ericsson Archive

  • Sony Ericsson X10 Mini teardown reveals densely packed, tiny hardware

    Sony Ericsson X10 Mini teardown reveals densely packed, tiny hardware

    The crew at iFixit were jonesing for something to disassemble recently, and Sony Ericsson's X10 Mini seems to have been the nearest thing they could lay hand and screwdriver upon. We'll admit HTC has us kind of spoiled with the colorful interiors of its phones, so we were a little underwhelmed by the demureness of the X10 Mini. Everything is packed into the utilitarian logic board, and although you get to decouple the screen and antenna assembly, it's still mostly a thick slab of highly integrated technology. Still, if you want to see a Qualcomm MSM7227 all naked and exposed to the elements, this is your chance. The source link contains all the intimate photography you could wish for.

    Sony Ericsson X10 Mini teardown reveals densely packed, tiny hardware originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 06:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson’s Cedar, Yendo are official: candybar and an Android-free X10 mini clone

    Sony Ericsson’s Cedar, Yendo are official: candybar and an Android-free X10 mini clone

    If the phone on the left looks familiar, it should -- it looks a heck of a lot like the Android-powered X10 mini, sharing the 2.6-inch touchscreen and some of its UI cues -- but alas, this bad boy isn't running Android. Instead, Sony Ericsson is branding this fairly low-end dumbphone as the rumored Yendo with Walkman branding, a 2 megapixel cam, and FM radio; interestingly, it lacks 3G, instead offering one of two dual-band GSM / EDGE choices in ten colors. On the right, you've got the Cedar, bringing back what's quickly become a dying form factor as of late -- the simple candybar -- with a 2 megapixel cam and VGA video capture at 30fps, 3G, a 2.2-inch display, and 3.5mm headphone jack available either in black with silver accents or red accents. Both will be available in the third quarter, though the Yendo has been slapped with the "selected markets" label, so we suspect it'll be the harder to find of the two.

    Sony Ericsson's Cedar, Yendo are official: candybar and an Android-free X10 mini clone originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson ‘Shakira’ to be called the Xperia X8?

    Sony Ericsson ‘Shakira’ to be called the Xperia X8?

    We hesitate to call these legit press shots -- as we've said before, Sony Ericsson fans are world-renowned for their capacity for high-quality fakery -- but German site mobiFlip.de has posted a bunch of renders of the so-called Shakira that look very possibly real to us. They're also saying that the phone will be dubbed the Xperia X8 at retail, a name that probably makes sense considering that the 3-inch Android phone is clearly designed to slot in below the high-end X10. Beyond that, we still don't have much to go on -- pricing, availability, target markets, and so on -- so we'll just hang out here on the edge of our seats for a while longer, or until we're distracted once again by the X10 mini pro's mind-numbing cuteness.

    [Thanks, René]

    Sony Ericsson 'Shakira' to be called the Xperia X8? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Jun 2010 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson’s Zylo slider earns FCC approval

    Sony Ericsson’s Zylo slider earns FCC approval

    There's nothing quite like the harsh lighting of an FCC approval lab to call out a phone's true colors -- if a handset can look good here, it can look good pretty much anywhere. Needless to say, Sony Ericsson's Zylo isn't looking quite as slick and put-together here as it does in the company's own press shots; if we had to guess, countless engineers have smudged it up and beat the heck out of it moving it from machine to machine while taking radiation measurements by the time it made it to the camera. Anyhow, the version we're seeing here is quadband GSM plus UMTS bands I and VIII, which works out to 900 / 2100; in other words, there's not a snowball's chance you'll be using it for high-speed data stateside. Not a huge loss, we figure.

    Sony Ericsson's Zylo slider earns FCC approval originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 12 Jun 2010 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson X10 mini goes on sale, free on a miserly plan

    Sony Ericsson X10 mini goes on sale, free on a miserly plan

    What it lacks in raw power and display size, Sony Ericsson's X10 mini may very well make up in sheer cuteness -- and if you're into that sort of thing, you'll be delighted to know that the phone is now on sale in the UK. Carphone Warehouse is retailing the phone for free on plans as little as £15 ($21.55) a month -- and it's available on T-Mobile, 3, Orange, and Vodafone -- or £249.95 ($359) if you just want to buy the phone outright. You won't get Eclair or Froyo out of the gate -- but then again, when you're buying a phone that elicits responses of "awww" every time you pull it out of your pocket, up-to-date software probably isn't a priority.

    Sony Ericsson X10 mini goes on sale, free on a miserly plan originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson ‘Shakira’ is a lower-cost X10 alternative?

    Sony Ericsson ‘Shakira’ is a lower-cost X10 alternative?

    Call it the Legend to HTC's Desire, if you will, but we're hearing that Sony Ericsson may have another Android device in the works that would slot in beneath the high-end Xperia X10. The phone -- allegedly codenamed "Shakira" -- is said to have a 3-inch display, but otherwise, we don't have any details; the tipster says that it could be running either Android 1.6 or 2.1, and with Sony Ericsson's custom skin in full effect, it's impossible to tell from this shot. Of course, the SE community has a legendary reputation for creating unbelievably convincing mockups, so we can't rule this real until the day it's announced; then again, it stands to reason that they'd want to make something cheaper than an X10 and less of a novelty gadget than the X10 mini. Stay tuned, folks.

    [Thanks, Dion]

    Sony Ericsson 'Shakira' is a lower-cost X10 alternative? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson spends some marketing bucks, christens its accessories ‘Extras’

    Sony Ericsson spends some marketing bucks, christens its accessories ‘Extras’

    Long gone are the simple times when accessories were just accessories, apparently, because Sony Ericsson is making a pretty big deal that they all fall under the umbrella of an actual brand now: "Extras." Yes, "Extras" with a capital "E," as opposed to saying "hey, I'm going to buy some extras with my phone." Totally different animal here, you see. To commemorate the occasion, Sony Ericsson is kicking off the Extras brand on the right foot with the VH110 and VH410 Bluetooth headsets (pictured left and right, respectively), both of which will be available in August; both fall into the "Talk" subcategory. Oh, we forgot to mention those? Yes, Extras will be divided into four buckets depending on the accessory type: Talk, Play, Listen, and Go. We imagine we can expect announcements to fill up those other categories shortly. Follow the break for Sony Ericsson's release.

    Continue reading Sony Ericsson spends some marketing bucks, christens its accessories 'Extras'

    Sony Ericsson spends some marketing bucks, christens its accessories 'Extras' originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson scoops a new CTO

    Sony Ericsson scoops a new CTO

    Seems like it was just last year that Sony Ericsson was replacing its CTO -- oh, that's because it was last year! For reasons unknown, the company is repeating history already -- and this time looking outside its own workforce (but just barely) by heading over to parent Ericsson to nab Jan Uddenfeldt, who current holds the roles of senior vice president and senior technology advisor there. Uddenfeldt's based in San Jose, which means it'll be a short jaunt to his new office in Redwood Shores where he'll pick up the duties come July 1. We'd mentioned last year that we'd hoped that having an Americas-focused CTO at the company would mean wild new things for its US presence, but that dream hasn't really materialized yet; here's hoping.

    Sony Ericsson scoops a new CTO originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • NTT DoCoMo, KDDI launch their endless Summer 2010 collections

    NTT DoCoMo, KDDI launch their endless Summer 2010 collections

    Surprise: Japanese carriers are announcing literally dozens of phones at once. Okay, look, that's not a surprise at all, but bear with us, because there are a few shining jewels in here amongst the seemingly endless array of WVGA displays and one-seg tuners from NTT DoCoMo and KDDI au, both of whom have announced their Summer 2010 collections of handsets this week. Of note, two of the models from DoCoMo -- the Fujitsu F-06B and Sharp SH-07B are capable of shooting 1080p video, while KDDI's SH008 from Sharp, S003 from Sony Ericsson, and CA005 from Casio all feature sensors of 12 megapixels or larger. Several of the devices can also be used as WiFi hotspots, and Hitachi's trick Beskey for KDDI has interchangeable keypads that change the shape of the keys, not the layout -- a bit superficial, perhaps, but we're all about choice. DoCoMo is also launching a handful of smartphones: the Lynx SH-10B from Sharp (not to be confused with the old Atari handheld of the same name) that features Android atop a 5-inch touchscreen, Toshiba's 4.1-inch T-01B Dynapocket with WinMo, and RIM's plain old BlackBerry Bold 9700. Don't get us wrong, it's still quite a haul, but we can't help but feel that the gap between Japan's wireless scene and the rest of the world is closing fast.

    NTT DoCoMo, KDDI launch their endless Summer 2010 collections originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Wed, 19 May 2010 00:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is likely NTT DoCoMo’s best selling smartphone — ever

    Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is likely NTT DoCoMo’s best selling smartphone — ever

    Japan's wireless networks have a longstanding, legendary reputation for existing in some parallel plane that's technologically light years ahead of the rest of the world, but that reputation's unquestionably in greater danger today than in any point in the past fifteen years. Why? Though the featurephones offered by NTT DoCoMo, SoftBank, and KDDI are ultra high-spec beasts, they're still featurephones at the end of the day -- and this comes at a time when smartphones are finally becoming true cultural phenomena across the remainder of the developed world (and, in some cases, the developing world).

    There's no greater evidence of this than the word this week that Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 -- a phone that's been met with lukewarm reviews, including from Engadget Japanese's own Ittousai -- has allegedly become NTT DoCoMo's best-selling smartphone in history, a fact that would seem completely inexplicable in any other market globally. What makes it possible in Japan, of course, is DoCoMo's historically lame selection of true smartphones, a lineup that currently includes localized versions of the HTC Magic, and the original HTC Touch Diamond and BlackBerry Bold. What's more, many of these devices integrate poorly with popular carrier services on account of their super-tight control of the operating systems running across the featurephone lineup, something they've got less control over with a device running Android or Windows Mobile.

    In other words, when it's reported that DoCoMo had sold 100,000 X10s in its first 20 days -- and a third-party retailer claims that the Magic-esque HT-03A is the next best seller at 80,000 units in 10 months -- it seems plausible, if not likely (and Ittousai agrees). Yeah, even though the localized device has been plagued with performance problems and bugs, incompatibilities with DoCoMo's i-mode push email, and so on. It's hard to say what it's going to take for these guys to make an honest-to-goodness transition to the brave new world of open platforms and freewheeling third-party development, but they're clearly not there yet.

    Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is likely NTT DoCoMo's best selling smartphone -- ever originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 May 2010 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson Aino’s new firmware update is all about the two S’s: stability and stamina

    Sony Ericsson Aino’s new firmware update is all about the two S’s: stability and stamina

    Alright, Aino owners, listen up: firstly, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Secondly, we thought you might like to know that Sony Ericsson has recently released a firmware update for your phone that should make it a bit more livable. Improved system stability and better battery life are both promised, but that's not all -- it's said that you can also expect the WiFi and Bluetooth to work better at the same time (keep in mind they're both running at 2.4GHz, so interference between the two is a well-understood problem). Oh, and there are new features, too: support for MIME type mpeg4-generic videos, the Bubble Town 2 game, and 3 new Sony Ericsson-designed themes. All told, not a bad haul.

    Sony Ericsson Aino's new firmware update is all about the two S's: stability and stamina originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 11 May 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson’s X10 mini meets the FCC

    Sony Ericsson’s X10 mini meets the FCC

    The biggie-sized X10 is now shipping in parts of the world, but let's be honest: every once in a while, you'd probably rather carry around a tiny scale replica of the thing. Of course, Sony Ericsson was happy to oblige with the announcement of the X10 mini back in February -- and now, it looks like we're getting close to finally enjoying some face time with the smallest (and arguably cutest) Android device to come out of a top-tier manufacturer. The version that just scored FCC approval isn't for US sale on account of its Euro-only 3G bands, but at least they'll be the cutest, smallest 3G bands you've ever seen.

    Sony Ericsson's X10 mini meets the FCC originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 11 May 2010 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Sony Ericsson Vivaz pro lands FCC approval

    Sony Ericsson Vivaz pro lands FCC approval

    We can imagine the conversation going something like this:

    "Hello, FCC speaking. How can I help you?"
    "Hey, Sony Ericsson here. So basically, we took this phone you guys already approved, and just... you know, slapped a keyboard on it. We cool?"
    "Well, no, we aren't 'cool.' Go ahead and submit another set of test results and we'll get back to you."
    "But..."
    "...no 'buts.' Just do it." (click)

    And that, you see, brings us to this filing for the Vivaz pro. It's not a North America-bound version -- there's no 850 / 1900MHz or AWS 3G -- but at least it'll get you some high-speed data if you're in 900 or 2100MHz markets (read: Europe). And heck, it might even make an original Vivaz owner or two jealous in the process.

    Sony Ericsson Vivaz pro lands FCC approval originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Thu, 06 May 2010 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • AT&T starts LTE field trials later this year, commercial deployment in 2011

    AT&T starts LTE field trials later this year, commercial deployment in 2011

    Are you as excited as I am about LTE and the blazing fast data speeds it promises? Sure you are. And while you’re undoubtedly holding your breath waiting for 4G service and handsets, AT&T is moving forward with field trials after announcing that Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson will be providing its equipment. What’s in store for [...]

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  • ST-Ericsson’s new platform could spawn heaps of low-cost Android smartphones

    ST-Ericsson’s new platform could spawn heaps of low-cost Android smartphones

    ST-Ericsson, a 50/50 joint venture by STMicroelectronics and Ericsson, this morning announced its latest HSDPA platform built on the Linux OS. Dubbed U6715, the platform aims to aid handset manufacturers produce smartphones powered by Android - or other Linux-based operating systems - with a wholesale price of less than €100 ($138). ST-Ericsson says it anticipates manufacturers to launch the first commercial products based on its U6715 chip platform in the first half of 2010.

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