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Mobile Miscellany: week of April 22nd, 2013
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week, a familiar smartphone leaked that's said to join the prepaid ranks at Verizon Wireless, AT&T swung back against the DOJ, and Rogers issued its quarterly earnings. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of April 22nd, 2013.
Refresh Roundup: week of March 11th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Refresh Roundup: week of March 4th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Windows Phone 8X, Galaxy S III Mini and Xperia J available on Three UK today
Three customers in the UK have three new options when deciding how to spend their smartphone dollar (or pound, as it were). Starting today the carrier will now be be home to HTC's Windows Phone 8X, the Galaxy S III Mini and the Xperia J. Prices for the devices are all over the map, with the 8X starting at £350 with a pay-as-you-go plan, while the GS III and Xperia J are £270 and £150 respectively with the same deal. If you're looking to save a bit up front, the 8X can be had for just £29, so long as you're willing to commit to a £30 a month plan. The Sony and Samsung handsets are both available without any upfront costs, with the Xperia starting at as little as £13 a month and the four-inch Galaxy offshoot weighing in at £28 per month. For more details, check out the PR after the break.
Sony to start Xperia upgrades to Jelly Bean by mid-Q1, rules out all 2011 phones
We've got mixed news for those who were wondering just where Sony's Jelly Bean updates were headed. The good? Sony has narrowed down its upgrade schedule for the Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V to the middle of 2013's first quarter, or roughly February. Just about every other reasonably capable 2012 model is also getting an upgrade once Sony has narrowed down the timetable, ranging from the Xperia S through to the Xperia ion and Xperia go. Brace yourself for the dark side of the news, however: not a single 2011 Xperia phone will make the Jelly Bean leap, no matter how quick or recent it might be. The company was "not able to guarantee" the experience the devices would have with the newer OS, we're told. While we know that some older phones would have been borderline at best, that cutoff won't be pleasant for anyone whose Xperia Arc S is already out of the Android upgrade loop after less than a year.
Sony Xperia J approved, torn down by FCC in first 24 hours of its official existence
Of Sony's trio of Xperia phones announced yesterday at IFA 2012, we've now seen the smallest and most budget-friendly model -- the Xperia J -- make it through the mounds of red tape and federal approval. Fortunately for us, Sony didn't bother requesting confidentiality on the various teardown photos that typically are kept away from prying public eyes. As always, it's important to withhold any assumptions that this particular device will make it to any US carrier; FCC approvals never offer any guarantee, and the J's lack of LTE isn't going to help matters. Still, this seems like an ideal device for a prepaid operator to pick up, so we'll keep our fingers crossed. In the meantime, gaze upon the full teardown in the gallery below. %Gallery-163875%
Sony's Xperia J arrives in style and on budget, we go hands-on
The Xperia T may have been Sony's flagship phone for this year's IFA, but the company's promised some style for a tighter budget in the form of the Xperia J -- what exactly "budget" means in this case, we're not exactly sure. The style thing we get, however -- the J's a pretty nice-looking phone and clearly in the aesthetic vein of its Sony Xperia brethren. The 4-inch FWVGA display is nice and bright (we had to turn it down a bit, even with that white Sony tablecloth in the background) and fairly shiny, offset by a matte black back. At 9.2mm thick, Sony's talking up the handset's svelte design. And it's certainly slimmer than a lot of handsets we've seen -- though not even close to the slimmest. It's also not the most powerful handset we've seen by any stretch with a 1GHz single-core processor inside, but it does a zippy enough job with the Ice Cream Sandwich it's rocking. All in all, the J seems like a fairly solid choice for those who don't want to shell out an arm and a leg on its bigger brother -- although we'll hold off full judgment until we figure out exactly what "budget" means. Check out our hands-on video after the break. %Gallery-163660%
Sony announces Xperia T,V, and J smartphones at IFA
Kaz Hirai is live on stage at Sony's press even at IFA, and has just announced three new Xperia phones -- the T, V, and J. The Xperia T is the new flagship and sports a 1,280 x 720 4.6-inch display, a 13-megapixel camera, a dual-core Qualcomm Krait 1.5GHz processor, PlayStation certification and one touch NFC connectivity. There will also be an Xperia TX in some markets. The Xperia V is confirmed as being LTE-enabled, as well as highly water resistant, plus a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm processor a 4.3-inch display, and a similarly megapixel-endowed (13) camera, and is also bestowed with PlayStation certification. The Xperia J is the more budget focused of the three, and also the smallest, with a 4-inch screen, a 1GHz core and just 5-megapixels on the camera front. All the new phones will launch with Android 4.0.4, with a Jelly Bean update already confirmed to be on the way for the lucky T and V. The flagship Xperia T will be available in the next few weeks, with the other two arriving some time in Q4 this year. All will be available in a variety of colors
Sony Xperia J gets a pre-unveiling hands-on, suggests we'll get exactly what we pay for
Giving Sony phones hands-on time before they're even announced must be in vogue this year. Hot on the heels of its look at what's now called the Xperia T, Mobile-review has given the entry-level Xperia J a full inspection without even the hint of a press release in sight. The very, very early review makes clear that cost-cutting is the rule of the day: a 2010-era Snapdragon chip, 512MB of RAM and a fairly low-grade 4-inch LCD don't afford much in the way of bragging rights. The absence of a microSD card slot doesn't win any fans, either. Still, the Xperia J looks to be carrying a lightweight instance of Android 4.0 that keeps it reasonably up to date, the battery life is good and the 5-megapixel camera will capture some memories in a pinch. Sony could supposedly have its starter phone on the market as early as September, and for as little as 150 euros ($186) outside of a contract -- no doubt the real selling point if it's at all true, as the cost would be roughly half that of the already budget-minded Xperia U.
Sony Xperia J possibly spotted, may court entry-level fashionistas
That didn't take long. We've only known about the Sony Xperia J and its reported ST26i codename for a short while, but ePrice has already given the purported starter smartphone the full photo tour. From cursory looks and specifications, the J will slot neatly between the Xperia miro and tipo at the start of the line and the small but potent Xperia U: while it's not believed to be quite as fast or iconic as the dual-core U, the single-core, 1GHz J could still be faster than its tiniest cousins and strive for some chic with a brightly colored back wrapped around a 4-inch display. The real highlight may simply be an Xperia that ships with Android 4.0 from the get-go instead of requiring yet another upgrade merry-go-round. When the Xperia J shows is still up in the air, despite presumptions of an appearance at IFA; however, we won't be surprised if the J appears side-by-side with the Mint when it's officially ready for a close-up.
Sony's upcoming ST26i smartphone could hit the market under Xperia J name
As is often the case, once you make your first unannounced, unexpected appearance, more are likely soon to follow -- and that's what's happening with Sony's forthcoming slab, the codenamed ST26i. Unlike last time we saw it in most of its glory, though, now it's only showing up in full text mode, revealing what could be its official moniker once it finally launches. According to a leaked doc acquired by the folks from Xperia Blog, Sony's purported 4-inch handset could snatch up the Xperia J nametag after making the transition from the more subtle and discrete ST26i title. Unfortunately, no other fruitful details were revealed in the process, but something tells us now it's only a matter of time before this ICS-filled Xperia J gets past its rumor phase and becomes something more concrete.