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Sony Ericsson’s booth at IFA this year includes an Xperia-themed chopper that you can sit on and have your picture taken — with a Sony Ericsson cameraphone, of course. As of press time, no word on when it’ll be updated to use unleaded gasoline.

Chris: “It’ll be available at local dealers mere moments after you finally stop wanting it.”
Nilay: “Unfortunately, it runs Android 1.6″
Darren: “A fine substitute for the PSP Phone you’ve been dreaming of.”
Laura: “Fail hog.”
Ross: “Still no pinch-to-zoom, but at least here, that kind of makes sense.”
Don: “Mr. Stringer, your chariot awaits.”
Vlad: “Sony just couldn’t help throwing in a bit of product placement in its Terminator 2 remake.”
Tim: “It’s bigger, heavier, slower, and way more expensive than other models — but hey, look at all that chrome! Oh, yeah, the bike isn’t bad either.”
Sean: “Active shutter glasses sold separately.”
Thomas: “**Model shown is coming soon. Actual product is a horse.”

Caption contest: nothing easy about this rider originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When we talked to Sony Ericsson for the Xperia X10 for AT&T review, reps informed us that the phone is upgradeable but no further information could be provided. Now, we can’t say if this latest bit is global or just for those across the pond, but the official Twitter account of SE’s UK arm wrote today that Android 2.1 is “due for release before the end of September this year.” Certainly a step up from the Q4 2010 time frame we heard previously, but again, we’ve no clue if this applies to the US as well — we’ve messaged a stateside rep and will let you know what we hear. A blessing for some X10 family owners, just a cherry on top for others.

[Thanks, Henrik]

Xperia X10 family’s Android 2.1 upgrade coming by end of September, says Sony Ericsson UK originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already published a pretty exhaustive review of Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X10 some five months ago, but it’s taken until this month for it to reach AT&T’s network and retail chain. A lot’s changed in the mobile phone market since then — the iPhone 4, the EVO 4G, Dell Streak, numerous Verizon Droids, and so on. Does the X10 still compete? Read on to find out.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 for AT&T review

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 for AT&T review originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he’ll explore where our industry is and where it’s going — on both micro and macro levels — with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

We are all familiar with Moore’s law. The observation made by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore that the density of semiconductors doubles roughly every eighteen months. The net result? It’s always going to be better faster and cheaper. Certainly that’s been true of the phone space, with large screens, fast processors and lots of storage.

In the last few weeks alone I’ve looked at new phones with 1Ghz processors, the latest and greatest software platforms from Google and RIM… but it’s been one little gadget that’s caught my attention and it totally bucks the trend. What device? It’s the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro — which is a lot of name for a small phone — and it shows some very different thinking about what a smartphone is. In theory, this isn’t a phone that I should like. Instead of a large 4.3-inch screen, it’s running a 2.55-inch screen at 240 x 320 resolution. Don’t look for a 1Ghz processor here. It’s got an ARMv6 revision 5 processor at 600Mhz. Finally, forget Froyo or even Eclair. This thing’s got Android 1.6 on it and may never get updated to the latest and greatest. Despite all that, I think Sony Ericsson has a potential hit on their hands if they decide to bring this to the US later this year as they said they plan to. Why am I so enamored?

Continue reading Entelligence: when less beats Moore

Entelligence: when less beats Moore originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last time we heard of Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X8 it was crawling around the FCC, but last night we found the little thing in a more welcoming, though equally as judgmental place — our hands. Formerly codenamed the “Shakira,” we were hoping the Android phone would be a bit more modern and slim, but sadly that’s just not the reality of the rather chunky smartphone. Just like its X10 Mini and Mini Pro siblings, the 3-inch handset runs Android 1.6 with Sony’s rather-deep custom skin — a Sony rep on hand told us there would be an upgrade to 2.1 sometime in Q4. That seems a bit late, but there’s no doubt that the X8 is a lower-end phone with its 3.2 megapixel cam and 600MHz CPU. The X8 we saw was wearing a white cover, though were also told there would be other interchangeable cover options available when it hits the market soon. Other than that we found the prototype (it was clearly marked that!) to be rather responsive and the UI to be quite intuitive, however the onscreen keyboard was extremely cramped for typing a URL into the browser. In comparison to the hoards of powerful Android smartphones we’ve seen in the last month or so, the X8 is certainly lackluster, but the little thing may just be an affordable unlocked choice when it hits the US for less than $300 soon.

Gallery: Sony Ericsson Xperia X8

Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 to hit US for less than $300 unlocked, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the mood for a good Ma Bell camera phone (emphasis on the camera more than phone)? Sony Ericsson and AT&T have just now decided to bring the Symbian S60-packing Vivaz stateside, still touting a 720p autofocus HD video mode and a 8.1 megapixel camera. Price of entry is $80 on contract (after $50 mail-in rebate) and according to the press release will hit retail September 5th in Galaxy Blue — or should you like a more specified celestial color, a Venus Ruby option will be offered online for a limited time. Just don’t forget it’s a resistive screen; lose the stylus or you’ll be keeping a fingernail long for about two birthdays. Press release after the break.

Continue reading Sony Ericsson Vivaz coming September 5th to AT&T

Sony Ericsson Vivaz coming September 5th to AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, that Xperia X8 in the picture may look demure, but the FCC doesn’t mess around — mere seconds after we found this shot of the 3-inch, Android 1.6 handset, we stumbled across a PDF showing the phone in — ahem — various states of dress. Now, we try to run a clean site here, so you’ll have to hit our source link to find those salacious pics (and manual) yourself, but if you want some nice, tasteful shots of the device’s exterior and ports you’ll find them immediately below. No new specs here, by the way — it’s the same quad-band GSM HSPA handset with WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, A-GPS and FM radio we’ve seen before.

Gallery: Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 hits the FCC

FCC cracks open Sony’s Xperia X8, posts user’s manual and revealing photos originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Celebrity Nerds confirms what you always knew, deep in your heart of hearts: that stars are nerds like us. Send in your own confirmations of this fact right here.

Oh, Justin Timberlake. Why does he insist on confusing us? Known BlackBerry user (plenty of photographic evidence to back this one up) JTimbs recently got our hearts all a flutter when he tweeted — about Entourage, no less — from the Twitter for Android app. Wait, what? Android? Yes, that’s right. So, of course we’ve spent the last hour doing ‘research’ on the internet searching desperately for photographic evidence. What did we find? Just a photo culled from the top of Celebrity BlackBerry Sightings — but this is no BlackBerry, friend. No, they’ve got it all wrong, if you ask us. Timberlake, known Sony spokesperson, appears to be holding an Xperia X10. Of course, that raises an even more troubling question — Twitter for Android works only on devices with OS 2.1 and above, so the X10 running its current version of 1.6 wouldn’t cut the mustard. Unless Justin is getting special treatment from Sony with an Eclair device? Our heart just skipped a beat.

Update: Just to clarify, Timberlake’s tweet did not come from the X10′s Timescape app. As you can see right here, those tweets are identified as coming from “Sony Ericsson X10.”

[Thanks, Trucker boy]

Celebrity Nerds: Justin Timberlake — secret Android lover? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s the Engadget Podcast….to go! Would you like a little Joanna Stern with that? Easy on the Ziegler, buddy – and 86 the Paul, please. All that plus a special toy for kids ten and under that manage to listen all the way to the end.

Update: If you’ve been unable to download the podcast in iTunes or Zune, it’s because we had a naming issue — it’s since been fixed and should download properly once the cache breaks. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel
Guests: Joanna Stern, Chris Ziegler
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: California Gurls

00:01:30 – The Engadget Show – 011: Peter Molyneux, Fable III, Milo, BlackBerry Torch, Windows Phone 7
00:01:40 – BlackBerry Torch review
00:12:48 – Exclusive: Sony Ericsson to introduce Android 3.0 gaming platform and PSP Go-like smartphone
00:18:38 – Microsoft to open mobile games studio, develop and incubate Windows Phone 7 titles
00:24:42 – Exclusive: Upcoming Apple TV loses 1080p playback, gains apps… and will be renamed iTV
00:36:10 – iPod touch coming in a ‘few weeks’ with dual cameras and Retina Display, suggests John Gruber
00:39:49 – CDMA iPhone in engineering tests, may arrive in January, says John Gruber
00:43:05 – Plastic Logic kills QUE, ‘shifts focus’ to second-generation ProReader
00:43:56 – Notion Ink Adam delayed, this time investors are to blame (updated!)
01:47:00 – Notion Ink Adam priced at $498, lives up to promise of being below $499
00:50:20 – Dell Streak on sale August 13 for $300 on AT&T contract, $550 without
00:51:14 – Off-contract Dell Streak is still SIM-locked to AT&T, wrongs still being done in the world
00:52:40 – Exclusive: Dell Thunder prototype rumbles into the wild (video)
00:57:05 – Motorola Droid 2 (and R2-D2 edition!) finally official: Android 2.2, Swype, $200 on contract
00:57:50 – Droid 2 R2-D2 edition spied in the wild, ready to repair your X-wing
00:58:30 – Motorola’s Droid 2 in the wild, looking as blue as ever
01:04:18 – Motorola’s Jha says MOTOBLUR brand will fade from view
01:05:22 – Epic 4G coming August 31st for $249.99 on contract (updated)
01:06:14 – HP CEO Mark Hurd resigns over sexual harassment investigation (updated with liveblog!)
01:07:35 – Former HP CEO Mark Hurd rewarded with a $40m severance after being forced to resign over fraudulent expense reports
01:09:42 – HP tells employees webOS tablet coming Q1 2011
01:11:20 – Pre designer Peter Skillman latest to leave Palm, entire senior staff now in exodus
01:14:56 – Google and Verizon announcing something policy-related at 1:30PM ET — we’re liveblogging right here
01:16:00 – Google and Verizon publish joint policy proposal for ‘an open internet’
01:17:00 – Google and Verizon’s net neutrality proposal explained

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Contact the podcast

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Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @reckless @engadget @zpower @joannastern

Continue reading Engadget Podcast 208 – 08.13.2010

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Engadget Podcast 208 – 08.13.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last quarter we reported on some pretty stellar growth numbers for Android in the global smartphone marketplace. Back then, Google’s OS had a 9.6 percent slice of the pie, but today that’s ballooned to a robust 17.2 percent, meaning that in terms of end-user sales over the last three months, Android has nearly matched RIM’s BlackBerry sales. That’s quite the feat when you consider that a year ago the latter was shifting ten times more units than the former. This extraordinary growth rate has narrowed down Symbian’s lead at the top, in spite of Nokia’s favorite OS actually shipping on more phones this year, while the big loser of the quarter has to be Windows Mobile, which contracted both in terms of market share and actual shipments.

Overall, smartphone sales were up by 50 percent year-on-year, according to both Gartner and IDC, while Gartner adds that mobile devices as a whole grew at a tamer 13.3 percent pace. In terms of phone manufacturers’ global share, Nokia and Samsung have held on to their top positions, LG, Sony Ericsson and Motorola have experienced some uncomfortable shrinkage, and HTC, RIM and Apple have capitalized to expand their portions. Looking over to IDC’s smartphone share data shows, again, that all smartphone makers are growing remarkably well, but it does highlight HTC (129 percent) and Samsung (173 percent) as really improving their presence in the sector. The reason? Android, Android, Android.

Continue reading Gartner and IDC agree: the Android invasion’s accelerating around the world

Gartner and IDC agree: the Android invasion’s accelerating around the world originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 07:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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