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Sony Ericsson reveals SmartWatch and other Xperia goodies for Android accessorizing
The man in the phone shop says you're gonna need some accessories to go with that brand new smartphone and he has some fresh stock to choose from. Sony Ericsson's SmartTags use NFC to flip your handset into a specific pre-configured profile depending on its location: leave a tag near your dash, for example, and it'll switch your phone into sat nav mode, or leave one by your bed for alarm clock mode. Smart Wireless Headset Pro does slightly more than your average wireless cans, giving you access to calendar notifications and even acting as a standalone MP3 player and radio when detached from the phone. And here's the final head-turner: the Xperia SmartWatch, which uses Bluetooth to act as a secondary display, showing texts and other notifications while also letting you manage basic phone functions from your wrist. These Smart Extra accessories will actually work with any NFC- or Bluetooth-equipped Android phone, not just Sony's latest, which ought make the shop guy even happier. You'll find a lot more detail at the source link, although no pricing or availability just yet.
Minecraft iOS debut set for after Sony Xperia launch
Back in February we told you that the popular Mojang sandbox game Minecraft would be making its official debut on iOS later this year (there had previously been an unofficial Minecraft for iOS). While it's still on schedule to debut for iOS in 2011, today Gamasutra broke the news that Minecraft will launch on the Sony Xperia Play first before it comes to other Android and iOS devices. Minecraft originally debuted in 2009 as a Java game and allowed players to build worlds out of colorful cubes. While most traditional video games have invisible walls or visible barriers that restrict where players can go, Minecraft is a sandbox game where players can roam anywhere in the game's world. The Minecraft game released with the Sony Xperia Play will feature controls that work with the handset's physical joysticks, but future Android and iOS versions will only allow for control via touchscreen. There's no word on how similar the game will be to the desktop version, but a Mojang employee told Gamasutra, "When playing on smartphones you will have a different screen size compared to PC, different hardware, different attention spans, and thus the game needs to be customized to fit the mobile specifications." Currently there is no pricing available for the game and no firm release dates, although Mojang is expected to reveal more details at E3 in June.
