Designed “with extreme sports enthusiasts in mind,” this phone represents the a larger partnership between the two brands, stretching out to major Billabong events around the world. They’ve also got exclusive wallpapers and other mobile content for the Billabong Edition smartphone, as well as the Billabong Surf Trip game for the Xperia Play PlayStation phone.

Realistically, the Billabong Edition handset is just a branded version of the existing Sony Ericsson Xperia active. This means that it has IP67 certification for dust and water resistance, as well as “wet finger tracking” technology on its smaller 3-inch touchscreen display. It’s tough and scratch resistant. Rounding out the extreme specs are a 5MP camera, FM radio with RDS, Timescape, DLNA support, Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine, and Google Android. Plus that handy loop for your lanyard or carabiner clip.

Look for it in “select markets” starting now.

ITProPortal.com is exclusively publishing these hands on set of walkthrough images of the yet-to-be-announced Sony Ericsson ’Nozomi’ Xperia HD mobile phone, which is due to be launched at the CES 2012.

The codename ‘Nozomi’ phone, which is set to be called the Xperia HD, will run Android ‘Gingerbread’ 2.3.7, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8660 chipset, which is also used in the HTC Evo 3D mobile.

As being sort of an HTC Evo 3D clone, with the main exception being its ultra high res screen (1280×720), this model just doesn’t strike me as something that extraordinary.

It is powered by a dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8660 chipset running at 1.5 GHz, but failing to show spectacularly fast Quadrant benchmarks. No slot for microSD cards in Nozomi, either.

Somewhat on the redeeming side, it does sport a 12 Mpix camera of untested quality and 32 GB of internal storage.

CES is just around the corner and as expected, we are seeing a flood of announcements and teasers about what’s going to be showcased at the event. Sony Ericsson’s pre-CES teaser campaign started earlier with their messages on their Facebook and Google pages. Now the company has released yet another teaser, a few close-ups of an HD-capable smartphone.

“Just a few more days until we can reveal some interesting news” says Sony Ericsson, but no hints regarding the identity of the device or what’s under the hood.

As you can see in the above image, the mysterious device has a dedicated shutter button, an HD-capable camera, a micro-USB port and the onscreen toggle to switch between photos and videos with a simple touch.

The images suggest that the new device is similar in outward appearance to the XPERIA Arc S handset. The Arc S has the same curved camera key, HD labeling and squared-off microUSB port.

We are most probably looking at the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD, previously also known by the name Xperia Nozomi.

The camera-related hints suggest that the new device might be coming equipped with something special for all the shutterbugs out there. We are expecting a 12 to 13 MP camera with an Exmor R CMOS sensor.

And if it is capable of recording 1080p HD video, you can surely expect high-end specs. Rumors point towards a dual-core 1.5GHz processor and 1GB of RAM along with a 4.3-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 720. Hopefully the device will be powered by ICS.

Whatever is coming, we definitely won’t have to wait too long to learn everything about it. Stay tuned to this space for updates.

Both the Xperia arc S and the Xperia neo V come loaded with Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread and they’re initially being sold through Sony Store locations across the country. Some time next month, they’ll also pop up at other retailers and e-tailers, including Newegg and Amazon.

The cheaper of the two is the Xperia neo V. It has a 3.7-inch display, 5MP rear camera, a front-facing videocall camera, your choice of three colors, HDMI-out, and the 3D sweep panorama technology. All this is wrapped up in a $349.99 package. The Xperia arc S also does the 3D sweep thing, but it bumps up to 4.2-inch “Reality” display with Mobile BRAVIA, as well as an 8MP camera with Exmor R, a 1.4GHz processor, and your choice of four colors. That carries an MSRP of $549.99.

There’s the whole Mobile BRAVIA Engine thing for better visuals, as well as the 8.1MP camera with Exmor R for mobile, giving you better photos. Coupled with that is the interesting 3D Sweep Panorama feature that lets’s you create 3D images for viewing on your 3DTV. Other perks include the Sony Entertainment Network, Facebook inside Xperia, DLNA compability, gesture input, screen capture, and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

We’ve previously gamed with the Xperia Play and texted with the Xperia Pro, but many people don’t like the added bulk that a side slide-out creates. That’s where the Xperia ray can come into the picture with its 9.4mm thin aluminum frame. Look for the Xperia ray — in your choice of red, black, or gold [Telus isn't getting red or gold after all] — to sell for $49.99 on a three year contract.

Although touchscreen displays have become hugely popular in recent years, there are still tons of people out there who prefer to have physical keyboards. Sony Ericsson recognizes this and that’s why in addition to the Xperia Neo, they also have the Xperia Pro. This Android smartphone recently launched here in Canada and we’ve taken it out for a test drive.

Specs and Features

Naturally, the Xperia Pro is geared toward a slightly different kind of customer than the Xperia Play. Instead of slide-out gaming controls, it gets a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. That’s easily one of the biggest differentiating factors that makes this smartphone unlike other Xperia devices and increasingly unlike other Android smartphones in general.

As far as the core specs are concerned, you’ll find a Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon 1GHz processor to go along with 1GB of internal memory, 3.7-inch 480×854 pixel LED backlit LCD capacitive touchscreen, 512MB RAM, 8MP camera, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, accelerometer, Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine, microSD expansion, and front-facing VGA videocall camera. It gets the usual smattering of Stereo FM, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, GPS with aGPS, and HSDPA 7.2 along with HSUPA 5.8.

First Impressions

Not unlike the Google Nexus S, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro has a glossy and smooth plastic exterior. Some people may think that such a finish feels cheap, but that’s largely a matter of personal preference.

The sliding mechanism for the keyboard feels robust and the three buttons along the bottom are typical of the Xperia line. I’m personally not a fan of these “slim” buttons, but they’re a relatively minor quibble. Performance appears to be improved over earlier Xperia smartphones and the overall size, while not all that compact, is a touch smaller than some of the larger Android “superphones” that have flooded the market.

Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine

For my money, the Super AMOLED Plus display on the Galaxy S II is still the best in the business in terms of contrast and saturation. The Xperia Pro doesn’t do AMOLED, but its LED-backlit LCD gets some help with what Sony Ericsson calls the Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine.

This helps to bump up the graphics a fair amount. While it’s still not as impressive as AMOLED, this LCD easily beats what we see on most HTC devices and what we see on the Motorola Atrix. The colors don’t feel nearly as muted and this is a definite step forward when it comes to gaming, videos, and so on.

Typing on the Keyboard

With the exception of only a handful of handsets, the majority of Android smartphones these days do not have physical keyboards. This will easily be a draw for fans of tactile feedback. The good news is that the QWERTY keyboard on the Xperia pro is quite good.

I still wouldn’t really want to use it to type out an extensive academic paper or anything like that, but it’s fantastic for e-mail messages, text messages, and even short blog posts. The keys offer a soft surface and they are slightly domed. Coupled with the decent spacing, it’s really easy to type based on feel. It should be noted that the keys are not arranged in a slightly staggered fashion, like how you’d find on a computer keyboard; they’re in a perfect grid. So, this may take some getting used to for some folks, but I thought it was pretty great.

Timescape and Other UI Tweaks

My first experience with the Timescape UI from Sony Ericsson was with the Xperia X10 last year. At the time, it was a sluggish experience that seemed to completely bog down the overall performance of the phone.

This time around, the UI still has much the same look, but performance doesn’t feel nearly as much like you’re trudging through a sea of molasses. I’m still not the type to use the aggregating social media service, but I can recognize its value. The rest of the UI isn’t the same as stock Android either — the app tray is arranged in pages rather than being an infinite scrolling list — but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. No real complaints, but no huge praises either.

Performance and Benchmarks

To get a sense of the performance of this phone, I ran it through the Quadrant Standard Edition benchmark. The first run through only rendered a score of 1400, but subsequent trials earned scores of 1654 and 1685. That’s a definite step above the Nexus One (1300), but easily below dual-core alternatives like the Atrix (2281).

As far as the network speeds on the Fido network, I used the Speedtest Mobile app. The ping was anywhere from 107ms to 128ms. Download speeds ranged from 5881kbps to 6891kbps, putting it close to the theoretical 7.2Mbps cap on HSDPA. The upload speeds were decent too, ranging from 1089kbps to 1193kbps.

Conclusion

Sony Ericsson is a big company, to be sure, but it’s still not among the top-tier when it comes to Android smartphones. That upper level is probably still held by HTC and Samsung, possibly with an honorable mention to Motorola.

The Xperia pro continues with that kind of tradition. It’s not going to win any awards and it’s not going to floor you with its performance. What it is going to provide you is a more than adequate Android experience at a reasonable price. The 1GHz processor feels dated compared to its current dual core (and soon to be quad core) competition, but it gets the job done. The keyboard is a plus, for people who like keyboards, and the camera (here are a couple of sample photos) is very good too.

Considering that you can get the Xperia pro for $30 on contract or $350 outright, you’re getting a pretty decent deal. This phone is forgettable, but it’s not bad either.

[Sony Xperia Pro Page]

I guess the idea is that not everyone wants the full functionality (and full price tag) of a real smartphone. Maybe they find Android too complex or the iPhone too expensive. Whatever the case, the Sony Ericsson txt pro handles most of the basic smartphone-like usage needs, like social networking by way of the unique Friends application. Your five favorite friends populate your homescreen, pulling in their tweets, Facebook updates, and text messages.

Other specs include the Wi-Fi and full QWERTY keyboard, as mentioned, as well as the multiple IM app, 3.2MP camera, media player, and FM radio. By far the biggest appeal of this device is the price. With no term, the txt pro sells for a paltry $125. That’s right around (or less than) the contract price you’d get with most smartphones these days.

I play a lot of games on my smartphone. The trouble is that a smartphone was never really designed for serious video game playing, and that’s where the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is supposed to come into the picture. It’s PlayStation certified and is purpose-built to give gamers what they want while still doing the usual Android smartphone thing too.

We caught brief glimpses at this phone earlier this year, but it has now launched through Rogers Wireless in Canada, 3, Orange,  T-Mobile and Vodafine in the UK, and Verizon Wireless in the USA. Is the so-called PlayStation Phone worth all these years of waiting? Let’s find out.

Specs at a Glance

The version that I received to review is white, but they’ve also got the regular black version as well. The two colors are functionally identical. And, not surprisingly, the most notable feature on this smartphone is the set of slide-out gaming controls.

We’ve seen these kinds of sliders in the past, but they’ve always revealed hardware QWERTY keyboards. That’s not the case you. You get a set of controls that mirrors what you’d get on a PlayStation gamepad: four directional buttons, four face buttons (X, O, triangle, and square), start and select. Instead of thumbsticks, you get a pair of optical thumbpads. There’s also a menu button on the face, as well as L and R buttons on the shoulders.

Doing a quick run through the rest of the spec sheet, we find a 1GHz Scorpion processor (Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon), Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 400MB internal memory, 512MB RAM, microSD slot, HSDPA/HSUPA support, 802.11b/g/n, 5MP camera, front-facing camera, aGPS, and a 4.0-inch 480×854 touchscreen display.

Build Quality and Design

The overall design is in line with other Xperia smartphones from Sony Ericsson. This was built to look more like a phone and less like a PSP, though there are some similarities to the PSP Go. The back is rounded, as are the top and bottom contours. Because of the sliding mechanism, the Xperia Play (at 16mm) is far from the thinnest phone on the block. It’s also not the lightest at a considerable 175 grams of heft.

The sliding mechanism feels reasonably solid, but I’d imagine that this will wear down over time. The gaming buttons feel very solid and should be able to stand up to the same kind of abuse you’d normally give your PSP. I did find the plastic back was a little too slippery, though, especially when in gaming position. Having the volume rocker between the L/R buttons is an interesting choice too.

And that’s the real crux of why someone would be the least bit interested in the Xperia Play. You can play all of the usual Android games — Angry Birds, YooNinja, etc. — but the key is playing games that are “optimized” for the Xperia Play. It is a PlayStation certified device, after all, even if it’s not a real PlayStation Phone per se.

What’s cool is that when you slide out the gaming controls, the handset automatically goes to the Xperia Play interface where you can choose your games. These are shown as fairly large tiles on the touchscreen, but what’s odd is that not all of your games show up here. I had other games that were supposed to be optimized for use on the Xperia Play, but I could only access them through the usual Android menu.

As far as controls, while I liked the idea of the optical trackpads in place of true thumbsticks, they didn’t work quite as well as I had hoped. I’m unsure whether they’re too sensitive or not sensitive enough, as I just didn’t get the level of precision and responsiveness that I need when I’m playing games. I tried Star Batallion (a flight shooter) and Hockey Nations 2011 for this purpose and I ended up resorting to the d-pad for the former. I mostly used the optical trackpad for hockey, but it still wasn’t perfect.

I’m not sold on the optical trackpads, for this reason, but I am sold on gaming on this phone. Madden was enjoyable, Crash Bandicoot was a hoot, and emulators would surely be a hit too. Battery life has me worried, though, since the phone could barely last a day even with very, very light usage.

So, How Does It Game?

Camera Quality

Other smartphones may have been upgraded to 8MP or even 12MP shooters, but the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is largely able to hold its own with the five-megapixel camera in tow. The flash is quite powerful and while the images will never compete with a “real” camera, they’re comparable to similar smartphones with similar specs.

• Sample Photo #1 (indoor, flash on)
• Sample Photo #2 (indoor, flash off)
• Sample Photo #3 (outdoors, cloudy)

What’s interesting is that while Sony Ericsson stuck with that TimeScape UI (albeit a fair bit simplified from its Xperia X10 days) for part of the core interface, the company didn’t do anything to skin the camera app. It’s the vanilla Android camera app, which has some options, but not really enough. I’m sure you could find some fun things in Android Market to help you with that, though, should you feel so inclined.

Conclusion

I get what Sony Ericsson was trying to accomplish with the Xperia Play. We’ve been wanting a real PlayStation Phone for quite some time and this is supposed to be it… except that it’s not. You see, Sony has the PlayStation Vita coming out pretty soon and it’s much more of a PSP than this phone can ever hope to be. The current crop of “PlayStation-certified” games that are “optimized” for this platform aren’t bad, but they aren’t that great either. For the most part, they’re still “just” cell phone games.

If someone really wants to play real PlayStation games on the go, they’ll pick up the NGP PS Vita. I think that if the Xperia Play came out a couple years ago, it had a real fighting chance of attracting some more interest. As it stands, I expect it to end up in the same pile as the N-Gage. The poor battery life certainly doesn’t help either, especially if you plan on playing any games at all for any duration of time.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is available now through Rogers Wireless for $99.99 on qualifying three-year contracts.

Manufacturer Specifications

* Battery performance does vary greatly on network and phone usage.

My experience with the Sony Ericsson Xperia line of smartphones hasn’t exactly been stellar, but that doesn’t mean SE isn’t trucking ahead with new additions to the line. I have the Xperia Play in hand and will have that review posted soon, but there’s also the new Xperia ray and Xperia active coming down the chute too.

Formally revealed by Sony Ericsson, the Xperia ray is meant to provide a “sleek” and “beautiful” smartphone with a “stylish aluminum frame.” It’ll ship with Gingerbread, Facebook inside Xperia, a 3.3-inch “Reality Display” (I wonder where they got the inspiration for that naming scheme) with Mobile BRAVIA Engine, a 1GHz processor, and a 8.1MP camera. Adding to the “stylish” slant, the ray will be made available in black, gold, white or pink when it ships in Q3.

Going significantly smaller is the Sony Ericsson Xperia active. As its name implies, the Xperia active is for “consumers with an active lifestyle.” There’s a 1GHz processor and 5MP camera in tow to go along with the 3-inch display. You’ll also notice the dust proof and water resistant design, along with the little loop to hook onto a carabiner or something. They’ve also implemented “wet finger tracking” for when you’re on the road. And yes, it has that “reality” display too.

In an age where everyone else is moving toward supersized Android smartphones, SE looks like it wants to head the other way. In fact, they even have the Sony Ericsson txt. It’s not a smartphone, but this “feature phone” is supposed to be “inspired” by Xperia and come with a 2.6-inch screen plus a full QWERTY keyboard.

The new titles will include massive multi-player online titles (MMO) like Pocket Legends, the world’s largest mobile 3D MMO, and the soon to be launched sci-fi MMO, Star Legends, which is also from Spacetime Studios. Sony Ericsson revealed that Minecraft, the indie PC game from Swedish developer Mojang, will go mobile on the Xperia Play. One of the most popular indie PC games of all time, Minecraft involves building constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D world.

“As Xperia™ PLAY becomes available to Verizon Wireless customers in the U.S., the portfolio of great games continues to grow and we are delighted to announce 20 new games optimized for Xperia PLAY,” said Steve Walker, Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “By building on the open Android ecosystem, we’re providing a brilliant opportunity for developers and game publishers to bring their best titles to new audiences and fantastic new experiences for Xperia PLAY owners. Keep watching this space.”

Sony Ericsson also confirmed that new games from their stable of classic PlayStation 1 titles will be coming to Xperia PLAY shortly.  Sony Ericsson will also be supporting new developers with an initiative called “stand out from the crowd” that draws in developers who are struggling to find an audience in the sea of thousands of apps to develop a game for Xperia PLAY.
The new games announced today will be released in the coming months. We’ll keep you posted.

New Games Coming Soon on Xperia PLAY:

·         Pocket Legends by Spacetime Studios

·         Star Legends: The Black Star Chronicles by Spacetime Studios

·         Eternal Legacy by Gameloft

·         Guns ’n’Glory 2 by HandyGames

·         Dungeon Hunter 2 by Gameloft

·         Pocket RPG by Crescent Moon Games

·         D.A.R.K. developed by Gamelab

·         Samurai II: Vengeance by MADFINGER Games

·         Vendetta Online by Guild Software

·         Order & Chaos – Gameloft

·         Happy Vikings by Handy Games

·         A Ball Game by Trendy Entertainment

·         Lumines by Connect2Media