet! Oh, and did we mention that the Tablet Z is both waterproof and dustproof as well? We'll update you guys once we get hold of info on pricing and availability. Update: For those wondering, Blog of Mobile says this new tablet packs a 6,000mAh battery, which is actually a tad smaller than the Excite 10 LE's 6,690mAh cell. Hopefully Sony's power management will bring its tablet up to about the same mobility performance.
Sony promises top-end handset to compete with GS III and iPhone, implies its existing flagship doesn't
Sony Mobile's sales chief, Dennis van Schie, has gone on the record with a pledge that just about crosses the line from marketing to manifesto. Speaking to the Financial Times Deutschland, he said Sony "will create, in the near future, a flagship model that can compete with Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S III." Such a claim doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement of the manufacturer's existing top-end offering, the fast yet flawed Xperia TL, but it does raise our hopes for CES, since FTD reports that the superphone in question will be presented in early 2013 at both the Las Vegas show and Mobile World Congress. On a related note, van Schie also promised that Sony's chaotic array of online storefronts would become better integrated by the end of 2013, with every user being able to use a single ID across all their devices to access content -- something that sounds simple, but evidently isn't.
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.
Hands-on with Wikipad, the $500 Android gaming tablet (video)
The Wikipad is an anomaly. It's a 10.1-inch, $500 Android tablet aimed squarely at gamers -- an expensive portal to a platform many mobile game developers have abandoned due to piracy. It's got an IPS display with 1,280 x 800 resolution, an NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30 quad-core 1.4GHz processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (at launch). So ... it's not quite as sharp in the graphics department as some other tablets on the market, nor is it as pretty as its main handheld gaming competition, the PlayStation Vita. On top of that, it's from an engineering firm that you've never heard of -- Wikipad is also the name of the business behind the tablet, and this is the company's first product launch. Oh, and did we mention that the main selling point is an attachable game controller that frames half the tablet in a mess of plastic buttons, joysticks, and speakers? And no, the controller won't be sold separately, nor will it work with any other tablet. Defying all logic, however, the Wikipad feels like a surprisingly solid piece of equipment (regardless of the fact that the prototype model we used was hand-built). From the light but solid construction of the tablet's chassis, to its grippy molded rear -- which helps both for gripping the tablet without the controller attached and assists sound amplification when the device is laid down -- nothing about the device feels cheap. As a tablet, it's speedy and responsive. Apps load quickly and smoothly, and it's got extra loud speakers for gaming without headphones (or for David Guetta, as was demonstrated to us). The custom skin it was running felt a bit rough -- the apps get reorganized with a gaming focus and slapped onto a flippable cube, which caused some visual stuttering from pane to pane. Another feature of the custom OS is a special 3D game launcher, which includes sections for Nvidia's Tegra Zone, PlayStation Mobile games, GameStop-suggested titles, and Google Play. There are some less than exciting ad banners attached to this launcher, but they're easily ignorable. Though Gaikai is still working with the Wikipad post-Sony buyout, CEO James Bower told us the game streaming service won't be there at launch -- he's hoping it'll arrive by year's end, "but that's up to Sony."%Gallery-166636%
Sony's Xperia acro S now on sale in unlocked form for $600 (updated: new pricing)
Shortly after leaping through the requisite FCC hoops, Sony's 1.5GHz Xperia acro S is now on sale to able and willing Americans. For those who've forgotten, the 4.3-inch smartphone packs a 720p panel, IP55 and IP57 dust / water resistance, inbuilt NFC, Bluetooth, a 12.1-megapixel camera around back, a battery good for up to eight hours of yapping and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). In unlocked form, it'll set you back $649.99 -- or, for the Sony faithful, just 64,999 Rewards points $600. Sadly, you can't get one stamped with a Sony Ericsson logo for the sake of nostalgia at any price. Per usual, the source link is awaiting your order. Update: Sony's just issued official PR for the US release of the Xperia acro S with adjusted pricing. Now, the unlocked handset will be available for $50 less than previously listed.
Sony Mobile moving HQ to Tokyo, cutting 1,000 jobs in Sweden
Sony's slow and painful transformation continues with a restructuring of its newly-minted mobile division. In October, it's moving its headquarters from Lund, Sweden (presumably a holdover from its Ericsson days) to Tokyo -- for deeper integration -- and repurposing the duties of its facilities in Tokyo, Lund and Beijing. As part of the changes, Sony Mobile will slash 15 percent of its workforce, with 1,000 employees being let go by the end of March 2014, in a trend we've seen across the industry. Most of those affected are in Sweden, with 650 on-site staffers and up to 450 consultants being shown the door.
Sony Xperia S gets a Dark Silver wardrobe, no release date
If you're the media-hungry type sold on Sony's first smartphone in the post-Ericsson era but felt the standard black or white color choices didn't quite fit your style, how about something in between? Sony's outed a new color for its Xperia S, "Dark Silver" -- although we'd say it's closer to grey than the precious metal moniker suggests. There are no changes to anything but the plastic here, so you'll still be getting the same Ice Cream Sandwich device with an impressive display. If you're planning an upgrade soon and the Dark Silver edition is floating your boat, we're sorry to say availability info is absent from Sony's reveal, but we would expect the option to find its way to retailers before too long.
Editorial: HTC's departure from South Korea proves a tough fight for foreign brands
HTC's closure of its South Korean office may seem yet another blow to the company this year, but don't be alarmed: we saw it coming. It's a given that Peter Chou's gang is cutting back in response to its recent weak performance, but the more interesting takeaway here is the fact that the South Korean smartphone market is one tough nut for foreign brands to crack open. Just walk into any carrier shop in Seoul and you'll see the shelves dominated by devices from Samsung, LG and Pantech. If you're lucky, you may spot the odd Sony, Motorola and HTC phones cowering in a corner. So why is that the case? Let's take a look at the how it all started.
Sony releases Q1 2012 financial results, eats $312 million loss
Sony's first-quarter figures for 2012 show that despite the company's optimism three months ago, it's made a net loss of $312 million. It pulled in a whopping $19.2 billion in sales for the three months ending June 30th, partly credited to bringing Sony Mobile fully into the family. However, the cost of restructuring the Mobile Products and Communications Division (of which Sony Mobile is a part) came to $143 million, wiping out the additional gains to record a loss of $356 million. Gaming-wise, the PlayStation maker suffered a $45 million loss as falling sales of the PSP and PS3 were only partially offset by the sales of the PS Vita. There was better news in its imaging division, while sales of compact cameras fell, DSLRs and "Professional" products took up the slack, resulting in a profit of $160 million. In a trend we've seen across the Home Entertainment industry, sales of LCD televisions continued to fall, forcing the company to eat a loss of $126 million. Movie and TV recorded a loss of $62 million, although that's primarily due to a dip in advertising sales in India and the cost of marketing (but not producing) The Amazing Spider-Man, the profits of which won't be recognized until September. Finally, while it spent big to purchase EMI this quarter, big-ticket albums like Usher's Looking 4 Myself and One Direction's Up All Night helped the division make a profit of $92 million. While Sony's treading water to execute Kaz Hirai's "One" Strategy, it's still got $8.4 billion stashed under the mattress, and in the face of lower sales, is hoping that reduced costs will help it make $1.6 billion in profit by the end of March 2013.
Engadget's first UK Giveaway: win one of three Sony Xperia S phones!
You asked, you pined and here it is -- welcome to our first (but certainly not last) UK competition. To kick off proceedings, we have three of Sony's latest flagship, the Xperia S, to offer up to our readers on the eastern side of the Atlantic. As it's our first competition for Britons, we advise that you read up on the rules after the break, then just leave a comment below to enter. Unfortunately, the adorable robot isn't up for grabs in our giveaway (we asked), but if you manage to track down a similar automaton around the UK, Sony's running a separate contest where you can net a free Xperia U in exchange -- visit the more coverage links for hints. Good luck!
We go hands-on with the waterproof Sony Xperia go (video)
The spiritual successor to last year's Xperia Active has been given a performance boost. Now packing a dual-core 1GHz processor, Sony hopes it'll manage to keep up with your surf-heavy lifestyle. At least, that's the explanation we reckon underpins the Xperia go's (or Xperia advance) certified dust and waterproofing. The phone is notch above the Xperia miro and Xperia tipo hardware wise, although the software remains less so, leaning on the increasingly creaky Android Gingerbread. (Sony says it's coming -- but it wont be available on launch.) Those curved corners and design lines bring it close to the aesthetic of the Xperia S, P and U -- although it does lack that pervasive see-through bar. The increased processing power made web browsing a pretty painless affair, while wet finger tracking means you'll still be able to use the 3.5-inch touchscreen in the British Summer surf. The device will be priced around £250 (around $390) in the UK and is pegged to arrive over the next few months in white, black and yellow -- the latter has swiftly become our favorite. Take a visual tour of the yellow option in our gallery and hands-on video right after the break.%Gallery-160088%
Sony Xperia miro and Xperia tipo hands-on (video)
Sony's smallest additions to its smartphone roster won't launch until late August, but that didn't stop us dabbling with both handsets at Carphone Warehouse's Christmas (already?) show in London earlier today. The point of interest here is Ice Cream Sandwich, which arrives ready-to-go on both devices. The Xperia tipo will be arriving in Europe in its single SIM guise, with the dual-slot brother launching in Asia. It feels unerringly light in the hands at 3.5 ounces, while the 3.2-inch 480 x 320 TFT screen and 800MHz processor just about suffices for web browsing. There's a 3.2-megapixel camera on show on the back, with room for microSD storage expansion. The Xperia miro expands the touchscreen to 3.5 inches, and whacks the camera up to five megapixels, although you won't find the same Exmor R sensor that impressed on preceding devices. There's a nice curvature below the Android capacitive button row, although the backing is unfortunately plain on both color options we saw. In sort, both devices aren't going to wow you with their technical prowess -- although they might with their prices. The Xperia tipo is set to arrive in August priced below £100 (less than $155), while the slightly larger Xperia miro will arrive around a month later, priced around £150 ($232). Head on past the break for a video of both handsets in action.%Gallery-160087% %Gallery-160086%
Sony Xperia P blushes in metallic pink
If the black, grey and red hues of existing Xperia P models really weren't cutting it, Sony has just previewed a new color option -- pink. The device made a brief appearance at Sony's Weibo event, matching the metallic finish of our review model, but throwing in a little extra feminine charm. No news on release regions or dates, but given the Asia-centric reveal, we suspect it's unlikely to be gearing up for a world tour. [Thanks Kihoon]
How would you change Sony's Tablet P?
Sony's Tablet P was an enormous gamble with its clamshell form factor that meant it could easily slide into a jacket pocket. Unfortunately, it suffered from terrible execution: flimsy build quality, lack of software support and the gaming options were bested by the older Xperia Play. But of course, that's just our review -- so what has it been like out there as your daily driver? If you've bought and used one, why not tell Sony what you'd have done differently in the comments below?
Sony kicks off an Xperia Ion TV ad campaign for the US, meets your daily explosion quota (video)
Sony isn't known for rolling out the red carpet when one of its phones arrives Stateside, although that's partly because US carrier-endorsed versions are few and far between. It clearly sees the Xperia Ion as worth the five-star treatment it's giving the rest of the 2012 Xperia line: the company is starting a rare TV ad campaign to pitch its 720p wunderkind to an American audience that might not have noticed the Ericsson badge going away. As you'd expect, the pseudo single-take spot ends up being as much a vehicle for pushing other Sony projects as it does for the Android phone in question; we hope you don't mind getting a brand overdose. With that in mind, there's more action and explosions per square capita than in any other smartphone ad in recent memory, so if you're upset that other smartphone ads are just too... peaceful, click Play and get your fill of danger.
Sony keeps Xperia upgrade train rolling, brings ICS to Mini Pro
Software update sagas typically center around carriers and OEMs failing to deliver to users in a timely manner -- or, even at all. Not so with Sony, which continues to set itself apart from the mobile pack by keeping to its public timetable and doling out the Android 4.0 upgrades to Xperia handsets globally. And despite community concerns that featherweight devices like the Mini Pro wouldn't make the cut, the company's surprising owners by making the Googlefied OS goods available to download for that diminutive handset now. You'll need to have the proprietary PC Companion software installed to access it, but after that, all should be smooth ICS sailing.
Sony announces Xperia Go and Xperia acro S: waterproof and dual-core (video)
If you were underwhelmed by the middling specs of Sony's past toughphones, you might want to take a look at the latest pair to join the 2012 Xperia family. First up, the Xperia go houses a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 display with a dual-core 1GHz processor, powering the (unfortunately still) Gingerbread interface. Sony has reiterated that Android 4.0 will find its way to both new devices. The Xperia go also throws in a 5-megapixel camera and the same wet finger tracking seen on the Xperia Active, which will mean the phone can be steered during underwater adventures. You be able to pick from white, black and yellow color options when the phone arrives in Q3 this year. The Xperia acro S bumps the screen resolution up to 720p, slathered across a 4.3-inch surface, alongside a 12-megapixel camera and dedicated shutter button. It appears to be the global version of the Japan-only Xperia acro HD and arrives PlayStation-certified. Like the Xperia go, it totes IP55 and IP57 ratings for dust and water resistance, plus NFC capability of Sony's SmartTags. The Xperia acro S will land in black, white and pink color options -- but we're still waiting to hear more precise availability details. Video tours for both handsets are right after the break. Update: We've been told that the Xperia go will launch as the Xperia advance in the US -- but dates and prices remain a mystery.
RIM's global sales head departs after 14-year stretch
Research in Motion's head of global sales is leaving the company after serving the BlackBerry maker for 14 years. Patrick Spence joined the company before it had even produced its first smartphone before rising to his current position, based in London. Reuters hints that he was dissatisfied about being passed over for the vacant COO's position, due to be filled by former Sony Ericsson man Kristian Tear later this year. A spokesperson for the Canadian company said that Mr. Spence would be moving to a leadership role in another industry. [Image Credit: Globe and Mail]
Gmail advert ruins AT&T's big surprise, Sony's Xperia Ion arrives stateside in June
Someone at Google's advertising department has probably received the hairdryer treatment this morning after a Gmail advert prematurely revealed that Sony's Xperia Ion would arrive in June. The banner ad popped up atop Droidmatters' inbox and revealed that the Stateside version of the Xperia S will turn up just in time for Summer.
