Sony Xperia Tablet S review: The tablet Xperiance

Introduction

You wouldn't call Sony's first foray in tablets a sweeping success. Last year the company released its first two droid slates and, while they were both eccentric enough to get everyone's attention, none of them was really fit to survive in a crowded and highly competitive market.

Sony Xperia Tablet S official photos

It seems though that Sony are quick learners. The Xperia Tablet S has kept the catchy folded magazine design, and lost fat around the waist while enjoying a processing power boost, that should let it catch up with the competition.

Key features

• 9.4" 16M-color PLS TFT capacitive touchscreen of WXGA resolution (1280 x 800 pixels); Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine and oleophobic coating
• 1.3 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU, ULP GeForce GPU, 1GB RAM, Tegra 3 chipset
• Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
• Quad-band GPRS/EDGE and quad-band 3G with HSPA connectivity (HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps)
• 16/32/64 GB of built-in memory
• 8 MP autofocus camera, 2592x1944 pixels, geotagging
• 1MP front-facing camera; native video calls
• 1080p HD video recording @ 30 fps with stereo audio
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Stereo Bluetooth v3.0
• TV-out (adapter required), USB host (adapter required)
• SD card slot
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Infrared port
• GPS with A-GPS support; digital compass
• 1080p MKV and SD XviD/Divx video support
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor; three-axis Gyroscope sensor
• 6,000 mAh battery
• Guest Mode for multi-user access
• Splash proof

Main disadvantages

• Below-par screen resolution
• Proprietary connector for charging and connectivity
• Poor outdoor visibility
• Peculiar design favors portrait hold, top-heavy in landscape
• Splash resistance issues

There's no 1080p screen or Jelly Bean here, but Tegra 3, a BRAVIA-powered WXGA and Ice Cream sandwich still give the Sony Xperia Tablet S good fighting chances in its price range. The metal design should help get the attention of those tired of plastic devices, and there are some nice home-baked software tweaks such as guest mode and remote app.

The Sony Xperia Tablet S studio shots

The splash-resistance of the Xperia Tablet S is a nice touch as well, although given the most recent turn of events it probably won't be as much of a selling point. Still, Sony has produced a well-equipped tablet that should offer snappy performance, the unmatched versatility of Android and cool looks. Now who wouldn't want some of that?

We still need to take a closer look and see how the cool sounding specs translate into real-life performance. As usual we'll start with the hardware right after the break.

Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX price drops to $50 on contract

Amazon Wireless has a killer deal for droid lovers who want huge battery life and don't mind slightly aged hardware and software - they are offering the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX for just $50 (with a 2-year Verizon contract, of course).

Both Verizon's and Motorola's sites still list the phone at $200, while Best Buy has it at $150. For comparison, a non-MAXX Droid RAZR (with 16GB of built-in storage instead of 32GB) goes for $30 ($100 on Verizon's site).

What you might want to look at is the new RAZR M - it doesnt have such a big battery ("only" 2000mAh) or as much storage, but it's a very compact phone with two Krait cores and is going for only$40 at the moment.

We tried various other but we couldnt find any that comes close to the Amazon Wireless offer, but if you spot one leave a comment - our other users will appreciate it.

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Motorola wins patent case against Microsoft in Germany

The regional court in Mannhein ruled that Motorola did not infringe on Microsoft's patented technology that allows applications to work across different handsets without requiring developers to write separate code.

This marks a notable victory for Motorola, considering the (now Google-owned) company has lost three previous cases against Microsoft in Germany.

Germany has garnered a reputation as a battleground for global patent wars, due largely to its cheap and quick court process compared to other countries.

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Xperia Tablet S sales suspended due to manufacturing issues

Sony made a tough decision to suspend the Xperia Tablet S sales because of a manufacturing issue resulting in gaps between the screen and the panel. This causes problems with the splash resistance and the Tablet S will get soaked eventually.

So, instead of waiting the users to start with the complaints, Sony is pulling back all shipped slates for repairs. The users who already bought one are able to return it and get it fixed for free.

The Tablet S has been on the market for only a few weeks, so it didnt sell that many units. Sony managed to ship about 100 000 slates to retailers, and estimates that the recall costs shouldn't have an impact on its bottom line.

According to Sony this inconvenience wont affect the sales notably. Still there is no information when the new Tablet S stock will go on sale again.

It's good to know Sony is taking doing the right thing and taking care of customers who have been wronged.

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Samsung outs Q3 2012 earning guidance, expects another record

Today Samsung announced its earning guidance for Q3 2012 and expects yet another record breaking quarter (fourth in a row). According to the preliminary report, the company is expecting an achieve an operating profit of $7.28 billion.

In fact, this is more than double the operating profit Samsung got in Q3 2011 and considerably more than the last quarter's $5.86 billion. Consolidated sales are estimated to be around $46 billion.

In the full Q3 2012 financial report, which is expected to be released before October 26, everything will be broken down by departments, so that we can see how big of a role the mobile department has played. One thing is certain, Samsung is on a roll and it doesn't plan on stopping soon.

Source | Via

Report of LG-made Nexus phone point to an Optimus G-based droid

So, the rumor mill has been abuzz that the LG Optimus G (the Snapdragon S4 Pro powerhouse) will be used as base for the next Google Nexus Phone. A tipster has contacted AndroidAndMe to give it a first hand account of what the LG-made Nexus is like.

It reportedly looks about the same as the current Galaxy Nexus phone and is about the same size. There's a silver band running around the perimeter of the phone, similar to that of the iPhone 3G and a Nexus logo on the back similar to the Nexus 7 (with the "x" styled to look like the four-colored Nexus logo).

The tipster also claims the LG Nexus is running Android 4.2 Key Lime Pie, which at the moment is hard to distinguish from 4.1. There are more transition effects and everything runs smoothly (on this hardware how could it not) but the new OS still doesnt consolidate the messaging department of Android.

AndroidAndMe was also sent an 8MP photo with the appropriate EXIF data, though they couldnt share it "due to the nature of the photo". Still, the photo points to the LG Optimus Nexus (or whatever they call it) using the 8MP version of the Optimus G camera (as opposed to the 13MP one).

All that is far from confirmed but the rumor mill is really insistent that LG will be making the next Nexus phone. We also heard that "Nexus" phones might be built by multiple makers, so the LG Nexus might not be the next Nexus phone, just one of a generation of Nexus phones.

Still, the whole thing is rather iffy. First of all, we've seen photos from a Samsung I9260 which is supposed to be the Galaxy Nexus 2 (though that isn't a problem if multiple companies are making Nexus phones). And it was a Sony phone, the Xperia S, that was accepted into the AOSP project, making it a likely candidate to become a Nexus phone.

Then there's the Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset - Nexus phones don't have a strong history of using top of the line components (even the Nexus 7 uses the Tegra 3 version with the lowest clock speed). Nexus devices seem to focus on accessible price ($200 for the Nexus 7, $350 for the Galaxy Nexus) and delivering a pure Android experience, leaving the high-end stuff to the OEM's flagships.

Then there's LG's track record of updating their phones - it's less than stellar. Come to think of it, having a Nexus phone might actually be good for LG, helping them push out updates faster and countering their "slow to update" image.

Still, nothing is certain until the fat lady sings (or a major tech event passes and LG doesnt announce an Optimus Nexus).

Note: the image above is just a rough mockup we made in Photoshop based on the description.

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HTC Windows Phone 8X Three UK PAYG pricing set at £350

Shortly after the HTC Windows Phone 8X announcement we learned that the SIM-free version of the device might cost a rather hefty 399. It turns out that wasn't entirely accurate as Three UK, will be selling the smartphone off-contract for the easier to swallow 350 ($564 / 436).

The image above was sent to us by a source from Three UK who wished to remain anonymous. As you can see, the PAYG (no-commitment) price of the smartphone stands at 350. You will also be able to grab the HTC Windows Phone 8X for as low as 29 if you are willing to sign a two-year 30/month contract.

The full list of Three UK plans for the HTC 8X

There's still more than a month until the 8X arrives in UK on November 15, so let's hope other UK retailers follow Three UK's lead and bring their prices down as well.

Thanks, anonymous tipster!

T-Mobile branded LG Optimus L9 press shot emerges

With its more powerful relative's availability confirmed in the United States, LG's mid-range Optimus L9 has emerged in a press image, sporting T-Mobile US livery. Both LG and T-Mobile are yet to officially announce availability of the handset.

The LG Optimus L9 combines mid-range specifications and imposing looks. It features a 1GHz dual-core CPU, a gig of RAM, 4GB of expandable memory, massive 4.7" qHD display, 5MP camera and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. You can check out our initial impressions from the device here.

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HTC One X+ goes on pre-order in the UK, to arrive in late October

The HTC One X+ went official a couple of days ago and the first pricing and launch info for the UK is in - Clove announced it is taking pre-orders for the flagship smartphone and that they expect to have it in stock near the end of October.

Their pre-order price is set at 474 ($764, 600) for the 64GB version (no info on the 32GB version yet). This is pretty much what the leaked O2 UK brochure showed, though the HTC One X+ is not available on O2 website yet.

Expansys UK is the only other etailer that's offering the One X+ at the moment - the price there is a bit higher at 490 and there's no estimated availability date.

In case you missed it, the HTC One X+ brings a faster quad-core processor - Cortex-A9 at 1.7GHz instead of 1.5GHz - with its updated Tegra 3 chipset, a version with 64GB of storage (in addition to the standard 32GB option) and a bigger 2100mAh battery (up from 1800mAh). It also got red accents a la Sensation XE.

The One X+ will be travelling across the pond too, with AT&T already talking it up.

Nokia Lumia 510 pictured, pricing and specs confirmed

We first heard about the Lumia 510 last month, in a leak that revealed that the low-end smartphone would sport a 4-inch display, have 4 GB of internal memory, and run on just 256 MB of RAM.

Those specs have just been confirmed by our own source, who also sent us the picture above and hinted that the initial price will be $150.

The Lumia 510 is aimed at targeting the entry-level smartphone market, and will likely start in China where smartphone ownership has nearly tripled since 2010.

The device will likely be available there in time for the holidays, and should hopefully see a global release in early 2013.

AT&T will offer HTC One X+ and One VX in the near future

Shortly after the international HTC One X+ broke cover, AT&T Wireless announced that it will offer the Taiwanese powerhouse in the United States in the "coming months." The LTE flavored top dog will be joined by the HTC One VX mid-ranger.

The HTC One X+ for AT&T will finally bring NVIDIA's 1.7GHz quad-core Tegra 3 chipset and LTE network connectivity under the same roof, thus turning the dreams of many into reality. The rest of the smartphone's specs are no different that the ones found in the international version. The AT&T branded HTC One X+ will only be available with 64GB of built-in memory.

HTC One X+ for AT&T

The HTC One VX on the other hand, is a well-heeled mid-ranger, which sports a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset. The handset features a gig of RAM and 8GB built-in memory, which can be further expanded via microSD slot. A 4.5" qHD Super LCD2 screen, 5MP camera, full connectivity suite, including NFC and LTE, as well as Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich complete the highlights of the spec sheet.

HTC One VX for AT&T

Exact pricing and availability of the HTC One X+ and HTC One VX are yet to be known. We doubt it will be a long wait for these two to hit the shelves though.

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Nokia Belle FP2 update pulled, users report issues

Yesterday, Nokia started the rollout of the Belle FP2 update for the last crop of Nokia OS (formerly Symbian) phones including the 603, 700, 701 and 808 PureView (with the PureView getting extra imaging and gallery features). Shortly after, though, the update was pulled from Nokia's servers.

The reason is that while for some the update process went fine and everything worked smoothly after it, others experienced various issues ranging from unable to install the update to problems with different parts of the updated software.

You can check out this thread in the Nokia Discussions forum to see what kind of problems people are experiencing and also the comment thread under our news article.

Nokia is investigating the issues and will put the update back up once they've been resolved. You can keep an eye on the Discussions thread for updates or wait on the Software Update app to notify you of a new update.

Thanks to sss for the tip!

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HTC One X+ with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is now official

The rumor mill has finally come to a stop for this one, folks. HTC One X+ just got announced. The new Taiwanese flagship brings a number of hardware improvements to the original, as well as a new color scheme and updated version of HTC Sense.

HTC One X+ official photos

The HTC One+ Plus features quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 AP37 chipset, whose CPU cores tick at 1.7GHz. There is a gig of RAM on board and 32 or 64GB of built-in memory. The display is a 4.7" Super LCD2 unit with 720p resolution, covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 2 with optical lamination for reduced light reflection.

The camera is an 8MP autofocus unit with F2.0 aperture and 28mm lens. It is capable of capturing 1080p videos. The front unit is 1.6MP one, capable of capturing 720p clips.

Full connectivity suite including Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC is present in the HTC One X+. The device's measures are 134.36 x 69.9 x 8.9mm, while its weight tips the scale at 135 grams. It is powered by a 2100mAh battery.

Software-wise, you get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and HTC's latest Sense 4+ out of the box. The smartphone will also feature HTC Get Started - a web service which will allow you to easily personalize and setup your smartphone from your computer. Beats audio is available too with the speaker having its own built-in amplifier.

HTC One X+ will hit the shelves in Europe and North Asia this month. South Asia will follow in November, while the North American version will be the subject of a separate announcement. HTC will also begin seeding Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Sense 4+ to the One X and One S devices this month.

Latest Android figures show poor growth for Jelly Bean and ICS

The latest Android distribution figures are in and things don't look a lot better for Jelly Bean and Ice Cream Sandwich over last month.

Jelly Bean, which made its debut couple of months ago, has doubled its user base in that time but still stands at a lowly 1.8%, compared to 1.2% last month. With major Android manufacturers such as Samsung and HTC now planning on releasing their Jelly Bean updates starting this month and the launch of the Galaxy Note II, we can expect to see a major jump in this figure in the next couple of months.

Ice Cream Sandwich, on the other hand, has slowed down after a strong couple of months, with the user base going from 20.9% to 23.9%. Again, this figure could see a bump once Sony, Motorola and others finish their ICS update roll out. We don't expect major increase in this number in the future as manufacturers shift their attention to Jelly Bean for the new devices and a ton of old ones being permanently stuck on Gingerbread.

Speaking of Gingerbread, the perennial Android update is now on 55.8% of Android devices, down slightly from 57.5% last month. With most devices comprising this number being low-end Android devices that would never see an update in their life, we don't expect this number to go down anytime soon.

The only way Gingerbread user base would go do significantly is when people eventually get rid of these devices and move on to something running a newer version of Android. With a bulk of Android sales being low-end Android devices whose owners are unlikely to upgrade quickly, again, this number isn't going to go down anytime soon. Make no mistake folks, Gingerbread is here to stay a while.

For more details and data, click on the source link below.

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Nokia 808 PureView gets Belle FP2, imaging updates in tow

Starting today, Nokia is rolling out the Belle FP2 update its last generation of Nokia OS phones. The Nokia 808 PureView is getting a good deal of exclusive imaging and gallery features, while the 701, 700 and 603 are getting the same update sans those extras.

Nokia 808 PureView got updated to Belle FP2

Here's the change log for Nokia 808 PureView's camera and gallery features:

• More information about your images, such as image resolution, ISO value, white balance setting, and file size, and the location. When you are connected online, one click will show you on Nokia Maps where the photo was taken.
• New reset button in Creative mode to change all the settings back to default with a single touch
• Gallery Grid view when you have the phone in landscape
• Select and delete multiple photos in Gallery Grid
• Access to more functions when you open your images from the Gallery widget on your home screen swipe through other images, zoom, share, edit, and send images faster.

A video editing app called Video Pro is also included in the FP2 update.

The rest of the new features, which will be shared by the808 and the other three, include an updated browser (version 8.3) with better HTML5 support, a "new and significantly faster keyboard" and Nokia Car Mode.

The update is rolling worldwide, but as usual there might be delays specific to a given country and the different carriers. To check if the update for your country/operator is ready, you can use the phone's Software Update app or you can hook up your phone to your computer and use Nokia Suite.

Source | Via

Sony Xperia V goes to Japan as Xperia AX

The Sony Xperia GX, Japan's version of the Xperia TX, hit the shelves before the world-wide version of the phone was even official. Now, the positions are somewhat reversed - Sony just announced the Xperia AX, the Japanese version of the Xperia V (which isn't on sale yet, so it's not quite the same).

Anyway, Sony Xperia AX is pretty much an exact replica of the V - IP57 certification, 4.3" HD Reality display, 13MP camera, LTE connectivity and dual-core Krait processor. It will come with Sony' Walkman app, ClearAudio+ and media apps.

The rest is the same - really, Sony's blog even used a picture of the Xperia V (including the note below it), instead of an actual Xperia AX image.

The phone will launch running Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich by the end of the year (so it will probably launch around the same time as the Xperia V does).

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Sony Xperia TL for AT&T goes official as James Bond's phone

Sony Xperia TL has gone official for AT&T Wireless as James Bond's official smartphone. The previously leaked LTE handset will hit AT&T's shelves in the near future with a yet to be known price tag.

A quick look at the Sony Xperia TL is enough to reveal its close relationship to the internationally available Sony Xperia T, which we reviewed recently. The US bound device adds LTE to the specs, with the rest of its talents in line with its Xperia T sibling. They include a dual-core Snapdragon S4 chipset, 4,6" HD display, 13MP camera, and NFC.

The Sony Xperia T will boot Android 4.0.4 ICS out of the box. The OS will be updated to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean after the handset's launch in the US. As the official James Bond smartphone, the device will come with preloaded exclusive content from the upcoming agent 007 movie "Skyfall."

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Garnet Red Galaxy S III lands in UK, costs £429

If you're a UK resident and want to get a flashier Galaxy S III but can't be bothered with tedious long-lasting contracts you could get the Garnet Red version in UK now for 429.99.

The Samsung Galaxy S III Garnet Red international availability was announced in August alongside the Amber Brown, Sapphire Black and Titanium Grey variants. Originally an AT&T exclusive it's now available on UK shores as well.

You can order the device from Expansys's website and expect the device to arrive between 3 and 5 business days or opt for the express delivery for an additional 7 pounds.

Carphone Warehouse is also offering the red Galaxy S III and we expect more sellers to follow suit in the next few days.

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Motorola cancels ICS update for certain devices

Back in February, Motorola released a chart with names and dates that told us when each of its Android devices will be getting upgraded to Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. Unfortunately, it seems the company won't be able to keep its promise for all the announced devices.

The updated chart now showws that the Motorola Atrix 4G, Photon 4G and the Electrify do not qualify for the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade and will remain on Gingerbread. Other devices remain unaffected, with perhaps some minor changes in dates at most.

Hopefully, this will be the extent of the changes, with no more devices (and their owners) being forced to suffer on Gingerbread.

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Specs leak for Verizon-bound BlackBerry Laguna

RIM is completely renovating its BlackBerry OS in its BB10 release and its new gesture-based UI. The Canadians also developed hardware that should stands up to BB OS 10s biggest competitor, Windows Phone 8.

A leaked specs sheet details the BlackBerry Laguna for Verizon, an L-series device (those are the touch-only ones) that seems to be the CDMA version of the oft-leaked BlackBerry London.

According to this sheet, the Laguna will pack a 4.2 screen with the non-standard 1280 x 768 resolution (only the dev units and the London are supposed to use this one instead of 720p). The pixel density works out to the impressive 355ppi.

The phone will be powered by a dual-core Krait CPU and feature 1GB RAM (Qualcomm MSM8960 chipset), the same that powers the upcoming crop of WP8 flagship devices. Other specs on the BlackBerry Laguna include LTE (with GSM 2G and 3G for roaming), dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n with mobile hot-spot and Wi-Fi direct, NFC and microHDMI port.

Then theres an 8MP camera capable of shooting 1080p video, 16GB of built-in storage and a hot-swappable microSD card. An 1800mAh battery is set to power the whole thing.

Weve already had a look at what BlackBerry OS 10 is like from the Beta 3 demos, but these leaked tutorials give even more detail on the new touch gestures.

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