While Sony has always been known for reasonably high quality smartphones, they have never led the pack, in large part due to customer perception over problems like slow updates to the latest Android versions.

There has a been a lot of hype generated by Sony’s latest Xperia Z though, with many saying that the phone is exactly what the company needs to make a major comeback, both in the mobile world and in electronics in general. Now Sony has posted its year-end results, showing the company’s first profit in five years.

Sony reported revenue of $72.3 billion, with $7.8 billion of that for the mobile side of things. Now a lot of this profit was generated by favorable exchange rates and asset sales, but the big takeaway is that Sony managed to ship 33 million Xperia smartphones, with the company claiming that a vast majority of these were Xperia Z handsets.

Of course that was actually down from their projected 34 million, but a large part of that (according to Sony) is because demand and hype for the Xperia Z kept attention off their other handsets like the Xperia T and Xperia V.

Bottom-line is that 2012 was a good start for Sony. We’ll really see if the company can take the groundwork laid and run with it throughout 2013, though.

What do you think of Sony’s most recent efforts, including the Xperia Z and its upcoming Sony Playstation 4? Is the company on the right track? For more information about their fiscal results, head over to the Xperia Blog.

The post Sony Ships 8.1 Million Xperia Devices in Q1 of 2013 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The Sony Xperia ZL has been available from the Sony website since March, but if you have been waiting for their Xperia Z, then your day has come. The handset is now available through the US Sony Store.

The device is available unlocked, in black, white, and purple colors, with a price tag of $630. But, it will only work on AT&T’s HSPA+ network, there is no LTE.

Fortunately, Sony has decided to ask the same price for its Xperia ZL. So for $630 (down from $760), you can choose the ZL with LTE and the same hardware as the Xperia Z, though no water-resistivity. Or you can simply wait for an official LTE version to launch on AT&T, although there is no certainty about that happening. There have also been rumors and leaks about the Z heading to T-Mobile.

So, are you going for one of the Xperia phones? Or are you interested in the S4’s extra power under the hood? Maybe our comparison will help you to make a decision.

[Source]

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If a new rumor is to be believed, the Sony Xperia Z and ZL are getting a smaller screened little brother in the not-to-distant future. The so-called Sony Xperia ZR is said to feature a design akin to the ZL, though it features a 4.6-inch 720p display instead.

The rumor mill says that this is the same device that has previously been known by the codename Dogo, and that it will be powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm S4 Pro chipset (or perhaps even a Snapdragon 600). Other rumored features include 2GB RAM, a 13MP Exmor RS camera, 8GB storage, microSD and a 2300 mAh.

The Xperia ZR looks to outrank the Xperia Z when it comes to water proofing, with a rating of IP55/IP58.

No word on when this might be coming or even what countries it might target with its release. What do you think, would you be interested in such a device or are you disappointed that Sony is continuing its trend of releasing too many variants of the same device?

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The post New Rumor Claims Sony Xperia ZR is in the Works appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The Sony Xperia Z is a very sexy, and very capable smartphone. Arguably, this is the best phone that Sony has designed in years. That said, it is missing one important feature that many new devices seem to be shipping with these days: wireless charging.

The good news is that accessory maker Ipan Ipan has announced a solution that solves this problem. Their accessory not only works as a protective case for your Xperia Z, but it also works as a wireless charging device that plays nicely with Qi wireless charging platforms.

According to the accessory maker, creating the smartphone accessory wasn’t easy. The Xperia Z has a non-removable battery and the back is made from glass, so it was impossible to simply replace the battery cover door with a wireless charging variant. Instead, they used the 2-pin connector designed for the Z’s docking station.

So how much will it set you back? It costs €39 for just the case, or €89 for the case an an included charging pad. What do you think, interested or not?

[ source ]

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Sony has said that their Xperia Z is pretty tough. But how tough, you ask? Well, the device is being tested here in two different ways, so let’s see how it does.

In the first video, the Xperia Z is being tested by dipping it in boiling soup. Before throwing it in, the narrator is showing us that the device is in working condition, unlocking it and doing a few swipes. And after the bath in the broth, the device appears to be working fine. Apparently, he placed white paper pieces in the slots and they were still white after the spicy bath. So, it appears like the dust covers are working fine.

Soup is one thing, but the Xperia Z clearly can’t survive a giant hammer to its face. As you will see in the second video, the hammer test causes the device’s front glass, rear glass, display and parts of the side to shatter.

Still, there is no denying that the Sony Xperia is one of the most solid smartphones you will come across on the market today. What do you think of the Sony Xperia Z, surprised that it lasted in the soup?

[Source]

The post Sony Xperia Z Versus Hammer And Boiling Soup (Video) appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

More than likely you’ve heard that a new HTC high-end Android handset is set to make its reveal on February 19th, just ahead of MWC 2013. This handset is said to be called the HTC M7.

What we know is that this flagship will be HTC’s answer to phones like the Sony Xperia Z and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4, but when is it coming? A new rumor claims it could be here sooner than you’d think– as early as March 8th.

The rumor says not only that it will arrive in the beginning of March, but that it will arrive in a silver/white or black matte color choice. So why such a hurry to get it to the market? Likely HTC is hoping that it can generate enough hype before the Samsung Galaxy S4 or Xperia Z cut in and steal their thunder completely.

So what do we know about the actual hardware here? The rumors seem to indicate that the HTC M7 will look quite similar to the Droid DNA (HTC Butterfly), but will feature a smaller 4.7-inch screen, a quad-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and a 13MP camera. Yes, it will still have 1080p display capabilities from the sounds of it.

So what do you think, excited about the HTC M7 or more curious about the Galaxy S4 and the upcoming Xperia Z?

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The post HTC M7 Coming March 8th, So Says New Rumor appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

[CES 2013] Right on schedule, the Sony Xperia Z was officially announced at the company’s CES press conference. For those that don’t know the Z, you might better know it as the “Yuga”.

The Xperia Z is the latest Sony flagship and it is shaping up to be a rather powerful offering.

The phone has a 5-inch 1920×1080 display, 13MP camera, 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor and 2GB of RAM. Other specs include 4G, NFC, microSD and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Sony claims the upgrade to Android 4.2 is coming shortly after the launch as well.

As far as pricing and exact launch date is concerned? We don’t know much about either, though Sony does state the phone will arrive in Q1 of 2013. For those wondering about the Xperia ZL (aka Odin), it has also been confirmed by Sony and will be available in select markets around the same time frame.

What do you think, excited for the new flagship 1080p Sony handset or not?

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