AfterDawn: News

Sony hopes for turnaround with three new Android smartphones

During their press event today at the IFA trade show, Sony unveiled three new Android smartphones in their efforts to turnaround years of massive losses and a degrading reputation.

The Xperia T is the company's new global flagship. The device has a 4.6-inch HD Reality display powered by Sony Mobile's Bravia engine. Under the hood is a dual-core processor at 1.5GHz, LTE and NFC support and Android 4.0.4 at launch with a promised update to Jelly Bean. The device is PlayStation Certified and will have access to PSOne classic games. Sony says it will be available globally in the next month.



Moving down the line, the Xperia V has a 4.3-inch HD display with Bravia, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, LTE, NFC and is also PlayStation Certified. Additionally, the phone will offer the "highest level of water resistance available in a smartphone."

For the budget-conscious consumer, the Xperia J has a 4-inch FWVGA display, a 5MP rear camera, and a front-facing camera for video chats.

Each phone comes with a 60-day free trial to Sony's Music Unlimited service.

Xperia T:


Xperia V:


Xperia J:


Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 29 Aug 2012 19:54

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• 20 comments

• KillerBug

  LoL...even if they were not competing with quad-core 1.5GHZ phones and phones with bigger screens, who would want something with Linux on it from Sony? It is one thing when they remove it from a console with another OS...but the phone would be completely useless after they removed android to, "Prevent Piracy".
  

  
  

  29.8.2012 20:30 #1

• Bozobub

  Pff. My 3vo is "Playstation certified", running FPSe. There's NO WAY I'm repurchasing PS1 titles, when I have over 100 disks of bought games left over from the original PS1 days. Make an image, copy to phone, profit.
  
  Furthermore, any complex device like this needs good customer service (a reason, BTW, find it difficult to by Google-branded hardware). Sony demonstrably canNOT deliver said service.

  30.8.2012 01:46 #2

• brockie

  degrading reputation who thinks that hackers they seem to be very anti Sony people get mad at them for removing the otherOS it was hackers that caused that.

  30.8.2012 04:28 #3

• Bozobub

  Originally posted by brockie: degrading reputation who thinks that hackers they seem to be very anti Sony people get mad at them for removing the otherOS it was hackers that caused that. Bull.
  
  At the time, PS3 "hackers" had merely enabled full use of the PS3's graphics capabilities from OtherOS, which otherwise was gimped so you couldn't use the full power of the PS3. This pissed Sony off, because now - theoretically - homebrew programmers could write software that would directly compete with official PS3 releases. In fact, there were NO methods to pirate PS3 disks, until after OtherOS was removed.
  
  Well, we can see what that got Sony; now direct piracy of PS3 games is possible, plus unofficial restoration of OtherOS. Complete fail, while enraging a good portion of their customer base. They got exactly what they deserved.

  30.8.2012 11:05 #4

• LordRuss

  Originally posted by Bozobub: Originally posted by brockie: degrading reputation who thinks that hackers they seem to be very anti Sony people get mad at them for removing the otherOS it was hackers that caused that. Bull.
  
  At the time, PS3 "hackers" had merely enabled full use of the PS3's graphics capabilities from OtherOS, which otherwise was gimped so you couldn't use the full power of the PS3. This pissed Sony off, because now - theoretically - homebrew programmers could write software that would directly compete with official PS3 releases. In fact, there were NO methods to pirate PS3 disks, until after OtherOS was removed.
  
  Well, we can see what that got Sony; now direct piracy of PS3 games is possible, plus unofficial restoration of OtherOS. Complete fail, while enraging a good portion of their customer base. They got exactly what they deserved.
  I concur... They owned the bee farm & were reaping the honey. Got pissed about how one of the hives was making the honey & then took away their queen. So the bees started sting their asses every time they came near to reap the honey.
  
  So now they hand back a queen, but not the original queen. One that tows the line. Thinking this is going to mull things over with the bees. Yet they still want to bitch when the bees still sting the hell out of them to collect the honey.
  
  You can't have it both ways or change the rules after you have started the game. We've all hated that shit when we were kids & we've all had friends that turned into bosses that did it later in life - started a job one way then turned it another direction mid stream.
  
  Necessity is one thing & that's fine - f*king with the rules so you're the only winner is cheating plain & simple.
  

  http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

  30.8.2012 12:33 #5

• Ripper

  Sony's phones are terrible
  
  /discussion
  

  
  

  30.8.2012 13:21 #6

• brockie

  if you think someone protecting what is there's is wrong we have very different ideas of right & wrong.
  
  homebrew is the biggest cause of piracy would be great if that was all it was used for but it is not opens systems up to piracy.
  
  the PSP got raped by piracy guess they wanted to try to stop it on the PS3 not going to be angry at them about that.

  30.8.2012 16:29 #7

• ZeusAV

  Sony has been on a downward spiral since 2000 in just about every area except their Playstation brand. Then they squandered that dominance away with their $599 USD PS3. I don't think there is much they can do to get their brand back to the strength it had in the 90s at this point.
  
  As for their phones, one problem is that most carriers in the US don't even sell them. Seems like they're only sold at AT&T.

  30.8.2012 17:39 #8

• Bozobub

  Originally posted by brockie: if you think someone protecting what is there's is wrong we have very different ideas of right & wrong.
  
  homebrew is the biggest cause of piracy would be great if that was all it was used for but it is not opens systems up to piracy.
  
  the PSP got raped by piracy guess they wanted to try to stop it on the PS3 not going to be angry at them about that. Again, bull. Homebrew software never caused ANY piracy on the PS3; it was an entire new bootloader that did it. For heavens' sake, OtherOS had been available right up to the point Sony axed it, with no piracy issues attributable to it at all! Furthermore, this was true for the previous systems, as well.
  
  Hell, the homebrew scenes for the PS1 and PS2 didn't really take off until their respective emulators on the PC were released, long after their respective consoles were quite obsolete.
  
  Yes, the PSP got "raped" by piracy, but Sony pretty much made their bed there, too. Sky-high console prices + sky-high game prices = sky-high piracy. They still made a profit off the system. Furthermore, it took pirates releasing PSP versions of PS1 games to get Sony off their lazy collective ass and start doing the same.
  
  Don't parrot the Sony mantra and expect to not be ridiculed.

  30.8.2012 17:59 #9

• IguanaC64

  Actually, when I buy a piece of hardware it's mine...it is no longer Sony's. Toyota and Honda do not own my cars...I do.
  
  I don't appreciate companies slowly forcefeeding me updates that gimp my hardware (like firmware updates required to play newer games). It's not Sony's job to cripple what I paid good money for when they lock down the system.
  
  While I never used the OtherOS function, I did use the PS1/2 emulation that was removed in one of the firmwares (a firmware you were forced to update if you wanted to play any game made from that firmware on). I've never used a pirate firmware on my PS3, yet I'm collateral damage in a fight that companies never win.
  
  Sony and the pirates are equally responsible for the situation. The difference is that I buy products from Sony. I have no recourse with the pirates. Guess whose products I will avoid from here on out?

  30.8.2012 20:00 #10

• brockie

  Originally posted by Bozobub: Originally posted by brockie: if you think someone protecting what is there's is wrong we have very different ideas of right & wrong.
  
  homebrew is the biggest cause of piracy would be great if that was all it was used for but it is not opens systems up to piracy.
  
  the PSP got raped by piracy guess they wanted to try to stop it on the PS3 not going to be angry at them about that. Again, bull. Homebrew software never caused ANY piracy on the PS3; it was an entire new bootloader that did it. For heavens' sake, OtherOS had been available right up to the point Sony axed it, with no piracy issues attributable to it at all! Furthermore, this was true for the previous systems, as well.
  
  Hell, the homebrew scenes for the PS1 and PS2 didn't really take off until their respective emulators on the PC were released, long after their respective consoles were quite obsolete.
  
  Yes, the PSP got "raped" by piracy, but Sony pretty much made their bed there, too. Sky-high console prices + sky-high game prices = sky-high piracy. They still made a profit off the system. Furthermore, it took pirates releasing PSP versions of PS1 games to get Sony off their lazy collective ass and start doing the same.
  
  
  Don't parrot the Sony mantra and expect to not be ridiculed. your talking bull your self mate homebrew is what opens up systems to piracy if you can not see that then your blind.
  
  geohot telling every one he hacked the PS3 using a go around in the otherOS did not happen? goggle it you might learn something before you start saying stuff that is lies.
  
  your idea of why things like that are justified is ludicrous guess as long as it does not cost you it is ok. self entitled way of thinking.
  
  have nothing against hombrew but it just turns to piracy every time your very naive if you can not see the connection.

  30.8.2012 21:37 #11

• Bozobub

  First, Geohot, point of fact, did not release his hack at the time; it was a proof-of-concept that he was very coy with. Furthermore, it wasn't to enable piracy of games, as already noted. You are quite misinformed. The hacks enabling the use of pirated games came much, much later; again, long after Sony killed OtherOS.
  
  Second, I never said or implied pirating Sony's console's games was justified. That's all you, bub. I said "Sony made their bed there, too." In other words, when you take their actions into account, the reaction was pretty much guaranteed. Actions have consequences, and that's how it goes in all walks of life.
  
  As to whether I'm "blind" to homebrew development causing piracy, I'd have to say YOU need to learn the difference between correlation and causation. They're not the same thing. Most piracy-enabling hacks, point of fact, did NOT arise from any homebrew scene, even obliquely. The PS1, PS2, XBox, XBox 360 are all proof of this. You could buy "chipped" versions of all of those consoles long before any real homebrew scene came about. You are just confused by the fact that the homebrew stuff tends to come out later in the console's life, similar to piracy-enabling hacks.
  
  It's long been known that Sony removed OtherOS, not due to piracy concerns, as stated my them, but due to the fact that, using OtherOS, you could essentially buy a networkable (somewhat gimped) Cell-CPU computer with good graphics and sound hardware, at a very small fraction of the cost of a full-fledged Cell system. The return of computing power vs dollars spent was significantly higher, if you just bought PS3s and networked them together, instead of buying dedicated "enterprise" Cell systems. This has been used many times, in both the civilian and government worlds; the NSA bought over a thousand PS3s and networked them together for high-end cryptanalysis, for example.
  
  This use of PS3s really chapped Sony's ass; they actually sell PS3s at a drastically reduced price (originally at a loss, but now at a small profit), because they intend to recoup their losses in game sales/licensing. They were losing some of the money they would have made, if those systems had only gone to gamers.
  
  Why do I have no sympathy for Sony, here?
  
  1) Sony's pricing schemes are SONY'S problem, no one else's, in the long run. They damn well knew how much the hardware they were selling was actually worth; did they expect no one else to notice?!
  
  2) Sony has made a tidy profit on PS3 sales, and continues to do so. The vast majority of PS3s sold were to normal civilian gamers, and the game sales are doing just fine.
  
  3) Sony originally sold the consoles with the specific promise of OtherOS support printed on the box. Removing this feature, for no other reason but to extend Sony's profits, is quite obvious false advertising, as well as a bait-and-switch.
  
  Educate yourself. You are spouting Sony's party line, nothing more.

  30.8.2012 22:41 #12

• brockie

  Educate yourself you seem to not get it.

  30.8.2012 22:47 #13

• Bozobub

  Sorry, no. You're going to have to come up with an actual counterargument, fella. Lame retorts will get you nowhere; of course I don't "get" your flaccid argument! I understand it just fine, it's just plain bologna.
  
  I brought (easily researchable) facts to the table, what do YOU have..?
  
  In other words, you're going to have to support your assertion that homebrew leads to piracy, when facts don't seem to support you. EVERY other console, point of fact, had its homebrew scene start long after piracy was made possible. This is largely due to the fact, BTW, that all of the piracy methods previously required either an actual hardware mod ("chipping") and/or a specially-made boot disk. There were hinky workarounds (swapping CDs during boot, mainly), but again, those had nothing to do with homebrew.
  
  Stomping your foot and insisting otherwise won't work. Try debating like an adult. I actually can be convinced I'm wrong, if you use *cough* logic.

  30.8.2012 22:53 #14

• brockie

  Originally posted by Bozobub: Sorry, no. You're going to have to come up with an actual counterargument, fella. Lame retorts will get you nowhere; of course I don't "get" your flaccid argument! I understand it just fine, it's just plain bologna.
  
  I brought (easily researchable) facts to the table, what do YOU have..? not wasting any more time on it mate you see it your way I see it mine move on. you think it makes you look clever doing your immature little comments plonker.

  30.8.2012 22:59 #15

• Bozobub

  No, you're plain wrong, and hate to admit it =) . Again, the facts are out there, and easily accessible. Not my fault if you can't be bothered to support your own assertions.
  
  Edit --> Little hint: Try explaining how homebrew caused piracy in ANY OTHER system, much less the PS3. Just one other. You won't be able to, in my opinion, but that's what you need to do, or your argument is a transparent whitewash.

  30.8.2012 23:01 #16

• brockie

  Originally posted by Bozobub: No, you're plain wrong, and hate to admit it =) . Again, the facts are out there, and easily accessible. Not my fault if you can't be bothered to support your own assertions.
  
  Edit --> Little hint: Try explaining how homebrew caused piracy in ANY OTHER system, much less the PS3. Just one other. You won't be able to, in my opinion, but that's what you need to do, or your argument is a transparent whitewash. it would be just repeating myself they removed otheros after what geohot did if he & no one else mentioned that hack was possible everyone would still be using it.

  30.8.2012 23:05 #17

• brockie

  Originally posted by Bozobub: No, you're plain wrong, and hate to admit it =) . Again, the facts are out there, and easily accessible. Not my fault if you can't be bothered to support your own assertions.
  
  Edit --> Little hint: Try explaining how homebrew caused piracy in ANY OTHER system, much less the PS3. Just one other. You won't be able to, in my opinion, but that's what you need to do, or your argument is a transparent whitewash. I never said it caused piracy it leads to it because it opens up the system for others who only want to crack it open for free games.

  30.8.2012 23:09 #18

• Bozobub

  Fine. Now tell me what console(s) - forgetting the PS3 for a moment - had a homebrew scene of any kind, *before* there was a modification that enabled the use of pirated content.
  
  Well?
  
  You won't be able to. Not one. Modchips are not "homebrew". You are confusing correlation (similar time frames) with causation.
  
  Your argument, even phrased as "homebrew opens up the system for piracy", has serious, obvious flaws already. One system does not support your statement, even if I granted that homebrew did so for the PS3, which I do not.
  
  As for the PS3, Sony used the homebrew scene as a convenient excuse to get rid of OtherOS, nothing more. Even some of their own employees directly admitted exactly that, after leaving the company, if the events that unfolded weren't enough to convince you.
  
  Edit --> "Leads to" is generally synonymous with "causes"; it's asserting causation.

  30.8.2012 23:36 #19

• LordRuss

  Gentlemen... Bozo is in the right here & spatting is not helping. Take the age old sales game of razor blade sales as the best example in the world to be MY proof to this offering.
  
  Gillette, Schick, all the razor kings out there who make razor blades, back in the day when you used to have to change out the blade in the razor head, figured out a way to screw the male population really hard.
  
  The technology behind making the blade hasn't changed in eons. Take an ultra cheap, super thin piece of metal & sharpen the edges. Real tough right? But how do you get a $1 a piece for them & convince these guys it's worth it?
  
  Make a razor blade "holder" that not only does facial magic but warms your towel & scratches your ass as well. Then the coup de gras, give the damn things away. That's right... Make a razor blade holder that probably cost (then) $5 to make & give it away knowing that you'll get the guy to pay $6 every month on 5 blades to refill the thing.
  
  EXACTLY what Sony was going to do. Build a magic razor & sell you over priced razor blades. But the problem is they wanted to change the razor holder after you bought it. I cry bullshit!
  
  You simply can't have it both ways. It is illegal & a form of 'bait & switch' after the fact.
  

  http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

  31.8.2012 10:26 #20