The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Feature

The Sony Ericsson Feature marketing gurus renamed it the Xperia Play when it finally went official at MWC this year, but the PlayStation connection remains as strong as ever. Aside from the D-pad, iconic game keys, and two touchpads, this device comes with a little app named PlayStation Pocket, which will be serving up dollops of classic PlayStation One gaming to all those with a taste for it.

The Xperia Play is powered by Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). It features a slide-out panel containing the Sony gaming D-pad (for in-game direction control) on the left side, the four symbol-etched game control buttons on the right, and a set of circular touchpads in the middle, which act like analog joysticks for operating certain games.The phone packs a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and the display is a 4-inch Bravia (480 by 854 pixels FWVGA) touchscreen with an Adreno GPU graphics processor inside.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play looks like a really nifty mobile that will deliver some serious gaming kicks. Our main reservation is that the slide-out keyboard makes the phone slightly bulky. But we're not too worried -- it's still a fairly light and portable phone. We also think the Play's success will be largely dependent on the games available -- it needs some really killer titles to give it that must-have quality.

The arrival of PlayStation Suite means there will undoubtedly be a few more gaming-based phones from Sony Ericsson in the next year or so. That slightly takes the sheen off the Play -- you might be wise to hold off and see if Sony releases some other incredible device right after the Play. Nevertheless, as Sony Ericsson's first proper foray into the mobile-gaming market, the Play looks very promising.

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Aircell airborne smartphone Review

Aircell airborne smartphone Review For those business travelers with cell phone connectivity during a flight, there is a new solution.
The Aircell Smartphone, hailed as the “world’s first airborne smartphone.” Besides being optimized for use on the aircraft from wheels up to wheels down, there are a few shining spots.

While the company’s staying fairly mum on specifics at the moment, the phone is said to pack a 3.8-inch capacitive display, and it’s designed to be backwards-compatible with all Aircell Axxess communications systems currently in production, as well as its forthcoming Gogo Biz Voice service.

"The result of extensive industrial design and human factors study, the Aircell Smartphone epitomizes the notion of next-generation inflight communications. It gives passengers exactly what they want - the best-sounding, best-looking and easiest-to-use handset in aviation," said John Wade, Aircell's Executive Vice President & General Manager, Business Aviation Services. "We've received extraordinary feedback from all corners of the industry on this achievement, and we look forward to bringing it to market later this year."

Key Benefits & Features
• Designed specifically for aircraft use, from the ground up
• Big, bright, 3.8" color touchscreen display - the largest in the industry
• Flexible, future-minded Android OS platform
• Bluetooth-compatible for hands-free operation
• Ingenious design for interchangeable wireless or wired operation
• High-touch design with expert use of colors, materials & finishes
• So easy to operate, no user manual is required
• Drop-in replacement for current Aircell Axxess flush-mount handsets
• Integrated audio jack for wired headsets & earbuds
• Fully certified

The Aircell Smartphone will be backward-compatible with all Aircell Axxess communications systems currently in production, and available as a drop-in replacement for the company's prolific Aircell Axxess flush-mount handset. It will also be fully compatible with the company's forthcoming Gogo Biz™ Voice service via the ATG 4000 and ATG 5000 systems. Shipments of the new Aircell Smartphone are scheduled to begin in late 2011 and pricing will be announced prior to that time.

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Samsung Series 3DTVs Price 950 Review

Samsung prices 950 Series 3DTVs displays from Samsung, from their pre-CES tease where we were first told they were TVs, then monitors, then it turned out they were monitors with optional TV tuners through their official launch and now to their first pricing and availability. South Korea is the unsurprising debut market for the 950 and 750 Series, both 27-inchers, discernible by their design, which in the 950's case is asymmetric and in the 750's is all about the thin bezel. With built-in Ethernet connection and wireless-ready capabilities, the 2010 Samsung 3D TV lineup is ready to meet the growing consumer demand for “content without borders.”

The upgraded Internet@TV feature now includes Samsung Apps with an expanded, easy to navigate selection of content and applications from leading services like The Associated Press, Blockbuster, Fashion TV, Netflix and YouTube amongst others. Applications can be downloaded and viewed all while watching TV.

The AllShare feature in the Samsung 3D TVs allows users to wirelessly connect their TV with compatible mobile devices which means that users can share movies, photos and music through a single device – the Samsung 3D TV. . the 27TA950 reportedly costs 890,000 KRW (nearly $800) whereas the 27TA750 is an 840,000 KRW outlay (just over $750). Not exactly value models, but those prices will likely change when the pair go international at some point later this month.

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Review Windows Phone new UI and Xbox games

Review Windows Phone new UI and Xbox games In search for feedback on its momentous decision to dump Symbian in favor of Windows Phone, Nokia has put up the above poll on its Conversations website canvassing opinions about what users anticipate most out of the new deal.

While the New Xbox Experience provides a pleasant enough front-end for gaming--the Xbox 360 is still a game console, after all--much of the new functionality seems to be focused on non-gaming entertainment. The UI offers Netflix instant streaming for subscribers of that service, virtual parties with up to seven friends, customizable and cartoonish avatars that represent your online persona, and access to over 12,000 movies and TV shows via Xbox Live Marketplace.

The new avatars borrow heavily from the Mii characters in Nintendo's popular Wii console, which lacks the hardware muscle of the 360 but has outsold the competition at an alarming rate. For example, Microsoft is touting that it will sell 25 million Xbox 360s by the end of 2008, a number that outperforms total sales of the first generation Xbox. But Nintendo sold 35 million Wiis by the end of September, and it's been on the market for a year less than the 360.

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Price Sony PSP dips down to $130

Price Sony PSP dips down to $130

Price Sony PSP dips down to $130 is treating its portable gaming fans well these days by giving them the one-two punch of having both a world-beating device to look forward to in the future and an affordable one to pass the time with until then.

“The PSP system set the standard for complete portable entertainment and continues to be the premiere destination for gamers on-the-go,” said Tim Bender, Senior Vice President, Sales, SCEA. “Nearly six years after its initial launch, demand for the PSP remains strong. This new price point enables us to broaden the PSP platform to a larger group of consumers who are looking for best-in-class handheld entertainment.”

while Sony is also adding a few more titles to its $20 PSP Greatest Hits collection, including Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines , Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and LittleBigPlanet PSP . Skip past the break for the full press release and the new ad video to promote the cheaper portable. Continue reading Sony PSP dips down to $130, wants to be your cheap thrill until the NGP gets here Sony PSP dips down to $130

Acclaimed for being the first truly integrated handheld entertainment system, the PSP system continues to deliver unparalleled gaming experiences only possible on the PSP platform while offering a wide variety of affordable entertainment options to consumers.

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Android 3.0 SDK review

The full SDK for Android 3.0 is available to developers and now they can start making apps for the tablet-oriented OS. The new APIs are ready and integrated and the SDK Tools are now at version r13.

The APIs are final, and the developers are free to create apps targeting Honeycomb and publish them on the Android Market.

The SDK comes just in time as one of the first Android 3.0-sporting tablets, the Motorola Xoom, hits stores tomorrow. It may not have Flash just yet, but at least users will be able to enjoy some new, Android 3.0-specific apps on their shiny new tablet.

New connectivity options include the ability to sync media files with a desktop computer or USB-connected camera. Users will also be able to connect a full keyboard either by USB or Bluetooth. Devices can now share network connections with the new Bluetooth tethering support.

Most of the native Android apps have received updates as well. The Browser now support the “incognito” mode found in Chrome, the Camera app has been redesigned to take advantage of the larger screen, Contacts now features a new two-pane UI to make organization easier, and the Email app also has a new two-pane UI to make things more efficient.

Developer features available in Android 3.0 include a new UI Framework for creating tablet apps, high-performance 2D and 3D graphics, support for multicore processor architectures, rich multimedia and connectivity, and enhancements for enterprise.

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Verizon Motorola Xoom Price at $600

Verizon Motorola Xoom Price at $600

If Best Buy’s $800 price for Motorola’s Xoom the company’s powerful Android 3.0 tablet seems too big a pill to swallow, maybe you’ll find it a bit easier with Verizon’s 24-month data plan, which lowers the price of the device to $600.
Of course, it means you’ll have to pay at least $20 per month for 1G of 3G data, which increases the overall cost considerably. But if you planned to purchase a data plan for the Xoom anyway, this deal might not be too shabby.

The Motorola Xoom will run on Google’s newest mobile operating system Android 3.0 “Honeycomb.” But according to Jha, his company plans to fully embrace Android across all its mobile devices especially now that Nokia has committed itself to Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS.

“I am as focused on Android as I ever have been,” Jha told reporters. “As a result of Nokia adopting Microsoft it’s possible that some of the other players concentrate on Android.”

The tablet market is heating up, with new releases being announced on a regular basis. But as we’ve mentioned before, Motorola’s Xoom is one of the few tablets that could, theoretically, compete with Apple’s iPad, which currently dominates tablet sales. Analysts believe tablet makers will collectively sell around 50 million tablets in 2011.

The Motorola Xoom will ship with Android 3.0 (codenamed Honeycomb) running on Nvidia's Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 32GB of onboard storage (expandable via SD), a 2-megapixel camera on the front, a 5-megapixel camera with dual LED flash on the back, a micro USB 2.0 port, HDMI out, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. The 10.1-inch tablet has a 1280x800 display resolution. Battery life is said to peak at about 10 hours of video playback. The device will launch in Q1 2011 with 3G functionality, later upgradeable to LTE 4G, and will launch with a LTE 4G model in Q2.

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