Today, Sony Ericsson showed the world 3 new Android smartphones: the Xperia acro, the Xperia mini and the Xperia mini pro. The acro is a new version of the Xperia arc that will only be available in the Japanese market, however the Xperia mini and mini pro will be available globally, beginning third quarter.
Sony Ericsson says that the new Xperia mini is the smallest Android phone in the world, capable of capturing HD video, and it features Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), a 3-inch Reality Display with Sony’s Bravia engine, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and a 5-megapixel camera. The Xperia pro features similar specs along with a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard.
Very nice to see more QWERTY Android phones coming to market. It’s tough enough to navigate Android with merely a screen keyboard. This will likely cut into some Blacberry marketshare considering many have opted not to adopt Android to-date due to so many of the latest Android handsets coming out without any physical keys. Again, great to see this in the latest gadgets crop.
Here are both official press releases….
Sony Ericsson unveils next-generation Xperia minis
- Introducing two powerful, versatile and compact smartphones
- Xperia™ mini – the world’s smallest HD video recording smartphone
- Xperia™ mini pro –intuitive fast messaging in a compact smartphone
May 5th, 2011, London – Sony Ericsson unveils the new Xperia™ mini andXperia™ mini pro, the latest additions to its Xperia™ family. Building on the success of the original mini series, these innovative smartphones come packed full of features, powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor, and run the latest platform of Google’s Android™ – Gingerbread 2.3. Beautifully designed, Xperia™mini and Xperia™ mini pro both integrate best-in-class imaging and display technology from Sony, including Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine and HD video recording (720p).
The products offer a full multimedia entertainment experience. Xperia™ mini and Xperia™ mini pro enable access to over 150,000 apps on the Android Market™ and has a 3” scratch-resistant, multi-touch glass screen. The improved user interface allows up to 16 apps displayed on the home screen. Facebook inside Xperia™, a feature just announced for the Xperia™ family, provides a unique social media integration.
Xperia™ mini pro brings the optimized slide-out keyboard with smart functionality first seen on the Xperia™ pro to a compact smartphone. A subtle but fast Type & Send functionality eliminates the need to open a dedicated app for each type of message, and Smart Keyboard triggers predictive messaging actions automatically when the user slides out the keyboard. Xperia™ mini pro also comes pre-loaded with Office Suite and McAfee antivirus software, letting consumers manage documents and e-mails instantly and securely while on the move.
Steve Walker, Head of Marketing, Sony Ericsson said, “We wanted to provide consumers even greater choice across the Xperia™ range, while building on the success of the original mini series. These turbo-charged smartphones now contain even more power, enhanced functionality, a larger screen and premium features unique to Sony Ericsson. They are packed full of features, making them a perfect choice for consumers looking for all the benefits of Android and Sony in a beautiful and easy to use compact form factor.”
Sony Ericsson also unveils today a new integration, Facebook inside Xperia™, which will be included in the new Xperia™ mini and mini pro and soon to be available across the wider Xperia™ range. Facebook inside Xperia™ integrates social connections throughout the phone, by making Facebook immediately accessible from the most used areas of the phone such as the picture gallery, music player, phonebook and calendar. As people are becoming increasingly reliant on their smartphones for instant communication, Sony Ericsson is enabling people to ‘like’, share and comment more easily than ever before with Facebook inside Xperia™.
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ mini – Key features
- World’s smallest Android™ smartphone with HD video recording
- Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
- Place up to 16 apps in the corners of your home screen
- Over 150,000 apps on Android Market™
- Facebook inside. Keeping your friends closer
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ mini pro – Key features
- Ergonomic keyboard and smart functions for fast messaging
- HD video and Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
- Synch your email and view office documents safely on the go
- Place up to 16 apps in the corners of your home screen
- Over 150,000 apps on Android Market™
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ mini pro and Xperia™ mini with HD will be available globally in selected markets from Q3.
Sony Ericsson unveils Xperia Acro – the ultimate smartphone for users in Japam
- Combines best-in-class imaging and display technology with features familiar to users in Japan, such as an infrared port for data exchange, mobile wallet, and mobile TV functionality.
May 5, 2011, London, UK – Sony Ericsson today unveiled the Xperia™ acro, a new addition to the Xperia™ range, designed specifically for the needs of users in Japan. The Xperia™ acro builds on the success of the product family with a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor, and runs on the latest Android platform – Gingerbread 2.3. Best-in-class imaging and display technology features from Sony – the perfect enabler for its mobile TV functionality.
Bert Nordberg, President, Sony Ericsson said, “We are delighted to be introducing this flagship model to Japan. In this sophisticated market, we are listening to consumers and are happy to adapt our products to fit in with requirements which they believe to be an essential part of the mobile experience. We expect that they will be pleased to have such a uniquely adept premium smartphone and look forward to a new wave of consumers experiencing the world of Xperia™.”
The Xperia™ acro provides an excellent multimedia experience, powered by a Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine and presented on an extra wide 4.2” screen. The 8.1 megapixel camera with ‘Exmor R™ for mobile’ enables the capture of low-noise, high quality images and HD video (720p), even in low light. Pictures and videos can then be shared in HD on a HDTV through a built in HDMI-connector.
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ acro – Key features
- Human Curvature™ design and form factor
- Mobile TV functionality enabling live TV viewing
- Infrared port enables data sharing with other infrared enabled devices
- Mobile wallet: Instead of paying with cash, cheque or credit cards, a user can use the Xperia™ acro to pay for a wide range of services and digital or hard goods.
- Extra wide 4.2” multi-touch Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine to ensure ultimate multimedia and viewing experiences
- Sony Exmor R™ for mobile delivers best-in-class low-light photography and video capture
- 8.1 megapixel camera and HD video recording capability
- 1GHz CPU, Adreno 205 GPU
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ acro will be available in Japan from this summer in Black and White.
