The first Xperia devices to get the update will be the Arc S, Neo V, and the Ray. Then, around early May, you can expect the Arc, Play, Neo, Mini, Mini Pro, and Pro devices to get the update. Keep in mind, this is only for 2011 Xperia line of devices. So any X10 owners are out of luck.

This announcement seems to have very similar time lines to what we heard from Samsung earlier. It seems like ICS won’t be ready for existing devices for another 3 months – even if leaked copies of the ROMs are currently floating around the internet.

(Source = Slashgear)

If you’re a Canadian resident, and able to get yourself downtown Toronto on November 2nd, then you’re eligible to win. Here’s all you have to do to qualify:

• Follow @MobileJaw and @SonyEricssonCA on Twitter. (If you don’t have an account, you can sign up for free over at Twitter.com)
• Tweet the following:
  Enter to win tickets to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray launch party! #Xperiaraylaunch @SonyEricssonCA @MobileJaw http://mbjw.ca/tzLAaL
• Post a comment below with a link to your tweet – be sure to use a valid email address for your posting as this is what we will use to contact the winner!!

…And a special bonus ballet for everyone that follows the above steps correctly and Like us on Facebook.   You have until 12:00 (noon) Eastern on November 1st to enter. After that, keep your fingers crossed and you could be picked to attend.

For the record, there is no physical tickets to hand out. We will have your name, along with the name of your guest, added to the attendee list. The event kicks off on November 2nd at 7pm. The party is at The Fifth Social Club, 225 Richmond Street West, Toronto. Winners will have to arrange their own transportation to and from the event. Check out the Sony Ericsson web page for more details about the Xperia Ray and get ready to party it up at the exclusive launch event!

Sony Ericsson has quite a few new Android phones and are carrying along the XPERIA name.  Last year’s Mini and Mini Pro did fairly well for them, so they have updated them with a slightly larger screen and outfitted them with Android 2.3.  The XPERIA Pro is fairly well specced phone that includes an 8MP camera but comes in at a low cost.

Watch this video on YouTube.

The XPERIA Pro is available from FIDO for $50 on contract.  Details are here.

The XPERIA Mini Pro is available from ROGERS for $49.95 on contract.  More details here.

Based on the price, the limited memory and 1 GHz processor, this is much more of a beginner Android device than the professional user device that the keyboard and name seem to imply. As I mentioned in my Xperia Play review, I think Sony Ericsson would have been better off to make the keyboard and game controller as snap off parts. This would allow the user to pick which mode they wanted. During the week snap on the QWERTY, and then on the weekend switch out to the controller.

Check out Fido’s web site for details on voice and data plans. As well, you can stop by any Fido store to get some hands on time with the device.

If you’re a hardcore gaming type – the kind of person that has the previous PSP, then I’m sure this device is going to appeal to you, no question. What I don’t understand is why Sony would release this so quickly after the only certified PlayStation phone was released? I realize one is a phone with gaming, and the other is just gaming. But a certain portion of the audience would overlap, and I would bet that overlap is fairly large.

Another question that I just can’t seem to understand is why Sony (including Sony Ericsson) wouldn’t just release one device that does it all? As it stands now, there are 3 different variations on the latest Sony Ericsson Xperia smartphone – the Pro (with keyboard), the Arc (without keyboard), and the Play (with gaming controller). And now there’s the PSP Vita. So why not just create one device – like the Arc. A simple unit with lots of power and a large screen and that’s all. Then create a snap-on accessory for the keyboard, and game controller. This gives them one platform to support for software updates, plus it creates the ability for people to add to their device. Perhaps I would like to have a full QWERTY during the day for email triage, but once the day ends I like to unwind with some great gaming action on the train ride home. It also creates a good story for other accessories like cases and carry bags.

You can check out all the details and specs on this device over at the PlayStation website.

Getting Physical

In case you’re not familiar with the Xperia Play, here’s a rundown of the specs. First and foremost, the device has a slide out game controller with 13 buttons and 2 touchpads. Where did you think it got the name Play from? The Xperia Play is a Quad-band phone with 850/1900/2100 for the HSPA bands. Rogers is claiming that you’ll get a whopping 14.4Mbps download speed on the Play. Of course, you’ll find the typical WiFi (b/g/n), GPS, 5 MegaPixel camera, 4 inch screen, MicroSD card support, and powered by Google’s Android 2.3.

The Play is a pretty thick phone by today’s standards. Putting it up along side the iPhone 4 or the Samsung Focus, it’s very much a thicker phone. Of course, the Play sports that slide out game controller that the other phones lack, so e can expect it to be a bigger than those non-slide devices. But how much bigger is the question. Do you recall the Touch Pro 2 from HTC? It’s was one of the last great Windows Mobile devices offered by HTC and it sports a slide out keyboard. The Touch Pro 2 is almost 2 years old now, and the Play is a hair thinner than the Touch Pro 2. I really would have liked to see the Play shave a little more off the thickness in order to have it sit better in ones pocket and to feel a little more comfortable in ones hand.

Despite the thickness of the phone, I have received amazing results for the battery on the Xperia Play. The battery problems form Sony Ericsson’s older X10 days are a thing of the past – a very welcome thing of the past. Under the battery door, you’ll find the exact same battery as the older X10 in terms of size, shape and capacity – 1500mAh. That’s where things change because the Xperia Play can easily make it through a day and then some, before it starts to complain about low battery. I’m routinely getting 36 hours out of a single change. Good luck seeing that kind of battery life with the X10.

Along the left side of the phone you’ll find the 3.5 mm headphone jack and the MicroUSB charge port. When you slide out the keyboard, these would then appear on the bottom of the keyboard. Down the right side of the phone you’ll find the left trigger button, the up/down volume rocker, and then right trigger button. As you can expect, this side of the phone will become the top of the game controller when you slide it open. The top of the phone has a power button in the far right hand side. Along the bottom front of the phone you have the 4 standard Android buttons – Back / Home / Menu / Settings. And all of these buttons are true buttons that require physcial pressure to work – which is a good thing if you tend to use the phone with gloves on. However a lot of phones are moving to the capacitive buttons that work the same way as the touch screen of the devices. The advantage here is that they require less force to work. Simply touch that location and the key is activated. A number of times I found myself pushing the buttons for a second time because either I didn’t apply enough pressure the first time, or the device missed it.

Get Your Gamer On

But none of that stuff is what you’re reading this review to find out. You want more detail about the slide out game controller. There is something to be said about having a game controller attached to your phone, as there’s no question that it makes game play that much easier. Even for the simple games, it provides a better interface for you to control the action on the screen without having to put your fingers on the screen and block your view of the game. The buttons on the game controller have a good feel to them and provide just enough movement and click to register that you’ve pushed them. In that respect it’s a great portable game controller. I was disappointed in the two touchpads on the front of the controller. These touchpads work in the same way as the 4 directional buttons but these operate the same way as the touchpad on your laptop. Unfortunately, these are considerably slower to respond than the physical keys. After a couple of attempts to use these touch keys, I gave up and switched back to the more standard, directional keys.

The two trigger buttons that I talked about earlier – the ones along the right side of the phone. I found them to be a little softer than I would have expected. They have a fair amount of travel in them, and they don’t offer the same click confirmation as the directional buttons on the face of the game controller. They also stick out a little more than I would like to have seen. I can just see one of these getting caught on some clothing and being ripped off the device.

Xperia Play photos by Kendra

In terms of games, the Xperia Play is pre-loaded with a number of links to games that you can download. Maybe a handful of those games are free and the rest cost anywhere from a couple dollars and up. It would have been nice to see more free content, or even trial content pre-loaded on the phone. That way people could get right into a game out of the box. The Xperia Play has a special section in the Android Market app that lists all the titles that work with the Play, allowing you to find new apps fairly quickly and easily.

Snap, Snap

The 5MP camera on the Xperia Play is pretty good – in fact, it did a better job than I expected in my little test. I snapped the following pictures with 3 different cameras – the iPhone 4, the Samsung Focus, and the Xperia Play. It’s not the easiest of pictures to take because there is a fair amount of light coming in from the sun just out of the picture on the right. There’s a lot of Point and Shoot camera’s that don’t handle that situation very well. Here’s the images from those 3 smartphones and I think it’s pretty clear that the Xperia Play did the best job in filtering out the excessive light and actually showing some of the green from the tree. (Click on the image to see the original picture)

Final Thoughts

The Xperia Play has a powerful Qualcomm 1GHz processor under the hood. Yet, there are times when switching between screens in Sony Ericsson’s TimeScape, or when loading games that they phone stutters or freezes for a short period of time. I’m not sure if this is a result of the enhancements Sony Ericsson made to Android for it to work with their game controller, or if it’s simply not powerful enough to provide that seamless experience that one expects when playing games and sliding between home screens.

Aside from the occasional hiccup when it comes to the speed, I think Sony Ericsson has done an excellent job with the Xperia Play. It provides a great portable gaming system, with the flexibility of smartphone. The battery life is off the charts – every manufacturer should be looking at what Sony Ericsson did on this device, it’s a welcome change when you can use your phone all day and still have enough power to last through the night and into the next day.

The Xperia Play offers an exceptional mobile gaming experience and a great all around mobile device. It’s definitely one to consider when it’s time for your next mobile purchase.

The Xperia arc is also an Android 2.3 based device, however this device has an 8.1 megapixel camera and a 4.2 inch screen! Who doesn’t like a larger screen!? The arc almost sounds like a direct replacement for the X10 that was released almost a year ago.

Rogers made a pretty big splash last year with the X10. It will be interesting to see if they can repeat that with these phones. I’m sure the PLAY will sell well as the target audience – anyone with a PlayStation, are more likely to buy a phone that allows them to extend their existing hardware lifespan.

More pictures and the full press release are available below.

Get Your Game On!

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY and Xperia™ arc,

The Ultimate Entertainment Smartphones,

Coming Exclusively to Rogers™, in Canada

• Xperia PLAY combines a PlayStation™-quality gaming experience with the very latest Android™ platform version 2.3 , super fast graphics and dedicated game controls
• Xperia™ arc combines super-slim stunning design with state-of-the-art Sony™ technology on Android™ platform version 2.3
• Rogers™ becomes exclusive Canadian carrier of both Xperia™ PLAY and Xperia™ arc – extending its Android device leadership

Toronto, February 13, 2011 –Is Canada ready to play?  Sony Ericsson and Rogers think so. Canadians will be among the first in the world to experience the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY, the world’s first PlayStation Certified smartphone, and the Xperia™ arc smartphone, which will debut in Canada exclusively at Rogers™.  The Xperia™ PLAY and Xperia™ arc are expected to be available in Canada in Spring 2011.

"Connecting people to the things they are passionate about is what we do. Whether it’s watching the latest episode of your favourite show or beating your gaming high score, we are always looking for game changers that connect our customers to more of the things that matter to them, when they want, wherever they are," says Raj Doshi, Vice President, Mobile Product Management, Rogers Communications Inc. "Together with Sony Ericsson, and backed by the amazing power of Android, we believe the Xperia PLAY and Xperia arc are going to revolutionize mobile gaming and entertainment experiences for Canadians and we’re excited our customers will have exclusive access to them."

“We’re showing that we’ve got game by introducing our most exciting Xperia™ products yet and Canadians have a lot to look forward to this year with two of the hottest Android™ smartphones,” said Peter Farmer, Head of Marketing – North America, Sony Ericsson. “Both the Xperia™ PLAY and Xperia™ arc combine best in class multimedia Sony™ technology with the latest Android™ platform and breathtaking design to entertain and wow consumers.  .”

According to the Entertainment Software Association of Canada’s 2010 Essential Facts:

· The average game player age is 33 and 38 percent of game players are women

Xperia™ PLAY

Xperia^TM PLAY delivers the smartphone functionality that the most serious power users could need, teamed with the immersive gaming experience that any gamer would want.

In portrait mode, the Android smartphone offers all the benefits that users have come to expect from Sony Ericsson’s existing range of Xperia^TMsmartphones with best-in-class entertainment experiences, a great 5 megapixel camera, a brilliant 4” multi-touch screen and great social networking features.

However, slide out the gaming control and users enter a new world of immersive mobile gaming. The slide out game pad reveals a digital D pad, two analog touch pads, two shoulder buttons and the four PlayStation icons: circle, cross, square and triangle. Qualcomm’s optimized Snapdragon processor with a 1Ghz CPU and embedded Adreno GPU graphics processor deliver silky smooth 60fps play-back 3D mobile gaming and Web browsing with minimal power consumption so Xperia^TM PLAY users can enjoy long hours of battery life and game time.

Xperia^TM PLAY will run on Gingerbread (version 2.3), the latest version of Google’s Android^TM platform. The Xperia^TM PLAY will also be the firstPlayStation Certified device. This means it will have access to PlayStation® game content provided through the PlayStation^® Suite initiative, currently under development by Sony Computer Entertainment and due to launch later this calendar year.

Sony Ericsson has partnered with key publishers in the gaming industry to deliver a rich, vibrant ecosystem at launch and post launch with many leadingnew titles available via the Android^TM Marketplace. Leading franchises coming to Xperia™ PLAY includes EA’s Sims 3 and a world-first multiplayer version of FIFA 10 for mobile. Sony Ericsson is also partnering with Unity Technologies, using its award-winning development platform, to ensure a continuous flow of high quality 3D game titles.

Xperia™ arc

Xperia™ arc takes the stunning design that Sony Ericsson has become known for to a new level. Super slim and light, Xperia™ arc is just 8.7mm at its thinnest part and has an extra wide 4.2” multi-touch screen. Created from premium materials and with a stunning arc body, this smartphone is sleek,and designed to fit perfectly in the user’s hand. The best of Sony™ technology is inside Xperia™ arc.  The Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine delivers exceptional visual brilliance and a crystal clear image which enhances the overall entertainment experience. Furthermore, Sony’s award-winning Exmor R™ for mobile sensor, with the f/2.4 lens, enables the capture of high quality, bright pictures and HD videos even in low light. All pictures and videos can be shared in HD on your living room TV via the built in HDMI-connector.

Xperia™ arc will launch on the latest version of the Android™ 2.3 platform providing access to Google Mobile™ Services and the myriad of applications available on the Android market. Xperia™ smartphones add best in class entertainment on top of smartphone fundamentals such as apps, maps, email and fast Internet to create the most entertaining smartphone experience.

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ arc – Key Features

· Slim, lightweight and strong, with perfect ergonomics

· Extra wide 4.2” multi-touch Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine to ensure ultimate multimedia and viewing experiences

· Sony Exmor R™ for mobile: for best-in-class low-light photography and video capture

· 8.1 megapixel camera and HD video recording capability

· Android Market™ – thousands of applications to keep you entertained

Pricing will be announced at launch.  Any product features, specifications or statements in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual product features, specifications or forward-looking statements are subject to change.

- 30 -

Dig Deeper

For full specifications visit:

www.sonyericsson.com/mwcnews

Log on to The Sony Ericsson Product Blog for more information: http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/products

Follow Sony Ericsson Canada on Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/@SonyEricssonCA

Facebook users can enter the First2Play contest and could be one of the first 10 people to get the Xperia™ PLAY by visiting www.facebook.com/SECanada.

There’s no information on what will power the phone, or what it will look like, or the ultimate price. Sony Ericsson has a good history of making sharp looking devices with solid radio’s. So we can  only hope that this will be the case with the Windows Phone 7 device. I’m looking forward to seeing what Sony Ericsson has up their sleeve. I just hope they don’t screw it up like they did the Android based X10.

The X10 Mini is a follow on to the Xperia X10 (previous posts here and here) in a very different format. While the X10 is a high-end device with a large 4 inch screen the X10 Mini is…well, mini. The display is 2.6 inches making it easily the smallest Android phone. The size overall is just 83 x 50 x 16 mm (3.3 x 2 x 0.6 inches), and it weighs just 88 grams (3.1 oz).

The X10 Mini is available from Rogers for just $29.99 on contract, or $324.99 outright. Good price!

Shrinking Android down to work on this device took a fair bit of work by Sony Ericsson, which is the reason this is only running on Android 1.6. But Sony has done a very good job of making Android work on such a small device.

[follow link for more impressions and pictures]

Left to Right: Samsung Captivate, X10 Mini, HTC Hero.
Click the image to see a larger version.

This is most definitely not going to be the phone for everyone. Obviously, with such a small screen you are not going to want to watch 2 hr movies on it, read a lot of web pages, or do your taxes. But those coming from a dumb phone (no offence to all the stupid phones out there) would probably take to this right away.

With such a small screen you may be wondering about entering text; well, it is all done with a T9 keyboard. The T9 works well and with the capacitive screen it’s a breeze to get used to, but you probably need to already like T9. I’m betting Swype would actually work well on this, but doubt there is a version for the Mini.

The X10 Mini – click the image to see a larger version.

My initial impressions; I love it, love how different it is. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to carry an iPhone and be the same as millions of others. the X10 Mini certainly stands out in the crowd and gets lots of oohs and aahs. My 15 year old son thought it was fantastic and used up the battery before I had a chance to even try it much. BTW, girls forget all about your cute little dog and gravitate to your cute little phone…so there’s that too.

I’ll post a longer review soon (or maybe even do a video review), but I wanted to post a few thoughts on the X10 Mini.

For now, here are the specs, right from Sony’s site:

Screen
- 240 x 320 pixels (QVGA)
- 16,777,216 color TFT
Memory
- MicroSD™ support (up to 16 GB)
- Phone memory 128MB*
* Actual free memory may vary due to phone pre-configuration.

Networks
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
- UMTS/HSPA 900/2100
- UMTS/HSPA 850/1900/2100
- UMTS/HSUPA 850/1900/2100
Available colours
- Black – Pearl White – Lime – Red – Pink – Silver
Possible limited market availability.

Sizes
- 83.0 x 50.0 x 16.0 mm
- 3.3 x 2.0 x 0.6 inches
Weight
- 88.0 gr
- 3.1 oz

The Mini features a quad-band GSM radio – 850/900/1800/1900, and a tri-band HSPA radio – 850/1900/2100. Which means you’ll have strong cellular reception and fast data on this small device. Everything else on the Mini has been reduced to follow with the theme of the phone – a 5.0 megapixel camera instead of the 8.1 found on the original X10. Same for the memory, the Mini sports a whopping 128MB compared to the 1GB found on it’s big brother. Keep in mind that the price follows the same trend – the X10 is $549.99 off contract, and the Mini is $374.99. When you add in a 3 year contract, the phone is just $29.99, which is a pretty reasonable price.

Sadly, much like the original X10, this device is also running the older Android 1.6 operating system. Google has released 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 is starting to make it’s way to devices. Sony Ericsson needs to get an update for these devices out the door quickly and get them on a newer version of Android.

Aside from the thickness of the device, it looks like a great little device. I’m interested in seeing how well Sony Ericson was able to take their customizations from the X10 and scale them down to the Mini. We have received a Mini for review and Darren will be sharing his thoughts on the device.

The full press release is available after the break.

TORONTO, July 22 /CNW/ – Sony Ericsson welcomes the Xperia(TM) X10 mini to Canada, the newest addition to the Xperia(TM) handset family. The Xperia(TM) X10 mini is the world’s smallest* Android smartphone and builds on the introduction of the Sony Ericsson’s Xperia(TM) X10 in April, the most successful Android launch in Canada to date. This compact, stylish and powerful smartphone is available now, exclusively from Rogers Communications.

“The Xperia(TM) X10 mini is defining a whole new category of smartphones. It has innovative smartphone technology in a compact package that provides an attractive and feature-rich alternative to the larger smartphones available,” said Andrea Gaal, General Manager, Sony Ericsson Canada. “The handset is about the height and width of a credit card, while still offering the best-in-class performance consumers have come to expect from smartphones. We are excited to offer a compact smartphone that enables users to experience the best in communication, entertainment and social media networking.”

“Our customers are looking for new, efficient ways to stay connected with their friends and families. And with the launch of the Sony Ericsson Xperia(TM) X10 mini, we’re bringing our customers just what they are looking for. We’re excited to welcome this, the smallest Android smartphone in the world, to Rogers’ Social View series of devices,” says Raj Doshi, VP, Mobile Product Management, Rogers Communications, Inc. “As the first in Canada to launch Android products, we’re committed to continuing to evolve our Android offerings to enhance the experience for our customers.”

The stylish design of the Xperia(TM) X10 mini, combined with touch navigation optimized for compact screens, offers users the easiest way to connect and communicate with one hand. The X10 mini offers a graphical user interface with intuitive navigation and a capacitive touchscreen that opens up limitless possibilities and access to favourite applications(1) and web links(1) with just one touch.

-   Four corner touch – users can customize the four corners of their screen according to the applications they use the most, from emailing(1), to taking pictures to sending text messages(2).

-   Sony Ericsson’s Timescape(TM) application automatically brings together all recent mobile communication and organizes social interactions in chronological order on one screen. From Facebook(TM) and Twitter(TM) updates(1) to missed calls and SMS messages(2). A 3D scrolling menu offers easy viewing and organization of previews, or full views. Press the infinite button to access all of your communications with one person in one place.

-   5 megapixel camera and video – share creations via the web with the Quick Facebook(TM)(1) and Quick YouTube(TM)(1) applications. The auto focus, geo tagging, photo and video light features enable the user to capture all their favourite moments while on-the-go.

-   Music player access the world of music with links to YouTube(TM)(1) and stream and play videos(1). Also features FM radio Bluetooth(TM) stereo (A2DP)(3).

-   Android platform – with Google(TM) services including Gmail(TM)(4), Google Maps(TM) with Street view(5), Google Search Widget(4), Google Talk(TM)(4) and thousands of apps from Android Market(TM)(4).

The Xperia(TM) X10 mini, offered in black, comes equipped with two back covers in pink and lime green in the box. It is available now exclusively from Rogers starting at $29.99 on select voice and data plans.

* “Smallest” defined as the product of height x width. Based on phones available for purchase on the market as of April 28th, 2010.

(1) Internet connection required. Data charges may apply.
(2) Standard messaging charges apply.
(3) Compatibility and interoperability of Bluetooth(TM) devices vary.
(4) The service is currently provided courtesy of Google(R), and is
subject to change or terminate without notice.
(5) The online map service is currently provided courtesy of Google(R),
and is subject to change or terminate without notice. Map detail is
limited in some areas.

(C) Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, 2010.

The Liquid Identity and Liquid Energy logos, XPERIA, and Timescape are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB. Sony and “make.believe” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Corporation. Ericsson is the trademark or registered trademark of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. Additional information regarding trademarks may be located on our website at: www.sonyericsson.com/cws/common/legal/disclaimer.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. All terms are subject to change without prior notice.

About Rogers Communications:

Rogers Communications is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada’s largest provider of wireless voice and data communications services and one of Canada’s leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony services. Through Rogers Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, and sports entertainment. We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A – News and RCI.B – News) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI – News). For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit http://www.rogers.com/.