CyanogenMod 10.1 nightlies reach Xperia Z and ZL, other recent Sony models

CyanogenMod 101 nighlies reach Xperia Z and ZL, other recent Sony models

Sony has been friendlier than many of its mobile rivals toward outside code, backing AOSP efforts even when it has had to shoulder most of the responsibilities. It's only fitting, then, that five of its more recent smartphones just received their first nightly CyanogenMod 10.1 builds, all in one fell swoop. Support for the Xperia Z and ZL is no doubt the highlight, although experimenters who stand just short of the cutting edge can get CyanogenMod releases for the Xperia T, TX and V. As always, nightlies of custom OS code redefine risky -- but those who can't wait for Sony to push a safe Android 4.2 release can now do more than just twiddle their thumbs.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Via: Phone Arena

Source: CyanogenMod (Xperia Z), (ZL), (T)

Refresh Roundup: week of March 4th, 2013

Refresh Roundup week of March 4th, 2013

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Refresh Roundup: week of February 4th, 2013

Refresh Roundup week of February 4th, 2013

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Refresh Roundup: week of January 28th, 2013

Refresh Roundup week of January 28th, 2013

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Filed under: , , ,

Comments

By popular demand, Sony releases Jelly Bean alpha build for Xperia T

By popular demand, Sony releases Jelly Bean alpha build for Xperia T

Because the first time proved to be such a charm for Android developers, Sony's once again offering Xperia owners an official alpha ROM. And this time, it's of the Jelly Bean variety. But before you rush to the source and flash your cares away, there are a few caveats we need to cover. For starters, the price of entry to this Android 4.1 test run is an unlocked Xperia T. Not the TX, not the V, not the S, so don't even try it. You'll also have to sign away your legal right (via the company's unlock utility) to whine and demand compensation should your handset brick in the process. Once those hurdles have been cleared, you're almost home free to flash -- so long as you don't mind an unfinished UI, non-functioning radios for voice, WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC, in addition to a complete lack of Gapps. Oh, and did we mention your unlocked T won't be privy to the official Jelly Bean update once it hits? Yeah, there's that too. Basically, you shouldn't look to this for a daily driver. In fact, it's probably best to leave this one to the big boys.

Filed under: , , , ,

Comments

Source: Sony Mobile

Sony rolls out update to Xperia T and TX for Miracast mirroring, extra-long standby

Sony Xperia T review

Sony Xperia T and TX owners won't have to wait until the eventual Jelly Bean update to eke some new life out of their software. From this week onwards, the Bond-blessed Android phone is getting an update that adds screen mirroring through Miracast; provided the stars align and you've got a compatible TV, the high-end Xperia gets that much larger a canvas. Upgrading also introduces an extended standby mode that temporarily shuts off data, a movie app with a small video player and a photo album that makes use of Sony's full image processing engine. We're further reminded as to how much sweeter that HD Voice calling on the T (but not TX) should sound. As much as we'd prefer a full-fledged OS update, it's a welcome dose of relevancy for a smartphone that has had fierce competition almost from the start.

Filed under: , ,

Sony rolls out update to Xperia T and TX for Miracast mirroring, extra-long standby originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 10:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSony  | Email this | Comments

Sony to start Xperia upgrades to Jelly Bean by mid-Q1, rules out all 2011 phones

Sony Xperia T review close-up

We've got mixed news for those who were wondering just where Sony's Jelly Bean updates were headed. The good? Sony has narrowed down its upgrade schedule for the Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V to the middle of 2013's first quarter, or roughly February. Just about every other reasonably capable 2012 model is also getting an upgrade once Sony has narrowed down the timetable, ranging from the Xperia S through to the Xperia ion and Xperia go. Brace yourself for the dark side of the news, however: not a single 2011 Xperia phone will make the Jelly Bean leap, no matter how quick or recent it might be. The company was "not able to guarantee" the experience the devices would have with the newer OS, we're told. While we know that some older phones would have been borderline at best, that cutoff won't be pleasant for anyone whose Xperia Arc S is already out of the Android upgrade loop after less than a year.

Filed under: , ,

Sony to start Xperia upgrades to Jelly Bean by mid-Q1, rules out all 2011 phones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 09:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Arena  |  sourceSony Mobile  | Email this | Comments

Sony to start Xperia upgrades to Jelly Bean by mid-Q1, rules out all 2011 phones

Sony Xperia T review close-up

We've got mixed news for those who were wondering just where Sony's Jelly Bean updates were headed. The good? Sony has narrowed down its upgrade schedule for the Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V to the middle of 2013's first quarter, or roughly February. Just about every other reasonably capable 2012 model is also getting an upgrade once Sony has narrowed down the timetable, ranging from the Xperia S through to the Xperia ion and Xperia go. Brace yourself for the dark side of the news, however: not a single 2011 Xperia phone will make the Jelly Bean leap, no matter how quick or recent it might be. The company was "not able to guarantee" the experience the devices would have with the newer OS, we're told. While we know that some older phones would have been borderline at best, that cutoff won't be pleasant for anyone whose Xperia Arc S is already out of the Android upgrade loop after less than a year.

Filed under: , ,

Sony to start Xperia upgrades to Jelly Bean by mid-Q1, rules out all 2011 phones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 09:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Phone Arena  |  sourceSony Mobile  | Email this | Comments

Bring the noise! Sony confirms HD Voice support for Xperia T

DNP Sony confirms HD Voice support for the Xperia T

In the fast moving world of smartphones, giant HD displays just aren't enough anymore. The new hot commodity in the land of mobile is "HD Voice." Sure, the technology isn't exactly brand new, but using it over post-3G high speed networks is. The selling point here is high quality noise cancellation, which allows a phone's user to be heard clearly in the noisiest of environments. The latest device to hop on the bandwagon is Sony's Xperia T. When describing this feature, the herculean consumer electronics maker got downright emotional saying, "you feel closer to the person you are talking to." While we're not too sure about that, HD Voice did impress during our ears-on session. The major caveat here is that this feature requires that both parties have HD Voice capable handsets. So, until this concept becomes more mainstream, Xperia T owners' phone calls are likely to be close, but no cigar.

Filed under: , ,

Bring the noise! Sony confirms HD Voice support for Xperia T originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 22:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSony  | Email this | Comments

Sony Xperia TL joins AT&T’s 4G LTE lineup as official James Bond phone

Image

Strange, but true: it seems James Bond is an Android man and the Xperia TL, his phone of choice. Well, at least that's the marketing tie-in made possible by Sony's corporate synergy. Regardless, the company's latest smartphone flagship has found a new stateside home on AT&T's 4G LTE network. The 4.6-inch device, unveiled at IFA 2012, reps a 720p HD Reality display powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine, 13-megapixel rear module capable of "sleep to snap" fast capture and runs a skinned build of Ice Cream Sandwich atop a dual-core 1.5GHz S4 CPU. It also comes loaded up with three of the Japanese outfit's media apps -- Walkman, Movies and Album -- a bevy of exclusive content (e.g. ringtones, wallpaper, etc.) from the next Bond film, Skyfall, and packs one SmartTag in the box for use with the handset's NFC chip. There's no official word on when this black beauty's set to hit retail shelves -- or pricing, for that matter. But if the imminent arrival of its galactic stablemates is any indication, expect to see it in "the coming weeks." Official PR after the break.

Continue reading Sony Xperia TL joins AT&T's 4G LTE lineup as official James Bond phone

Filed under: , , , ,

Sony Xperia TL joins AT&T's 4G LTE lineup as official James Bond phone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 09:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments