Playstation Now, Gaikai on Xperia devices? A Brief History, and a Love Affair…

The demise of PlayStation Mobile

Last week, Sony made the decision to terminate support for PlayStation Mobile, a platform that would allow PlayStation certified tablets and smartphones to access a catalog of games developed specifically for the platform.

While it aimed to draw in gamers, it had direct competition with the wider catalog of more known titles in the Google Play Store, and the obscurity of available titles paired with the lack of wider known games eventually lead to its inevitable long overdue demise.

Sony Xperia Z2 Review

The stylish yet simple 5.2" IPS display smartphone donning stereo speakers has lately turned a fair few heads in all the right ways, and with every reason.

Equipped with a host of Sony's BRAVIA and Walkman adopted technologies, it's clear to see how the Z2 was built with entertainment in mind, but there's so much more to this multi-functional beast.

Dive into a waterproof Sony @ Gadget Show Live 2014!

Some will have seen the #DiveIntoSony hashtag on twitter over the weekend. In case you haven't, check this out...

Tweets about "#DiveIntoSony"

Case Study: Sony TV SideView App & Plex Media Server

Over the past few years, Sony's mantra has been about 'making believe', that is, using your imagination to create a brand new experience. It's also been about the 'four screens' strategy. The concept here is that devices can work together to enhance the overall viewing experience. And to top it all off, 2012 has seen the introduction and rapid growth in interest of the 'second screen' experience. The second screen experience is a term coined for using a mobile phone, tablet or phablet to enhance the TV viewing experience.

Xperia E: Sony's First 2013 Budget Phone

The past 24 hours has seen a surge of interest in Sony's Xperia offerings with the announcement of the Xperia Z at CES 2013, quite possibly Sony's most attractive offering since entering the smart phone market and most definitely the most popular Xperia announcement at first glance since Sony's buyout of Sony Ericsson. Indeed, Sony seem to have set the standard early on for what is in store for smart phone enthusiasts across 2013.

CES 2013: Sony Xperia Z

Straight off CES 2013, Sony have today announced the Xperia Z which we previously reported under its former codename the Xperia Yuga. The device is being dubbed by Sony as the most water resistant (IPX5/7) and dustproof (IP5X) phone on the market, making it a contender not only in the personal smartphone market space, but also industrially where conditions may vary, requiring durable smartphones that are less likely to break under hazardous conditions.

Awooga for the Yuga!

There has been a lot of talk over the past month of so about the next Sony Flagship, codenamed Yuga (C660X). Today, Mobile-Review, who have previously been accurate in their early reviews, have posted about the up and coming device which is set to be a huge entry into the smart phone market.

Whilst Mobile Review have a tendancy to be on the spot, it's important to consider that until a full announcement has been made, these should all be regarded purely as speculation for now. The article is very in depth and can be found here however for the sake of keeping things short, I want to focus on some of the things that stood out to me.

Xperia T: The Best Bits

A few weeks ago I managed to get hold of an Xperia T following on from its use in the fantastic Xperia Face Off promo which ran through November over at the Sony Mobile GB Facebook page.

With all considerations of its use, prior to finding its way into my pocket, as you can imagine it is a little beaten up here and there, but I've managed to gleam a lot from it in terms of Sony's direction. So from what I've discovered over the past 5 weeks, here are my top 5 features, in no particular order, of the Sony Xperia T.

Guest Blog: Life with One Touch - An Introduction to NFC

You may be aware of my position within the Sony Mobile Test Lab, a group of regular consumers invited by Sony to participate in product trials and provide honest feedback.

I recently got talking to a fellow test-labber, Simon Tompkins, about getting him in as a guest blogger. I asked Simon if he would provide his experiences of Sony's implementation of NFC, and here is the end result. A fantastic account of one mans experiences, and I hope you'll agree.

10 Questions: Round 2

Back in august I ran a blog post collecting some recent questions asked by the fans of the Sony Mobile facebook page, providing some responses in an FAQ form. With the recent release of the Xperia T, the up and coming release of the Xperia J, a handful of regional variations and some kick ass accessories, I wanted to revisit the segment and answer some more recent questions.

So without further ado, let round 2 commence!

Playstation Mobile goes Live Today

Due to less fortunate events I was left without my trusted Xperia S earlier this year and am awaiting a replacement device (fingers crossed for the Xperia T!) and so have been relying on my Xperia arc S recently, however my eyes are still firmly placed on the goings on surrounding the Sony Mobile world.

10 Questions from the Sony Mobile GB Facebook Group

So this is the first time I've done this, and depending on how successful it is I may look into doing this on a somewhat regular basis.

The idea is that many many people are using social networking to request more information or support on their products, much of which gets ansered, some of which that doesn't, but most importantly, a lot of these questions are shared amongst multiple members of the community. In an effort to add a further contribution to the Xperia community, I've found 10 questions on facebook and provided my own responses.

Do you know about Sony's favourite apps?

 

As ever the app explorer I like to think I am, I do enjoy the occasional wonder around the android market to see what clever new goodies are about. One place I like to look on ocassion is Sony Ericsson's (soon to be Sony) own corner of the android market.

New 2011 Xperia Phones

Today saw the announcement of an additional two new phones to hit the 2011 Xperia portfolio, during the CommunicAsia conference held in Singapore. I have to admit, upon the announcement of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 (and the long wait that followed) I had high hopes for the device, but not much hope for the series itself, but I seem to have been extremely wrong on my judgement, in that each revision of the series so far has taken the Xperia range leaps and bounds.

The two new phones, both featuring the Gingerbread flavour of Android, come packed with additional enhancements which in 2011 have become standard for an Xperia device. These include Facebook Inside Xperia, the mobile BRAVIA engine, Exmor-R reality display, along side everything you could expect to see on an Android device such as the Android Market, and synchronisation with google services.

From a personal perspective, the Xperia Ray focuses on desirability whilst maintaining the full Xperia experience. With just 3.3" of screen, the interface used here is the same as the interface we've seen in the larger Xperia devices of this year, but maintains the same resolution as the Xperia arc. This sounds impressive to some degree - I'd like to see exactly how the phone looks, particularly with video playback, but the drawback here is that I really don't know how my fingers would cope with all that's going on in such a small space.



Xperia Ray



The Xperia Active, whilst less appealing visually, will be a highly impressive device for the more active user, and in particular those who endulge in water dwelling activities. The Active promotes itself as a device you can take anywhere, under any circumstances. It claims to be water resistant for up to 30 minutes in fresh water up to 1 meter deep, but also bosts a scratch resistant screen that works seemlessly with 'wet fingers'. Whilst nothing was officially mentioned, the device also looks to be surrounded with rugged protection. The Xperia Active uses the same 4 corner interface as the Xperia mini.

Xperia Active

Other announcements include the Sony Ericsson txt, LiveDock, an official docking station for the Xperia arc (and presumably other Xperia devices) and LiveSound headphones, said to be tangle free, with LiveKey control.

It is also worth noting that no announcement was made for the rumoured Sony Ericsson Xperia duo.

via. Sony Ericsson Product Blog