Here’s Sony’s official statement:

In regards to Xperia PLAY, after extensive in house testing with our developer teams and working with our partners, we have concluded that a consistent and stable experience, particularly with gaming, cannot be guaranteed for this smartphone on Ice Cream Sandwich – therefore, we will not make the Android 4.0 upgrade available for Xperia PLAY.

This decision was also verified when we received similar feedback from the developer community; both experienced developers and advanced users, along with game content providers following our ICS beta ROM for unlocked Xperia PLAY smartphones.

Sony reached the decision after carefully monitoring feedback from the Beta Android 4.0 ROM that they made freely available to developers and other root users. Their claim of issues is backed up by independent reports. The combination of the Xperia PLAY‘s rather unique input hardware and Ice Cream Sandwich seems to cause some serious issues with games that don’t present a challenge for the more stable Gingerbread build.

Sony reaffirmed its commitment to bring Ice Cream Sandwich to the other members of the 2011 Xperia line. Those of you who aren’t satisfied can still try the beta ROM, or opt for one of the Ice Cream Sandwich builds floating around the mod community, many of which are based on Android Open Source Project code. So, Sony, when are we getting an Xperia PLAY 2, huh?

Device Specifications and Information

Device Info

Device Name : XPERIA Play

Manufactuer : Sony

Carrier : Verizon

Announced Date : February 13, 2011

Release Date : April 01, 2011

Also Known As :

Display

• Screen Size : 4.00 Inch
• Resolution : 480x854
• Screen Type : TFT

Dimension & Weight

• Height : 4.69 Inch
• Width : 2.44 Inch
• Depth : 0.63 Inch
• Weight : 175 Grams

Battery & Power

Battery Type:
• Lithium Ion

• Battery Capacity : 1500 mAh
• Talk Time : NA
• Stand By Time : 425 hours

Software

Android OS:
• 2.3.x

Audio Playback:
• AAC
• MP3

Video Playback:
• MPEG-4 (MP4)

Messaging:
• SMS
• MMS

Hardware

CPU : Snapdragon

CPU Clock Speed : 1000 Mhz

Core : 1

Ram : 512 MB

Internal Storage : .4 GB

Front Facing Camera :

Camera Resolution : 5 MP

External Storage:
• MicroSD
• MicroSDHC

Camera Features:
• Auto focus
• Flash
• 720p Video Recording

Sensors:
• Accelerometer
• Ambient light
• Proximity

QWERTY :

Cellular Network

Network Technology:
• GSM

GSM Band:
• 850
• 900
• 1800
• 1900

Device Connectivity

Wi-Fi:
• 802.11b
• 802.11g
• 802.11n

Bluetooth:
• Bluetooth 2.0

Location Features:
• GPS
• Cellular location
• Wi-Fi location

FM Radio :

NFC :

In addition, Sony said that they won’t be sending out any updates over the air, as most Android manufacturers do in conjunction with mobile carriers. If you want an Ice Cream Sandwich update (when it becomes available), you’ll need to download it directly from Sony’s website and install it via their desktop clients, PC Companion and Bridge for OSX users. Sony says that they want to make sure customers make an informed decision before the major upgrade.

As unconventional as this approach is, I kind of dig it. One, anyone who’s Android-savvy enough to want Ice Cream Sandwich will be more than willing to put in a little legwork on their computer. And two, this may well get updates into the hands of consumers faster, helping to solve a problem that plagues the mobile platform. Who knows, maybe Sony can even skirt around US carriers, who almost always delay updates by a significant factor when compared to international contract-free phones.

If you’ve got an Xperia Play, Arc S , Neo V or Ray, you can download a beta ROM of Ice Cream Sandwich right now and avoid the wait (so long as you’re not particularly attached to your warranty). Everyone else should be getting  their updates in less than two months… we hope. Kudos to Sony for keeping us informed, at least.

[via PocketNow]

We got an early hands-on with the ion and Xperia S at CES but this video shows a few things that weren’t present last month. The video highlights several key features including all new home screen, lock screen, FM radio, music player, gallery and widgets like you see at the beginning. Check it out, they even show some awesome 3D-type SPB shell stuff at the end. If you liked Sony’s Timescape UI before, you’ll love what is coming next.

Thoughts? Looks beautiful doesn’t it? Sony hasn’t been extremely popular here in the states but other regions have seen strong sales. With Sony looking to gain an edge in the mobile landscape and buying out Ericsson’s half we are hoping for some strong phones and awesome devices to follow. With a sharp UI and impressive widget effects like those shown on video — they are well on their way. It’s safe to assume many of the 2011 Sony Ericsson devices will be updated with this new UI but we can’t say for sure.

The similarities between the S and the U don’t end at the manufacturer label – in fact, they don’t even start there, since the U is using the now outdated “Sony Ericsson” label. It’s got the same attractively blocky shape as the Xperia S and the same see-through capacitive navigation area – a fetching feature that didn’t make it into the Xperia S’s US cousin, the Xperia Ion for AT&T. It keeps the slightly beveled back basic button layout, with a black plastic shell oposite the Xperia S’s white – both phones will probably come in both colors. A removable 1290mAh battery hangs out in the back compartment.

What you’re looking at is probably prototype hardware, though it seems complete enough that this is likely a near-production design. There’s not much information on the specifications beyond the previously-leaked 1Ghz dual-core processor. Note the side-loading SIM card slot, similar to a DROID RAZR or HTC Legend. It’s almost certain that we’ll see the Xperia U at Mobile World Congress next week, so keep an eye on Android Community’s MWC 2012 portal for all the juicy details.

Installation couldn’t be simpler, though you do have to have a rooted phone in order to apply the software, and it only applies to phones that have been updated to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Download the free app from the Android Market, run the CWM installer and reboot your phone – bingo bango, instant mod time. Alternately, you can download the app from the original thread and install it via the standard non-Market method.

The other options included in the app follow the pattern established by ROM Manager, the official ClockworkMod Recovery app. You can reboot directly into recovery, make an automatic Nandroid backup via the app, and check your root status. This is a major boon for those who have a less popular phone that hasn’t made its way into the official support list yet. The app is now on its fourth revision, so most of the kinks have been worked out already.

Oh, and there’s a Nyan Cat in the background. Nice.

Sony seems to be aping Samsung, which has chosen a single moniker (Galaxy) and modified it for use with dozens of devices. Even as someone who covers this stuff daily, I have to check Device.ac to keep at the models straight. In what must be a positively unique event, carrier-added names are actually making these phones easier to distinguish: AT&T’s “Xperia Ion” is a lot easier to remember than “Xperia S”, the international version, in the same way that the Galaxy S II Skyrocket makes a better impression than the Galaxy S II LTE.

The Nypon/Xperia P is likely to be one of the very first Sony phones released without any Ericsson branding, as the Japanese manufacturer has absorbed its stake in the Swedish telco. Early leaks indicate that the phone uses a 1Ghz processor and qHD display, putting it squarely in the mid-range of Sony’s upcoming lineup. At least one leaked photo indicates that the phone will run Ice Cream Sandwich, though that could simply be an early developer build. We’ll probably see more of both the Xperia P and Xperia U models at Mobile World Congress.

[via Androinica]

The deal will mark the end of a partnership that’s been going for ten years – but hasn’t been going all that strong lately. Sony Ericsson’s smartphones have seen only limited success in Europe and Asia, and are rare in the United States. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play is probably the company’s most well-known Android handset, thanks to its PlayStation integration. And the forthcoming XPERIA Ion, a local variant of the international XPERIA S, is the only high-profile Sony Ericsson product to find a home on an American carrier in months. The company announced losses of $318 million in their 4th quarter 2011 earnings report.

The XPERIA Ion and XPERIA S are likely to be the last flagship devices produced under the Sony Ericsson label, as the re-branding and absorption process is expected to be complete by late summer. Impressively, Sony has committed to updating every Xperia phone produced in 2011 to Ice Cream Sandwich, and even laid out late Spring timetables for the various models. That’s a good way to start building more brand loyalty. Sony announced an ambitious cloud directive for all of its consumer products at CES, covering mobile, gaming, HDTV (including Google TV) and PCs. Expect to hear a lot about integration across their various platforms as the acquisition is finalized.

[via SlashGear]

Like all new XPERIA devices moving forward, “Ericsson” should have dropped from its official name. But as you can see in the picture demoed above, this one may end up carrying it. The XPERIA U will also have a 5MP rear shooter, and it’s hard to make out from the picture – but there may be a front facing cam as well. Overall, the device is much smaller than the XPERIA S seen at this year’s CES.

Though not a powerhouse like the XPERIA S, this phone could still have a proper following. With a decent battery and build, it could have some serious potential. You can also assume the XPERIA U will show up on GSM airwaves as usual; excluding the XPERIA Play, Sony hasn’t quite taken a liking to CDMA networks.

[via BGR]

Other than the announcement at CES and us knowing it will be released sometime in Q2 we don’t have any other details or pricing information at the moment from our friends at Sony or AT&T other than “coming soon”. According to popular online retailer Negri Electronics you can get the fully unlocked version for only $569.

That $570 will get you an impressive smartphone with a 4.6″ HD display powered by Sony’s BRAVIA engine. A 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and a huge 12 megapixel camera for 1080p video and more. Not to mention this phone has HDMI out and AT&T 4G LTE. Basically it could put the Galaxy Nexus to shame but I’ll hold off on my judgement til I get some hands-on time — although we already know the camera will be a heck of a lot better. It also appears if you take this unlocked phone outside the US you’ll get more than 2G speeds from the 2100 Mhz bands on board too.

We’ll update once we see or hear more details on the Xperia ION.

[via PocketNow]

The recently leaked roadmap (linked to below) is to be believed then this would be one of the upcoming new devices although nothing has been confirmed. The obvious smaller screen on the image shown above is a clear indicator that not only is this not the Xperia S, but it also has a lower resolution screen by the large icons. According to Xperia Blog the leaked device above will be 3.5″ and have an 854 x 480 resolution.

The Sony ST25i will also sport a 1.0 GHz dual-core processor and have a 5 megapixel camera around back. Looking at the sheer size of the phone in the leaked photo you can see it’s not much larger than Xperia ray we reviewed late last year. This should come in as another mid-range phone for Sony Ericsson, something we’ve seen plenty from them already. Which apparently isn’t holding them over too well given their recent reports of huge Q4 losses of over 318 million.

Either way with this leak, and others we’ve seen over the past week most of these devices will be on display at MWC 2012 in Barcelona and we will get all the details live in Spain.

[via Pocket Now]

I say “new take on Android” for a few reasons. One being that Sony Ericsson has just sold their 50% to SONY giving the technology and electronics giant full control. Sony has recently announced that they’ll be going all in with Android in 2012 and plan to have a much better showing. Most devices from Sony Ericsson throughout 2011 were always slightly under the competition in terms of raw performance and hardware — although they do have impressive cameras.

Another factor could be the lack of traction in the US markets although SE phones were popular elsewhere in the world. Many of their devices just as I mentioned above fell short to the competition because they lacked the new specs the others had. Such as dual-core processors, larger displays, and HD screens. We reviewed the Xperia ray and while it was nice — I’d never own one. 2012 however shows a lot of promise for Sony. As they showed off the Xperia S and the ION at CES (links below) and we’ve recently seen a roadmap detailing 11 new smartphones for 2012 from Sony — many of which look to be high end devices such as the Hayabusa and MINT.

Sony Ericsson will announce their full report later this month and most likely it will look just as grim. I have a feeling they are patiently waiting for that $1.47 billion dollar payout and giving the reigns to Sony for good.

[via SlashGear]

The image above leaked last week is believed to be the Sony Ericsson Pepper, and now benchmarks today have confirmed the specs that were already being suspected. We have a 3.7″ 854 x 480 resolution display with a single-core 1.0 GHz processor and Mali 400 for graphics. Nothing special here but definitely a great little device for the budget friendly crowd. Here is the benchmark result:

While Pepper is only a codename, we are hearing this device will actually be the successor to the popular Xperia Neo that was released last year. The Pepper will also feature a 5 megapixel camera capable of 720p video. Earlier today Sony’s entire 2012 roadmap was leaked — slating the Pepper for an early April release for around 300 Euros. While nothing has been confirmed at this point, we’ll most likely be seeing this little guy come end of February at Mobile World Congress in Spain.

[via PocketNow]

Sony recently bought Ericsson’s 50% of the company and have also said they’ll be going “all in” with Android in 2012. All of the above phones will run on Android and will receive different names on launch as these are internal codenames. First off the Nozomi, which isn’t listed as it was announced at CES as the Sony Xperia S (see our hands-on below). It will be priced at €462 to give you an idea of its caliber and what we see listed. It’s fair to assume with that pricing that some of those higher priced devices will be flagship phones from Sony.

We aren’t sure what all will come to the US or not as this is only an early leak (or rumor) but Sony has been trying to tap into the US market more as of late. The Kumquat and Nypon we’ve heard before but details are still scant. On the other hand the others are all new to us here at Android Community. I’m particularly interested in the Hayabusa. For one their motorcycles are blazing fast, have style, and are unique. And two, because it has a beefy price along the lines of the Xperia S.

The rest seem to be priced differently to hit different levels of the smartphone market. Then we also have that MINT being the most expensive on the list. This could be their next big thing and is slated for a September release. The last thing I want to mention is the Tapioca_DS. Could this be dual-screen? or maybe dual-sim. Either way they have two Tapioca phones listed.

It’s safe to assume we’ll see the top 3 all slated for an April release at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Spain late next month. We’ll be there live to capture all the details so stay tuned.

The teaser video seriously doesn’t reveal much other than some sort of universal infrared or other powered remote control system — being demoed on a Sony Ericsson Xperia handset shown in the image above. This appears to be a very simple application that will power on and control things like TV’s, music players, an old gramophone and more but they show it off in a different light then you’d expect. Check out the video so you can be as confused as I am.

You can see they aim the Xperia handset towards each device making us believe this is a Infrared type system but it really could be anything. The user interface appears to only be a “dot” on the screen for simple on/off toggle or switching these devices on but that is about all it reveals. According to the splash at the end this “new entertainment” will be announced on February 21st — a day before the Sony PS Vita. IR isn’t too popular on US handsets but many of Sony’s other markets have the feature so we aren’t fully sure what to expect — but will be sure to follow along for more details.

[via SlashGear]

Both have NFC, HDMI outputs capable of 1080p Full HD video, and 12-megapixel main cameras that can record Full HD too. Front-facing 1.3-megapixel cameras are used for video calls and vanity shots, and there’s the usual WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS along with Sony’s Timescape interface.

Sony Xperia ion hands-on:

Sony also revealed some compact NFC tags, which can be used to launch apps or to instantly switch the Xperia handsets into different preset modes; you could have one on your nightstand, for instance, and automatically toggle the smartphone into silent mode before bed. The Xperia ion will arrive on AT&T sometime in Q2, while the Xperia S will arrive in the same quarter on various carriers. No pricing as yet.

More information in our full Xperia ion hands-on and Xperia S hands-on over at SlashGear.

While this all will be unveiled next week we can sit and wonder right? The earlier images from Sony (linked to below) suggested a possible Windows Phone device, but they’ve previously stated to be going “all in” with Android. The leaked images we’ve recently seen of the Arc HD (Nozomi) could have been prototypes that have since been redesigned — or the image above from Sony themselves is an entirely different device. The Arc HD leaks show the camera and flash both to be centered on the rear of the phone and the image above is clearly different.

We have a feeling Sony Ericsson will have multiple new devices on display at CES and we will be sure to capture them all on video to show our readers. With Sony buying Ericsson’s half and aiming to hit Android hard in 2012 we expect big things from team SONY. The image above comes straight from the Sony Ericsson Facebook page and hints of at least one Xperia device at CES. Stay tuned for more details all coming in early next week.

[via PocketNow]

The new processor coupled with a full gigabyte of RAM managed to score just 2219 in a Quadrant benchmark. For reference, that’s about as fast as a 1.0Ghz dual-core phone from mid-2011, and much less than we’d hope for from a brand new flagship device. According to the source, only one of the two processor cores is active, which would account for the relatively poor performance – perhaps Sony just needs to do some last-minute software tweaking to take advantage of that shiny new hardware.

Elsewhere underneath the phone’s metaphorical hood, you get a a whopping 12 megapixel camera (30% denser than the majority of high-end Android phones available today) with an unfortunately sparse 8GB of internal memory to store all those photos. To compound photographer frustration, there’s no MicroSD card slot to be found. Of course, this is all unofficial and could be non-final hardware – the software certainly isn’t finished in any case. We’ll probably see an official unveiling at CES 2012 next week.

So, what is it? There are a few tantilizing possibilities, though the ultra closeup leaves us with few conclusions. My money’s on the recently leaked Nozomi, also known as the Xperia Arc HD. But then again, the teaser images don’t quite match up with the spy shots we’ve been seeing. Either the design has undergone some changes in the months prior to release, this is an entirely new phone… or Sony”s just combining bits from previous handsets like the Arc S to mess with us. We would not put it past them.

The teaser images follows the frustratingly vague announcement just yesterday, and presumably we’ll be getting more tidbits until the device is actually unveiled at CES. As interesting as all of this is, Sony, we’d really rather just wait for a proper press release – getting sneak peeks at nothing is about as enticing as a supermodel wearing a barrel. We’ll be on the lookout for new Xperia models when we get to Las Vegas next week.

[via SlashGear]

The image above is what they are teasing us with over at the official Facebook page and on Google+ they have a photo that reveals even less and is as bland as it gets — but it’s all about the build up right? We all basically already were expecting a few different devices from Sony Ericsson and most likely all their new and exciting products will be everywhere at CES. They’ll most likely be announcing their new flagship phone — the Nozomi next week.

Many leaks and reports have called it the Xperia Arc HD but nothing has been officially confirmed. Either way we’ll all know what SONY has in store next sometime this week or early next week during the kickoff for CES 2012. Latest leaks suggest the Nozomi will be rocking Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and you can see more details on recent leaks by hitting any of the links in our timeline below.

I’m excited to see what SONY has in store for their mobile division, especially since they bought out Ericsson’s half and have claimed to be going “all in” with Android in 2012. Who else is excited?

This is actually a pretty great added bonus for Xperia owners and I can imagine a few people are happy to hear the news. Sadly there is a small catch and this isn’t available for everyone. This deal or freebie actually only applies to France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK and Australia. We could see more added later but for now that is all we get. Hopefully Sony will open this up for all their users.

The image above shows the dates and more information but basically if you purchase or own an Xperia device from November 1st to January 31st 2012 you are eligible for this deal. We aren’t sure if this has been available since the first of November or if Sony is just offering this to a wider audience of buyers. Sony’s Music Unlimited is a great service and getting 90 days free will give many a first hand look at what their missing — although things like Spotify are a great alternative too. Head down to Sony Ericsson to get started if this applies to you and your Xperia.

[via Phandroid]