Seven inch tablets are a dime and a dozen however finding one that delivers compelling performance at a competitive price point is still rather elusive. Enter the Tegra Note 7. Powered by a blazing fast Tegra 4 chip and boasting of strong gaming credentials, the Tegra Note 7 promises the sky. But can it deliver? We find out in our review. Continue reading “Xolo Play Tegra Note Review”
Google has just announced that it has dropped the price of the Nexus 4 by 25%. The 8GB version is now available at a price of 199 US$ while the 16GB will cost you 249 US$.
Close on the heels of the official launch of the Nexus 7 tablet in India, Google is now rolling out Movies on the Google Play store in India. India seems to be letting a lot of love from Google off late. The Book store went live few days back and now we have the Movie store. Apple did get a head start in India by rolling out the iTunes store late last year.
Continue reading “Google Play Movies goes live in India , rent and buy movies from Rs.80”
Google is finally allowing developers to add a free trial option to in-app subscriptions for applications in the Google Play store. The Mountain View based company today added to its developers page, details regarding the procedure for enabling trials for subscription items.
Continue reading “Google Play gets free trials option for in-app subscriptions”
Instagram finally made its way to the super popular Android platform earlier this week and attained over a million downloads in a single day. The photo sharing app has now received an update to include support for Android tablets , SD card installation and even WiFi handsets.
Continue reading “Instagram for Android gets tablet , SD card installs support”
Verizon has now slashed the prices for the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play. The phone is now available at a price of 100 US$ on a 2 year contract.
Continue reading “Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play now on Verizon for 100 US$”
It’s taken a while to emerge, but the Sony Ericsson Neo is finally with us. Shipments of this Xperia-branded Android device were delayed by the recent natural disaster in Japan, but now that it’s here we’re pleased to report that it’s been worth the wait. We’re giving you a little taster of what this likable mid-range device is capable of, and we’ll be following it up with the usual exhaustive FoneArena review in the not-too-distant future.
BlackBerry Bold 9900 was officially announced in May which is RIM’s new flagship device and it really packs some good features. T-Mobile USA was the first carrier to officially announce it and they will be launching it soon. And in UK, Vodafone and 3UK are carrying it and we recently told you that 3UK will be launching it in August. Continue reading “BlackBerry Bold 9900 now up for pre-order at Play, release on August 12”
Verzion Wireless, one of the major telecom operators in USA has announced that it will launch the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play on May 26th.
Continue reading “Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play Releasing on Verizon – May 26th”
Looks like the Sony Ericsson XPERIA NEO which was supposed to hit Europe this month has been delayed to July due to the destruction caused by the Japanese earthquake. Also the ARC and PLAY which hit stores recently are facing supply issues.
Continue reading “Sony Ericsson Neo delayed , ARC and PLAY face supply issues !”
At an event in New Delhi today , Sony Ericsson launched their flagship device , the Arc and the first Playstation certified phone , the Xperia Play. The Xperia Arc is arguable one of the slimmest Android smartphones in the world with a gentle curve on the back of the device. The gorgeous looking device comes with a large 4.2″ display powered by the Bravia Reality Engine which is supposed to make images and videos more vivid and sharp on the display. The 8MP camera on the device runs on EXMOR R technology which makes low light images brighter. The price for the Xperia Arc has been set at Rs 32,000.
Continue reading “Sony Ericsson Launches Xperia Arc , Play in India”
The highly anticipated Xperia Play – otherwise known as the mythical ‘PlayStation Phone’ – is finally with us, and despite Sony Ericsson’s insistence that it should be judged as a smartphone first and foremost, we’re willing to bet that the gadget-hungry general public are more interested in how it holds up as a mobile gaming platform.
Continue reading “Review : How Good is Gaming On the XPERIA Play?”
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA PLAY aka Playstation phone is already available in stores across India. We walked into one outlet in Chennai and spotted retail units of both the PLAY and the ARC. The packing is pretty simple and bears the Playstation Certified logo. Continue reading “Sony Ericsson XPERIA PLAY now at stores in India, costs Rs.35000 MRP”
Sony Ericsson just sent us an invite asking us to block our calendars for the 7th of April in India. Although the invite does not mention anything about the Arc or Play , most of you know that these handsets are coming soon to India as Pre-orders have begun.
Continue reading “Sony Ericsson launching Arc , Play in India on April 7th”
Last Tuesday I was invited to another Sony Ericsson Press Event at a Rink in Vienna, dubbed “Sony Ericsson on Ice”. The purpose? Oh, nothing more than getting my hands on the brand new Sony Ericsson Android Devices, that debuted on CES and MWC 2011. Yes thats right, all the new goodies were lined up, in order to get SE some well needed Attention. We all know that Sony Ericsson wasn’t exactly the top Contender after the last Phones, like for example the horrid Xperia X10. The new devices looked quite promising, so after a short introduction from Mr Burtscher, Product Manager of Sony Ericsson Austria, i got my hands (and Camera) on the Devices for a few Minutes. And here’s what i have to say about them:
Check out all the Pictures below and much much more in my 61 Photo strong Flickr Set “Sony Ericsson on Ice”
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo:
Starting off with the Xperia Neo, probably the most basic of the bunch. A capacitive 3,7″ Multitouchscreen and 854 x 480 Pixel resolution, featuring the brand new “Mobile Bravia Engine”, promising a better Multimedia Experience on your Display. The Vivaz look-alike features an 8,1 Megapixel Camera with Sony Exmor R for mobile CMOS-Sensor and a LED-Flash. Videos can be recorded in 720p/30fps with continuos Touch-Autofocus. All of the new Smartphones are running Gingerbread aka Android 2.3 with Sony Ericssons UI on top. Furthermore there is a 1GHz Snapdragon Processor inside, HDMI connector and a 1500mAh Battery. Compared with the others, the Neo is a rather unspectacular phone, which looks and feels a lot like the Sony Ericsson Vivaz, but offers a way better User Experience than the Symbian-powered Vivaz. The Device felt snappy and responsive, although if you load it up with those shiny widgets, you do get a bit of a lag at Times. Its nicely shaped, with SE’s human curvatures-Design, and feels good in the hand although its mostly build of plastic, which gathers quite some Fingerprints. If they get the whole Device lag-free and price it right, this could be a Hotseller!
Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro:
If you compare the Specs, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo and Xperia Pro are almost the same. In Fact the Pro is the same Device as the Neo, featuring the same Display, same Processor, same Battery, same OS etc. What makes the Pro (very) attractive though, is the nice 4-row slide-out, physical QWERTY Keyboard. Said Keyboard is very well spaced, i immediately felt right at home. No matter if opened or closed, the Slider felt good on the Pro. With so little QWERTY-equipped offerings from the Competitors, the Xperia Pro could quickly become a good choice for everyone who doesn’t like the virtual Keyboard options. Interestingly, although the Pro has the Keyboard Slider, its only 0,5mm thicker than the Neo, which makes me wonder why the Neo couldn’t be a bit more thinner? An interesting bit is the new “Type and Send” Feature: You slide out the Keyboard, start typing whats on your Mind, and only then decide what you wanna do with it. SMS, MMS, Mail or Facebook Update? Sounds fine to me and i can see myself using this a lot, however I did not get this to work yet. More on that as soon as i receive a Trial Device by SE.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play:
The most leaked, most reviewed-before-made-official Phone on this Planet, Ladies and Gentlemen i give you: the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. Specwise the Play differentiates itself from the Neo and Pro with a bigger 4″ Touchscreen but only a 5MP Camera with LED Flash. As the Name already says, the Playstation-certified Xperia Play is all about Mobile Gaming, which gets clear as soon as you open the Slider. Hiding underneath are the full-blown gaming controls you know from your Playstation Controller, complete with 2 Shoulder Triggers and 2 touch-sensitive Trackpads. I got to play a Demo of Star Battalion, a Space Shooter which ran smooth and almost no stuttering, although you would expect them to run lag-free on Demo Devices. To be honest with you, I’m not a Gamer. Never really was, except of the awesome Angry Birds of course. While I think the Play will certainly have his Fans, I just cant get excited about it. The Device is 16mm thick, which is quite a Whopper, just too much for an everyday Device. It’s an Approach in a new Direction for Sony Ericsson, and I really hope it pays off for them, as they have some big Partner Names on Board already. I just know that the Xperia Play is not a Device i’d buy. But then again, thats just me. What do you think?
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc:
Already introduced in Las Vegas at the CES this Year, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc caught my Attention immediately and although I’m not an entirely huge Fan of the Sony Ericsson Android Overhaul, i was eager to get my Hands on the Arc as soon as possible. And what can i say, this is one hell of a slim Smartphone, wow! I had the Samsung Galaxy S before and thought this is as slim as it gets, but Sony easily topped the SGS there, with a sensational 8,7mm on its slimmest point. The Phone itself has a very nice curved Form Factor and although its made of Plastic, it feels nicely in the Hand. I can’t say this often enough, this is just so thin. If you have the Opportunity, get your Hands on one and experience it yourself. And although only 8,7mm thick, SE has still managed to cram in a 1500mAh Battery (i hope all the other Companies (minus Samsung) are watching), the same 8.1 MP Camera with LED Flash and the Exmor R Sensor, 720p Video recording with touch-autofocus, a 1GHz Processor and a 4,2″, 854 x 480 Pixel Screen with the same Mobile Bravia Engine on Top. Impressive. Like all the other Devices, the Arc is powered by Android 2.3, which worked generally fine, but did have some Lags here and there. Again those are Observations i did in approx. 15 Minutes with the Device, I will get a better Judgement as soon as i get my Hands on retail Trial Units.
Coming out of this Evening I gotta say that Sony Ericsson didn’t exactly hammer the Competition, but they produced 4 fine Devices that should sell nicely. The Neo is a rather basic, but well equipped Candybar Device, the Pro sports a nice 4-row slide-out QWERTY Keyboard, the Play approaches the Gaming Audience, while the Arc impresses with it’s insanely slim Form Factor and sexy Looks. I’m definitely looking forward to some Trial Devices by SE here, especially to see if the Sony Ericsson UI on Top of Android has improved since the X10. Which one do YOU like the most?
Check out all the Pictures below and much much more in my 61 Photo strong Flickr Set “Sony Ericsson on Ice”
