xperiae3
Latest
Sony makes it easier to put new operating systems on its phones
Sony's Android smartphones haven't been tinkerer-friendly to date -- since you couldn't boot from a recovery partition, you couldn't install CyanogenMod and other unofficial operating systems without jumping through hoops. It should be much easier to mess with your software from now on, though. Sony is quietly releasing bootloaders that let you boot from that recovery space, which opens the door to installing both custom Android ROMs as well as very different platforms, like Firefox OS or Ubuntu Touch. The catch? Right now, the only devices that support these bootloaders are lower-end models you probably don't use, like the Xperia E3, M2, T2 Ultra and T3. You won't be modifying the heck out of your Xperia Z3 just yet, then, but that's no longer a far-fetched idea.
Sony's Xperia E3 is its next colorful, budget device
Not everyone needs a smartphone that's as fast (and as expensive) as their laptop, and competition in the affordable handset market is fierce. Never one to miss an opportunity, Sony has announced that it's complementing the top-end Z3 handset and Compact sidekick with the more modestly endowed Xperia E3. Of course, that means compromising -- Sony says the E3 features "flagship design" and 4G capability, but that's where the high-end comparisons end. It carries a modest 4.5-inch (854 x 480) screen, quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 CPU, a 2,330mAh battery, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of expandable memory, a 5-megapixel camera and Android 4.4 KitKat. Though the specs aren't exactly inspiring, Sony is emphasizing social and camera features like HDR and Timeshift burst. There's no word on pricing or availability yet, but lets hope the young target market it's aimed at will be able to afford it.
