Sony Ericsson Live launches – Android’s getting cheaper

22.08.2011, 10:30

Sony Ericsson has announced the new Live with Walkman phone to help bring Android to those who want ‘a rich and social entertainment experience’.

The Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman features a dedicated Walkman button and 3.2-inch screen (although with only HVGA resolution).

Despite Sony Ericsson telling us nary a year or two ago that we wouldn’t be seeing dedicated Cybershot or Walkman phones again, here it is in 2011 with a phone that features a dedicated xLOUD button (we know…) for an ‘enhanced audio experience.’

The phone features the same Facebook Inside integration we’ve seen from the likes of the Xperia Mini and Xperia Arc, so you can let your friends know what songs you’re listening to or YouTube videos you’re watching at any given moment.

Qriocity is also packed into the chassis too (Sony Ericsson is just ON IT with the naming of services at the moment) for access to music and movies.

The phones… growing up so fast

It’s got a 1GHz processor, which should be enough to chug through 5MP snaps and 720p video footage – plus a 1200mAh battery might be enough to see you through a day without needing a charge but we just can’t say at this point in time.

“Consumers want smartphones to deliver a rich and social entertainment experience,” yawned Nikolaus Scheurer, Sony Ericsson’s snappy head of product marketing.

“Rather than a one dimensional music experience, they want instant and seamless access to new content, combined with the ability to share and connect with their friends.”

Straight from the horse’s mouth, there. He also said something about a “powerful package” too, but we chose to omit that.

Want to get your hands on this budget badger? Wait until Q4 2011 and you’ll get your very own Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman UK release date.

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Sony launches Music Unlimited app for Android

16.06.2011, 8:34

Sony has launched its cloud-based Music Unlimited service for all Android phones, bringing unlimited subscription streaming and access to your own music library.

Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity is a free app now available to download from the Android Market and will offer over 7-million tracks that can be instantly streamed to any Android device over Wi-Fi and 3G.

As well as the all-you-can-eat Spotify-style model, users can also upload their own tracks to the web-based service and stream them to the device.

Subscription

The Music Unlimited service offers two price tiers, with the £3.99 option offering a Pandora-like, ad-free radio experience, while the Premium offering is £10 a month and allows you to listen to any song whenever you like and create your own playlists.

Both plans allow users access to their own music on-the-go, while the Premium service allow offers access to a host of radio channels tailored to your musical tastes.

Best of both

The app seems to offer the best of both worlds, with subcription-based access to music you don’t own, like Spotify, and cloud-access to your own music like Music Beta by Google and Apple iCloud.

For UK Android owners, with phones rocking the 2.1 Eclair OS and above, it’s a great option considering Google Music is yet to become widely available on this side of the pond.

If you don’t feel like committing to a subscription plan right now, Sony is offering a free 30-day trial to its Premium offering at Music.Qriocity.com

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PlayStation Network still down, no end in sight

26.04.2011, 9:20

The PlayStation network is still down, leaving Sony with a major embarrassment on its hands on a day when it announced the Sony Tablet S1 and Sony Tablet S2.

The latest tablets are being billed as a key new arrival for Sony, but some of their functionality is dependent on the Qriocity and PlayStation Network services.

But, both of these are currently down, with Sony’s latest update not exactly providing major hope for a swift recovery.

Waiting

“I know you are waiting for additional information on when PlayStation Network and Qriocity services will be online,” Patrick Seybold wrote on the PlayStation blog.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have an update or timeframe to share at this point in time. As we previously noted, this is a time intensive process and we’re working to get them back online quickly.

“We’ll keep you updated with information as it becomes available. We once again thank you for your patience.”

Of course, patience is not something that the gaming community is particularly renowned for having, and the timing could not be much worse as Sony tries to show off its cloud-based tablet future.

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Sony readying S2 dual-screen Android clamshell tablet?

22.02.2011, 11:29

Sony could be working on two more unusual tablets for launch in 2011; a two-screened Android clamshell and a Windows 7 slider, named the S1 and S2.

Following the rumour that Sony is to launch a PlayStation tablet named the S1 last week, the S2 is set to be an Android tablet running Android 3.0, and featuring two 5.5-inch displays.

According to Engadget’s two sources, the shape closely resembles an oval cylinder when closed – a bit like a flask. It certainly sounds, er, different, although not exactly economical with space.

Flask-like Android

When it comes to spec, Engadget has been told it will offer a Tegra 2 SoC, WiFi, 3G and at least one rear-facing camera, although which way is rear-facing may be hard to tell.

The source also said that Sony will be working on the Honeycomb OS to make the most of that dual display; a prototype device apparently showed Gmail running with the inbox shown on one screen and the open message shown on the other.

The two sources aren’t exactly enthused by the project, unfortunately; one says that “the whole project is being met with skepticism within Sony.” Meanwhile, the other source “calls the S2 an outright “dog.”" Ouch.

Europe is set to get the ambitious dual-screen tablet by Christmas, with a UK price of around £590.

And now, to Windows

Meanwhile, Windows fans may be pleased to hear that a VAIO-branded Windows 7 slider tablet is also rumoured to be in Sony’s works.

This fared a little better among Engadget’s sources, being described as “nice” and similar to the Asus Eee Pad Slider.

The unnamed Windows tablet has a slightly higher target price of $799 (£670) although this is quite likely to rise, apparently.

Both tablets will have a focus on Qriocity, Sony’s music and media service, although there’s no word on whether or not either or both will be PlayStation Certified.

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