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April 4, 2011
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Gaming and a girl gone wild: Sony Ericsson looks to the past to define the future

By on April 4, 2011 at 11:30 AM.

Gaming and a girl gone wild: Sony Ericsson looks to the past to define the future

According to data released by The Nielson Company in March, Sony Ericsson’s share of the U.S. smartphone market is barely a blip on the radar. Apple and RIM combine to own more than half the market, HTC is coming up behind them with 19%, Motorola holds 11%, Samsung has a 7% share and Sony Ericsson sits somewhere in the “Other” category, grouped among an undefined number of nameless manufacturers that combine to share roughly 3% of the smartphone market in the U.S. But Sony Ericsson smartphones are preparing to invade American soil, and the company’s assault just started with a boob-stab.

Read on for our full feature including an exclusive interview with the creative team behind Sony Ericsson’s Xperia PLAY ads. More →

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Gaming
April 1, 2011
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Sony Ericsson launches Xperia PLAY in 11 markets (not U.S.)

By on April 1, 2011 at 8:18 AM.

Sony Ericsson launches Xperia PLAY in 11 markets (not U.S.)

Sony Ericsson on Friday launched its highly anticipated Xperia PLAY smartphone in 11 markets today, with six additional markets to follow over the next two weeks. Alongside 60 games, the Android-powered Xperia PLAY smartphone — known ahead of its official announcement as the “PlayStation Phone” — is now available in the U.K., Germany, Russia, Hong Kong and seven other markets around the world. A U.S. launch of the gaming phone from Verizon Wireless is expected some time this spring. Sony Ericsson has also announced the availability of over 60 games within the first week of the device’s launch, including popular titles like Need for Speed, Assassins Creed Altair’s Chronicles HD and Worms. Hit the jump for the full press release. More →

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Gaming
March 31, 2011
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PlayStation games now available in Android Market

By on March 31, 2011 at 3:02 PM.

PlayStation games now available in Android Market

Ahead of the release of Sony Ericsson’s highly anticipated Xperia PLAY smartphone, Sony PlayStation games have begun appearing in Google’s Android Market. Five title’s became available in the Market on Thursday, including Syphon Filter, MediEvil and Cool Boarders 2. Currently available titles are listed for $6.38 each, and more are expected in the coming days and weeks. Sony Ericsson’s Xperia PLAY will be the first PlayStation Certified Android smartphone when it launches soon, and it will be capable of playing original PlayStation games downloaded through the Android Market. The Xperia PLAY will launch on Verizon Wireless’ network in the U.S. some time this spring. More →

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Gaming
March 23, 2011
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Sony Ericsson’s new Xperia PLAY promos are… hilarious [video]

By on March 23, 2011 at 3:38 PM.

Sony Ericsson’s new Xperia PLAY promos are… hilarious [video]

Dear ad firm that put together Sony Ericsson’s latest round of Xperia PLAY promos: thank you. In its latest effort to garner some attention for its upcoming gaming Goliath, Sony Ericsson brought actress and comedian Kristen Schaal on board to go over some of the Xperia PLAY’s finer points. In the spots, Schaal uses the Xperia PLAY to shoot herself in the face, watch furry kittens, score a triple-kill, check herself out on YouTube and even… edit some spreadsheets. If you haven’t seen them all yet — and even if you have — hit the break to watch five different promo videos. Trust us, you’ll be glad you did. More →

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mobile
March 14, 2011
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Xperia Play launches on April 1st in Spain; still no word on U.S. launch

By on March 14, 2011 at 6:29 PM.

Xperia Play launches on April 1st in Spain; still no word on U.S. launch

While mobile gaming fans around the world wait with baited breath for an official announcement, anxious Xperia Play hopefuls in Spain finally got the news they have been waiting for on Monday. Sony Ericsson Spain has announced availability of the highly anticipated Sony Ericsson Xperia Play beginning April 1st in the Spanish market. The gaming monster will retail for a hefty €649 (just over $900) off contract, but pricing can vary greatly between markets so those in the U.S. awaiting the Xperia Play shouldn’t read too much into that astronomical figure. Hit the break for a translation of Sony Ericsson Spain’s press release. More →

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mobile
February 16, 2011
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Hands-on with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Xperia arc

By on February 16, 2011 at 2:20 PM.

Hands-on with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Xperia arc

We just swung by the Sony Ericsson booth to get a glimpse at two of the company’s most exciting new handsets, the Xperia Play and the Xperia arc. Although we can’t say we’re too surprised that SE was showing off these two devices at Mobile World Congress — both handsets have been leaking like a soup strainer over the past few months — it is nice to get some hands-on time with both devices. Will the newly announced devices be enough to catapult Sony Ericsson back to mobile handset glory? Read on to find out. More →

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Gaming
February 7, 2011
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Sony Ericsson to unveil Xperia Play on February 13th

By on February 7, 2011 at 11:22 PM.

Sony Ericsson to unveil Xperia Play on February 13th

The worst kept secret in the cell phone industry is no longer a secret: Sony Ericsson officially outed the Xperia Play smartphone in a creepy commercial that premiered during Super Bowl XLV. Officially premiered, that is, since the spot was first revealed online last week as yet another slip in a string of leaks that began months ago. The Xperia Play will be the first Android smartphone to feature Sony’s PlayStation Suite, a gaming platform for cell phones that will eventually bring an extensive developer-friendly gaming environment to several smartphone operating systems. For now, it’ll let people play PSone games on the Xperia Play. Sony Ericsson has announced on its Product Blog that the Xperia Play will be unveiled at a Mobile World Congress press event on February 13th, and we’ll be there live to cover all the action. Hit the break for Sony Ericsson’s Super Bowl commercial featuring some good ol’ back-alley surgery, and get ready for the Xperia Play to finally get official on Sunday. More →

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Gaming
January 27, 2011
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Sony unveils PlayStation Suite, next-gen PSP

By on January 27, 2011 at 8:00 AM.

Sony unveils PlayStation Suite, next-gen PSP

Neither major announcement comes as much of a surprise, but Sony on Thursday unveiled its portable gaming strategy moving forward. Two key pieces of Sony’s mobile gaming future were finally made official: the company’s next-generation PSP, known for now as “NGP” or Next Generation Portable, and its cross-platform mobile gaming framework dubbed PlayStation Suite. The former features a 5-inch, 960 x 544-pixel OLED touchscreen display, two analog controllers, two touchpad control surfaces, two cameras, an electronic compass, GPS, Wi-Fi, integrated 3G connectivity and a quad-core processor. The handheld will launch this holiday season and it also features compatibility with the latter, Sony’s PlayStation Suite, which means a consistent experience across Sony’s upcoming new portable and compatible smartphones will be possible.

PlayStation Suite will consist of a mobile gaming platform and a store. Initially, the Suite will include an emulator that will allow first-generation PlayStation games to be played on Android devices, but an Android game store and  new development platform are in the works. The offering will require Android 2.3 Gingerbread or later, and it will feature on-screen controls for devices that aren’t fortunate enough to include dedicated gaming controls like the upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, which was not announced at Thursday’s event. Hit the break for Sony’s full press releases pertaining to PlayStation Suite and the NGP.

More →

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Gaming
January 27, 2011
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Sony PSP2 unveiling re-re-reaffirmed by Reuters

By on January 27, 2011 at 1:30 AM.

Sony PSP2 unveiling re-re-reaffirmed by Reuters

Mirroring a Bloomberg report, which mirrored an MCV report, which mirrored earlier rumors, Reuters now reports that Sony plans to unveil its next-generation PlayStation Portable gaming device at an event on January 27th. The event, which will take place in Japan on Thursday, falls on the same day Nintendo is expected to report a 40% slide in its quarterly profits. Reuters reiterates that Sony’s new portable gaming device will feature a touchscreen display and integrated 3G connectivity. Reuters also notes that Sony’s PlayStation phone could be announced at the same event, though the electronics company mat opt to announce the smartphone next month ahead of Mobile World Congress. Earlier reports suggest that Sony’s gaming phone will launch as the Xperia Play, and will feature a PlayStation-branded gaming experienced built atop the Android 2.3 Gingerbread platform. More →

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Gaming
January 7, 2011
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Xperia Play PlayStation phone gets extensive preview; videos, benchmarks, more

By on January 7, 2011 at 8:37 AM.

Xperia Play PlayStation phone gets extensive preview; videos, benchmarks, more

Sony Ericsson might not be ready to unveil the highly anticipated Xperia Play at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, but the world is most definitely ready to see this little guy get official. Perhaps in an effort to appease the masses of anxious mobile gamers waiting impatiently to get their mits on the upcoming PlayStation-branded Gingerbread phone, Chinese enthusiast blog IT168 has issued an extensive preview of the device. And when we say extensive, we mean it. Details found within the preview include confirmation of a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a Qualcomm Adreno 205 graphics processor, a 4-inch 854 x 480-pixel display, an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, a 1,500 mAh battery, microSDHC support and 512 MB each of RAM and ROM. The blog also ran some benchmark tests and, well, the results were pretty impressive — the forthcoming Xperia phone scored 1,733 in Quadrant. Hit the jump for some solid Xperia porn and then hit the read link for a gigantic, poorly translated preview. More →

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mobile
January 4, 2011
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Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) poses for new round pictures

By on January 4, 2011 at 9:00 PM.

Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) poses for new round pictures

Sony Ericsson’s first PlayStation Phone, thought to be launching this spring as the Xperia Play, has been captured on film yet again. This new round of photos offers very little in the way of exciting new details, but there is at least one item of interest to be found: the hardware seen in the new shot, while not necessarily final, is definitely built more recently than the examples we’ve seen so far. As can be seen very clearly in the images, the device in these pictures now bears both Xperia and PlayStation branding, reinforcing the notion that the phone will not launch with the moniker “PlayStation Phone.” The newly photographed Gingerbread phone also has a more polished looking touchpad area between the d-pad and the gaming buttons, though the release version may still be further refined. Hit the jump for more images. More →

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mobile
December 23, 2010
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Sony Ericsson to launch new Xperia devices at MWC

By on December 23, 2010 at 11:15 PM.

Sony Ericsson to launch new Xperia devices at MWC

The image Sony Ericsson chose to place atop its MWC event invitation could be quite telling. While the world waits impatiently for the PlayStation Phone — which may launch as the Xperia Play — Sony Ericsson is preparing to introduce new members of its Xperia line on February 13th ahead of the annual Mobile World Congress show. That should be great news, but unfortunately it appears as though Sony Ericsson has something other than its PS phone in store. The trendy young woman seen on the event invite could certainly be a beast of a gamer, but we doubt that’s the message Sony Ericsson is looking to convey with this pic. As such, it looks like we may be in store for another round of social network-friendly phones geared toward the young professional demographic. We’re happy to see some nice new social kit of course; maybe even with revamped versions of TimeScape and MediaScape in tow. We would be lying, however, if we didn’t say we’d rather see the gaming goliath everyone has been anxiously awaiting. Then again, perhaps Sony Ericsson will surprise us all and unveil its first PlayStation-friendly phone at CES next month. More →

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Gaming
December 21, 2010
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PlayStation Phone to be named ‘Xperia Play’?

By on December 21, 2010 at 2:41 PM.

PlayStation Phone to be named ‘Xperia Play’?

A new trademark filing uncovered Tuesday suggests that the Sony Ericsson PlayStation Phone may launch as the “Xperia Play.” One of the earliest sources of information surrounding the still-unannounced smartphone suggested that the device would launch with Xperia branding, and this is the first indication that the rumor could be true. The news is anything but confirmed, however. Here’s what we know: Sony Ericsson has applied for a European trademark for “Xperia Play,” along with other trademarks such as “Xperia Duo,” “Xperia Arc” and “Xperia Neo.” One of the company’s PR firms has also registered http://www.xperiaplay.com and several other related domain names. So, it’s a safe bet that Sony Ericsson has something in store for the moniker and while its first PlayStation-equipped Android phone is the obvious assumption, nothing is confirmed at this point. Hit the break for two videos of the upcoming device in action. More →

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