In Other News: 22/05/2013.

• Sony are reportedly considering an investors proposal to sell of the movie, music and TV units of their company in a bid to cement the company's financial position!
  Via TheVerge.

• Google Now has landed in Chrome for everyone! If you update your browser and point it to Google.com then you should see an option to click a microphone symbol in the search bar and there you have it!
  Via AndroidCentral.

• The guys over at CNet have got some new statistics which show how satisfied smartphone manufacturers are making their customers comparing 2012 and 2013. Apple still lead, but their lead over Motorola is now 4 points and Motorola gained 5 points and Apple lost two over the past year. Then come Nokia in third and all other Android manufacturers just before Blackberry on the bottom of the pile. Obviously this is just for the USA and so Nokia only sell their highest end smartphones whereas someone like Samsung offers a flood of devices at lots of prices, which will affect the results for them!
  Via CNet.

• Bang and Olufsen's CEO has sat down for a chat with PocketLint to discuss what the future holds for his company! It's an interesting read and is well worth checking out here!

• The Tizen 2.1 SDK has been released and you can check out all of the changes here!

• The Android app Ingress has received a huge update with changes which include notifications for "Portal under attack," "Portal neutralized," and "@<codename>" messages amongst many other enhancements!
  Via AndroidCentral.

• HTC's Asia CEO has left the company too! For more details on the company's exec crisis check out this post here!
  Via CNet.

• If you didn't pick up a Pebble smartwatch then you might be interested in the latested Kickstarter effort from Agent, which is similar, but more fashion focused! Check out the full details here!

And finally, Samsung's WatchOn app has been updated, but the app has seemingly revealed a bit more information than the company intended with added support for the Galaxy 'S4 Mega, S4 Mini and S4 Active'. There's a couple of new models we haven't heard of before and it'll be interesting to see what they turn out to be!

Via SamMobile.

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Sony's yearly report is in: Here's the plan department by department!

   Sony's annual report which shows us the state of affairs within the company has been released today! In recent years things haven't been too great, but for once there's a few little hints here and there that things might be starting to turn around!

   The good news for Sony was that the company is profitable again! This was mainly down to the film and financial services departments of the company as well as lots of asset sales! Sony still seem to be struggling with consumer electronics, but we'll go into that in a bit more detail now!

The Sony Xperia Z!

   In the smartphone and tablet department things have been going well and the company is looking to build on their solid position with, 'accelerate the speed with which it develops and rapidly delivers compelling products to customers,' so essentially Sony want to cut down their development time to get products to market sooner, which is a solid thing to do given that the flagships for this year are rocking Qualcomm's older Snapdragon S4 Pro processors instead of the new Snapdragon 600's which everyone else is deploying!

   The story is somewhat similar when it comes to computers, but the real focus will be on a new realignment which will see the company prioritizing profitability over increasing sales, which makes sense because Sony's laptops tend to target the higher end at the moment any way!

   Imaging has always been a particular strength of Sony and the company seem to know it. There are plans in place to 'reinforce the professional camera line-up centring on 4K-compatible cameras, as well as cameras for cinematography.' The Japanese company are also looking at new revenue streams with things such as security, sports and medicine being the starting point for this. On a more mundane level consumers can expect compact cameras with 'enhance image quality... reduced size and weight, and higher-powered zoom,' all of which sounds pretty good to us!

   Gaming is an interesting topic at the moment too, especially with yesterday's reveal of the Xbox One, the ball is firmly back in Sony's court to see what they do with the PS4! There's not too much detail in this report, but the guys do say that it will arrive in time for the holidays this year and the aim is to offer 'a quality gaming experience only possible through a dedicated gaming system, and will also enable smartphone and tablet users to share in the enjoyment of PS4, even without owning one themselves.'

The battle will be over the next generation of consoles as Sony focus
on gaming and Microsoft go after living room domination!

   The PS Vita will tie in quite closely with the PS4 and owners of both will be rewarded with exclusive content and there will be some interesting price reductions on the Vita, as well as some
more compelling games coming in the near future, especially focused around software downloads instead of physical game sales! The PS3 will be supported for a few more years, but there's not really much doing there now as the focus is shifting to the PS4!
 
   And finally, when it comes to the TV business, things aren't looking great, but the company is pledging to continue to work on their 'Full HD TV models, while also expanding its 4K LCD TV line-up'. There will be a renewed focus on emerging markets because that's where the growth is at the moment with the hope that cost saving can bring this department back into profitability over the next few years!

   If you're interested in checking the report out in more details then head over to Sony's website here and let us know what you think about Sony's future in the comments below!
Via Engadget.

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Sony reveal their latest PS4 teaser to steal some of the Xbox's hype!

   Microsoft's Xbox event is tomorrow and we all know that there's a lot of excitement about that new console and that's obviously something which Sony wanted to get their hand into because they've released a new teaser for their upcoming PS4.

   The full video you can see down below and it doesn't really give too much away at all. If you pause it every now and then you can catch glimpses of what the finished console will look like. There's not too many details at the moment, but depending on how much Microsoft say tomorrow Sony might give us some more meat soon!

Via Twitter.

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In Other News: 20/05/2013.

• Google's Nexus Q might be making a comeback as some new documents hae landed at the FCC which makes the omission of Nexus Q support in the new Google Play Music app a little strange.  The FCC documents suggest Google are working on the "H840 Device" which is described "as a media player," and the model nuber H2G2-42 is seemingly a strange reference to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Google asked all pictures and diagrams to be kept a secret so we don't hve much to go by at the moment!
  Via AndroidCentral.

• Samsung's WatchON app has seemingly revealed the Galaxy S4 Active, S4 Mega and the S4 Mini judging by a new update to the software! Head over to SamMobile here for full details and a screenshot!

• T-Mobile USA appear to be going with ISIS for mobile payments instead of Google Wallet!
  Via AndroidCommunity.

• GForGames have confirmed via their UAP history that HTC are working on the Butterfly S!
  Via AndroidBeat.

• Acer's W8 tablet is a n secret any more and the device popped up on the companies Finnish site earlier today. Unfortunately, the website is now gone and we can't check out what it said, but the device is definitely on the way and it shoudn't be too much longer before we hear something more concrete about the device!
  Via Hothardware.

• Samsung have announced a new Retina annihilating screen which has a resolution of 3200 x 1800p across a 13.3" screen! That's quite the step up from the 2560 x 1600 screen Apple put into their MacBook Pro 13, the display also puts Google's Chromebook Pixal display to shame with its 2560 x 1700p display.
  Samsung Via Slashgear.

• LG look to have won the race to announcing 5" amoled displays which are bendy, but this is only half the story the real award will go to whoever can mass produce these things first!
  Via Hothardware.

• This teenager from California could revolutionise the amount of time needed to charge your smartphone! Check out what she's done and how here!

• Asus have teased a new ultrabook with a 'Gorilla' inside! When we know what this actually is when it's shown off at Computex we'll let you know!

Riddle-teaser: How would a #Gorilla fit on an #ASUS Ultrabook? #Computex2013
— ASUS (@ASUS) May 20, 2013

• Sony's Xperia Tablet Z is available for pre-order around the world from today! Head to your ocal Sony website for full details!
  Via ITProportal. 

And finally, we'd just like to say happy 8th birthday to YouTube! We can't remember what we did in our free time before we clicked onto your silly videos of cats or tuned in to watch the lyrics video of Diamonds by Rihanna!

Via TheInquirer.

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Sony announce the Xperia UL: An updated flagship for Japan!

   The Xperia UL has already been widely rumoured and now it seems as though this phone is the latest in the line of smartphones from the Japanese company. This device is seemingly the new flagship from them for their home territory of Japan.

   The device is very similar to the Xperia Z with a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor powering the device along with the 5-inch 1080p screen which is of the TFT variety. This is backed up by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which you can happily fill up with images from the 13MP Exmor RS sensor on the back of the phone which can take pictures at up to 15 frames per second.

   There's the usual set of connections which you expect on your smartphone and NFC is one of them in this case, as is Bluetooth 4.0. The phone also benefits from having 4G LTE connectivity and this sweet little notification LED which you can see below!

   The device is also waterproof and dustproof and it should hold up pretty well to the beating which you'd give it if you were to pick one up in Japan. The Xperia UL will launch on KDDI's au network in Japan in your choice of white, black and the beautiful hot pink colour on May the 25th!
Sony Via Engadget.

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Sony has added the Xperia Tablet Z to AOSP!

   Lately Sony have been busy getting themselves into the good books of the developer world! First they added the Sony Xperia S, last year's flagship, to the Android Open Source Project and this year they've gone ahead and put their flagship tablet the Xperia Tablet Z into the same exclusive club!

   We're not entirely sure what this will mean as far as software updates go because it hasn't really helped the speed of the rollout for the Xperia S, but hopefully Sony's tablet experience is more akin to stock Android than their phone offering is. This is definitely the case on our original Sony Tablet S, but we're not sure if this has carried through their tablet line!

   No matter what happens it's good to see Sony engaging with the community and even CyanogenMod have gone on record praising Sony for their steps lately as you can see in the tweet below! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and check out the AOSP demo from Sony's developer blog which is also embedded below!
Via XperiaBlog.

Sony Xperia Tablet Z Many thanks to +Sony Mobile for their continued support to the Android community! goo.gl/HnGSe
— CyanogenMod (@CyanogenMod) May 17, 2013

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Rovio partner with Sony for a 3D animated comedy film arriving in 2016!

   Rovio have been busy lately: first it was Rovio Stars and now they're busy confirming that they'll have a new film on the way! Today it's been announced that Sony Pictures have won an exclusive worldwide distribution contract for an upcoming Angry Birds film!

   The film is set to be a 3D animated comedy which is being funded, produced and developed by Rovio and will subsequently be released by Sony on the 1st of July 2016. According to Rovio's press release there were a ton of applicants and they decided Sony were the best bet.

   The film will give key positions to John Cohen and David Maisel, both of which are famous in their own right already. Cohen has already produced Despicable Me and Maisel has been executive producer of Iron Man, so these are big names! The pair said:

 “We are very excited to join with Sony Pictures in presenting this movie to the world in 2016 and we will have many more announcements as we begin production in the coming months.”

   Rovio's Mikael Hed added that:

 “Sony impressed us with their great attitude, determination, and professionalism. They convinced us that we have found the right partners and team to help us market and distribute our first motion picture. Michael, Amy, Jeff Blake, Sony's marketing and distribution head, and their teams will be the best possible collaborators as we get set to take our franchise to the next level.”

   The movie basically builds on the direction which Rovio are already taking with their little Toons series which is broadcast weekly on their Angry Birds apps! It'll be great to see where the guys take the film and how they make a story about pigs stealing eggs last an hour and a bit, but we'll be at the premier!
Rovio Via Twitter.

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Sony announce the Xperia ZR: Who said you can't use your phone for underwater photos?!

   Sony are starting to make more of a mark in the Android landscape lately. This is in part down to the huge array of phones that they're launching and it's partly because their phones are well made and they have these quite unique waterproof and dust-resistant features.

   Today the Japanese company are back with their latest effort and this time it's a new variant on their popular Android flagship and this one is called the Xperia ZR! The devices huge selling feature is that it is water proofed for up to depths of 1.5 metres and as you can see in the video embedded below this give you the option to take video and pictures underwater!

   Aside from the cool water resistance the phone will fall into what is this year's mid-range with a 4.6" 720p display which is enhanced with Sony's Reality Display technology which will be driven along by a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, which is quad-core and 2GB of RAM. The whole thing is running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and hopefully Sony can get updates out relatively soon, although we wouldn't hedge our bets on anything arriving until Q3 or Q4 this year at the earliest if Sony's track record is anything to go by.

   Obviously for those underwater shots you're going to want a good camera and that's why this phone has the same 13MP sensor which the flagship Xperia Z is rocking, which should be more than enough for the majority of people who don't have a dedicated camera which they carry with them and the front camera will be a VGA sensor, which isn't great, but it's good enough for video calls.

   Initially internal storage is a little short at only 8GB, but you can expand this with a MicroSD card up to 32GB in size and when it comes to the battery Sony have made us happy with a 2300 mAh unit being included which thankfully is removable so we can tax that LTE connection as much as we want and swap out the batteries on busy days!

   Sony have said that the Xperia ZR will come to "various global markets" in Q2, so it'll definitely be here by the end of June, but other than that there's no price, but you can plan whether you want it in black, white, pink or mint in the meantime!
Sony PRNewsWire Via TheVerge.

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Sony are working to offer students an e-ink note-making tablet: We want one!

   Sony might be having a hard time in the tech world at the moment, but that doesn't mean that things behind the scenes are slowing down. Indeed, Sony appear to be trying to revolutionise the way we take notes and read.

   As you can see in the image above, which is a prototype set to be tested at universities in Japan before the end of the year, Sony are trying to bring those boring bits of A4 paper to life! That's why they're working on this 13.3" 1600 x 1200p e-Ink tablet which will hopefully help reduce the amount of paper which we consume. 

   The device is designed to be the same size as A4 paper and the display has an electromagnetic induction touchscreen, which is basically a fancy way of saying that it is a touchscreen and there's also stylus compatibility so this thing could genuinely be a great studying tool!  At the moment the device only has support for PDF files which is a shame, but we do have to remember that this is a prototype so if and when this is launched it would probably have support for a few other file types and hopefully there'll be a browser too!

   At the moment the prototype is nice and slim at 6.8mm (0.27 inch) thick and weighs 385g (13.6 ounces) which should fit in any reasonably sized bag! On-board storage comes in at 4GB, which is MicroSD expandable if you're a serial note taker and Sony plans to give this device Wifi capabilities so you can share your notes relatively easily. 

   At the moment this thing is expected to last about three weeks of usage if you keep Wifi off and just write and go over your notes, which isn't too shabby at all. We can expect a few changes after the field trials, but it's just a shame we couldn't have had one of these things for our studies! We're a tad jealous!

Sony Via Engadget.

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Sony to offer a new high-end device powered by Firefox OS according to Mozilla exec!

   Firefox OS from the guys over at Mozilla has so far been confined to the budget devices and the most impressive device in terms of specifications and appearance goes tot he Geeksphone Peak in our opinion. The device itself only has a modest set of internals and it definitely doesn't compete with any of the new flagship devices from the Android manufacturers.

   According to rumours today the Firefox OS landscape may be set to change with Mozilla's Senior Vice President for Mobile Devices, Li Gong, who said:

"Sony is known for quality and user experience. So they are targeting for very very high (end). We are in joint discussions on the kind of device and what's the product." 

   The problem for Mozilla and their fledgling OS is that while it will be budget devices which help the platform gain market share, the devices don't really capture the hearts and minds of consumers and as Gong said:

 "The low-end entry point devices are good point to enter the market. But that doesn't mean we can't scale up or we don't want to scale. We do want to scale up... But an ecosystem takes some time to build."

   Mozilla were also keen to show how Android isn't quite as open as people like to think. Yes, companies are free to do as they please with it, but the development takes place behind closed walls and only after the latest version of Android is released are people free to make the changes they please to it. Firefox OS on the other hand, 'are the only company that takes a pure approach. We are entirely open. Not only open source, but open process. No price, no nothing.'

   Gong went on to say that:

"People like to see us because we are totally transparent. All the products, all the roadmaps, the delivery, feature sets, bugs, fixes, everything is open. Anybody can come in and see where it's headed."

   The only real issue for Firefox OS and Mozilla is the competition. There's Windows Phone from Microsoft, Ubuntu Touch from Canonical and there's Samsung's Tizen platform which we;ve yet to see land on the market yet. Mozilla need to make the most of the partnerships they have with carriers already and they need manufacturers and designers to do truly unique things which capture people's attentions and minds if they have any chance of competing with the current line up of mobile operating systems!
ComputerWorld via XperiaBlog.

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Sony make publisher licenses on PlayStation Mobile a thing of the past!

   Sony have taken the decision to remove all financial barriers to content creators for their PlayStation mobile platform. Today's decision makes publisher licensing fees a thing of the past (for the moment at least) in a move which Sony hope will rekindle the interest in their mobile platforms.

   Sony hopes that without the need for paid licenses more people will be willing to develop apps and games for their PlayStation Vita console and they're hoping people tailor their games for Android to secure them a place on the 'Playstation-Certificated' list on other Android devices.

   Some of you may remember that last year HTC, Fujitsu and Sharp all signed up to the PlayStation Mobile programme which let them install the 'PlayStation Mobile' app on their devices giving them some sort of distinction from the crowd. We're not sure exactly how much value these apps add to phones, but having a few unique games is never a bad thing! We've found on our Sony Tablet S that the games tend to be expensive on Sony's PlayStation app and we end up using the Play Store 99% of the time!
Via TheVerge.

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In Other News: 06/05/2013.

Image Credit: Allianz.

• The new list of Fortune 500 companies is out today and amongst the notable tech companies to feature are Apple at number six and AT&T is in at number 11. A tad further back are people like HP, Verizon, Microsoft and Amazon, each of whom came in at 15, 16, 35 and 49 respectively.
  Via Slashgear.

• Sony are rumoured to be creating a new smartphone with a quad-core Mediatek processor in a move which would see them utilize a processor from the Taiwanese company for the first time!
  Via AndroidBeat.

• The Verge is today reporting that Google will launch paid subscriptions on YouTube as early as this week! If and when this becomes a reality we will give you much more detail on it!

• Rumour has it that Nintendo is offering conversion software to app developers as a way to bolster their content offering on the Wii U! We're not sure if the tactic is genuine or whether or not it'll work. But, watch this space because this sounds very likely and it seems that Nintendo might be getting ready to protect themselves from the likes of the OUYA and Gamestick!
  Via ZDNet.

• Today's rumours suggest that Microsoft's next Xbox won't require a always on internet, for everything. A supposedly leaked email to Microsoft employees suggests that playing Blu-rays,  watching live TV and playing single player games won't require the internet connection. As always take this with a pinch of salt because it could be completely false!
  Via ArsTechnica. 

• Samsung's Galaxy S4's have been getting their first software updates which are between 54 and 78MB in size depending on where you are and they bring stability fixes and camera improvements, which again are dependent on where you live. For those of you with a device locked to a carrier expect a few weeks delay until you get this, at the very least!
  Via AndroidBeat.

• Over the weekend you might have noticed that the Syrian Electronic Army, hacked and tweeted out incorrect comments about Justin Bieber's sexuality. For full details on that head to Slashgear here, but in the meantime we think Twitter should hurry up with that two-step verification!

• Maxis and EA have confirmed that The Sims 4 will be coming to PC and Mac at some point in 2014!
  Via Slashgear.

• Hulu Plus is now out for Windows Phone 8!
  Via Engadget.

• The anti-virus firm McAfee have announced that they've acquire the Finnish firm Stonesoft for $389 million. McAfee are owned by Intel and the purchase will supposedly beef up the company's firewall and online protection!
  Via TheNextWeb.

And finally, some of you might remember that when the HTC One was officially announced there were actually three colour options. There was silver, black and red. Until today we haven't heard anything about the red variant, but it seems that the guys over at LandOfTechnology were the first to notice that HandTec, a UK seller have put the red phone up on the site, presumably they're just waiting for the device to come into stock, but that does mean that the phone is on the way and you can see what it'll look like in the picture below!

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In Other News: 01/05/2013.

• Samsung has invited users to give the new Galaxy S4 online simulator a go, just in case you were unsure if it was the phone for you! You can't really flick around the operating system like you would a real phone, instead you choose a task to perform and you can carry out the actions with your mouse! Head over to Samsung's website for a play!
  Via CNet.

• T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS have finalized their merger plans and the company which will be created plans to call themselves T-Mobile US! Current MetroPC customers are set to be migrated by 2015!
  Via TheVerge.

• Sony have confirmed that 40 of their executives will not be receiving bonuses this year after the company's electronics are continues to find times hard! This won't affect the books much it's more a gesture to shareholders that Sony are working to get back into profitability!
  Via TheNextWeb.

• HTC have confirmed that they will be shutting down their Watch service in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden by May 31st. HTC explain that if you don't use it you lose it: "As we continue to deliver new content for HTC Watch, we've made the decision to focus our efforts on markets with the highest engagement. After May 31, we'll discontinue support for HTC Watch in countries with less application traffic."
  Via PhoneArena.

• Amazon have updated their Kindle app for iOS with a host of new features for the blind and visually impaired. The big update is the read aloud option for 1.8 million Kindle Store titles through Apple's VoiceOver technology. The update also helps with search features and it adds notes, highlights, bookmarks, font size, background colour and brightness options too!
  Via Engadget.

• Amazon have also updated their Lovefilm app for PS3! The update reportedly brings better search and recommendations, a new Watchlist feature. The big change is that PS3 users can now watch TV and movies in HD!
  Via Engadget.

• LG have confirmed that the Optimus G Pro will be landing in the US on AT&T as an exclusive. The device will be available from May 10th for $200 with a 24 month contract!
  Via Engadget.

• A benchmark has shown up which appears to suggest that a Nexus 4 with LTE and Android 4.3 is being tested! Hit up the source link below for details!
  Via PhoneArena.

• Samsung has started producing 4GB DRAM chips for smartphones and tablets! You can find more details at the source link below!
  Via UnwiredView.

And finally, it seems that the Galaxy S4 has a cheeky little hardware easter egg tucked away in the temperature and humidity sensor on the phone! It's a pretty sweet place to put a Space Invader we will admit that! We don't recommend taking your phone apart to find it though!

Chipworks Via AndroidBeat.

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In Other News: 16/04/2013.

• Rumours of a Lumia smartphone with that 41MP PureView camera just won't go away! This time the guys from MyNokiaBlog are reporting that the devic could arrive relatively soon and it could be an AT&T exclusive initially. Rumour has it that Nokia is currently testing two configurations of the phone; one with a dual-core and the other being a quad-core  Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. According to the rumour the latter of those two options struggles with batter life, something which will be vital if you want the rumoured 1280 x 768p AMOLED display, LTE connectivity and the FM Transmitter to last all day on the 2,000 mAh battery!
  Via UnwiredView.

• There's an unreferenced report floating around the internet that Sony has sold 4.6million Xperia Z's in the last 40 days. Take this with a pinch of salt, because there's nothing official here at all, but we will find out precisely how well the device has sold on May the 9th when Sony gives us a new update!
  Via XperiaBlog.

• OFCOM are reportedly calling for industry input on 5G mobile plans already because of fears of a data crunch in a few years time!
  Via PCPro.

• Microsoft's Outlook app for Android has been updated with a new look and feel. The update makes it resemble Windows Phone much more closely, but the app still works totally fine and you can get it here!
  Via Eurodroid.

• PhoneArena have got their some benchmarks which supposedly confirm the specs for Acer's supposed iPad Mini competitor! There's meant to be a 1.2GHz quad core MediaTek MT8125 processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable internal storage, a 7.9-inch IPS 1024 x 768 pixel screen, a 0.3 mega-pixel front and a 5 mega-pixel rear camera, HDMI out and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean!

• Symantec have published their latest findings which reveal that iOS is more vulnerable to malware than Android, but because more people use Android it is being targeted much more regularly! Check out the hugely detailed report over at TechCrunch here!

• OFCOM are looking into standardising the cost of calls from mobiles to 0800 and 0845 numbers, any changes will be enacted by 2015!
  Via Coolsmartphone. 

• If you have a Galaxy S2 or S3, £150 and you love playing games on your phone then this might be just the thing for you! The PhonePadPlus is a 10.1" dock with a 1024 x 600p display which they hope will be great for gaming! You can find full details here!
  Via Phandroid.

• Microsoft are being rumoured to be bringing back the Home button and using boot to desktop in Windows 8.1!
  Via Engadget.

• Engadget scored an interview with Xiaomi CEO, Bin Lin, who said that he wants to ship 15 million smartphones this year and he wants his company to have a push into markets outside of Asia! Check out the full interview here!

And finally, the companies of Silicon Valley have been told to immediately start saving some power because California's power grid has had one of their transmission substations damaged!

Via Reuters.

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In Other News: 09/04/2013.

• EE have announced that they will be trying to 'doublespeed' their network over the summer in certain places. The plan is to give customers speeds of up to 80mbps down something which in the longer term should work out to somewhere in the region of 20mbps on average for consumer, which is fantastic! Check out the tweets below for more details!
  Via Twitter (1) and (2).

Coming Soon – This summer, #4GEE will go #DoubleSpeed in ten cities - The fastest will be even faster #speedtest twitter.com/EE/status/3215…
— EE (@EE) April 9, 2013

• Android Central believe the Asus FonePad will be coming to the UK on April 26th and the device is set to go on pre-order from April the 12th for £179.99! Any one else excited?

• Digitimes is reporting that Asus has sold 3 million tablets in the first three months of this year and they seem well on track to reach their 12 million target for the year as a whole!
  Via AndroidBeat.

• Google have confirmed that their Fiber service will be coming to Austin, Texas in 2014!
  Via Slashgear.

• TheVerge believe Windows Phone will get updated to support 1080p displays later this year with the release of GDR3 for the platform , which will also support newer, faster Qualcomm processors!

• Microsoft is rolling out updates to both Windows 8 and Windows RT versions of their Surface tablets. Both  updates fix different issues, but dive into the menus to make everything better if you're having problems!
  Via PhoneArena.

• AppGratis have spoken out about their exclusion from Apple's iOS Store. They said that they are 'stunned that Apple took the decision to destroy so much value within their own ecosystem' amongst other things and it's an interesting read indeed!
  Via Slashgear.

• Sony's PS Vita has had another software update. This time version 2.10 brings folders and enhanced video playback amongst other things!
  Via Engadget.

And finally, EA have officially walked home with the title as the worst company in the USA for the second successive year! Congrats guys! Maybe in future you could turn off the need for an always on internet connection and you could get enough servers for game launches *Cough, SimCity, Cough*! We're not confident though!

Via Slashgear.

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The Xperia Z joins the lockscreen bypass club as the Xperia Tablet S gets a software update schedule!

   It seems there's a lot of bedroom research going on at the moment as people find new vulnerabilities and ways to get past lockscreens! There's a complicated route which requires a little bit of luck on Samsung's Galaxy devices, Apple's iPhone has a few and now Sony's Xperia Z is the latest to join the prestigious club! 

   The video below outlines the way to bypass the lockscreen, but all you really need is a little knowledge of the test codes for the Xperia Z and well a screen locked Xperia Z! Sony may well have just fixed the Random death issues on the phone, but we expect there will be a patch for this in no time! If you're interested in seeing the exploit in action check out the video at the bottom of this post.

   On a slightly unrelated note, Sony have finally revealed their plans to update the Xperia Tablet S to Android Jelly Bean! The exact statement is no longer available, but it seems that the Xperia blog managed to grab the wording just before. The statement read:

"We will be releasing Jelly Bean for the Xperia Tablet end of April 2013 / early May 2013 for the Xperia Tablet. This update will resolve a memory management issue that may cause the Xperia Tablet to shut down from time to time.
Currently we do not have a roadmap to release the Jelly Bean update for the 1st Generation Tablet (Sony Tablet S)."

   That's great news for Xperia Tablet S owners, but not so good for owners of the OG Tablet S like us. To be fair to Sony they have been very good with their updates to the OG Tablet S and so we can't have to many issues if it doesn't go beyond Android 4.0.3!
Via GSMArena and XperiaBlog.

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Sony announces the Xperia SP and Xperia L!

The Xperia SP left and the Xperia L right!

The Xperia SP:
   The SP features a 720p 4.6-inch screen along with Sony's Bravia Mobile Engine 2, which is essentially the stand out feature here. On top of that there's a capable 8-megapixel Exmor RS camera on the rear, along with NFC, LTE and a dual-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon MSM8960 Pro processor. All of this is crammed into a fantastic looking aluminium frame which is just under 10mm thick and it all weighs in at 5.5 ounces.

   The 'bonus' feature of this phone is the "colour-changing ‘transparent element’ with customisable illuminations which you can personalise to alert you of incoming calls and text messages", which does sound pretty cool and it'll probably prove to be surprisingly useful!

The Xperia L:
   The Xperia L on the other hand lands with a 4.3-inch FWVGA, that's 854x480p display, a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8230 processor, 8GB of internal storage which is MicroSD expandable, an 8MP HDR rear camera, Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2, NFC and a 1750mAh battery! There's no swanky notification bar, but there is a notification LED!

   Both phones will arrive globally in white, black or red during the second quarter of this year, but we haven't been told anything about release date or pricing just yet!
Via Clove.

The full press release is embedded below:

"18th March 2013, London, United Kingdom – Sony Mobile Communications (“Sony Mobile”) today announced two new Xperia smartphone models to join its 2013 line up – the Xperia SP and Xperia L. The Xperia SP delivers 4G LTE performance and an exceptional viewing experience, with a razor sharp HD screen housed in a beautiful design. The Xperia L provides class leading camera technology with HDR for both photos and videos complemented by a high quality screen.
Both the Xperia SP and Xperia L offer the best of Sony with stunning premium designs and a range of technologies including a high quality screen for the ultimate viewing experience; the latest camera features for impressive pictures and videos; NFC connectivity for One-touch function; Battery STAMINA Mode for extended battery life; and Sony’s signature media apps for enjoying photos, music, movies and games on the go.
“Xperia SP and Xperia L are ideally suited for those seeking stylish class-leading smartphones that don’t compromise on features”, said Calum MacDougall, Director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications. “Both of our new models benefit from Sony’s proven innovation and engineering expertise – whether you want to enjoy premium HD quality entertainment over 4G LTE on our mid-range Xperia SP or capture every moment in perfect detail with our more affordable Xperia L.”
Xperia SP – High Definition brilliance in a premium design
The Xperia SP utilises expertise from Sony’s BRAVIA® TV engineers to create its stunning 4.6” HD Reality Display for razor sharp pictures and superior brightness. The latest Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 delivers an even better viewing experience by analysing your content type and adjusting the image automatically, making it one of the most intelligent smartphone screens around. The engine will make the adjustment by adding new real-time contrast optimisation to the sharpness enhancement, high-quality colour management and noise reduction.
As well as delivering brilliant experiences, the Xperia SP looks beautiful too with a precision-crafted co-moulded aluminium frame, for a seamless look that is both sleek and solid. Adding to the unique design innovation is the colour-changing ‘transparent element’ with customisable illuminations which you can personalise to alert you of incoming calls and text messages. And you can even set the illuminations to pulse to the beat of your favourite music.
Xperia L – the perfect smartphone camera experience
The stylish and functional Xperia L features an 8 megapixel camera with Sony’s unique “Exmor RS for mobile” sensor technology for vivid colours and stunning clarity. HDR (High Dynamic Range) ensures that both your photos and videos are captured clearly, even at night or against a strong backlight. And with the dedicated camera key that goes from sleep to snap in just over a second even from a locked screen, this fast-capture camera phone will ensure that you’ll never miss another moment. Get the most out of your viewing experience with the high quality 4.3” FWVGA screen that is ideally suited to enjoy all of your content.
Sony entertainment on the go
Both Xperia SP and Xperia L benefit from Sony’s media applications offering a consistent entertainment experience across the range. The “WALKMAN”, “Album” and “Movies” apps, provide online and offline content through a single access point with new ways to enjoy and share that content. The “WALKMAN” application provides access to all your downloaded music, plus Music Unlimited* with over 18 million songs to explore from, and Facebook social integration. The “Movies” application gives consumers access to over 100,000 movies and TV series from Video Unlimited* while the “Album” application enables easy access to Facebook friends’ photos as well as browsing photos by location.
One-touch functions for easy content sharing
Also featured on both models are Sony’s One-touch functions, allowing you to easily and instantly enjoy music and photos across an array of devices, such as Sony’s SRS-BTV5 portable speaker and latest range of NFC-enabled BRAVIA TVs, with just a single touch. It’s sharing made easy with no wires, cables, or fiddling with settings necessary.
The new Xperia SP and Xperia L from Sony Mobile will both be available worldwide from Q2 2013."

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Sony update the app for the Smartwatch: Brings new clockfaces and functionality!

   Sony have released an update for their Smartwatch app! The update brings quite a few new features as well as a set of attractive new options for your clock faces! 

   AndroidCommunity are reporting that one of the biggest changes is that Sony has offered up another seven new clock faces for your eyes to enjoy! The idea is that the new faces will further let you personalise the accessory to 'match your style' and what that basically that means more colours and some more designs. 

   The picture embedded below gives you a few ideas as to what the update adds. There's nothing spectacular, but it's great to have more options on the Smartwatch! Talking of options Sony have been working on the way the app works on non-Sony smartphones so hopefully SmartConnect and the SmartWatch apps will work just a little bit more fluidly! Other improvements have been made to the battery level indicator which has always been a little out and Sony have finally added notification previews! The final change is the ability to search by categories in the 'Search for new applications' function.

Image Credit: Keith Myers via AndroidCommunity.

   To get access to these new faces you'll have to update the watch controller app which you have to download from the Play Store!

Via AndroidCommunity.

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Sony's Xperia Z might've looked different: We prefer the other option!

   Some things are quite fascinating when we get to see how a smartphone progressed through the design stage to how they actually look now. So when the XperiaBlog was showing these pictures of the Xperia Z, embedded below, we were quite interested. 

   As you can see, the first picture, which is still on Sony Mobile Hong Kong's Facebook page, quite clearly has those simple drilled metal holes which sounds comes out of, whereas the actual device, in the 2nd picture, has those slits which look to be covered in some sort of material. 

   The guys suggested that the subtle design change was probably down to the waterproofing which Sony wanted to offer and that seems to make sense to us! We're interested to know which speaker option you prefer though. Do you prefer the drilled metals holes or the slits? Let us know in the comments below!
Via XperiaBlog.

The Render.

The Reality.

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Are Sony using different displays in regional variants of the Xperia Z?

    When Sony announced the Xperia Z we mentioned our slight concern that the TFT LCF display might have some viewing angle problems, this was something which was echoed by Marques Brownlee. But, the first round of reviews didn't see it as anything too major and lots of people seem to be very happy with their new waterproof handset.

   That's not to say that everything is perfect though, check out this video and some of the pictures below and see if you can notice the difference in screens between the NTT DoCoMo variant and its European cousin. This might just be a difference in the two phones that mobiltelefon.ru got their hands on, but we suspect Sony uses two different displays between their Japanese Xperia Z, the SO-02E and the European C6603.

   Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! We're interested to see which one you prefer!
Mobiltelefon.ru Via XperiaBlog.

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