The new handset, called Xperia Active Billabong Edition, comes with an exclusive back cover, Billabong screensavers and videos, and a Billabong LIVE app.

Just like the regular Xperia Active, the Billabong Edition is dustproof and water resistant. It features a 3 inch HVGA display, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, GPS, barometer, compass, flashlight, 1GHz single core processor, 512MB of RAM, 1GB of internal memory, and a 5MP rear camera with 720p video recording. The smartphone runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich should arrive in March or April.

“The partnership is an expansion of our long term relationship with Sony and an extention of an Asia Pacific alliance developed with Sony Ericsson in 2011. Our customers are very tech savvy and their top interests include music, photography, social media and, of course, action sports. Each of these interests can be captured or experienced through the Xperia active and we are working on some exciting apps and accessories that should add to the user’s experience. The first to benefit will be the athletes at our major international events who will be testing the Xperia active device in conditions as diverse as the snowfields in Austria, surfing the big waves of Tahiti and even skateboarding in Singapore”, declared Scott Wallace, Billabong’s International VP of Strategic Partnerships & New Media.

Sony didn’t say how much the Xperia Active Billabong Edition costs, but it did mention that the smartphone is now available in select markets (probably Australia and New Zealand).

Via Press release

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Active launched in the US for $340 (unlocked)
• Sony Ericsson MT11i is yet another upcoming Android smartphone
• UK: Sony Ericsson Xperia Active now delayed until September 30
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Active pre-orders start in the UK for £229.99, shipping on September 9
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 confirmed by Skyhook CEO?

The results are far from being great. The company posted a €207 million loss for Q4 2011, and a €247 loss for full year 2011.

9 million SE handsets have been sold in Q4, and a total of 34.4 million units were shipped throughout the year.

“Our fourth quarter results reflected intense competition, unfavorable macroeconomic conditions and the effects of a natural disaster in Thailand this quarter,” declared Bert Nordberg, President and CEO of Sony Ericsson.

Sony Ericsson also said it sold 28 million Xperia Android smartpohnes to date. Since the number of Xperias shipped was 22 million in Q3, this means a total of 6 million units have been sold in Q4 2011.

Via Press release

• Sony Ericsson announces Q4 results, reports almost €1 billion loss for 2009
• Sony Ericsson reports €73 million loss for 2008, re-confirms its Android handset
• Sony Ericsson’s Q3 2009 results show “positive trend”
• Sony Ericsson happy with Xperia X10 and Vivaz sales, posts small profit for Q2 2010
• Sony Ericsson posts Q3 2010 results, still dreams of becoming the largest Android vendor

Priced at 14,549 INR (about $288), the SE Live with Walkman comes with a 3.2 inch HVGA scratch-resistant display, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, dedicated Walkman button, Sony xLOUD technology, 5MP rear camera with 720p video recording, VGA front-facing camera, and a 1GHz single-core processor.

Indian customers should be able to find the new handset in either black, or white. Retailers Flipkart and Let’s Buy have them both.

The Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman is currently running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is bound to be released later this year.

Via AndroidOS.in

• Android 4.0 updates for Sony Ericsson Xperia phones to start in March or April
• LG Optimus Sol E730 with Ultra AMOLED screen and Android Gingerbread launched in India
• Sony Ericsson W8 Walkman Android smartphone now available in India for Rs. 10,950
• Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman launched by Vodafone UK
• Walkman branded Sony Ericsson Live headed to Three UK

Unfortunately, Orange didn’t say when exactly its Xperia S would be available – it will probably happen in the next few months anyway.

Alongside AT&T’s Xperia Ion, the Xperia S is the first smartphone to come under the Sony brand (following the company’s acquisition of Ericsson’s share in the Sony Ericsson joint venture). The new handset runs Android Gingerbread (upgradeable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in Q2) and features a 4.3 inch Reality Display with 1280 x 720 pixels, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 12MP rear camera with fast capturing time and 1080p video recording, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 1GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal memory.

Unlike Orange, O2 and Three, Vodafone UK reportedly stated that it “has no plans” to offer the Sony Xperia S.

• Sony Xperia S could be launched in the UK this month
• Sony Xperia S priced in the UK (£467.99 SIM-free), should be out in early March
• Samsung Wave 578 with Quick Tap and SE Xperia Ray coming to Orange UK
• #MWC11: Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo hands-on video
• Sony Xperia S (Nozomi), Xperia Acro HD and Xperia NX officially announced (video)

Although the Xperia Ion was the first to be officially presented to the world, it’s the Xperia S that’s touted as “the first Sony smartphone” – as you may already know, Sony bought Ericsson’s share in the Sony Ericsson joint venture, and from now on we’ll only see Sony smartphones (no more Ericsson).

The Xperia S measures 128 x 64 x 10.6mm, and will be launched with Android 2.3 Gingerbread this quarter, in black and white, for a price that hasn’t been unveiled. It will be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the second quarter of the year.

The new Sony handset features a 4.3 inch HD (1280 x 720) display with Mobile Bravia Engine, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, HSPA, Wi-Fi, DLNA, GPS, access to Sony’s Music Unlimited, Video Unlimited and PlayStation Store, HDMI, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory, 1.3MP front-facing camera, and a 12MP rear camera with Sony Exmor R sensor, fast capturing time (it “takes pictures in just 1.5 seconds from standby”), and 1080p video recording.

Below you have two promo videos showing off the Xperia S:

Sony (Ericsson) has also announced two Xperias that won’t see a global release: the Xperia Acro HD – “the follow-up to Xperia Acro with popular Japan-specific features including infrared port data exchange, mobile wallet and mobile TV”, and the Xperia NX – a “variant of Xperia S for the Japanese market”.

Via Press release and Press release

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Acro leaks on its way to Japan
• #MWC10: Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro, Xperia X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro (video)
• Rogers exclusively announces the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Acro won’t have Xenon flash, it’s an Arc with NFC, mobile TV, and an IR sensor
• AT&T launches 12mpx Sony Xperia ion LTE camera flagship. Marks the end of Sony Ericsson

Anyway, the Sony Xperia S may get unveiled officially before CES closes its doors (which haven’t even opened yet), since all the details about it have leaked today. Here are some official photos:

The Sony Xperia S will have a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, a 12 MP camera with 1080p HD video recording, a 1.3 MP front-facing camera with 720p HD video support, a 4.3-inch 1280×720 touchscreen, HDMI, NFC, 32 GB of built-in storage, a 1,750 mAh battery, plus all the usual bells and whistles such as Wi-Fi, HSPA, Bluetooth, and so on. It runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It will be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the second quarter of this year, so before the end of June.

The Xperia S is PlayStation Certified and will launch in the first quarter (before the end of March) in black and silver (as seen above).

The Xperia S may be Sony’s Android-powered flagship for international markets, as the Xperia Ion looks like an AT&T exclusive for now. Anyway, it should be announced soon, so stay tuned.

Via SEMC Blog and Xperia Blog

• Sony Xperia S (Nozomi), Xperia Acro HD and Xperia NX officially announced (video)
• New Sony Ericsson Nozomi (Xperia Arc HD) live images leaked alongside more detailed specs
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V available in the UK
• Sony Ericsson Nozomi official render leaked, dual-core processor all but confirmed
• Sony Ericsson’s 2011 Xperia line will get Android Ice Cream Sandwich

We knew that it was coming this year. But since the deal for Sony to acquire the Ericsson’s stake in their joint venture has not closed yet, we kinda expected for Sony Ericsson to live at least few more months. Apparently that won’t happen.

Today AT&T announced the new Sony Ericsson made LTE handset in its portfolio – Xperia ion. And the Ericsson name is already gone from all the promo materials. It’s all Sony now, with a small disclaimer that the ‘use of “Sony” brand is subject to regulatory approval’. I guess that by the time Sony Xperia ion ships in a month or three, Sony expects the deal to be approved and closed.

Sony Xperia ion itself looks pretty good and comes with:

• 4.6 inch HD resolution (1280 x 720) display
• 1.5 GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 MSM8260 CPU
• Adreno™ 220 GPU, OpenGL
• 16GB of internal flash storage.
• 12 MP rear camera with Sony Exmor R™ for mobile with fast/capture to go from standby to first shot in 1.5 seconds and 1080p recording
• front camera with 720p recording
• NFC
• GPS and Glonass support
• HD sharing through DLNA, HDMI and BRAVIA
• PlayStation™ Certified and access to entertainment services from Sony Entertainment Network, like Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited.

Knowing Sony Ericsson’s former experience with Cybershot photo flagships, Xperia ion camera quality should be among the best , if not THE best among Android smartphones. But we’ll have to wait for some reviews to be sure about that.

The bad news is that Sony Experia ion will not have Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich at launch. You will have to do with 2.3 Gingerbread version of the OS for a few months, until the upgrade arrives.

• #MWC11: Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo hands-on video
• Sony Xperia S (Nozomi), Xperia Acro HD and Xperia NX officially announced (video)
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc pre-orders have started in India, availability expected in April
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play launching in India in late April?
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc now available in the US unlocked, direct from Sony

The Pepper keeps the Neo and Neo V’s 3.7-inch 854×480 touchscreen, but will have a dual-core 1 GHz processor, and a new design reminiscent of that seen on the Nozomi. The Pepper will also get a 5 MP camera with 720p HD video recording, LED flash, and noise-suppressing mic. It will run Android of course, and surely Sony Ericsson will dip the Pepper in some TimeScape UI overlay.

As you can see, the prototype Pepper has a back side in two color tones, though it’s unclear if the shipping model will retain that feature or not. If it won’t get announced during CES, then the Pepper will almost certainly make an official appearance in Barcelona at MWC in February.

Via Xperia Blog

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo to join the Xperia Arc and Xperia Play this year
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo previewed in the UK
• New Sony Xperia Android phone(s) to be announced at MWC 2012
• Red Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo exclusively launching at Vodafone UK soon
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc announced, runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread; or is it Android 2.4?

Let’s start with the leak. ITProPortal has many pictures of what it claims to be the Sony Ericsson Nozomi, which will end up being sold as the Xperia HD (so the ‘Arc’ moniker seems to have been dropped, as we previously heard this would be the Xperia Arc HD).

The Xperia HD will come with a 1280×720 HD touchscreen just like its name implies, a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, a 12 MP camera, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of built-in storage (that’s this model, there may be more with higher capacities), no microSD expansion slot, micro SIM, and it will run Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread. That’s unfortunate, since by the time this thing actually ships, Ice Cream Sandwich will have been on the market for many months.

The lack of expansion slot, combined with just 8 GB of storage and a camera that will surely do 1080p HD video is a bit baffling. Then again, perhaps Sony Ericsson isn’t targeting those who like to shoot videos with their phone – just the picture-takers. Odd are the decisions of phone makers sometimes.

Meanwhile on Facebook, Sony Ericsson itself is continuing a teasing campaign which has started a few days ago. This undoubtedly is supposed to keep fans of the brand interested ahead of an announcement next week during CES. So far the teaser images have showed us various bits of an upcoming device, although you couldn’t really form an opinion on it. Today though, we get our first actual look at the device, even if it’s just its back:

And interestingly, that’s clearly not an Xperia HD/Nozomi/Xperia Arc HD. Just compare the camera and LED flash placement. This means that Sony Ericsson is prepping not one, but two new high-end smartphones for the near future. Perhaps the Xperia Arc HD will be announced during MWC then, and this mystery handset teased on Facebook will make its debut at CES. We say ‘high-end’ because we doubt that Sony Ericsson would have gone through the pain of creating this campaign for anything other than a top of the line phone. Time will tell though.

• New Sony Ericsson Nozomi (Xperia Arc HD) live images leaked alongside more detailed specs
• Sony Ericsson Nozomi official render leaked, dual-core processor all but confirmed
• Sony Ericsson LT26i Nozomi (Xperia Arc HD) smiles for the camera
• New Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo picture leaks, all but confirms the phone’s existence
• Sony Ericsson readies “something big” for next week. Xperia Arc HD and Xperia Ion maybe?

SE has announced (via Google+ and Facebook) that it’s going to present “something big” next week – most likely during CES 2012 (January 10 – 13).

There are two teasing photos available, one showing a covered device, and another one showing the back and top of a device:

Now, the black handset seen in the hand of the girl above looks awfully a lot like the old and obsolete Xperia 10, so I don’t think anyone should believe this is a new product. I don’t understand why SE would use a promo image of an old device when talking about new announcements, but that’s another story.

Most likely, Sony Ericsson will unveil the Xperia Arc HD (pictured below), aka Nozomi, since we’ve seen this one quite often lately.

Another possibility is that the Xperia Ion will be unveiled. The rumored features of the SE Xperia Ion include a 4.55 inch HD display, LTE, and a 13MP rear camera. We’ll let you know which of these devices (if not both) are going to be announced.

• Sony Xperia S (Nozomi), Xperia Acro HD and Xperia NX officially announced (video)
• Android 2.4 on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc was a configuration error
• Sony Ericsson LT26i Nozomi (Xperia Arc HD) smiles for the camera
• Sony Ericsson Nozomi official render leaked, dual-core processor all but confirmed
• New Sony Ericsson Nozomi (Xperia Arc HD) live images leaked alongside more detailed specs

And today the company let us know just when you should expect that Ice Cream Sandwich update to hit your specific handset model. The first phones to receive the update will be the Xperia Arc S, Neo V, and Ray. The rollout for their updates will start in late March or early April.

Then about a month after that, in late April or early May, you can expect the updates for the Xperia Arc, Neo, Xperia Play, Mini, Mini Pro, Pro, Active, as well as the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman.

All the updates will come over-the-air, but you’ll also have the option of installing via a computer. The updates will be released in stages, and not all country or operator-specific versions of the devices will get updated at the same time.

• Confirmed: Android Ice Cream Sandwich coming to Sony Ericsson’s Xperia 2011 lineup
• SE plans to bring Android Ice Cream Sandwich to its 2011 Xperia lineup
• Sony Ericsson’s 2011 Xperia line will get Android Ice Cream Sandwich
• Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman launched in India
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Active launched in the US for $340 (unlocked)

According to Android Central, an LTE-capable Xperia Play does exist, and employee training has apparently started yesterday – so Verizon could launch it before the end of the year. It remains to be seen if the LTE Xperia Play comes with other enhancements besides 4G. A new generation processor and decent internal memory would certainly be nice.

AT&T is already selling a 4G Xperia Play, but that’s just an HSPA+ device, not an LTE one. At the moment, the non-LTE Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is offered by Verizon for free on contract.

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play goes 4G on AT&T, available for $50 starting September 18
• AT&T Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G now available for $49.99 with contract
• Verizon offers the SE Xperia Play for free until October 6
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play coming to France in late March (via Virgin Mobile)
• Verizon Sony Ericsson Xperia Play almost free at both Amazon and Wirefly

Nothing earth shattering, mind you, for Sony Ericsson was never the company to jump to new hardware as soon as it’s available. No, in fact the company still doesn’t have any dual-core phone on the market, and the Nozomi may just be its first.

Which brings us to the specs. Most of what we’ll tell you we’ve heard before, but this leak adds some more details. First of all, the Nozomi may end up being sold as the Xperia Arc HD, although a recent other leak came to contradict that notion. The truth is that the actual commercial name of this device hasn’t been conclusively leaked yet. So we’ll keep calling it Nozomi until that happnes.

The Nozomi will reportedly have a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, a 12 MP camera with 1080p full HD video capture, an HDMI port, a 4.3-inch 1280×720 HD touchscreen, and no microSD card slot whatsoever. You’ll apparently have to make do with the 16 or 32 GB of integrated storage. Also in the bad news category: the Nozomi will launch running Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Sure, it’s probably going to get updated to Ice Cream Sandwich eventually, but considering that this device is still a few months off by all accounts, it’s sad to see Sony Ericsson not do its best to ship it with the latest version of the operating system.

The Nozomi will probably get announced early next year, either during CES in January, or during MWC in February. Until then, expect many more rumors about it to pop around. And us to cover them.

Via GSMArena

• Sony Ericsson Nozomi official render leaked, dual-core processor all but confirmed
• Sony Ericsson Xperia HD (Nozomi) shows up in the wild again, the teasing continues
• Sony Ericsson LT26i Nozomi (Xperia Arc HD) smiles for the camera
• New Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo picture leaks, all but confirms the phone’s existence
• Rumor: Sony Ericsson’s Nozomi to be the next global flagship, SK19i cancelled

Newegg is selling the Xperia Active unlocked for $339.99. For that kind of money, you get a smartphone that’s dust proof and water resistant, and offers a 3 inch HVGA scratch resistant display, 3G (only on AT&T), Wi-Fi, GPS, compass, barometer, wrist strap, heart rate and pulse monitoring apps, 5MP camera with 720p video recording, and a 1GHz single-core processor.

The Xperia Active is running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and Sony Ericsson included it in the list of smartphones that would be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich next year.

Via PhoneScoop

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray, Xperia Active and TXT announced (video)
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V available in the UK
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Active pre-orders start in the UK for £229.99, shipping on September 9
• Sony (Ericsson) launches the Xperia Active Billabong Edition
• Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman launched in India

Still, some C Spire customers (or would-be customers) surely will appreciate the phone’s dual personality – it’s just another Android smartphone, but when you slide out the gamepad, it turns into every mobile gamer’s best friend (presumably).

The Xperia Play even comes with a nice price over at C Spire. The carrier would like you to shell out $49.99 (after a $50 reward card) for the device. You’ll need to sign a new two-year contract of course, and also get a data plan to be able to purchase the phone at that price. Which you can do either online or in C Spire stores, by the way, starting today.

C Spire’s Xperia Play comes with seven games preinstalled (Madden NFL 11, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, Asphalt 6:Adrenaline, The Sims 3, Star Battalion, Crash Bandicoot, and Tetris), and you’ll also be able to download five additional games (Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Need for Speed Shift, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Dead Space and FIFA 12) for free from EA until January 15, 2012.

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play launch date announced by Verizon: May 26
• Verizon Sony Ericsson Xperia Play now only $99.99 on pre-order at Amazon
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play launched in 11 countries, more than 60 games for it are available
• SE Xperia Play and Xperia Arc can be now pre-ordered at Three UK
• iPhone 4S on its way to C Spire (Cellular South)

From the announcement on, Sony didn’t let on any details as to how exactly this move will impact the phone maker. Until today.

Speaking to The Times of India, a ‘senior executive’ at Sony said that the Ericsson brand will be dropped from mobile phone products before mid-2012. As a lot of you were clearly expecting, Sony will once again sell Sony phones.

Which brings us to the company’s focus – smartphones. As it has uttered countless times even while still being called Sony Ericsson, the mobile phone maker looks to become a ‘complete smartphone company’, not selling featurephones anymore. That change, to a smartphone-only player, will also happen in 2012.

Marketing and investment budgets for Sony’s new mobile division will go up in the near future, and the company’s target is to become the number one Android phone maker. At some point.

• Sony Ericsson Xperia X1′s successor to be made by Mobinnova, not HTC
• New Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman and Sony Ericsson txt pro announced
• Sony Ericsson promises no more software / hardware glitches in future handsets
• A PSP phone “could happen”, says Sony Ericsson’s president
• Android 2.0 on Sony Ericsson’s first Android smartphone?

So undoubtedly Sony Ericsson fans are anxiously waiting for the first dual-core offering from their beloved company. This has been believed to be the Nozomi ever since August, and at this point it looks set for release next year.

Last month we saw the Nozomi being handled in some leaked live images, and today we even got a very official-looking render.

The image is small, but the main physical traits of the Nozomi are clearly distinguishable. It’s also pretty clear that this is the same device that we saw last month. Other than that though, we can only speculate. Phone Arena has received this image from IT168 as you can see it, with the name of the smartphone and its specs cut out. However, even so you can clearly see the word ‘dual’ over there which could confirm that this will be a dual-core phone.

Also, in the camera section you can see ’1920x’, which we’re guessing stands for 1920×1080 (full HD 1080p) video recording. Now that’s a resolution at which only dual-core smartphones have recorded video so far.

It’s also safe to assume that it won’t be called Nozomi, since the apparent production name seen above the phone is a lot shorter. Furthermore, it looks like there’s just one word after Xperia, which would rule out the Xperia Arc HD moniker that we’ve heard in the past. But that’s all we can say for now. Hopefully more leaks about the Nozomi will come, and we’ll let you know more when we do.

Past intel had it there was a 12 MP camera involved, alongside an HD touchscreen and the Nozomi should run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with a Timescape UI color scheme, as shown in the render above.

• Rumor: Sony Ericsson’s Nozomi to be the next global flagship, SK19i cancelled
• Sony Ericsson LT26i Nozomi (Xperia Arc HD) smiles for the camera
• New Sony Ericsson Nozomi (Xperia Arc HD) live images leaked alongside more detailed specs
• New Sony Ericsson Xperia Duo picture leaks, all but confirms the phone’s existence
• Sony Ericsson MT11i is yet another upcoming Android smartphone

The Xperia Active was announced in June, believe it or not, and we’ve been waiting for it to hit the streets ever since. Retailers started taking pre-orders for the Xperia Active in July, and here we are after what is probably one of the longest pre-order periods in history – and it’s finally available.

If you’d like to get an Xperia Active from Clove, you’ll have to shell out £240. It’s a phone that adheres to IP67 military spec for ruggedness, so it can undoubtedly accompany you in all your adventures/activities.

But so can the Motorola Defy+ JCB Edition. Again an IP67 certified smartphone, this was announced a couple of weeks ago and has arrived in stock earlier than anticipated. It’s basically a vanilla Defy+ with some extra JCB goodies thrown in for good measure, such as an extended 24-month warranty, an exclusive JCB branded skin with shock absorption, specifically designed for the Defy+, exclusive JCB packaging, and a JCB app which is preinstalled and includes six tools (Therodolite, Spirit Level, Torch and Decibel Reader) and a B&Q store locator.

The Defy+ JCB Edition can be yours for £262.80, if you get it from Clove.

So there you go. If you’re in the market for a rugged smartphone, two more options just made it to stores for you.

• UK: Motorola Defy+ gets even more rugged with JCB edition, coming on December 6 for £262.80
• Motorola Defy Mini pre-orders start in the UK for £174.99, shipping in late February or early March
• Motorola Defy+ now up for pre-order in the UK, free from £15.32 per month, £246 SIM-free
• UK: Sony Ericsson Xperia Active now delayed until September 30
• Motorola Defy+ will be available in the UK in September

That said, if you were wondering what Verizon had up its sleeve(s) for this Black Friday, wonder no more for that information has been leaked to Droid Life. Not at all unexpectedly, if you compare Big Red’s offers with Amazon’s, you’ll be a bit disappointed by what America’s No.1 carrier has prepared.

As you can see above, Verizon has some smartphones and one tablet up for grabs at special prices. First up, the Motorola Xoom will be just $199.99 with a new two-year contract, but only on Friday. That is, indeed, a significant discount from the normal price, but it remains to be seen if that will be enough to sway people into getting the first Honeycomb tablet. Especially now that we’re hearing more and more about upcoming quad-core tablets.

On the phone front, you have the red HTC Droid Incredible 2 which will be free (Friday only), the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and the LG Enlighten, also free, and the 4G LTE capable LG Revolution for $49.99 (again, on Friday only). All of these require the signing of a two-year contract, of course. Activations will be free, and the double data for smartphones offer still applies (and can get you 4 GB of traffic each month for $30).

But if you are looking for the new smartphone, we suggest you check out Amazon Wireless deals first. They have most of those smartphones for $0.01 this week.

• Verizon Sony Ericsson Xperia Play almost free at both Amazon and Wirefly
• Another Verizon roadmap leaks: new release dates for Droid Charge, Droid Incredible 2, Xperia Play
• Verizon may launch a 4G LTE Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
• Verizon offers the SE Xperia Play for free until October 6
• Canada: Rogers Sony Ericsson Xperia Play and Xperia Arc now on pre-order at Best Buy

Furthermore, you can also get the Xperia Neo V from the same outlet. The price being asked is $349.99, and again you’ll receive an unlocked device for use on any GSM-based network. That said, you’re pretty much stuck on EDGE on T-Mobile, so AT&T should be your carrier of choice if you decide to go through with this purchase.

The Xperia Neo V is in stock at Sony’s online store, as is the Xperia Arc S. So you can choose between what is the company’s current flagship device, or a solid midranger if that suits your needs better.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V has a 3.7-inch 854×480 touchscreen, a 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording, a 1 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, 320 MB of built-in storage, microSD card support, HSPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 1,500 mAh battery.

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc now available in the US unlocked, direct from Sony
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S can now be ordered in the US for $499.99 unlocked
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc officially announced for the US market
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray now available unlocked in the US for $379.99
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro may start shipping in late September in the UK

After going on sale in SIM-free and unlocked form in the UK in September, the Xperia Arc S now looks set to do the exact same thing in the US. Sony’s online store already lists the superphone, alongside a $499.99 price tag. Although unlocked, this SKU is clearly destined for use on AT&T’s 4G HSPA network, since it comes with all the right bands for that and no love for T-Mobile. Of course you can still use EDGE on TMo, but in 2011 why you’d want to do that is beyond us.

The online store now says that the Xperia Arc S will start shipping tomorrow, but be advised that yesterday it said it would do that today – so, regarding the actual release date, things still feel a bit murky. But if you’re desperate to get your hands on the Arc S, of course you’ll run to Sony’s store and order one nevertheless. Regardless of when, you will surely be among the first people in the US to own one. That’s got to count, right?

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V now available in the US unlocked for $349.99, Xperia Arc S in stock too
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc now available in the US unlocked, direct from Sony
• Unlocked Sony Xperia Ion can now be pre-ordered for $569.50
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro may start shipping in late September in the UK
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc officially announced for the US market

Unfortunately, SE didn’t provide a timeframe for the updates. However, they’ll most probably be pushed to handsets starting next year.

In case you want to know exactly what Xperia models will be blessed with Android 4.0, here they are: Xperia Arc, Xperia Arc S, Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, Xperia Neo V, Xperia Mini, Xperia Mini Pro, Xperia Pro, Xperia Active, and Xperia Ray.

Even though the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman is not Xperia-branded, this will get Android ICS, too. Good job, SE. Good job.

• Sony Ericsson’s 2011 Xperia line will get Android Ice Cream Sandwich
• SE plans to bring Android Ice Cream Sandwich to its 2011 Xperia lineup
• Android 4.0 updates for Sony Ericsson Xperia phones to start in March or April
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini and Mini Pro prices in Europe: €300, €330
• Sony Ericsson will spend £4 million for promoting its new Xperia Android phones in the UK

Available to Indian customers for 26,995 INR ($542) unlocked, the SE Xperia Arc S is an upgraded Xperia Arc, coming with a 1.4GHz processor, 3D sweep panorama, and all the features from the original handset.

You can go here at Letsbuy India to order the Xperia Arc S now.

Another new Gingerbread smartphone that’s coming soon to India is the 5.3 inch Samsung Galaxy Note. According to Samsung India’s Facebook page, the Note will be exclusively available at The Great India Place (one of the country’s largest malls) tomorrow, November 12. Reportedly, “normal stores” should get the Note starting next week.

Both the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S and Samsung Galaxy Note will be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the first half of 2012.

• Google Nexus S i9023 with S-LCD coming to India for 30,400 INR
• Samsung confirms AT&T’s Galaxy Note at CES
• AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy Note available for pre-order at Best Buy tomorrow, free flip cover case included
• Samsung Galaxy Note and SE Xperia Arc S can be pre-ordered in the UK
• Samsung Galaxy Note will arrive in the UK on November 17

This next high-end Sony Ericsson device will have the model designation LT26i, and we’ve heard leaked tidbits about it a couple of times so far. First we were told it was called Nozomi, but frankly that sounds a lot more like a codename than something you’d see on the market. Then, just a few days ago, rumor had it that the Nozomi would be sold as the Xperia Arc HD. And that, judging from SE’s past naming conventions, seems reasonable.

We’ve heard that this would be a beast of a device and would come with a 720p HD touchscreen. However, we’ve never seen the Nozomi / Xperia Arc HD up close. Until now.

As you have undoubtedly gathered, the above images represent the Sony Ericsson LT26i, codenamed Nozomi, and which may be called Xperia Arc HD when it launches. The pictures come from iAndroid via Android and Me, and offer a glimpse at a handset that seems incredibly thin.

We’re hoping this is a test device or something like that and the phone will actually launch running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and not the Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread that this unit runs. It would be a pity to see the Xperia X10 fiasco all over again (in short: a phone launched with a version of the OS that was outdated).

Rumored specs for the Xperia Arc HD include a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, front and rear cameras, and that interesting LED illuminated menu strip which stretches to the back of the phone.

The Nozomi is set to be unveiled at CES in January, or perhaps during MWC in February at the latest. By then, a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor and a 720p HD touchscreen won’t be the novelties they are today, but that’s just fine. Software tweaking is sometimes more important than having the latest (sometimes buggy) hardware. We’re looking forward to seeing more leaks about this handset.

• New Sony Ericsson Nozomi (Xperia Arc HD) live images leaked alongside more detailed specs
• Sony Ericsson Nozomi official render leaked, dual-core processor all but confirmed
• Sony Ericsson Xperia HD (Nozomi) shows up in the wild again, the teasing continues
• Sony Xperia S (Nozomi) official details leak ahead of imminent announcement
• Sony Ericsson MT11i is yet another upcoming Android smartphone

Both the Motorola Defy+ and the LG Optimus Spirit are already available. The rugged Defy+ can be bought online here, while the Optimus Spirit (which is just a rebranded Optimus Net) can be bought here (it costs $149 on pre-pay).

As for the Xperia Arc S, this will bring its slim body, its 1.4GHz processor and its 3D-capable camera to Telstra on November 15.

The Telstra QWERTY Touch – which is pictured above and is probably manufactured by ZTE – will become available on November 15, too, offering a full QWERTY keyboard, and costing only $129 outright (on prepay).

Via Telstra, AusDroid

• Motorola Defy coming to Australia (Telstra) on November 30
• Motorola Atrix and Honeycomb tablets to be launched by Telstra in Australia?
• Telstra HTC Velocity 4G to get Android 4.0 ICS next month
• Australia’s Telstra launching T-Touch Android tablet in November (is this the Huawei S7?)
• Walmart will sell you T-Mobile’s LG Optimus T for $0.97, Motorola Defy for $48.88

Specs wise, the Xperia Arc HD is rumored to feature a  4.3-inch HD touchscreen with 1280 x 720p resolution thanks to Sony’s Bravia Engine. This device will also likely feature a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and possibly Android Ice Cream Sandwhich, although it is unlikely depending on what time it is released. The coolest feature of the Arc HD is the ability to record 1080p HD videos and take a full HD photo at the same time while recording by tapping the screen.

It’s very logical for Sony Ericsson to jump onto the HD bandwagon and get an HD phone out on the market with competitors such as the HTC Rezound and Galaxy Nexus. We will keep you updated on the status of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD.

GSMArena

• Xperia Play gets HD video recording in Android 2.3.4 update
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc now available in the US unlocked, direct from Sony
• Sony Xperia S (Nozomi), Xperia Acro HD and Xperia NX officially announced (video)
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray, Xperia Active and TXT announced (video)
• #MWC11: Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo hands-on video

The deal will obviously not affect the SE brand, so we’ll continue to see Sony Ericsson smartphones being launched. The transaction is expected to close in January 2012, and will allow Sony to quickly “integrate smartphones into its broad array of network-connected consumer electronics devices – including tablets, televisions and personal computers – for the benefit of consumers and the growth of its business.”

It will also enable Ericsson – which gets €1.05 billion in cash from Sony – to focus “on the global wireless market as a whole.” In the long run, the transaction will probably have positive effects on both companies.

Sony Ericsson currently employs more than 7000 people. It’s headquartered in London, and there’s no reason for that to change after Sony’s takeover.

At the moment, more than 80% of Sony Ericsson’s products are Android smartphones. The company has recently announced that it would only produce smartphones starting next year, and I’m sure Sony will keep this promise.

Via Press release

• Sony wants to buy Ericsson’s stake in Sony Ericsson
• Sony Ericsson announces Q4 results, reports almost €1 billion loss for 2009
• Sony Ericsson wants to be world’s No.1 Android vendor
• Sony Ericsson to become Sony in mid-2012, focus on Android smartphones
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 will get Android 2.1 this year

Play is asking £259.99 (about €300 or $415) for the Neo V – a good price considering the handset’s features, which include a 3.7 inch scratch-resistant display with 854 x 480 pixels, Wi-Fi, DLNA, HSDPA, GPS, 5MP rear camera with 720p video recording, front-facing camera, and a 1GHz processor.

The Xperia Neo V currently runs Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread. However, like all the other Xperia smartphones released this year, it should be updated to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich at some point.

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play goes 4G on AT&T, available for $50 starting September 18
• Sony Xperia S coming to Orange UK, Vodafone has no plans to offer it
• Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman launched in India
• Sony Xperia S (Nozomi), Xperia Acro HD and Xperia NX officially announced (video)
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray headed to India

According to Engadget, the company has confirmed that “beyond Gingerbread 2.3.4, we plan to upgrade our 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio to the next Android platform made available to us.” Certainly, Ice Cream Sandwich is not specifically mentioned here, but it’s understandable that this is the “next platform” Sony Ericsson is talking about.

The plans regarding the ICS update have been reportedly discussed on SE Netherlands’ Facebook page, too. However, that post doesn’t exist anymore, and it looks like the Facebook account has disappeared entirely.

In any case, you can expect to get a taste of Android Ice Cream Sandwich if you have one of these SE smartphones: Xperia Arc, Xperia Arc S, Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, Xperia Neo V, Xperia Ray, Xperia Pro, Xperia Mini, Xperia Mini Pro, and Xperia Active. Most probably, updates will start rolling-out next year (but that’s just my guess).

• Confirmed: Android Ice Cream Sandwich coming to Sony Ericsson’s Xperia 2011 lineup
• Sony Ericsson’s 2011 Xperia line will get Android Ice Cream Sandwich
• Android 4.0 updates for Sony Ericsson Xperia phones to start in March or April
• New Sony Xperia Android phone(s) to be announced at MWC 2012
• AT&T “definitely” launching the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10?

Unlike previous occasions though, it isn’t an independent third-party retailer doing the cutting, it’s O2 itself. The operator has decided that it needs to clear some Xperia Play stock, and as such it has given it an incredible price. See, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play can now be yours for just £149.99 on O2 Pay & Go. Sure, that probably means that the phone comes network locked to O2, and it may also mean that you need to get a top-up when purchasing the handset, but seriously… this looks like a great deal. That is, of course, if you don’t mind having O2 as your operator.

And, naturally, if you think the whole idea of having a sliding gamepad on a phone is pure genius. If you meet all of the above conditions, do head over to O2 right now and get yourself a brand new Xperia Play.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play has a 4-inch 854×480 touchscreen, a 5 MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording, a secondary front-facing cam for video calls, a 1 GHz single-core processor, 512 MB of RAM, 400 MB of built-in storage, microSD card support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HSPA, GPS, and a 1,500 mAh battery.

• #MWC11: Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo hands-on video
• Pre-orders for the new Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro start in the UK, £239.99, shipping August 5
• AT&T Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G now available for $49.99 with contract
• UK: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play can now be ordered for just £199.99, ships on October 7
• Verizon Sony Ericsson Xperia Play now only $99.99 on pre-order at Amazon

The majority of those handsets (about 80%) were Android smartphones, and SE says it shipped a total of 22 million Xperia devices worldwide since the first Xperia came out (it was the Xperia X1, launched in 2008 with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional on board).

The company reported total sales of €1.58 billion for Q3. The income before taxes was €31 million, but the net income is reported to be a funny €0 (zero) million.

Sony Ericsson’s share of the global Android-based smartphone market was estimated at “approximately 12% in volume and 11% in value.”

According to SE, the company will “shift the entire portfolio to smartphones in 2012.”

Via Press release

• Sony Ericsson sold about 5 million smartphones in Q1 2011, mostly Androids
• RIM reports strong growth, 3.9 million new BlackBerry subscribers
• Sony Ericsson happy with Xperia X10 and Vivaz sales, posts small profit for Q2 2010
• Mobile phone market declined by almost 13% in Q4 2008
• Sony Ericsson announces 2011 results. 6 million Xperia smartphones sold in Q4 2011

Anyway, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro is basically an Xperia Neo fitted with a side-sliding physical QWERTY keyboard. All of the other specs are basically identical, which makes the Pro’s delay even stranger. Perhaps producing a keyboard that big turned out to be a challenge for the company.

But the strangeness doesn’t stop there. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro is now available to purchase in the UK from Clove, which will give you a SIM-free device for £306. Which is a bit funny, considering that the Xperia Neo costs £322.80 right now at the same retailer. So, the Xperia Pro is a Neo with a keyboard, yet it’s cheaper. Perhaps people really aren’t that much into physical QWERTY keyboards anymore? We’ll see.

Yet if you are, make sure you get yourself an Xperia Pro. It’s a decent device for the price, as it comes with a 1 GHz single-core processor, a 3.7-inch 854×480 touchscreen, an 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording, 512 MB of RAM, 320 MB of user accessible built-in storage, microSD card support, 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, 5.76 Mbps HSUPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 1,500 mAh battery. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro runs Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread.

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V pre-orders start in India for Rs. 17,999, ships on October 12
• Pre-orders for the new Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro start in the UK, £239.99, shipping August 5
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S officially announced, has 1.4 GHz processor and can shoot 3D pictures
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro coming to the UK this month, pre-orders available now
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro delayed until Q4. SE TXT Pro priced

For those of you who don’t know anything about anything, Sony Ericsson wasn’t owned by Sony, and Sony didn’t buy Ericsson. The company that makes phones was created in 2001 as a 50-50 joint venture between Sony and Ericsson, and it’s been so ever since.

As mentioned already, back in March of last year we first heard that this may happen. Apparently Sony wants more control over the mobile activities, now that it’s (presumably) understood that the future is mobile. One move that may have anticipated the change was Sony launching Android-powered tablets under its own brand recently, not using Sony Ericsson’s.

Talks for the sale between Ericsson and Sony are ongoing and can break apart at any time. A deal is estimated to come in at 1-1.25 billion euros, which translates into $1.3-1.7 billion.

Will this move (if it happens) be enough to guarantee Sony’s success in the mobile space? Obviously not. Anything can happen, and Sony Ericsson hasn’t been doing all that well in recent years. Although over the past few months they have started to put out some interesting things, like their Facebook inside Xperia software or the increased support for independent Android developers and modders. Whether or not any of that will change with Sony at the helm remains to be seen. We’ll keep you posted.

Via WSJ

• Sony to buy Ericsson’s share in Sony Ericsson?
• Sony Ericsson to become Sony in mid-2012, focus on Android smartphones
• Sony officially buys Ericsson’s share in SE for €1 billion
• AT&T launches 12mpx Sony Xperia ion LTE camera flagship. Marks the end of Sony Ericsson
• Sony CEO considering dumping Ericsson for sucking so much at mobile phone business lately

Not long after its launch, Verizon cut the handset’s price to $99, and then to $49 (to match the price of AT&T’s Xperia Play).

Now Verizon is offering the PlayStation-certified Android smartphone for free, although the offer is available only online, and will last just three days – until October 6.

You can go here at Verizon to get the Xperia Play for free (new contract agreement required).

Sure enough, Amazon and Wirelfy have been selling the SE Xperia Play for almost nothing since June. But that doesn’t mean Verizon’s current offer won’t lure some customers (unless they’re all waiting for Apple’s new iPhone 4S, which has been announced a few hours ago, and will come to Verizon on October 14).

• Verizon Sony Ericsson Xperia Play almost free at both Amazon and Wirefly
• All Verizon phones (Droid Bionic included) offered for $0.01 at Amazon until October 17
• Verizon SE Xperia Play, LG Revolution, HTC Trophy and Droid X2 available now
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play goes 4G on AT&T, available for $50 starting September 18
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play on sale for $99.99 at Verizon

Already available in the US (but only unlocked), the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and is a thin (9.5mm) and fashionable handset. It features a 3.3 inch FWVGA (854 x 480) scratch-resistant display, Mobile Bravia engine, Facebook integration, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, GPS, 8MP camera with Sony’s Exmor R sensor, 720p video recording, 512MB of RAM, 1GHz single-core processor, and a 4GB memory card pre-installed.

“The Xperia Ray is an ideal smartphone for TELUS customers who are looking for a powerful Android device that combines beautiful design with innovative multimedia features,” declared Peter Farmer, Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson North America.

The Xperia Ray will be the first Sony Ericsson Android smartphone launched by Telus. The carrier hasn’t unveiled the handset’s price yet.

Via Press release

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray, Xperia Active and TXT announced (video)
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo will be called Kyno in France
• Sony Ericsson Yendo Android Walkman promo pics leak
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play coming to France in late March (via Virgin Mobile)
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray coming to O2 UK in September

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray is now available in the US, though not from a carrier, as you may expect. Instead, you can buy the Xperia Ray at independent online retailers such as Newegg, and you’ll get an unlocked device.

You’ll be able to use it on AT&T or T-Mobile, though if you’d like to get 3G or 4G speeds, you’re going to have to stick with AT&T, since the Xperia Ray doesn’t have the bands required for T-Mobile’s flavor of high speed data.

Newegg will give you an Xperia Ray if you agree to part with $379.99 of your hard earned cash. The phone is in stock right now and you also get free shipping. So if you’re interested, go to Newegg now and place your order.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray has a 3.3-inch 854×480 touchscreen, an 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording, a 1 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, 1 GB of ROM, 300 MB of user accessible built-in storage, microSD card support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HSPA, GPS, and a 1500 mAh battery.

• UK: Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S ships on September 30, Xperia Pro on October 6
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo actually became available today in the UK, priced from £342 SIM-free
• UK: Sony Ericsson Xperia Active now delayed until September 30
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray may be available in the UK on September 5
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray now available in India for Rs. 18,995

Good news. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S is now in stock at Clove, a well known online mobile retailer. In its SIM-free and unlocked form, the Xperia Arc S will set you back £349.99. It’s available in either white or ‘Midnight Blue’. If you order one today, it will be shipped to you on Monday, October 3.

The Xperia Arc S is basically an Xperia Arc with a couple of additions. The processor is now 1.4 GHz (and not 1 GHz), and the camera can shoot 3D pictures. Other than that, this is a good old Xperia Arc for all intents and purposes. Still, the Arc S offers a nice feature upgrade to the Arc, and if you were thinking about purchasing the original, the S model is probably a much better choice right now.

If you’re interested in buying an Xperia Arc S from Clove, just go here for the white model and here for the blue one.

• UK: Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S ships on September 30, Xperia Pro on October 6
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S now available at Vodafone UK, free from £31 per month
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S officially announced, has 1.4 GHz processor and can shoot 3D pictures
• Red Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo exclusively launching at Vodafone UK soon
• Samsung Galaxy Note and SE Xperia Arc S can be pre-ordered in the UK

In India, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V is now available to pre-order from online retailer Letsbuy. The price being asked is Rs. 17,999. Shipping is supposed to start on October 12, so unfortunately you still have a decent amount of waiting to do if you’re after this device. However, to be sure that you’ll be among the first people in India to get one, you should probably head over to Letsbuy now and pre-order one.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V has a 3.7-inch 854×480 touchscreen, a 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording, a secondary VGA front-facing camera, a 1 GHz single-core processor, 320 MB of built-in storage, 512 MB of RAM, microSD card support, 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, 5.76 Mbps HSUPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a 1,500 mAh battery.

Via AndroidOS.in

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray now available in India for Rs. 18,995
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini pre-orders start in India, shipping next week
• Pre-orders for the new Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro start in the UK, £239.99, shipping August 5
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc pre-orders have started in India, availability expected in April
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo pre-orders start in the UK for £379.99, shipping August 4

The Xperia Arc S, if you remember, was introduced last month. It comes with a 1.4 GHz processor, 40% faster than its predecessor’s, yet sadly still single-core. The Arc S can also snap 3D pictures despite it not having two cameras, using Sony Ericsson’s 3D Sweep Panorama shooting mode. Aside from these additions, the Arc S is basically the exact same device as the Arc. The Arc S runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

Vodafone will give you the phone for free if you sign a 24-month contract that’s at least £31 per month. Alternatively, you could pay £99 for the device upfront and get a £26 per month plan. There are many other more expensive contracts to choose from, so make sure you go through the list in order to find the one that’s good for you. Needless to say, Vodafone will be happy to take your money.

• SE Xperia Play and Xperia Arc can be now pre-ordered at Three UK
• Red Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo now available at Vodafone UK, free from £26 per month
• Vodafone UK now has the HTC Desire Z and Nokia C7
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v pre-orders start tomorrow at Vodafone Australia, pricing info now available
• Vodafone UK now sells the HTC Desire HD and the Nokia N8

While Sony Ericsson has been focusing mostly on Android-powered smartphones for the past year or so, the Mix Walkman and the TXT and TXT Pro are interesting offerings mainly because they aren’t smartphones. Interesting for us to cover, at least. Using them is a different story, of course.

But hey, if you want to, at least now you can get the Mix Walkman from another UK mobile network operator. O2′s pricing though is almost identical to Vodafone’s at £79.99 on Pay as you go. This being a PAYG affair, you’ll need to make an initial top-up of £10 when you purchase the phone. Still, by topping up a tenner each month you can get up to 300 texts and 500 MB of data on one plan, or up to 500 minutes to O2 mobiles and landlines from one UK postcode if you choose another option.

So make sure you go through all the alternatives before you hit the Order link at O2.

The Sony Ericsson Mix Walkman has a 3-inch 240×400 touchscreen, a 3.15 MP camera with QVGA (320×240) video capture, 256 MB of built-in storage of which 100 MB is user accessible, microSD card support, EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a 1,000 mAh battery.

• Red Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo now available at Vodafone UK, free from £26 per month
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini and Mini Pro up for pre-order in the UK on contract, free from £15/month
• UK: HP Pre 3 now up for pre-order with Orange and T-Mobile contracts, free from £20.42 per month
• HTC Sensation XE now available at Three UK, free from £30 per month
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, Samsung Galaxy S free at O2 UK with £16.5/month contract until Monday

First up, we have the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S. This has a minor bump in specs compared to the original Xperia Arc, but that small bump is nevertheless very welcome. The Arc S is set to start shipping from UK retailer Clove this Friday, on September 30. If you’re interested in it, you can still pre-order one from Clove for £349.99 in either white or blue.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro was announced back in February during MWC, and it’s certainly been a very long time coming. Yet it will finally arrive on UK shelves on October 6. That’s when Clove plans to start shipping Xperia Pros out to those who pre-ordered them. Which, by the way, you can still do at Clove if you agree to part with £322.80 of your hard earned cash.

So if you like your smartphone slim and sleek, or if you love side-sliding keyboards, Sony Ericsson will have something for you pretty soon. If you’re into Android, that is.

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo actually became available today in the UK, priced from £342 SIM-free
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro may start shipping in late September in the UK
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 to be launched by AT&T in the coming weeks
• Smallish Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini Android handset starts shipping tomorrow. For 290EUR, incl. VAT
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play gets a price drop in the UK: £418

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray is the Xperia Neo‘s little brother, which comes with a smaller, 3.3-inch touchscreen but otherwise has very similar specs. It was announced back in June.

So if you’re in India, you can now pick up an Xperia Ray from online retailer Letsbuy. The price being asked is exactly what we previously heard it would be, namely Rs. 18,995. Delivery time is estimated to be around 2-4 working days.

If you’re interested, Letsbuy is clearly waiting for you to place an order.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray has the aforementioned touchscreen with an 854×480 resolution, and also an 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording, a 1 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, 1 GB of ROM, 300 MB of user accessible built-in storage, microSD card support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HSPA, GPS, and a 1,500 mAh battery.

Via AndroidOS.in

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V pre-orders start in India for Rs. 17,999, ships on October 12
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini pre-orders start in India, shipping next week
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray now available unlocked in the US for $379.99
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc now available in the US unlocked, direct from Sony
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc pre-orders have started in India, availability expected in April

The first feature is the addition of 720p HD video recording. Xperia Play owners were previously only able to shoot in standard definition on their 5 megapixel camera, but they will now be able to record some nice HD videos. The second feature is the option to enable or disable the display’s auto brightness, which is already available to Verizon Xperia Play owners  who upgraded to Android 2.3.3.

Not sure why HD recording wasn’t included out of the box, but it is good to know that it is now available. Below is a video showing off the new recording thanks to a user over at the  XDA forums. We will keep you updated on the Xperia Play.

Xperia Blog XDA

Get the Verizon Xperia Play for free at Wirefly and Amazon and the AT&T version at Amazon as well.

• Verizon-Branded Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Seen at CTIA 2011, We Go Hands-on (Video)
• Verizon Sony Ericsson Xperia Play almost free at both Amazon and Wirefly
• Verizon offers the SE Xperia Play for free until October 6
• Verizon Sony Ericsson Xperia Play now only $99.99 on pre-order at Amazon
• Android 2.1 update for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 range delayed until October

Three will offer the Xperia Arc S in an exclusive Gloss Black color. Unfortunately, we don’t know when exactly this will happen. In any case, you can check out the new handset at Three’s Coming Soon webpage.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S runs Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, and comes with a 1.4GHz processor, 4.2 inch FWVGA Reality display, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, Facebook and Twitter integration, 8MP rear camera with 720p video recording and 3D sweep panorama capability, front-facing camera, and an 8GB memory card pre-installed – all in a 8.7mm thin case.

Via SoMobile

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray coming to O2 UK in September
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray, Xperia Active and TXT announced (video)
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray coming soon to Three UK
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray officially headed to Telus Canada
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo will be called Kyno in France

Well known UK online electronics retailer Expansys really, really wants your next Android-powered smartphone to be the Xperia Play, it seems. So especially if you like the whole idea of the sliding gamepad on a phone, read on.

Expansys now offers the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play in unlocked and SIM-free form for just £199.99. That’s less than half the price it launched with. So, seriously, if you’ve always fancied the Xperia Play or considered it among devices you could probably get, now’s the time to act.

There’s just one caveat. Expansys won’t begin shipping these low-priced Xperia Play units until October 7. So for now this feels more like a pre-order – in that there’s some waiting to do before you can actually play with your brand spanking new smartphone. Even so, it’s a solid deal.

If you’re interested, head on over to Expansys now and fill that basket up.

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play gets price cut to £390 in the UK
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo actually became available today in the UK, priced from £342 SIM-free
• UK: Sony Ericsson Xperia Active now delayed until September 30
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play gets a price drop in the UK: £418
• Verizon Sony Ericsson Xperia Play now only $99.99 on pre-order at Amazon

The SE Live is the first Walkman-branded smartphone to come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It’s a mid-end device that features a 3.2 inch HVGA scratch-resistant display, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot capability, GPS, HSDPA, Sony xLOUD sound enhancement, Facebook integration, 5MP rear camera with 720p video recording, VGA front-facing camera, 1GHz processor, and a 2GB memory card pre-installed.

You can check out the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman here at Three UK’s official website. Three didn’t unveil any pricing details yet.

Via SoMobile

• Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman launched in India
• Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman and Android Gingerbread announced
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S coming to Three UK
• Sony Ericsson Walkman W902, W595 and W302 video preview and live pictures
• Sony Ericsson Zylo and Spiro Walkman phones introduced (video)

The Xperia Ray will be available from Vodafone stores starting on September 28, so in just over a week from now.

Vodafone will offer the device on a variety of contracts, including the $29 Cap plan with $5 handset repayments over 24 months, or the $49 Cap plan for 24 months with no handset repayments.

The phone will be able to use Vodafone’s 850 MHz HSPA network alongside the older 2100 MHz band, allowing it to get better coverage.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray has a 3.3-inch 854×480 touchscreen, an 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and 720p HD video recording, a 1 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, 1 GB of ROM, 300 MB of user accessible built-in storage, microSD card support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HSPA, GPS, and a 1500 mAh battery.

Via Ausdroid

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray now available in India for Rs. 18,995
• Red Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo now available at Vodafone UK, free from £26 per month
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray now available unlocked in the US for $379.99
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 coming to Vodafone UK in April
• Red Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo exclusively launching at Vodafone UK soon

Today we have some good news. It seems like Sony Ericsson decided to grace owners of the original Xperia Neo with this update already. Reports are coming in that the rollout started in Northern Europe and the Netherlands but has in the meantime made it to unlocked devices sold everywhere. Unfortunately, you apparently have to use Sony Ericsson’s desktop update tool to perform the update – it won’t come over-the-air.

Aside from all the fixes and enhancements that Android 2.3.4 generally brings (Google Chat video support included), Sony Ericsson has added a few more interesting bits to this update. The Facebook inside Xperia integration is now even more pervasive. A ‘swipe to type’ option has been added to Sony Ericsson’s keyboard, and there’s a screenshot tool now built into the firmware. Finally, Sony Ericsson has also added ’3D sweep panorama’ to the camera, meaning that you can now take 3D panoramic pictures with the phone despite it only having a 2D camera. This is the same tech that’s in the Xperia Arc S, so take a look at our article regarding that device for more details about this shooting mode.

As it turns out, despite its minor revision number, Sony Ericsson has definitely managed to make the 2.3.4 update into something pretty interesting, and that will probably serve as a compelling reason for many Neo owners to be quite happy right now. And rush to update their phones.

Via XDA, Esato, and Xperia Blog

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S officially announced, has 1.4 GHz processor and can shoot 3D pictures
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 will get Android 2.1 this year
• Android 2.1 update for Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 line will begin on Sunday
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V announced. Other Xperias to get Android 2.3.4 soon
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 will get Android 2.3 Gingerbread in August

Other than having the ’4G’ suffix added to its name, this is the same Xperia Play that’s been sold worldwide and by Verizon so far, save for the different radio that accommodates AT&T’s “4G” network (read: HSPA).

So if you think that having a side-slider reveal not a QWERTY keyboard, but a PlayStation-like gamepad is a genius idea, and your carrier of choice is AT&T, perhaps you should now be running over there to place an order.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G has a 1 GHz single-core processor, a 5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and WVGA video recording, a 4-inch 854×480 touchscreen, 400 MB of internal storage space, 512 MB of RAM, microSD card support, HSPA, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, and a 1500 mAh battery.

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play now just £149.99 on O2 Pay & Go
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play launching in India in late April?
• Verizon Sony Ericsson Xperia Play now only $99.99 on pre-order at Amazon
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play gets a price drop in the UK: £418
• #MWC11: Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo hands-on video

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Active has been up for pre-order in the UK ever since July, which is also when we heard that it would be shipping on September 9. That however didn’t happen, and the culprit seems to have been a small delay in the Xperia Active’s release in the UK.

According to online mobile retailer Play.com, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active is now set to start shipping on September 30. Therefore, the phone has encountered a three-week delay. We don’t know why this has happened, but at least it’s just a small delay. We’re hoping it doesn’t turn into anything bigger.

Play.com still lets you pre-order the Xperia Active if you so wish, asking for £239.99 in return, the price being inclusive of free shipping. For that amount of dough you’ll be getting a SIM-free, unlocked handset of course.

• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play gets price cut to £390 in the UK
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Active pre-orders start in the UK for £229.99, shipping on September 9
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro may start shipping in late September in the UK
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray may have been delayed until September in the UK
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Play delayed by Vodafone UK, too