PlayStation charity gives you a chance to play with superstars
Think that downloadable game content is normally a waste? Sony will soon give you a good reason to splurge on those virtual goods. It’s launching PlayStation Heroes, a PlayStation 4 app that encourages you to contribute to charities like Make-A-Wish, the USO and the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Pay between $1 and $15 to buy a dynamic game theme (or $20 for a four-theme bundle) and you’ll not only donate to a good cause, but get one or more chances at playing games with a superstar. In March, you could win a shot at partnering with snowboarder Shaun White in Destiny; other celebs in future months will range from Snoop Dogg to Dodgers center fielder Yasiel Puig. Heroes won’t go live until February 24th, but you can pre-order the app now to get ready.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Your PlayStation account is ready to grow up when you do
What does upgrading a PlayStation Network sub-account to a master account have in common with buying lottery tickets? Well, now both are things you can do when you turn 18. That’s right: You won’t have to start a new account (or lose any of those platinum trophies) to get an unrestricted connection to game-broadcasting, messaging and PSN Store spending limits. For now, you have to handle the process via the Sony Entertainment Network website, but the PlayStation Blog says that it’s en route to the PlayStation 4 as well. Xbox Live has had this feature for awhile, of course, so it’s nice to see Sony’s listened to its community and followed suit. Naturally, if you’re a parent and don’t think your kid is ready for unfettered access to everything PSN offers, Sony’s quick to note that this is in no way mandatory. Given some of the things we’ve seen and heard while playing online with adults, that’s almost positively one for the “win” column.
Source: PlayStation Support, PlayStation Blog
Sony SmartWatch 3 with stainless steel strap to launch worldwide this week
Sony has just announced that the SmartWatch 3 with stainless steel band is set to launch globally sometime this week. We took a first-hand look at the Sony SmartWatch 3 with stainless steel band back at CES 2015, and we really enjoyed the new watch strap. No exact day was announced for the global availability, and no pricing information has been revealed either.
One problem many users have with the SmartWatch 3 is that users are forced to use proprietary straps with the watch, since the device comes with no latches or pins. The company aims to fix that problem with their new SmartWatch 3 “holder” kit. This will allow users to install any 24mm watch strap they’d like. The holder will also be available with either black or brown leather strap options, and should launch sometime in the coming weeks. Sony says they’ll make both the leather and stainless steel straps available sometime in the early Spring.
To make the deal even sweeter, all new SmartWatch 3 stainless steel and “holder” kits will include free vouchers for six months of access to Todoist Premium. With that said, if you’re a Android Wear-loving Todoist user and could use the upgrade to a Premium account, Sony has you covered.
Not so fast! There’s another deal out there that you may want to check out. If you’re looking to snag a SmartWatch 3 with a silicone band, Verizon is currently offering one for only $199.99 ($50 off). A 20% discount on one of the better Android Wear devices out there is a pretty great deal, so you may want to take advantage of it before the promotion ends. Head to the link below if you’re interested. Oh, and be sure to check out our hands-on with the Sony SmartWatch 3 stainless steel at CES!
Buy the Sony SmartWatch 3 from Verizon for $50 off
Stainless steel Sony SmartWatch 3 will be available this week
The steel version of the Sony SmartWatch 3 will be reportedly made available for purchase later this week according to a blog post by the company. The Japanese manufacturer failed to divulge pricing details for this particular model, but we’re guessing it will be slightly more expensive compared to the current model.
Sony mentioned that it will sell these steel bands for existing owners of the SmartWatch 3 to get the new look. There will also be a new holder kit, which will let customers add any 24 mm band to the SmartWatch 3. This is a feature that is available on almost every Android Wear smartwatch by default, but unfortunately missing from the SmartWatch 3.
At $250, the SmartWatch 3 isn’t cheap to begin with. The steel variants should set you back by at least $300, which is the same price as the LG G Watch R and the Moto 360 in steel.
Source: Sony
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Sony balls on a budget with the Xperia E4
This week Sony announced the Xperia E4, a move that should finally solidify their entry into the low end mobile device market. The E4 will be a more financially feasible handset for the Android users looking for a phone to fit their budget. Look for the device to feature a qHD screen measuring 5.1 inches. Even at a budget price the specs don’t really scream “low-end”. The trend of flagship manufacturers releasing bargain phones is one that does not seem to be changing any time this year. Sony is making a solid move with this phone. With a Meditek 1.8 quad-core processor, 1gb of memory, and 8gb of storage the E4 could shape up to be a decent device. Sony doesn’t drop the ball in the camera department either. The E4 comes equipped with a five megapixel rear camera and a two megapixel front facing shooter. Five megapixel cameras were standard in high end devices just two years ago.
The Xperia line has become known for its impressive battery life. Sony claims that the budget specs paired with a 2,300mah battery makes sure this device gets 2 full days of usage while in “Stamina” mode. Expect to see this device ship later this month, with no confirmed US carriers announced, in select markets with Android 4.4.4 kitkat installed. The Sony E4 comes in black and white.
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Sony SmartEyeglass closer to market after FCC visit, release of some official apps
Although Google is currently in a major state of flux with their Google Glass platform as the company looks to retool their efforts, others are working on getting their version of a face-worn device ready for consumers. One of those companies is Sony which showed off a couple models of their Sony SmartEyeglass product at CES 2015. Following that reveal, one of the models has now passed through the FCC and Sony has released a couple social media apps meant for the device.
The FCC filing does not reveal much useful information, although a couple schematics are provided to show where the labels will go on the device. The particular model located at the FCC is the SED-E1. The tested device will be equipped with both Bluetooth and WiFi antennas. The battery installed in the test device is a 630mAh unit.
Probably for testing purposes, Sony has released two apps for use with their SmartEyeglasses. Both of the apps are for social media platforms, one for Facebook and the other for Twitter. Both apps give users the ability to configure the notifications that will be delivered to the SmartEyeglasses.
Sony has indicated they expect to release their SmartEyeglass products in 2015. These new developments are a good sign that they are still on track to do so.
source: XperiaBlog
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New Xperia E4 may offer a hint at the upcoming Z4’s design
The Xperia line of smartphones may win the praise of camera enthusiasts and Sony aficionados around the world, but for a variety of reasons, their sales aren’t providing much of a boost to the company’s bottom line. This may be largely due to marketing (or lack thereof) or a design that is overly squared and has seen little change over the past couple of years. Word on the street is that the upcoming Xperia Z4 will feature a new design language and a longer lasting period of pertinence.
We now have the first official images of the Xperia E4 and, while nothing is for sure, if this is a hint of the design language Sony plans to use in this year, things may become interesting indeed. Featuring a curved design that’s more than a little reminiscent of a certain Microsoft married phablet, the E4 won’t be very appealing to spec seekers. The smartphone features a 5-inch qHD (960 x 540) screen, a quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of on-board storage, a 5 megapixel rear camera, dual-SIM, Android 4.4.4 and a “stamina” battery mode that allows up to 2 days of usage.
Nokia Lumia 1320 — for better or worse, Sony’s new design language seems a bit… inspired at best. Though change is certainly what the doctor may have ordered!
The Xperia E4 follows in the footsteps of the E3, which was announced in September of last year, and, at least according to its name, is the first generation in Sony’s 4th-gen Xperia family. It remains to be seen whether Sony will keep the 6-month cycle for the Xperia Z4, or more towards a longer lifespan, as rumors suggest.
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The Xperia E4 will become later this month in select countries; at least for now, the US is not one of the markets getting it. Also unclear is the price of the device, but what we do know for sure is that the Xperia E4 will face some strong competitors.
While it’s safe to say most people will not give the E4 more than a passing glance at best, the device may be the world’s first window into what the upcoming Z4 will look like. Any thoughts?
Sony’s curvier E4 hints at new Xperia family design
Can’t wait for Sony’s incoming smartphone with a QHD screen and eight-core Snapdragon 810 CPU? With a qHD screen and MTK quad-core chip, Sony’s Xperia E4 is not the rumored Z4 you’ve been waiting for, but it is the first fourth-gen Xperia device we’ve seen. The new handset has middling specs with a 5-inch 960×540 screen, single or dual SIMs, Android 4.4.4, a 5-megapixel front camera and “stamina” battery mode that gives two days of usage. More intriguingly, the E4 has a new, rounded corner design instead of the blocky look of nearly every other Xperia handset, possibly marking new Sony mobile design language.
We don’t know if the rumored 5.4-inch Xperia Z4 will have a similar look (perhaps not), but it’ll almost surely pack high-end Qualcomm hardware judging by recent comments from Sony mucky-mucks. And the rumor mill now has it overdue, so we’re hoping to see its 64-bit Lollipop goodness at Mobile World Congress 2015 starting March 1st. As for today’s phone of record, the Xperia E4, we’ve yet to hear how much it’ll cost and when it’ll arrive.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony
Press images of Sony’s upcoming Xperia E4 shown off by a new leak
Numerous reports have suggested that Sony’s presence in the MWC 2015 will be very limited. A new leak is now giving us our very first look of one of the handsets expected to be shown off during the course of the event.
Known as the Xperia E4, the smartphone has been unveiled by a case manufacturer. The handset is expected to be packing a 5 inch qHD display, a quad core MediaTek made chipset, 5GB of user accessible storage, 1GB of RAM, a 5-megapixel camera on the back and a 1.9-megapixel front camera.
Although the smartphone has previously leaked running on Android 4.4.4 KitKat, we won’t be surprised to find Android 5.0 running on the smartphone when it is unveiled next month.
What do you think of the Xperia E4?
Source: Digi-Wo (login required)
Via: Xperia Blog
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Sony’s next E series budget smartphone may have surfaced at GFXBench
A new entry on the GFXBench testing website may be the forthcoming Sony E4. The Sony E4 is expected to be the next iteration of Sony’s budget model following up on the Sony E3. We originally thought the device may be revealed at CES 2015 after an image surfaced back in December. After that did not materialize, we started looking toward MWC 2015 to see whether Sony might reveal the device during that event. The specs listed on the GFXBench site are mostly consistent with earlier reports of the Sony E4, though it looks like the smartphone may have shrunk just a little bit.
According to the new entry for Sony devices with model number E2003 and E2033, Sony is producing a smartphone with a 4.6-inch 960 x 540 resolution screen powered by a MediaTek MT6752 chip running at 1.5 GHz and 1 GB of RAM. The device will also come with 8 MB of internal storage expandable via microSD, a 5MP rear-facing camera, support for 4G LTE, and it will run Android KitKat. When the device first appeared, it was expected to have at least a 5-inch screen and a slightly slower 1.3 GHz MediaTek 6582 processor.
Although smartphone manufacturers always have a lot riding on their flagship devices and this is true for struggling Sony, having a wide and deep portfolio of devices is important as well. While this new low- to mid-range device may not be exciting, it will be important to Sony’s business, so don’t be surprised to see it surface as part of Sony’s announcements at MWC 2015.
source: GFXBench
via: phoneArena
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