Cell Phones

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.
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Channel Your Inner Filmmaker With the New Sony Ericsson Vivaz™ Now Available Exclusively at AT&T

DALLAS and ATLANTA, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ –

News

* AT&T* and Sony Ericsson today announced the Sony Ericsson Vivaz™
* Capture HD video(1) or high resolution photos with 8.1 megapixel camera
* Available in the vibrant Galaxy Blue or for a limited time at www.wireless.att.com in the attractive Venus Ruby
* Vivaz comes complete with a 3.2″ nHD 16 million color touchscreen
* Exclusive for AT&T customers for $79.99, with a two-year service agreement and after a $50.00 mail in rebate, on September 5 in AT&T company-owned retail stores and online at www.wireless.att.com

Customer Benefits

With Vivaz™, AT&T customers can capture spontaneous moments and memories instantly with two quick camera keys – video and photo, which lock focus on the action as soon as it starts. Pre-loaded links to YouTube™ and Picasa™ Web Albums make it easy to upload HD videos and high resolution photos for sharing with friends and even the world.

In addition to its superb imaging features, Vivaz is loaded with applications to keep customers connected to their world. Topping that list is AT&T Social Net, allowing customers to share exciting moments with friends–on Facebook®, MySpace™ and Twitter®–all through one simple application. Other highlights include Wi-Fi®, aGPS with AT&T Navigator®, Stereo Bluetooth® wireless technology, and Vlingo® voice recognition interface for searching the Web, composing notes, and more.

Key Features

* AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspots – With Vivaz™ and a qualifying AT&T data plan, you have unlimited access to AT&T’s entire nationwide Wi-Fi network at no additional cost. Perfect for uploading your latest HD video masterpiece while taking a load off your feet.
* 3.2″ nHD screen – Customers can view photos and videos in vivid nHD detail.
* Multitask Effortlessly – Have multiple applications running simultaneously and easily switch between them, including the ability to multitask while uploading HD video via Wi-Fi.

Quotes

“Working with Sony Ericsson to deliver a best-in-class video and camera phone on the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network gives our customers even more opportunities to express themselves through their favorite social networks,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “With Vivaz capturing photos and video in stunning HD and sharing it on YouTube™ or Picasa™ Web Albums is quick and easy.”

“Shooting and sharing brilliant HD content is what creativity-minded consumers want from their mobile devices right now and we are delivering it with Vivaz™,” said Paul Hamnett, senior vice president, Sony Ericsson North America. “With a host of dynamic multimedia and social networking features, and offered at a very attractive price, we are putting the power of spontaneous HD in the hands of everyone.”

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

Price of $79.99 requires a 2-year service agreement and smartphone data plan. New smartphone customers may choose from two AT&T monthly data plan options, $15 for 200 MB of wireless data or $25 for 2 GB.

(1) 720p video recording; display rendering is nHD (640×360 pixel ratio)

Mobile Broadband coverage not available in all areas.

Limited-time offer. Other conditions & restrictions apply. See contract & rate plan brochure for details. Subscriber must live & have a mailing addr. within AT&T’s owned wireless network coverage area. Up to $36 activ. fee applies. Equipment price & avail may vary by mrk & may not be available from independent retailers. Early Termination Fee: None if cancelled in the first 30 days, but up to $35 restocking fee may apply to equipment returns; thereafter up to $325. Some agents impose add’l fees. Unlimited voice services: Unltd voice svcs are provided primarily for live dialog between two individuals. No additional discounts are available with unlimited plan. Smartphone Data Plan Requirement: Smartphones require a DataPlus (200MB) or DataPro (2GB) plan. If you exceed your initial data allowance, you will automatically be charged an additional $10 for each additional 1GB provided on DataPro or an additional $15 for each additional 200MB provided on DataPlus. All data allowances, including overages, must be used in the billing period in which the allowance is provided or they will be forfeited. An Enterprise Data Plan is required for corporate email, company intranet sites and business applications. For more details on Data Plans, go to att.com/dataplans. Offnet Usage: If your mins of use (including unltd svcs) on other carrier’s networks (“offnet usage”) during any two consecutive months or your data use during any month exceeds your offnet usage allowance, AT&T may at its option terminate your svc, deny your contd use of other carriers’ coverage, or change your plan to one imposing usage charges for offnet usage. Your offnet usage allowance is equal to the lesser of 750 mins or 40% of the Anytime mins incl’d with your plan (data offnet usage allowance is the lesser of 24 MB or 20% of the KB incl’d with your plan). Sales tax calculated based on price of unactivated equipment. AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots- Based on non-municipal company owned and operated hotspots. A Wi-Fi enabled device required. Other restrictions apply. See www.attwifi.com for additional services, restrictions and locations.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNews. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.Facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

About Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson is a 50:50 joint venture by Sony and Ericsson established in October 2001, with global corporate functions located in London and operations in all major markets. Our vision is to become the industry leader in Communication Entertainment; where new styles of communicating through the internet and social media, become entertainment. Sony Ericsson offers exciting consumer experiences through phones, accessories, content and applications. For more information please visit: www.sonyericsson.com.

© 2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. The Liquid Identity logo and the Sony Ericsson Vivaz are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB. Sony is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Corporation. Ericsson is a trademark or registered trademark of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson. Bluetooth is a trademark or registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG and any use of such mark by Sony Ericsson is under license. YouTube and Picasa are trademarks or registered trademarks of Google Inc. Vlingo is a trademark or registered trademark of Vlingo Corporation. Fortune is a trademark or registered trademark of Time, Inc. MySpace is a trademark or registered trademark of MySpace, Inc. Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. Twitter is a trademark or registered trademark of Twitter, Inc. Wi-Fi is a trademark or registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.
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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.
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SOURCE:FCC

Sure, it’s just boring ol’ component news but you can guarantee that this advance will affect the appearance of Sony (and Sony Ericsson) products some time soon. Sony just announced the development of a “single wire interface technology” that replaces the 22 or so cables (used for power, control signals, audio, video, etc) typically found inside mobile devices (tucked away in the hinge or rotating parts) with a single copper wire cable capable of transmitting data at 940Mbps. That should translate into greater reliability while giving Sony’s product teams more flexibility with their designs. Sony plans to “swiftly” implement the technology by licensing the IP to ROHM to help jointly develop the required silicon. More with less, as they say.
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SOURCE:Sony

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]
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SOURCE:Twitter, X17 Online

Well, it looks like Nintendo isn’t the only gaming company that thinks Apple is the “enemy of the future” — Sony has now also taken aim at iPhone gaming in a new PSP ad featuring Kevin Butler’s pint-sized counterpart, Marcus Rivers. In it, Marcus reminds viewers that the iPhone is built for things like “texting your grandma and calling your girl,” while the PSP is “built for big boy games,” some of which can be had for as little as $9.99. See the whole thing for yourself after the break.

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SOURCE:Ars Technica

Sony’s website is slowly ticking down the hours, minutes and seconds until the company’s latest product launch, but like all other Sony teasers in recent memory, there’s little real doubt. If references to “X10″ peppered through the site’s source code left any doubt, this picture should clear it up — mark our words, that’s an Xperia X10 underneath the clock. Apparently the four-inch Android smartphone is finally ready for its US debut, though whether it’s “smarter” or no will probably depend on AT&T launch, and be sure to read our full review.

Update: As numerous commenters and tipsters have pointed out, Sony hasn’t gone to much trouble to hide what’s going on — all you need to do to see the trademark Xperia logo is drop that image into a photo editor and crank up the brightness.

[Thanks, Jason]

Android platform has heretofore been relatively underwhelming, but that looks like it’s all about to change. It seems that Sony Ericsson — a company that has yet to even introduce an Android 2.0 device — is at work on a project to redefine gaming on Google’s mobile platform. We now know (via a trusted source) that the company is actively and heavily developing a brand new gaming platform, ecosystem, and device (possibly alongside Google) which are already in the late stages of planning. And we’ve got the goods on it.

Here’s what we can tell you about the hardware: if you’re a gaming fan, this is exactly the kind of phone you’ve been waiting for. The device is described as cross between the Samsung Captivate and the PSP Go — in other words, it’s a landscape slider with game controls in place of the typical QWERTY keyboard. The D-pad is here, but instead of the small joystick, the device will have what was described as a “long touch pad” for analog controls, along with standard PSP buttons and shoulder buttons. The phone has a large display, described as being between 3.7 and 4.1 inches with WVGA or better resolution, a 5 megapixel camera that we’re told might not be final, and it’ll likely have a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU on board. The phone is mostly black with some silver highlights, and the gamepad area is white / silver in color. Apparently it’s currently branded as a Xperia device, but it looks like it will carry PlayStation branding as well. Those who’ve seen the phone say it looks “pretty damn sexy.” The mockup above probably doesn’t do the actual hardware justice, but it should give you an idea of what you’ll be dealing with.

On the software side, it looks like the device will be running Gingerbread (Android 3.0) with a phone-specific skin, and there will be a new area of the Android Market specifically for the games. That content will be initially accessible only by the halo device, but from the sounds of things, these titles might be made available to other Android phones if their specs and button layouts meet requirements. Games will be graphically in the range of PSX or PSP games, meaning true 3D gaming is headed to Android. Titles currently being shown off seem to be focused around some older PSX as well as new PSP offerings, with God of War, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and LittleBigPlanet possibly on tap, and future plans for titles which incorporate augmented reality features.

In terms of release, it’s possible that the phone and ecosystem could be introduced as early as October of this year, but we have yet to confirm.

Right now we’re working on getting even more detail about the phone and partnership, but we can tell you now that this is not a random rumor — we have reason to believe that what we’ve heard and seen is real and coming to market. It makes perfect sense in a way — Google gets a much-needed push into the gaming and entertainment space for Android, while Sony (via its partnership with Ericsson) finally delivers the PlayStation phone users have been wanting. We see it as a major win for both companies and the consumer… and we always need another distraction. Stay tuned to this space for updates as we get them, and in the meantime, start socking away the pennies.

Additional reporting by Chris Ziegler