making.believe

Playstation Now, Gaikai on Xperia devices? A Brief History, and a Love Affair…

2014-08-18T05:09:00.000-07:00

The demise of PlayStation Mobile

Last week, Sony made the decision to terminate support for PlayStation Mobile, a platform that would allow PlayStation certified tablets and smartphones to access a catalog of games developed specifically for the platform.

While it aimed to draw in gamers, it had direct competition with the wider catalog of more known titles in the Google Play Store, and the obscurity of available titles paired with the lack of wider known games eventually lead to its inevitable long overdue demise.

To highlight the problem, I can list the 16 games I own on the platform – Beat Slider, Beats Trellis, Bullion Blitz, Cardboard Castle, Crystal Ice, Cubixx, Forevolution, Fuel Tiracas, Gunhouse, Lemmings, OMG-Zombies!, Samurai Beatdown, Tokyo Jungle, Tiki Rush, YU-NAMA-PUZZLE and rymdkapsel.

Throughout the history of PlayStation Mobile, I've obtained each and every one of these games free through various promotions, and even then my overall playtime is probably somewhere around the 10 minute mark.

Even the more attractive titles such as Lemmings and Tokyo Jungle could not justify the ‘needle in a haystack’ conundrum that plays out when attempting to navigate the store for something mildly attractive, and two well recognized titles is not enough to draw in any gamer.

By this point, it’s clear to see that the PlayStation brand existed in name only as far as PlayStation Mobile was concerned, and for a long time coming there was fathomable chance that Sony could, and would retire the platform at any time.

But sometimes, the end of one thing has to happen to make way for something new, something better. An old saying goes, when one door closes, another door opens. And Sony knows this only too well.

The Xperia Play Experiment and Other Hardware

PlayStation Mobile wasn't Sony’s first attempt at bringing the PlayStation and Xperia brands together – After years of speculation and anticipation, in 2011 Sony released the Xperia Play.

Since Nokia’s NGage range, The Xperia Play was the first hybrid of Mobile Phone and portable games console to hit the market, and a daring one at that. After all, Nokia’s success with NGage was limited, and restricted to a niche audience.

While Sony had the PlayStation name to fall back on, it was still taking huge risks with the ‘PlayStation Phone’ as dubbed by the community, however these risks would be the seed of new ideas.

The Xperia Play is all but a distant memory now and will be joined by PlayStation Mobile in the logged history of PlayStation and Xperia’s union, however that’s not to say the union has been severed.

With the Xperia SP came new interactions between the brands, and for the first time ever a dualshock controller could be used to control games on android with official support from Sony. Would it be appropriate to consider the Xperia SP as the Xperia Play mark 2? Well, no.

The Xperia Play was a phone designed as a games console. The Xperia SP on the other hand was a phone
designed to be a phone that could do what the Xparia Play could do, and more. Furthermore, like traditional consoles, the screen and controller was detached, allowing HD output from the device meaning the Xperia SP could double as a portable games console, or a mini-games console to be enjoyed on the big screen.

But most importantly, the key here wasn't the hardware, it was the software.

Sometime later, Sony released the Xperia Z2, and this is the phone I’m using now. By digging through the menus, I can still locate the same settings for DUALSHOCK™ wireless controller, allowing for the same enjoyable experience a generation later – and this feature has been enjoyed by a number of other Xperia devices.

This functionality has clearly evolved from the Xperia Play, however there’s more to it than that. The functionality has already evolved once more.

The Xperia SP allowed us to control our phones with our PlayStation controllers, but what if we would control our PlayStation with our phones? It became apparent that Sony had considered the same upon the launch of the PlayStation 4 that provided inter-connectivity between Android phones and the games console.

With this new partnership, it’s possible to play games on the PlayStation 4, and in some cases take control of the game with your smart phone. While we’re still in early days for the PlayStation 4, similar connectivity was seen on the PlayStation 3 with a game, Beyond: Two Souls, allowing full control of the game through using a phone as a controller. It’s quite justifiable to anticipate similar controls for future titles between android phones and the next generation of games consoles.

While Sony will likely have taken some inspiration from Microsoft’s Smart Glass, I’m a firm believer that had Sony not experimented with earlier iterations of PlayStation connectivity with android through the Xperia brand, it wouldn't be where it is today.

PlayStation Now, Xperia and the Future

The connective partnership between PlayStation and Xperia has not reached its swansong yet, and I can’t see it doing so in the near future. Do I think Sony have other tricks up its sleeve? Without a doubt.

Sony have several other gaming entities in play this generation, with PlayStation Now slowly rolling out and the imminent launch of the PlayStation TV (Vita TV in Asia).

With PlayStation TV’s intention to amplify and make easier the ability to play PlayStation 4 games, it’s hard not to expect some form of Xperia integration in the future.

Then there’s PlayStation Now, Sony’s attempt at entering the cloud console environment – that is, a gaming platform that exists without the requirement for dedicated hardware. Similar to platforms like On Live and to an extent, Steam, PlayStation Now will offer the ability to Play PlayStation Games from across various historic PlayStation consoles on a list of supported platforms.

While not exactly device agnostic, PlayStation Now offers the most accessible solution for gamers, with support coming to the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation TV, 2014 Bravia TVs and the expectation for the list to grow.

Sony have previously mentioned that PlayStation Now will be heading to Xperia devices though no news has been heard since. Despite this, I would see it as inevitable that, with a few tweaks here and there, PlayStation Now would be arriving on Xperia at some point down the road. There are however, questions that will no doubt be raised, and have probably already been raised among those involved in bringing the platform to Xperia. Questions such as, what devices will be supported? Will it be exclusive to Tablets, or will the platform be available on Smart Phones too? Will users have access to the full library? Will a physical controller be required?

I’d see the last one as most likely, particularly as this will be the case for Bravia TVs. The rest will, no doubt, be answered in due course.

What next?

Everything has an age, and everything must end. Eventually, PlayStation Now will be a thing of the past – eventually the love affair between Xperia and PlayStation will come to an end, whether prematurely, or at the fate of either brands.

One possibility is that in years to come, Sony decide to stop manufacturing consoles, a la. Sega, but continue PlayStation legacy in name across the Xperia range. Another is that both live happily ever after until inevitably the sun sets.

But the end is not nigh, and before such a day approaches, it would surprise me if this tethered relationship didn’t evolve even more than it has already.

Perhaps we’ll see Xperia devices being used as in-game items. Imagine a future Uncharted game where calling Elena or Sully from your phone (not just through an app, but through the phone’s own interface) to obtain a safe code will unlock an exclusive weapon or treasure.

Infamous: Second Son has already taken the game off screen through its Paper Trail missions, and some missions require tracking ‘conduits’ with Delsin's GPS receiver. But what if you could use Google Maps to locate whereabouts in Seattle the conduit was present?

With virtual reality on its way to PlayStation in the shape of Project Morpheus, the range of possibilities gets bigger still.

There are many ways to bring the two brands together. At the start of this section, I ran through some scenarios that could spell the end of Sony’s hand crafted love story. But what if I was looking in the completely wrong direction? What if the link wasn't severed through the demise of either brand, but what if it was the demise of both brands at the point where the two become so inseparable that neither can be told apart from the other – where both entities become one?

The end of one thing has to happen to make way for something new, something better. An old saying goes, when one door closes, another door opens. And Sony knows this only too well.

Sony Xperia Z2 Review

2014-06-25T06:35:00.002-07:00

The stylish yet simple 5.2" IPS display smartphone donning stereo speakers has lately turned a fair few heads in all the right ways, and with every reason.

Equipped with a host of Sony's BRAVIA and Walkman adopted technologies, it's clear to see how the Z2 was built with entertainment in mind, but there's so much more to this multi-functional beast.

Horray! Exams are officially over! At 17:30 on the 5th June, I stepped out of the exam center with bated breath. With only a slap up celebratory meal standing in my way, my next stop was the yet unopened package received the prior weekend - as the widely used connotation goes, out with the old and in with the new.

First impression - Size

On first opening the box, the very first thing that came to mind was it's size. While having tried various phones in between, I was directly upgrading to the Z2 from the Xperia T. 2 Years ago when I first obtained the Xperia T, I remember thinking how big its 4.55" screen was - in fact it still feels like yesterday I stood jaw-dropping at the size of the 4.2" Xperia Arc, like 6 months ago I was stunned by the 4.0" X10, even the X1's 3.0" display only feels like a couple of years back (it's actually been 6!).

Smart phones have been growing in size for quite some time now. its strange to think back to an age where the desirability of a phone was determined by how small it was, not how large. About an hour ago, my colleague approached me to show me his new phone with a 6" screen. Less than a month ago I was assisting my partner in shopping for a new tablet, some of those on display being less than 7". With the current rate of growth of smart phones, we're likely to experience a sharp u-turn in the coming months or years where small will reign champion again, and Sony are already at the forefront with the also current Z1c. But this review is about the Z2.

I personally think the Z2 is as big as it gets - or at least as big as it should get. I'm already finding myself mistyping words when typing with one hand, because I can't quite reach the far end, and my hands aren't the smallest. That doesn't happen much, but that it happens at all is a sign that any bigger, then I'd be running into serious problems. That, for me, places the 5.2" screen on the very border of what is successful.

Rating

The size of the X2 is almost perfect, but it's just a little too much. Admittedly, I do have small hands, but there are much smaller out there. Therefore, I rate the screen size

Positive impact: 7/10

Negative impact: 1/10

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (2008)

Second impression - Style

Well, what could be said about the stunning monolithic treasure that stood before me? I was absolutely blown away by the design of the Z2's look and feel in every way possible. The last time I had a phone made from such Premium materials was the X1 (pictured)- a phone who's whole purpose was to emit a look and premium feel.

All these years later, I somewhat feel in terms of design, the Z series has returned to the Xperia brand's legacy in displaying devices that stand out amongst the rest in terms of design.

There is however, a vast gap between what is considered stylish now and what was considered stylish 6 years ago, and this gap is reflected when looking at the differences between the two phones. The X1 emphasized complexity in it's curved, keyboard, and textured appearance.

In contrast, the Z2 opts to keep things simple. Recall that my last phone was the Xperia T, however that's not to say I've not been in the loop. This premium quality wasn't introduced by the Z2, rather, it was first seen in the Xperia Z, and later sported by it's successor, the Z2's older sibling, the Z1. Each iteration however has simplified the appearance slightly more in the subtlest of way from the curvature of the corners, to the boldness of the frame around the edge of each device.

In any case, the Z2 is something of pure beauty ranging from the glass that coats both the front and back of the phone to the purple tint along the sides of the phone (black model) only seen under the correct lighting and the wide (yet not too wide a la. Xperia SP) notification light that's barely visible to the human eye when inactive, showing that amid the simplicity lurks the carefully considered detail to tailer the Z2 into a master piece.

Rating

The design of the Z2's exterior is almost faultless. From the moment I opened the box I've yet to glance at the phone without feeling the urge to show it to the world, for it's beauty is dream-like in a way you'll never grasp from photos online. The device is firm to hold, and appealing on the eye. This beauty does however have its prices. The delicate materials deems the phone unsuitable for riding unprotected (see the next section, accessories), and adds weight making it more noticeable when out and about. This, paired with the screen size means you'll always know you're carrying your phone, whether that's a good or a bad thing.

Finally, refer back to when I said "Out with the old and in with the new", and the later explanation of how the Z2 adopts its style from it's ancestors. When we change our phones, we want a new experience. Sony know this - each flagship demonstrates interface overhauls and the promise of priority for firmware updates and new features. We love new things. For this reason, I can't go without down-marking the style of the Z2 for in this sense, it lacks originality.

Positive impact: 8/10

Negative impact: 1/10

Accessorizing

If you asked me three weeks ago whether I used a case, I'd have told you how much better my phone (the Xperia T back then) looked without a case. You'd likely have argued about how it protects the screen - I'd have said I'm particularly cautious.

I therefore faced a predicament - pretty soon after the initial joy of opening the box, realization had kicked in - this phone is seriously vulnerable to scratches, and a single scratch would change its whole appearance.

With this in mind, we headed to our local shopping center. In it, there is a Sony store, a Carphone Warehouse, a Phones4u, 2 O2 stores, an EE store, a Vodafone store, amongst other relevant stores. Having checked the internet between my sudden realization and heading out, I'd found a case I wanted - the official Sony style case. I also thought while I'm out, I'll grab the magnetic charger.

None of the above mentioned stores had either of these in stock. Both of them had officially been released, but nobody was stocking them. When asked when stock was coming, all stores advised they had no known plans to stock them. When asked in the Sony store, I was advised that online would be the best place to get it. The problem is, I needed the case on the day. If I'd ordered one online, that'd be a few days of either over-protectiveness or the prospect of keys/environment marking the phone.

Roxfit Book Case

Luckily, all stores had the Roxfit Book Case (pictured) which is a pretty similar match to the official case.

While a case was an essential on-the-day purchase, the magnetic charger wasn't. I therefore asked each store if they knew whether or not the Roxfit case (as the only case any of them were selling) was compatible with the magnetic charger, or if I'd need to take the case off each time I docked it. None of the stores knew the answer. I therefore will not be buying the magnetic charger, as I cannot be sure it will fit my case.

Now, accessorizing the Z2 is not a negative experience all around. In fact, when it comes to what accessories are available, there's a wide range. Additionally, Sony have made it easier to locate the right case for you by creating a dedicated website, Made For Xperia. If you're planning on grabbing a Z2, I suggest you head there as soon as you've finished reading this review to check out what's available. In addition to this, there's are more (non-case) accessories available on Sony's official Z2 page. The range is a bit short at the moment, but it's due to expand with the addition of the wireless charging case and mat. These accessories are listed on Sony's mobile accessories page, however for some reason they've made it hard to figure out which accessories are compatible with which device. Other omitted accessories include the Smart Watch series.

Rating

I've never felt more like accessorizing than with the Z2. Therefore, the idea of accessorizing is one that needs to be carefully considered particularly when rating the device. Accessories complement the Z2 - whether it's headphones, a charger, a case, or some of the later entrants, such as a smart watch or live band, each product is designed to add functionality to the base device.

Sony have nailed it in that there's a large range of accessories available, and traditionally, Sony continue to pioneer new technologies like the Smart Watch 2 and Smart Band. Additionally, Sony's headphones are some of the best on the market - The newly released Michael Jackson album Xscape is 'apparently' best heard when listened to on the Xperia Z2 with the MDR-NC31EM digital noise cancelling headphones, and produced with this scenario in mind.

The failings here though extend beyond the device, and stand out when shopping around. While on one hand it looks like Sony take the accessories market seriously, the lack of high street availability and sound knowledge of Xperia accessories even from its own retail store really do strive to say otherwise.

Positive impact: 5/10

Negative impact: 5/10

Battery

After a long day that kicked off with opening the box at 10am, completing an initial charge about noon and getting home from the shops about 7pm, I instinctively went to charge my phone.

See, with the Xperia T I found I'd get out of bed at 6:30am, do hardly anything on my phone all morning and need to charge it by 11am with 20% battery remaining. You can imagine then, how surprised I was that 7 hours had passed and my battery level was down to 89% - a reduction of just 11% in 7 hours, or 1.5% an hour.

I hear people claim their phones last days on end - 4+ days without charge. It doesn't seem possible to me in the era of smart phones but then I'm uneconomical. We can work it out though. If I spend 5 hours before needing to recharge and someone else goes 4 days, they're phone lasts 19 times as long as mine. Multiplied by the time it took to get to 89%, it would take one of these '4-day' dischargers 133 hours to drain just 11%. Overall, that'd be 1209 hours (50 days (nearly 2 months)) before completely draining their battery!... um... ok.

To be honest these people probably rarely use their phones, and turn them off then they're not being used, but the point is still the same, 11% in 7 hours is an impressive feat! I have nothing bad to say about this.

Rating

The last line says it all. I have nothing bad to say about this. This is the most reliable a smart phone battery has ever been for me. There's a phenomina that for the first few charges of a phone, the battery becomes more stable and readings are more accurate, and also that charge patterns can mean phones need charging with much less time between charges, but this has been stable for the 2 weeks I've been using it. I would expect by now to have seen some sign of degradation. So for now, I have to deem this as faultless.

Positive impact: 10/10

Negative impact: 0/10

Performance

This next point is a tricky one - while I've moved from the T to the Z2, I've also moved from android 4.3 to 4.4 in the process. Ignoring this however, and focussing purely on speed then (Xperia T) vs. speed now (Xperia Z2), the difference is huge.

Driving this speed increase along with the speed optimization changes made in android 4.4 is a 2.3 GHz Qualcomm MSM8974AB Quad-core processor.

I've at times used the phone with intense processes and so far I've only been able to produce lag on one ocassion; level 103 (and above) on Bloons TD5!

Of course, this isn't a real benchmark, so I also ran AnTuTu, making sure not to 'optimize' the phone prior to doing so. Bare in mind this test was run 2 weeks into heavy day to day usage, with some large apps running in the background. Also note, I've omitted the overall score as this is typically used to compare against other phones, which are typically gathered while the phone is optimized:

CPU: Good, Supports large apps and multitasking. RAM: Excellent, 2D graphics: Excellent, 3D graphics: Good, Fluently support most games.
UX Android 4.4.2
Multitask: 6484
Runtime: 3322
RAM 440.4/2778.3 MB
RAM Operation: 1265
RAM Speed: 3141
CPU 2265MHz (x4)
CPU integer: 3379
CPU float-point: 3369
GPU Adreno (TM) 330
2D graphics: [1080x1776] 1590
3D graphics: [1080x1776] 3828
IO 3299.0 / 11850.6 MB
Storage I/O: 1611
Database I/O: 640

Rating

Gone are the days of desktop redraws and lag also seems to be a thing of the past. Overall, the phone feels fast and responsive to use. With 2 weeks of heavy use under the belt, the phone still feels brand new. It's not 100% lag free, and that's to be expected when enough pressure is placed on it, but it's been very very close to perfect for me so far.

While scouring the internet for AnTuTu results, it became apparent that various results show either the Z2, Galaxy Note 3 or Galaxy S5 at the top of the list. Therefore it may or may not be the highest scorer on AnTuTu, and that's a tough one to call as the tests are all dependent on the state of the device when the tests are taken. One thing that is apparent though is that if it's not in the top spot, it's definitely up there by a very close call.

Positive impact: 9/10

negative impact: 1/10

Display

The Xperia Z2 has an IPS screen and apparently this is really good. I don't know, I have no idea what IPS is, what it does, and I'd rather not. I'm a very technical focused person, technology ripples through my life, at home, at work and at university. But displays, in my opinion, come under as something else.

It's one of these things where I feel like, if we're being told it's great and we've got all the evidence and backing up to say that it's great, then we'll think it's great. But I'd rather judge it from my own eyes and then, provided I think it's great, I'll say it's great. Do I think it's great?

I think it's nice. I think it's radiant, and colours are produced astonishingly well. Watching movies/TV is so much more practical on the Xperia T - the large screen and sound have a lot to thank for that, but also the video quality is superb. So in that respect, yes I think it's great.

But I started using the Z2 at the start of June, and within those two weeks, summer has been creeping along. With that, so has the sun. The sun is a battle ground of its own when it comes to mobile displays, and one that the Z2 looses itself a little. The screen is insanely reflective and this looks lovely when the phone is off (see the style section, above), but what about when it's on, your outside and the sun is shining? I've been in the position before where I've had phones that send me on a panicking rampage hunting for the nearest big of shade, but I've also had phones (including Sony phones) that do a decent job of alleviating that problem. The Z2, with auto-brightness enabled, send me on the familiar rampage.

As I said above, I'm no buff when it comes to display technology, and I don't want to be. For all I know, the Z2 may have the technology to adjust itself so that sunlight doesn't render it unusable, but if it does, it isn't working, and this can be quite restricting. That said, it's not completely debilitating and, while it's annoying, doesn't stop the small tasks (such as making calls, sending texts) with the help of a hand for cover. When I consider the tasks i do on my phone while I'm out in the sun, they tend not to involve intensive viewing such as watching TV or browsing the internet.

Rating

As brilliant as the display is on the Z2, it's let down by the issue of sun light flooding the ultra reflective screen. It almost feels like a trade off though, as an issue that has plagued several handsets now (though one that never really impacted me), namely the problem that Sony have had with viewing angles has apparently been fixed. So by trading one problem for another, the Z2 is at an even stance with older devices. In this case though the display reigns supreme and really pushes the Z2 making it a fine display for media, so long as you're not outside on a sunny day.

Positive impact: 7/10

Negative impact: 4/10

Durability

As the flagship feature of the Z2, this one gets an honorary mention as something I wouldn't generally include as a category in a review. The Z2 is IP55/58 certified. You may or may not already know what this means, though the probability is that you don't. It essentially proves that the Z2 is built to a set of standards for water proof and dust proof devices.

The official line is that the Z2 is waterproof in fresh water, though I did get drunk last weekend and pour a bottle of WKD Red over the Z2 while showing it off to my friends at the pub. I'd stick with fresh water though - warranty probably doesn't cover WKD Red.

People often ask me what's the point in a water proof phone? They often follow their initial question with an initiation to debate how they don't go surfing, jet-skiing, etc. and that such a decision to water proof the phone is one for a niche audience.

I have 2 arguments for this.

The first argument is that a water proof phone may appear to much more people that first consideration. I for example, don't drive, and work a 40 minute walk from home. Every day, after work, I phone my mum, and we talk for about 30-45 minutes. There have been many occasions where I've had to end the call, due to an unexpected bout of rain and not an umbrella in sight. So just because a waterproof doesn't sound convenient, doesn't mean it isn't.

My other argument is that innovation isn't always about changing our existing habbits, sometimes it's about inspiring new ones. Referring back to my earlier discussion about testing the display, I took a bath last week, and watched futurama on Sky Go. In the bath. How cool, right?! And I'll be doing that again. Before now, I've been putting spotify on the Roku in the bedroom, down the hall way. By time the sound reaches the bathroom, it's all muffled. Now I'll use my phone. Now I'm not restricted to listening but I can watch, too.

Personally, the whole water proof thing is a game changer, but others would argue otherwise.

Rating

I've made it no secret how much I respect the progression of phones heading in the waterproofing direction, and the Z2 changes things in various ways for me. No more hanging up due to the rain, for a start! But the ability to use my phone in new ways can only enhance the experience the Z2 has to offer. Will others see it the same way? Maybe, maybe not. But this is my review and I love it!

Positive impact: 10/10

Negative impact: 0/10

Connectivity

I wasn't going to include a section on connectivity. In my opinion, a phone is a phone, and should come with at least the ability to make calls and connect to the internet. Anything on top of that such as poor line quality is a complicated thing - it could be a result of degradation or it could be the other part's phone, or other contributing factors, and therefore not something I could comment on in the first 2 weeks.

As it happens, every call I've made, has been amazing. The sound quality is the best yet. It's loud, clear, and serves the purpose well.

But that's not the reason for my sudden change in decision. Since receiving the phone, I've had a bit of a problem. Wifi works fine at home, but not in another, large environment I use on a regular basis. In this situation, I need to disconnect wifi and use my data instead for any internet connectivity. It connects, looks connected, and says its connected. To an extent it 'kind of' works, where a bit of data comes through, and then it'll stop. This raises problems pulling in emails, loading websites, etc. and yet only happens with the Z2. The T was fine, other phones, many other connected devices and PCs etc. So I checked some techie stuff, ip conflicts, different gateways, etc. but to no success in trying to identify the problem. I read recently that this is an issue cropping up more and more. So far it looks like primarily UK users are affected, and the issue appears to be with support for 2.4GHz networks, while 5GHz networks work fine.

So, why? 2.4GHz networks are still widely in use. Maybe not to my approval, but it is so. Typically, these are in environments that cannot have the parameter changed at the click of a button. Yes, it's easy to change from 2.4 to 5GHz, but it's not something that's going to happen without rigorous testing, and certainly not because someone's phone won't connect.

I don't know if this is an intentional conscious decision from Sony to remove support for 2.4GHz signals or a bug affecting the Z2, but either way it's a debilitating issue. At the start of this section, I began by stating that "at least the ability to make calls and connect to the internet" should be available. While this holds true, wifi is no longer an option at work, forcing me to revert to my (not unlimited) data plan.

Rating

There's no way I can possibly award positive impact marks for the phone's ability to make calls and connect to the internet - it's a given standard these days to be able to do both, and if it wasn't possible to do these, the product would be unfit for purpose. So I can't mark it up for that.

I do however, need to fairly consider the debilitating and potentially costly impact of not being able to hold a decent connection to 2.4GHz infrastructures.

Positive impact: 0/10

Negative impact: 4/10

Utility

I've left the utility section until last, as this can cover anything miscellaneous relating to the usage of the device. For example, utility covers application use, situation use (such as work, study, entertainment) or customization (i.e. custom launchers).

The Z2 has a beast of a screen, and this caters for a multi-purpose device. Big enough to show video in an appreciative form or work with office suites for editing, great at home and at work, while small enough to carry around as a set of flash cards, or note pad, perfect for a student. As someone who utilizes my phone for all three categories, I can all but emphasize just how convenient the screen size is.

The Sony launcher gets better with every regenerative injection of new and/or overhauled features, and this iteration is no exception. As with every other iteration however, that as sleek as it looks and as feature rich as it is, it lacks the level of customization I seek. It can however easily be replicated, and Sony's own widgets can be loaded into 3rd party launchers, something that in the past was restricted.

Sony's lock screen has long been what I perceive to be a problem in the sense that when I reach for my phone, I want to be able to unlock it and enter without the need to enter a pass code, draw a picture, or smile for the camera. Back in the olden days, a user would need to swipe an element from one part of the screen to another part. In the even older days, before touch screens, users would need to enter a key combination that was specific to the make and model of the device, something like *#. In the even more olden days, the importance of lock screens hadn't been realized, and so phones came without them. We'd sit down, and in the process turn the phone on and phone someone. Pocket calls, I used to call them, where we'd get a call on the telephone and it'd be silence appart from the odd scuffering or talking in the distant back ground.

The lock screen was aimed at preventing this, only, a recent trend has been to make 'unlocking' as easy as possible, even if it means a single subtle touch. Queue the return of the pocket phone call.

I was hoping the Z2 would see the return of a lock screen that required a swipe from one part to the next, or at least a swipe from any location, but the ability to choose a minimum swipe length to prevent accidental swipes. Luckily my phone is now protected by a case that prevents any of this, but I empathize with anyone who, like me, wants a simple yet effective lock screen, but doesn't have a case.

Rating

The Z2 is perfectly capable of handling a number of tasks and does so well with it's screen size. That said, reading multipage pdf's and magazines of a4 size may still prove to be a challenge, though those tasks are best left to phablets and tablets if the full page view is what you're after. The weight of the Z2 impacts utility in that holding the device for long periods can become a strain.

The launcher gets better with every iteration but still isn't perfect. It's easily mimic-able though which in itself is a step up from previous iterations. Sony have yet to nail the lock screen, in my opinion.

Positive impact: 8/10

Negative impact: 2/10

Summary
The Z2 truly is an amazing phone. Built from the ground up with durability in mind, Sony have yet again put a keen focus on bringing something new to the table, something they've excelled at in the past. What stands out the most about the Z2 is its superb battery life, peering high above any Xperia I've had the pleasure of using to date - this seems to be the one where Sony have nailed it.

The Z2 does have its drawbacks however. The display is highly reflective of sunlight which can be a huge inconvenience though this can almost be forgiven for the screen looks simply outstanding under the right conditions. Other drawbacks include problems with WiFi connectivity and an apparent unwillingness to acknowledge just how serious accessorizing is, when considering the fragile aesthetics. These points however, can easily be remedied through software updates and change of attitude respectfully.

No phone is perfect, though the Z2 isn't far off. It scores an impressive 78% from me (as explained below) and with the necessary changes in place, has the opportunity to be in the region of 90% - an astonishing achievement! The Z2 is one of the best smart phones on the market and with improvements naturally expected over time, is a worthy investment.

Scorecard

Category	Positive	Negative
Size	7	1
Style	8	1
Accessorizing	5	5
Battery	10	0
Performance	9	1
Display	7	4
Durability	10	0
Connectivity	0	4
Utility	8	2

Total	64	18

Each category has been rated out of 10 for both its positive and negative impact on the device, represented as two scores per category. Both scores from each category are then added to a total representing the number of points the overall score is to be compared against. In this case, the overall figure is (64 + 18) 82.

The final score is then given by returning the percentage of the overall figure that represents the positive impact. In this case as the Z2 scored 64 positive impact points out of 82 impact points overall, the final score is:

78.05%

Dive into a waterproof Sony @ Gadget Show Live 2014!

2014-04-14T05:46:00.000-07:00

Some will have seen the #DiveIntoSony hashtag on twitter over the weekend. In case you haven't, check this out...

Tweets about "#DiveIntoSony"

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to visit the Sony Stand at Gadget Show Live here in the UK, armed only with the hashtag, #DiveIntoSony. Uncertain about my expectations, I braced myself while walking towards the stand with a noticeable addition, a full sized diving tank, containing two divers, a SmartWatch 2, and an Xperia Z series phone (my ever-ageing eyes tell me this was the Z1).

During my visit, I got a good look at these devices along with the also waterproof SmartBand, and discuss the usefulness of waterproof smartphones and wearable devices with a member of the Sony team.

I often hear remarks about the likelihood of an average user taking their phone surfing, however I'm uneasy with the smaller things, from using my phone in the rain, to playing music while in the bath. I therefore jumped at the chance of diving into the tank myself! Well, not 'that' tank, no. A much smaller tank at elbow height was much more suited to wetting my appetite!

Having studied wearable computing at university I'm compelled with it's growth, so Sony's take has intrigued me. Whilst I initially found it fiddly to equip, once it was on I pictured the benefits. Nature's impact on wearable technology is an important one to consider, so waterproofing is a huge step in the right direction.

Sony has clearly found its feet in the wearable market, and waterproofing these devices and the phones they complement is certainly a nod to the future of wearables.

The SmartWatch 2, SmartBand and Xperia Z1 are available now. Sony's next flagship, the Xperia Z2 is available to pre-order, and will be the next device in Sony's waterproof portfolio.

Meet Your Next Best Friend: Android Device Manager

2013-09-24T03:19:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Many people ask me about one crucial bit of functionality which Android has never really handled too well in its native form. It's a sensitive subject and often only comes up at a sensitive time. "How do I locate my missing device?"

The sad truth is, locating a lost android has always been something that requires proactive thinking; installing third party software and entrusting that software with crucial remote functionality of your device such as the ability to lock or wipe your phone.

A few months ago, I was asked this question by a friend who was pro actively looking for such a solution for a new android device - my recommendation through this very blog was a third party service known as Lookout.

Over the years I've grown very fond of lookout; I share an intimate bond with it, for all the private information stored on my phone is at lookout's disposal. I value the service as a friend - we share a connection and one where I trust it dearly. Ever since a bad experience prior to my companionship with lookout and a recommendation to adopt its services, my trusted friend has been on hand whenever I've needed it, and I'll never forget just how much I value this.

But who says friends are restricted to just one?

You see, Lookout is one if those friends formed under tragic circumstances - a friendship initiated following on from a disastrous event which could almost have been prevented if only you'd known each other prior to such tragedy. For arguments sake, we'll call this a hindsight friendship.

But then there's de facto friendships - those who have been there for as long as you can remember. You don't really remember meeting them for the very first time - you can't even recall how you met each other and you probably don't see each other on such a regular basis. But they are a friend no less.

I'd like to introduce you to Android Device Manager - your brand new de facto friend!

Meet the Android Device Manager

You see, going forward there's no longer a pivotal need to install third party software prior to the loss or theft of your treasured android device.

Let's, for a minute, return to the friend who I told about Lookout. In this situation she was very fortunate due to her pro-activeness - a solution was readily available, enough so for a mammoth blog post detailing all the things that Lookout is capable of.

But this isn't a one shot question. This is something I get asked loads, and 99.9999% of the time, the person posing the question is much less fortunate - by time the question is asked, their device is long gone. This very much echo's my own disaster - the disaster which ultimately lead to my hindsight friendship with Lookout.

I however, never saw my stolen Xperia S again.

This is where our de facto friend, Android Device Manager comes in. Before now, third prior intervention with prior manual intervention was our only chance of locating a missing phone, and without such prior manual intervention our phones would be lost for good. That was the sad ending for myself and the 99.9999% of those who'd asked me.

The Android Device Manager however, requires little to no manual intervention. If you've already got an android device, this service should be readily available without any intervention, and the same goes for a brand new android device - it's there and ready to use.

Now, I may have been a little misleading in saying it doesn't require manual intervention - you do need to be signed in with a Google account - but anyone who isn't using a Google account with their android device is already missing out on everything that makes android what it is, so I won't go into heavy discussion about that.

What does it do?

The best way to answer this is to log in and take a look for yourself. All you need is your Google login details.

Android Device Manager Clicking on this link will take you to the Android Device Manager, where you will be asked to sign in with your Google account details if you're not already signed in.

At this point in time, it doesn't do a lot, but that doesn't mean that what it does do isn't a life saver. At present, there are 4 things of note:

Location: At first you'll instantly recognise the Google interface with the service and account bars at the top of the page, and in addition to this you'll see something that closely resembles the latest iteration of Google Maps, spanning from edge to edge with a 'card' overlay similar to the cards seen in Google Now on android. Depending on whether you have Lock and Erase enabled already (I'll discuss this shortly), you may have one or two cards at first. The top card, containing three commands at the bottom, also shows a text based location such as a city name where the device was last seen using GPS and the time the location was last updated. An up to date location can be found instantly using the refresh button on the top right corner. The map will also show you a circle representing the radius of the location of the lost device.

Ring: Convenient particularly when you know the location of the device, you then have the option to send a 'ring' to the phone. This allows you to hunt around the given radius whilst the phone audibly notifies you of its present location.

Lock/Erase: Failing the above steps, you can take the drastic measure of either locking the phone so that it can't be accessed in the wrong hands or remotely wiping it so that sensitive data residing on the device is destroyed. Both of these features DO require manual intervention prior to the phone going missing, and instructions are given on the 2nd card (providing the feature isn't enabled already). If this is enabled and you'd like to disable it, you can do so by going into the Google Settings app on your device, and entering the Android Device Manager settings.

At this point in time, the Android Device Manager isn't the most stable it could be - for example when I first launched it in Chrome it was unable to locate my phone, whilst going into incognito mode (a Chrome setting) found my phone immediately upon logging in.

It's important to consider however that this service is very much in its infancy and a work in progress; the ability to remotely lock the device and change your PIN (an incredible feature!) was only added in the last 24 hours, so you can this is still something which Google is working on improving over time.

Is it a Lookout contender?

Well that depends. As it stands, the two services complement each other. For example, Android Device Manager is capable of changing the device's PIN number and locking the device so that the newly set PIN needs to be entered to unlock it. Lookout does have remote lock and wipe features, but these are only available as part of its premium subscription service.

On the other hand, Lookout does have some incredible free features such as the ability to send you an email when your device is about to run out of battery containing the device's current location, and a handy little feature that emails you a photo of anyone who unsuccessfully tries to log in to the device three times consecutively.

As mentioned above however, this is still a work in progress on Google's part meaning it really is down to what Google decides to include next. Lookout may also be feeling the heat at this early stage and working on new features behind the scenes, ready to unleash in the event that Google does start to appeal as the stronger contender.

In Summary…

Google's track record for axing services that are much loved by their user base (special mention to Google Reader) means that, should someone pro-actively ask me what they should do to protect their phone against possible loss/theft, my conscience wouldn't allow me to tell them to sit back and do nothing, letting Android Device Manager take care of it all.

Android Device Manager is a powerful weapon on Google's part however, and definitely serves its purpose well most notably for those who hadn't taken any proactive measures prior to losing their device. It's early days as of yet and glitches are likely to be ironed out in time. In addition, with a name like Android Device Manager, my gut instinct tells me Google are planning some big things that extend beyond loss/theft prevention.

I'm not one to drop one friend in favour of another, however. Lookout still has an important part to play and if anything, this experience is likely to make our friendship go from strength to strength as lookout looks to extend its Swiss army knife of loss/theft prevention features.

Xperia SP Hands On Review: Mid-Range But Better

2013-04-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

Having recently acquired a new Sony Xperia SP, this review aims to answer any burning questions you might have about what to expect from the phone upon it's release and whether or not it's the right phone for you. I'll be detailing everything from hardware, software, design, exclusives and more with the aim that by the end of it all, you'll be familiar enough with the phone to be able to confidently decide whether or not the Xperia SP will be the next phone making it's way to your pocket.

The first thing of note about the SP is its shape and design. Whilst the phone pulls its design cues by hybridizing the visual features of the Xperia S and Xperia P, the SP is remarkably similar to the Xperia T in terms of size and dimension with just the smallest size increase to account for the light bar which I’ll go into more detail about later.

Those who may be ending two year contracts with the Xperia arc will be pleased to know the Xperia T’s design resembles the arc in many ways, and so the SP feels very much like a natural progression. Put simply, you shouldn’t feel too far out of your comfort zone by upgrading to an SP.

One thing present on the Xperia T which is missing from the SP is the arc design which some have come to know and love, but Sony have maintained a firm comfortable feel with the inclusion of an aluminium frame, similar to the skeleton design seen on the Xperia Z. In fact, so much so is the inclusion of an aluminium frame a well-placed addition that it actually feel’s much more firm and well-built than the Xperia T.

So let’s look on the outside of the phone. The very top of the device contains just a headphone jack, keeping things simple. On the left hand side of the device is the USB connection port and the bottom is kept clean with nothing present. The microphone, which in previous generations has been included on the bottom, now finds its home on the front of the device.

The main focus is on the right hand side, containing the volume keys camera keys and the signature power button.

There’s a lot going on here. First, for those of you who have been put off by some of the slightly eccentric design choices Sony have recently made in terms of key placement, you’ll be glad to know that Sony have seen the error in their ways and moved the volume keys back to the top of the device.

In addition to this, the presence of the camera key is welcomed in comparison to this year’s flagship which has seen the camera button axed from its design.

I’m beginning to warm more and more to the design of the new signature power button which sees itself laced throughout the Xperia software, representing toggles throughout the interface’s menus. For now, it’s worth pointing out that it’s very comfortable and requires little effort, unlike some devices which have stiff or awkwardly placed power keys, making it feel like brute force is required before the action’s even begun!

One thing I’m not too certain on is the placement of two small screws on either side of the device. I’m uncertain if this was an intentional design choice or just carelessness, but either way it does make the device look the smallest bit cheaper than it needs to. This is only really noticeable up close, so nothing to worry too much about.

The back of the device is a little ‘loud’. Most prominent is the camera, and to the left of this is the device’s speaker. Below the camera is the device’s LED flash, and further down is the 2nd mic for noise cancellation. About half way down is the XPERIA logo. Something which really isn’t necessary is the inclusion of a small ‘NFC’ sticker, or at least what appears to be a sticker. I’m sure I’ll find out when I try removing it! Seriously, that sort of thing should be on the box, not on the phone itself, and I really don’t see the point in its inclusion. You may notice the absence of the Sony Ericsson Orb which has been removed from all new Sony phones starting this year.

Upon removing the back cover, you’ll see two ports. One for a Micro SD card and another for a micro-SIM.

On first firing up the device you’re greeted with the new clean lock screen, and upon unlocking you’ll see the standard set of widgets found on all Xperia devices these days, which can be customized using the latest iteration of the Xperia user interface.

Sony’s interface customizations add certain enhancements to the android experience such as adding or removing up to 7 home screens, the ability to fire up small apps which itself has some great potential, and just an all-around simple to use design.

You’ll instantly notice the responsiveness on the Xperia SP. Having jumped from last year’s Q3 flagship the Xperia T to this year’s mid-range phone, I’m instantly impressed with the speed and responsiveness, but this is something I’m always quick to reserve judgement on, In my opinion, the time it takes for a device to degrade is far more important than its condition prior to any usage.

Some of the technologies featured in last year’s mid-range and budget phones have made their way to the SP, the first of which is white magic, instantly emphasizing the colours on the device.

This makes for extremely good and instantly noticeable light enhancements to the picture quality and even on a low brightness setting, colours are vibrant, though it does make a small few images appear more ‘pastelly’ than they need to be.

All in all it’s a welcomed feature, though users of the Xperia P did comment on the battery drain this caused so it will be interesting to see if Sony have taken this into account by optimizing it for a longer lasting phone.

The next feature to be carried across from the 2012 range is the hardware powering the Xperia Sola’s floating touch. Floating touch was renamed with the introduction of Ice Cream Sandwich and is now known as ‘Glove Mode’, which can be found on the SP.

To activate glove mode, simply unlock the phone while wearing a pair of gloves, or by mimicking the unlock mid-air. The inclusion of glove mode is questionable. When wearing a pair of gloves, I still struggle to unlock and control the phone, and without gloves I often find myself touching the screen anyway.

It makes me wonder whether or not this technology was effective on the Sola. If so, will a future software update improve its responsiveness? If it was never any good to begin with, then why include it this time around?

The final device specific technology to make its way to the SP is the NXT light bar, famously found on the S, P and U. While present on all three NXT devices, this carries over the Xperia U’s customisability with more enhanced customisation and prominence than what was seen in the U.

What do I mean by enhanced prominence? First of all, by playing music in the Walkman player, you’ll see the phone join the party, lighting up to the beat and melody which is more or less emphasised based on the tone of the music. In addition to this, the light picks up from the overall look of the album art, which also applies itself to the background colour of the Walkman player itself. This doesn’t work in Spotify, and I’m betting it won’t work on any other third party players. It also doesn’t work when outside of the app, or when the screen is off.

In addition to matching the mood of the music being played, the light bar also matches the prominent colour in any photo being viewed in the album, which is a nice touch which still surprises me every time!

The light bar also provides notifications for texts, incoming and missed calls, emails, Facebook and other LED enabled apps.

A new technology making its way to all Sony mobile devices is the ability to use a PlayStation controller without the need for third party applications, device rooting, or a fiddly setup.

The feature makes its debut of the Xperia SP and looks to be a fan favourite upon its release.

Unfortunately I’m currently unable to test the feature without the necessary cable to connect a controller, but I’ll be interested to see if the controller is restricted to Playstation Mobile games, or whether it will work on all gamepad enabled games.

The camera on the SP includes the same revamped software as the Xperia Z including HDR mode and superior auto, although HDR video recording is limited to the Xperia Z for now.

Video playback now makes use of the new and improved BRAVIA Engine 2, and upon playback of the same video on both the Xperia SP and Xperia T side-by-side, the Xperia SP was superior with eye popping clarity. Maybe surprisingly, the same can also be said for sound quality. Comparing the SP to the T, whilst the SP focuses more on the higher frequencies, playing the same piece of music on the T sounded much lower in quality.

The Xperia SP isn’t without its low points, some of which mid-range Sony phones have been able overcome in previous years. As a mid-range phone, it’s limited to 8 gigabytes of internal storage with no included SD card and an 8 megapixel camera.

Whilst the Xperia P was restricted to an 8 megapixel camera, it packed a generous 16 GB internal storage, and the more recent Xperia V came with just 8 GB internal storage, but a 13mp camera. Sony also felt the need to restrict quad-core technology to the Xperia Z, however with octacore technology readily available, dual core really is tested as to how long it’s going to be until it’s just no longer feasible.

On the plus side, the dual-core 1.7 GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S4 Plus is far from a cheap oversight, and Sony have been careful to assure that the Xperia SP isn’t left behind too far into the near future. It’s also important to note that cores don’t solve everything, so just because it has more, doesn’t mean it’s better.

All in all, my experience so far with the Xperia SP has been a welcoming one. I’ve enjoyed using it so far and look forward to seeing how well it stands the test of time.

The Xperia SP oozes nostalgia for those transitioning across from a 2012 phone as well as being transition ready for those reaching the end of their two year contracts. It packs enough clout to be considered a fine alternative to other mid-range phones on the market.

Whilst some of the technology such as the inclusion of glove mode, which could potentially hinder development of future firmware, or dual core which can only go so far may be questionable, mid-range devices aren’t there to showcase the breaking edge. The SP however manages to combine last year’s breaking edge technology whilst still leaving enough room for some showcasing of its own, namely with the inclusion of HDR and the debut of integrated Sony Controller connectivity.

The SP is less than what is required for those that need breaking edge, understandably. Those that want it are looking at an extra £100 for a SIM-free handset in the form the Xperia Z. The Xperia SP is however a decent phone which still manages to innovate in small ways, something that you’ll be lucky to find in most mid-range handsets. Sony’s position and reputation as innovators is left unharmed, and so far manages to shine across the entirety of the 2013 range.

The Xperia SP is available to pre-order from the Carphone Warehouse for £379.95 or direct from Sony for £349. Alternatively if it’s a contract you’re after, O2 will be supplying the handset directly, whilst contracts for EE, T-Mobile, Orange and Vodafone are available on Phones4u.

As usual with any device I’m able to get my hands on, you’ll see more from me about the Xperia SP in due course.

If you have any burning questions about the SP, please feel free to use the comments section and I’ll answer if I can.

UPDATE: Having investigated further into the presence of White Magic, it appears I may have been mistaken due to a combination of confusion in sources for this device and a separate 'rumoured' device, mutters of the inclussion of White Magic in the SP and a notably enhanced brightness on the screen on the SP in general.

Whilst there does appear to have been an amphasis on clarity as well as bringing out the brighter shades on the Xperia SP, this does not appear to be the result of White Magic technology. The morale of the story? You can never have too many sources!

Case Study: Sony TV SideView App & Plex Media Server

2013-01-11T04:08:00.000-08:00

Over the past few years, Sony's mantra has been about 'making believe', that is, using your imagination to create a brand new experience. It's also been about the 'four screens' strategy. The concept here is that devices can work together to enhance the overall viewing experience. And to top it all off, 2012 has seen the introduction and rapid growth in interest of the 'second screen' experience. The second screen experience is a term coined for using a mobile phone, tablet or phablet to enhance the TV viewing experience.

There are a selection of services available to provide the second screen experience, whether it's cable provider apps for remote viewing and recording, social networking apps like GetGlue or one of the many library apps able to catalogue your movie/TV collection and 'play to' another device using the power of DLNA. And DLNA is the true technology behind this case study where I'll discuss two technologies which, used together can create a whole new smart experience.

TV SideView

Unbeknown to many and overshadowed by the announcement of the Xperia Z, just this week Sony released their newest app, TV SideView. If you've ever used 'Media Remote' then you already have a pretty good idea about it's base purpose. For those who don't know, Media Remote is an application formally released by Sony to provide remote control functionality to another Sony device such as a TV or BlueRay player from an android smartphone. This really was the baby steps for Sony in terms of Second Screen functionality, however TV SideView goes from first steps to more of an exploration direction.

If having a 'remote control' app wasn't enough, then how could the Second Screen be improved? Sony's answer to this was to produce a whole mobile interface that wouldn't interfere with what's currently on TV but still providing that overall link. When you first launch the application you'll be prompted to pair the app with your Sony device, something almost effortless, and familiar to those who have used Media Remote.

Thereafter, each time you launch the application you will be greeted with a stunning new menu, the interface behind the link - the second screen. Sony opts not for the XMB interface which its media devices are more acustomed to, but for a tiles interface which works so well.

Interestingly I don't appear to have everything that's available. In some instances I can understand why, but others I'm left a little uncertain. According to the screenshot on the Google Play page, you should have Search, Program Guide, Recorded Content, Home Network, Voice Command, Remote, Applications and i-Manual for Bravia. I, on the other hand am limited to Search, Program Guide, Home Network, Voice Command, Remote and i-Manual for Bravia. I can understand the 'Recorded Content' not being present as my TV isn't isn't connected to an aerial directly, instead a satellite set top box via. HDMI which means I'm unable to make use of the broadcast TV features on Bravia. Applications however, I should in my opinion be seeing, with access to SEN, widgets and Internet Video, however as I do not have access, I cannot comment on these.

The search feature searches a range of services such as Netflix, IMDB and Wikipedia which provides a great second screen experience for when you want to learn more about something you're seeing on TV. One gripe I have though is Netflix's results. If you search for something on Netflix and then go to view more details, you have the option to play a Netflix show. I would expect from a second screen app for the Netflix content to then play on the connected device (i.e. my TV) which happens to have Netflix installed and logged in, but instead the content simply launches the Netflix app on the local device (the phone) and plays the content there. I would expect this to change in a future update and also for search to incorporate the internet video search, available directly on the TV.

Voice input is Sony's answer to the latest craze from other manufacturers which is the ability to control your TV with your body. Whether it's pointing at the content you wish to view, or waving your arms around in frustration until something plays. Voice control in my opinion is no better. You have the ability to change the channel and view additional content, however restricted to US English and Japanese, I would also imagine these still have problems with accuracy like most voice control services and several clicks are still required to make anything happen. I say stick to the traditional remote control, at least for now until a more practical alternative surfaces.

The remote provides the same experience as Media Remote, and like Media Remote also contains a mouse track pad and keyboard for additional inputs. i-Manual provides access to i-Manual on a Bravia TV, something you should be familiar with if you've ever wondered 'how' something works with your TV.

I've saved the best until last, and that's Home Network. Media servers are no new concept. The ability to store your media on one device and play it on another has been around for years, but over the past couple of years, focus on enhancing the capabilities of DLNA and the introduction of new DLNA standards have seen the ability not only to play the content from a remote device on the device you're currently at, but also to 'throw' media, that is playing the media on a distant device such as a TV from a local device, such as the phone creating a new 'remote control' experience. But what if we could do more? What if we could enhance the smart media capabilities of a TV using something like DLNA? And this is where Plex comes in.

PLEX

As I previously mentioned, media servers are no new concept. I remember playing around with Winamp's collaboration with Orb (aptly named Winamp Orb) back in the late 00s, and the Playstation 3 has been able to play content stored on other devices since day one. So what does Plex bring?

Whereas traditional media servers allow local media to be streamed from one machine to the next over a local network, Plex brings the ability to add channels. These are similar to the internet video channels (IPTV) found on smart TVs. Those with a Bravia may be familiar with channels such as DailyMotion, Aol Internet Video, eHow, and the rest. You may be familiar with local channels, for example here in England we have access to iPlayer, Demand5, plus BBC and Sky News services. But those with a Bravia may also be familiar with the frustration of adding new services. New IPTV services cannot be added, and the closest alternative is to use the built in app store, whether it's Yahoo or Opera respectively dependent on your location, neither of which offer an overly comprehensive selection. In fact, as an app store that doesn't even have a Facebook app, third party or official as well as poorly programmed apps at best, this is something I tend to steer well clear of.

It leaves our Bravia TVs a little - dumb. Smart TVs truly have a long way to go yet before they can truly be called smart devices, but we're not entirely out of options. Anyone who has used a Roku device will be familiar with adding custom channels. In the US, roku has 700+ channels, whilst here in the UK we have 300+. These are big numbers when compared to the 20 or so channels available on Bravia. Plex however, gives us hope. It gives us the ability to add new channels to our Sony media devices.

First things first, I should get this out of the way now. Whilst the combination of Plex and TV SideView opens the door for great new things, it's no way a comprehensive stable solution or replacement for any media server you may currently be using. It's a buggy solution and if anything is more to prove that things CAN be done, and that with the correct development aimed for and focussed on Bravia devices rather than generic channels, there are endless possibilities on what can be achieved.

As I mentioned above, Plex allows you to add channels, much in the same way as Roku or XBMC allows you to add channels. The difference between Roku/XMBC and Plex is that the former are media centre devices/software whilst Plex is a media server. This means that, in the same way as earlier media servers allowed users to play local media across networked devices, Plex allows streamed content to be played across networked devices, even inter-networked devices with a free MyPlex account meaning you can watch your locally stored media or streaming channels from anywhere with an internet connection.

You may for example have the Funny or Die channel installed on your Plex media server. With this channel installed you can use any DLNA capable device to stream videos from Funny or Die, be-it your Playstation 3, Sony tablet or Xperia phone. Like I mentioned above, this is buggy. I noticed some channels wouldn't work at all (some wouldn't even show up in the list of channels) whilst others would work, but selectively meaning not all videos would play.

TV SideView with Plex

You may be wondering at this point what TV SideView has to do with Plex? Well, before now we've had DLNA pull and DLNA push, two different forms of DLNA, and here's now they work:

DLNA Pull: DLNA pull requires the browsing and play controls for media to take place on the device where the content will be played. For example, if a PC is the media server whilst the phone will be playing the content, the content must be located from the phone, and be played from the phone. This was the initial use of DLNA.

DLNA Push: DLNA push allows users to browse and control the media from the server, and to 'send' the media to another device. For example, if the phone is the media server, and the TV will be playing the content, you can locate the content using the phone, and even play/pause/rewind, etc. from the phone itself, whilst playing the content on the TV.

With TV SideView, you can combine these actions, such as, you can 'pull to push'. This means you can use the phone as a go between, to pull the media from a server, but rather than play the media on the phone itself, push the media to another host.

So, lets say we have an episode of 'The Walking Dead' stored on a PC. We want to play that on the TV, but rather than sitting at the PC to 'push' the media or navigate the TV's menus to 'pull' it, we can simply use TV SideView to browse the content of the media server, pull the media from the server, and push it to the TV.

That's kinda cool. So, as long as the media is stored on one device on the network, we can play it on another device, using the phone as a go between, a remote if you like. Right? Whilst this is true, this can be done with any media server.

Now lets add Plex to the equation Lets say I want to watch a technology conference talk on my TV, but I don't have one stored anywhere on my network. I can add the TED talks channel to my Plex server with great ease. Then, I can use TV SideView to browse my Plex server and locate the TED talks channel, allowing me to browse the titles available on TED talks and choose one I wish to play. At this point, I'm browsing the DLNA media server, so I'm using DLNA Pull. I locate a talk I wish to view, and so I 'send' the stream from my Plex server to the TV using my phone as a go-between to achieve this. I'm pulling the online content from my Plex server to my phone, and then pushing it from my phone to the TV. 'Pull to Push'.

Lets talk stability

I've mentioned several times before and I'll mention it again, this isn't a stable solution; it's not a purpose designed solution that's had a great amount of development specifically for the hardware and software to be used together to provide an amazing new smart TV experience, it's just so happens that this is the way the software works, allowing us to combine technologies to create something new.

Does this mean Plex is rubbish? No. Plex is a fantastic service! Some devices such as Roku have Plex built in, and a premium Plex app is available on android which, I would imagine, is the perfect wrapper to play all content from all channels hassle free, however I'm yet to try this (it's in the pipeline). Plex works as a media server and offers media server capabilities which is why we're able to do this, however it is my understanding that Plex playback works best when using an official Plex app rather than manipulating the data streams it provides for alternative methods of playback.

Summary

Smart TVs are young, as are second screens. But whilst they are young, they already contain the foundations for developers to be able to acheive great things when mashing up or combining services. The demonstration above shows a truly advanced home networking solution that allows media to be stored on one device, played on another, whilst controlled from another all with great simplicity. If all this can be acheived without any purpose built solution to do so, imagine what we may be capable of with the right development, time and attention towards a purpose built solution to enhancing and enriching the smart TV experience.

At the heart of this experiment was my Sony Xperia T along with the TV SideView app. But this cannot be acheived with a phone and a 'player' alone, instead combines the features of one service with those of another. I truly believe it is this 'mash-up' culture which is already present online with services such as IFTTT and Facebook OpenGraph that will make its way into interconnected physical devices to provide the true smart home that has been the vision ever since Xerox PARC and Weiser's Computer for the 21st Century and which we've strived upon naturally for decades to acheive.

Smart TVs offer a great platform for learning new things, however to think that the internet and associated technologies will still be with us in hundreds, probably thousands of years to come, its easy to see that these technologies really are young, and that's super exciting! Simple mashups, combining services and hardware is where we're at now. Imagine where we'll be in decades or centuries to come.

Xperia E: Sony's First 2013 Budget Phone

2013-01-09T05:14:00.000-08:00

The past 24 hours has seen a surge of interest in Sony's Xperia offerings with the announcement of the Xperia Z at CES 2013, quite possibly Sony's most attractive offering since entering the smart phone market and most definitely the most popular Xperia announcement at first glance since Sony's buyout of Sony Ericsson. Indeed, Sony seem to have set the standard early on for what is in store for smart phone enthusiasts across 2013.

As attractive as the Xperia Z is however, it's price tag may appear less attractive especially to those looking to buy their first smart phone, or those who require less horse power for their money spent. Sony, as always, have that covered with a budget handset set to enter the market in the first quarter, the Xperia E.

The Xperia E makes its entrance in two flavours, the standard Xperia E, and the Xperia E dual. The difference between the two devices is minimal. Whilst the Xperia E will be available in black pink or white, the Xperia E Dual will come in black or gold. Asside from the dual sim capabilities and available colours, the two models seem identical so it's interesting to note that whilst the Xperia E will launch on Android 4.1 (Jellybean), the Xperia E Dual will launch on Android 4.0 with an upgrade to 4.1 to follow later on.

It's worth pointing out that whilst these devices are expected to both be running android 4.1 at some point, it is unlikely they will see anything beyond that. Owners of Sony's budget offerings has in the past felt duped by Sony's decisions and most notoriously last year when they took the decision not to provide the next android release to the Xperia J, Miro, Tipo or Sola regardless of those phones only being recent on the market.

To the right audience, this is not a big deal, however if you are looking for a phone which is likely to go far in terms of android version updates, then budget phones should not really be considered as a viable option as they are least likely to be given priority in terms of future development.

In terms of hardware, these models will feature a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 (MSM7227A) 4GB internal storage with the ability to expand this up to 32GB via. microSD, a 3.5" screen with 262,000 colours (320x480), a 3.2MP camera and a 1500mAh removable battery.

The Xperia E looks to be sitting just below the Xperia J in terms of features and specs, pitting the Xperia E's 3.2MP camera against the Xperia J's 5MP, and settling for a 3.5" screen instead of a 4" screen.

As with any budget handset, the Xperia E will not bring a revolutionary experience like no other, but stands out as a viable option in the market place for those that don't need their smart phone to be decorated with bells and whistles. In terms of pricing and availability, the Carphone Warehouse are expecting to ship the device in february and, whilst UK pricing is yet to be announced, the €159 listing in germany means we can expect to see the Xperia E shipping in the UK at aproximately £130.

CES 2013: Sony Xperia Z

2013-01-08T05:34:00.000-08:00

Straight off CES 2013, Sony have today announced the Xperia Z which we previously reported under its former codename the Xperia Yuga. The device is being dubbed by Sony as the most water resistant (IPX5/7) and dustproof (IP5X) phone on the market, making it a contender not only in the personal smartphone market space, but also industrially where conditions may vary, requiring durable smartphones that are less likely to break under hazardous conditions.

The Yuga will launch with Android 4.1 meaning its chances of receiving the next, yet to be formally announced android operating system (Key Lime Pie anyone?) are high with a typical cycle of two android updates per Xperia model.

Neither 16GB storage with expandable memory nor a 13mp camera are new to Sony's artillery of features, both featuring on the earlier Xperia T, however the Xperia Z impresses most with its combination of screen size touting an impressive 5 inches, 16m colour 1920x1080 reality display with Bravia Engine 2 and 1.5GHz Quad-core Qualcomm APQ8064 S4 Snapdragon processor with 2GB RAM all gearing towards a solid entertainment based 'phablet'.

Other features carried over to the Xperia Z include Playstation Certification with PSM, support for MHL (HDMI connectivity), Exmor RS, Walkman and many more, all of which can be found on Sony's specs page here.

Sony also announced two new audio accessories today, the Stereo Bluetooth Headset SBH20 and the Wireless Headset DR-BTN200M, each of which activate with the Xperia Z just by touching the phone to the accessories using NFC.

In terms of interface, returning Xperia users will be greeted with an almost brand new, and certainly fresh android overlay, focussing much more on retaining the qualities of Vanilla android whilst still making for an improved experience in areas such as launcher customisation (which contains 7... count them, yes 7 screens!) and app draw navigation as well as Sony's latest camera software, feature-full and sure to impress even the most camera savvy users out there.

In terms of a UK release schedule, Clove have pinned the Xperia Z for a March release at £528 (inc. VAT), with a more specific 1st March release coming from Phones4u. O2 appear to be most ahead of the game however, with a February release according to their Xperia Z product page, narrowed down to mid-february by the Carphone Warehouse. Vodafone have also stated they will be stocking the Xperia Z, but have yet to announce when and for how much.

EDIT: I'm not sure where 7 screens came from, I was certain I'd seen a video earlier in the day demonstrating 7 screens but since then cannot find anything else to suggest this, with all signs pointing towards the standard 5 screens. UPDATE: It looks as though the Xperia Z may support 7 screens after all, according to various photographs across the internet of the Xperia Z with anywhere between 3 and 7 home screens, and reports from users of the launcher of being able to specify how many launcher screens are present.

Sources: Sony (Xperia Z) Sony (Xperia T) Clove Pocket-Lint Engadget

Awooga for the Yuga!

2012-12-18T03:06:00.001-08:00

There has been a lot of talk over the past month of so about the next Sony Flagship, codenamed Yuga (C660X). Today, Mobile-Review, who have previously been accurate in their early reviews, have posted about the up and coming device which is set to be a huge entry into the smart phone market.

Whilst Mobile Review have a tendancy to be on the spot, it's important to consider that until a full announcement has been made, these should all be regarded purely as speculation for now. The article is very in depth and can be found here however for the sake of keeping things short, I want to focus on some of the things that stood out to me.

The Yuga will make it's entrance as a first for many. Sony's first 5"+ smartphone, their first quad core phone (Qualcomm APQ8064 w/ 4 x Krait), the first 'full LTE' device ever, the first HDR (High Dynamic Range) video camera phone, etc. You begin to get the picture that Sony is now taking the approach of being 'first' rather than lagging behind the competition.

Xperia devices have previously been limited to SDHC meaning a maximum expansion of 32GB through SD cards. The Yuga on the other hand, brings support for SDXC, raising the bar and allowing up to 128GB expansion.

The camera seems to have gotten a major overhaul. Whilst the pixel count has gone down from 13MP to 12MP (pixels aren't everything), more effort has been put into the more (and less) subtle additions such as enhancements to autoselecting scenes, as well as the brand new 'Superior Auto' which appears to add new modes such as burst mode, picture effect (filters such as sketch, fisheye and kaleidoscope), and more. The article also details the ability to record video whilst simultaneously capturing still images.

One of the screenshots produces the 'share' menu, which seems to suggest twitter integration a la. Facebook Inside Xperia, with the addition of Twitter For Xperia (Twitter Inside Xperia, anyone?).

Interface wise, it looks as though Sony may finally have taken the leap involved in completely revamping the launcher, offering features that have been longed for dating back to the Xperia X10.

Such enhancements include the ability to add additional screens to the launcher and a more fine tuned way of adding widgets and shortcuts to the launcher, alongside general customisation such as themes and wallpapers.

The lock screen also appears to have undergone a makeover, and includes easy access to key areas of the phone such as camera and music, as well as a nice 'smash' animation upon unlocking.

That's all for now, however head over to Mobile Review to see what more you can gleam from their comprehensive review of Sony's up and coming flagship model.

Xperia T: The Best Bits

2012-12-10T03:46:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I managed to get hold of an Xperia T following on from its use in the fantastic Xperia Face Off promo which ran through November over at the Sony Mobile GB Facebook page.

With all considerations of its use, prior to finding its way into my pocket, as you can imagine it is a little beaten up here and there, but I've managed to gleam a lot from it in terms of Sony's direction. So from what I've discovered over the past 5 weeks, here are my top 5 features, in no particular order, of the Sony Xperia T.

My top 5 features of the Xperia T:

SmartConnect

Have I ever mentioned my desire to look at my phone for the smallest amount of time? I'm very much technology orientated, meaning I have hardware to serve all purposes. I aim for my phone to be used as minimally as possible considering, unlike the rest of my gadgets, it's with me at all times. Whether I'm with friends, on a night out, at the beach or shopping, you know, those occasions where it's inappropriate to get your phone out and spend a tedious 30 minutes trying to figure out one small objective. My phone is one thing I can't escape. But it's that 'Always on me' thing that makes it hard not to occasionally transform into an antisocial 'un-fun' nightmare amongst the people who I otherwise wish to share my time with.

Queue Sony's SmartConnect. SmartConnect is one of those things which Sony love to do, in taking what it already knows works, or maybe doesn't so well, and focussing on improving it until it fully shines amongst the crowd. Formally known as LiveWare Manager and available for several smartphone generations now, the latest reincarnation really is an impressive feature to automate your mobile. It allows you to build rules based around your day to day life. What should happen when you pair your Smart Wireless Headset Pro? And should a different rule come into effect if you pair the headset between 9am and 3pm as opposed to 8pm-10pm? Wanting your smart tags to perform a different function depending on the time of day?

With a strong combination of events based on coloured smart tags, hardware connections and time restrictions, it's easy to set a list of rules such as launching applications, playing music or setting power saving options based on combinations of these properties and even to determine what happens once these properties are no longer true. A feature which Sony has taken care to provide a strong foundation for future development.

Small Apps

Small apps are something we've seen before. In fact, we've been seeing them for years. Think of when you're sat at a PC and launch a calculator, or notepad. Now consider just how convenient it is, for such small accessories to be easily accessible without consuming too much of the computer's resources.

In the latest version of Sony's OS interpretation, small apps have been included to provide the same user experience from a mobile phone, and effective it is, too! Small apps are just that, small applications that float on the screen without taking up the full screen themselves. You can move them, hide them by forcing them to a small tab on the side of the screen, or open and close them at your will simply from the bottom right system key without consuming an exhaustive amount of the device's resources.

By default, a calculator, timer, notepad and sound recorder are included as floating apps however third party small apps such as the camera and a web browser are also available. It's early days yet, so expect more small apps to follow in time.

Redesigned Launcher

Sony have managed to maintain the same theme since the very beginning of Xperia's android presence, and the new launcher is no exception, though is arguably one of the biggest overhauls yet. The highlights are courtesy of the ever present areas such as the window button which provides a list of all currently open windows as well as the ability to launch the small apps detailed above.

Sony have managed to catchup to their competitors and third parties in integrating power controls into the system bar. This is a long overdue welcome feature to long time Xperia fans who have previously had to outfit their phone with a third party control switch application, or live with shifting to the home screen widget or settings menu whenever they wanted to change a setting such as Bluetooth or WiFi.

In terms of the launcher itself, tap and hold is a thing of the past with the theme and widget options appearing at the top of the screen. The downside to no longer being able to access these options through a system button is that without any free space on the launcher, it's impossible to access settings such as the wallpaper/theme options without resizing widgets, or removing them altogether. Paired with the odd scaling of widgets on the Xperia launcher leading to strange looking widgets (try the 'multi-line' Evernote widget, for example), it's funny to thing the worst part of the Xperia Launcher is the launcher itself, but I'm prepared to forgive this faux pas for the smaller things that lie around the latest Xperia iteration.

As an alternative, I've installed the Nova Launcher. I cannot comment on the lock screen side of the OS modification as I installed Holo Locker almost immediately after obtaining the phone.

Google Integration

Xperia is all about integration, as you'll see not only from this penultimate favourite, but also the final favourite up next. Here, I want to discuss the Xperia's integration with Google. This again is nothing new, but for the first time ever this year I've really felt the Google ecosystem working well across the Xperia range. This may be due to Google's own enhancements to its ecosystem such as the launch of Google Play Music (in more countries) and Google Play Movies.

What can be said for certain however is that having moved across to the Xperia T from the arc S, there is absolutely no way I could imagine the arc S being able to handle the ecosystem upgrades as flawlessly as the Xperia T. Fast, fluid and effective, the Xperia T is able to pull of as a great device for cloud based media effortlessly regardless of it's 16GB internal memory and microSD slot.

Other favourites carried over from Google's ecosystem include Google Play Books, Reader, Currents and much more for a fully featured environment, and the addition of Google Now with the release of Jelly Bean to the range early next year will present additional challenges to pit the Xperia T against, however the termination of Google Listen has left me lacklustre of a native pod-casting app so I'm currently in the market for one! (I've heard Media Monkey is great for this, so maybe another blog post to follow...)

Sony Integration

Last but not least, Sony's very own integration. I've already mentioned the Smart Wireless Headset Pro and the Smart Tags. I'm a massive fan of Sony in other ways. I've long loved my PS3, and treated myself for Christmas to a brand new Bravia HX8 so it's a fantastic addition to see the integration possibilities between the devices all connected. Sony's ambitious aver it's four screen strategy announced in 2011, and it really begins to show when pairing these devices all together along with the Xperia T to harness the additional features they provide. Dock the Xperia T to the Bravia TV with MHL and use the remote control to see a whole new platform previously locked away, giving access to a range of android features on the big screen. I've yet to give this a close inspection, but it's one of those things I've been strongly anticipating, and so I'll more than likely have a blog post of its own for this, after Christmas.

Additionally, Sony have carried over the ability to throw media to devices which worked charms after a family day out during the weekend, allowing a slideshow to be presented of the days events.

Count Them.... Xperia 2012, and What Happens Next [poll]

2012-11-17T06:02:00.002-08:00

So as the year begins to draw to a close, Sony Asia announced a brand new Xperia phone exclusive to the China market whilst Sony as a whole are already talking about their next flagship hot off the heels of the Xperia T release.

Now, I may have missed a few out here, but off the top of my memory, here are the devices that I can recall having been released this year:

Xperia S
Xperia P
Xperia U
Xperia Ion
Xperia Sola
Xperia Neo L
Xperia Go
Xperia acro S
Xperia Miro
Xperia Tipo
Xperia Tipo duo
Xperia SX
Xperia SL
Xperia T
Xperia V
Xperia J
Xperia TX
Xperia GX
Xperia VC

Incredible. That's 19 devices in the space of 12 months. Roughly 1.6 devices each month. But you'd be hard done by to find each device in one single territory.

This does make me wonder what we can expect to see in 2013. What does the future hold? Will Sony focus their time and efforts on much fewer devices or will they continue to roll out new devices upon every sunset? Will there be more regional fragmentation, or will devices be universal? Would a universal platform work for a corporation like Sony? If it works for others, then why not?

These are all questions I'm finding myself question myself with, and so I thought I'd pitch them to you guys. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section, and use the poll on the right to vote.

UPDATE: As mentioned in the comments section, I missed out the following three devices:
Xperia AX
Xperia TL
Xperia VL

This brings the total to a whopping 22 devices! In addition, the adjusted average devices per month is now 1.83. Nearly 2 devices every month. Is this too much?

UPDATE: 5 Minutes ago, Sony Mobile announced two new smart phones in the shape of the Xperia E and the Xperia E Dual. I must wonder with less than 4 weeks left of 2012, how many more Xperia devices will be announced?

Guest Blog: Life with One Touch - An Introduction to NFC

2012-11-11T05:27:00.000-08:00

You may be aware of my position within the Sony Mobile Test Lab, a group of regular consumers invited by Sony to participate in product trials and provide honest feedback.

I recently got talking to a fellow test-labber, Simon Tompkins, about getting him in as a guest blogger. I asked Simon if he would provide his experiences of Sony's implementation of NFC, and here is the end result. A fantastic account of one mans experiences, and I hope you'll agree.

One thing Sony seems to be pushing more than any other manufacturer lately is NFC, which stands for Near Field Communication.

For anyone who hasn't heard of NFC before probably will in the near future. It is a new way for smart phones to share low amounts of information very easily, quickly and with just one touch.

This feature is already being used by most high end Android phones to share photos, playlists, pay for small amounts of items in a shop which supports NFC financial transactions and playing music through NFC speakers from your phone. As you can begin to see, NFC is making high and loud promises for the future.

I've had the Sony Xperia P, one of Sony's 2012 NFC sporting phones, for about 4-6 months now. To start with I really didn't see much use in having it, as the most exiting feature of NFC for me was being able to pay for items quickly through Google Wallet. Unfortunately Google Wallet isn't yet supported here in the UK with no official news on when to expect it, and those payment options that do exist here are found sparely across major chains and cities only.

Not only that but very few people have phones which use NFC either so I was still having to share photos and such the old fashioned way...the Apple way.

Sony have released a lot of accessories which have caught my interest and have encouraged me to get off the couch start figuring it all out, mainly the smart tags and the NFC sphere speakers.

It's not an overly complicated concept, but like any new technology even the simple kind can prove a challenge to those new to it, so I decided to share my experiences with you to help out with the transition.

My Xperia P comes with a couple of "NFC Smart Tags". This innovation is courtesy of Sony and are a pretty cool accessory. They store a small 'identity' which when scanned by a correctly configured phone can automatically trigger a series of events all at once in without having to painstakingly do it all by yourself.

The idea is to put them in places like your front door for instance, where a tag may trigger a profile to disable your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, saving your battery life for the day ahead. Additionally you might with to include events so that at the time of scanning the tag, the phone reads out the time and weather forecast. You may even wish to split these commands across different tags, and include the time and weather commands at the point of waking up and scanning a tag on your bedside.

You could even scan a bedside tag to set your phone to silent, set the alarm for the next morning and post a good night message on your Facebook timeline.

My first experience with doing this was simple enough. I decided where I wanted my two smart tags and placed them by the back door and my bedside. I hung the tags accordingly and programmed the commands I wanted.

To give you an idea of what the tags can do and what they're all about, I'll show you the commands I recorded in both tags.

BEDSIDE TAG
Do this: Wi-Fi off, Bluetooth off, Sound silent, Start application alarm clock, Speak current time, volume settings applied (alarm turns up, everything else turned down) and a goodnight post to my friends on Facebook (very cool!).
At the end: Wi-Fi on, Bluetooth off, Sound mode normal, Post a good morning facebook message (its for testing purposes, honest!), speak the current time, volume settings readjusted, open google news and start the Facebook application.

BACK DOOR TAG
Do this: Wi-Fi off, Bluetooth off, sound mode loud, start news and weather app, speak current time.
At the end: Wi-Fi toggle, speak the current time, sound mode adjusted to lower setting.

The problem

This is where I stumbled across my first problem. The 'Do this' option means when I scan the NFC tag to my phone, it does exactly as I command. This works fine. Its quick, easy and responsive.

When I programmed 'at the end' however, I had assumed this meant when I returned and scanned the phone a second time, that it would apply these settings. No matter how many times I scan the NFC tag is seems to continuously apply the 'Do this' settings.

This leads me to wonder why an 'at the end' option present. Is there a timer to apply these settings at the end of which, that I'm supposed to configure? Do these settings make the 'Do this' settings a temporary configuration until the 'at the end' configuration kicks in?

Like I say, the concept is a great one, however as simple as it is, it seems to have been overcomplicated, much more so than it needs to be, by the process required to configure the commands. Even just renaming the event options to 'scan once' and scan twice' would have made for a much more clear and understandable setup.

I've also noticed the need to unlock your phone to scan with NFC (though there might be a setting for this which I'm yet to find), meaning I need to press the button on the side with my thumb before swiping to unlock my phone. Finally at this point, I can scan my NFC tag. This may take just seconds to do, but it's a fiddly process and just isn't the same experience shown on the adverts. It's far from a one touch experience.

The good parts

By pairing the smart tags with the NFC sphere speakers, I could really imagine this being a cool party trick. Walking in and tapping my phone on the speakers, having it instantly playing my music wirelessly.

Pretty cool, especially paired with Music Unlimited which has a huge library of music. Who doesn't want to be the guy with all the tunes in the world?

The following video shows just how easy it is to play music on the NFC speakers, without an exhaustive amount of setting up before hand.

Its a really cool idea, and one that I can't wait to start using more as the technology becomes more widespread, especially as the accessories are rolled out.

I do have a few friends with NFC phones but don't see them often enough, and certainly don't trade playlists or photos with them. Doing so would be more for the sake of it, rather than something I actually need.

Once the technology becomes more available then I can really see myself making the most of it. For now, its a novelty with a lot of potential...

Google Calendar Spam

2012-10-18T02:51:00.000-07:00

If, like me, you've recently found yourself plagued with 'advertisements' and what could categorically be described as 'spam' across your Google Calendar, you may be wondering where these 'events' have come from? After all, the Google Calendar adds to Google's portfolio of products that make android an all round platform of convenience.

You may be wondering if Google have 'sold out' or if your Google account has been hacked. Fear not, the simple truth is - well, just that - simple.

It's more than likelyyou'll have spoted these events through alerts, beit on your phone, tablet, or even a notification enabled application or widget for Google Calendar. You'll be more than aware of just how frustrating this can be.

If you've read this far, and you're nodding your head thinking to yourself, "yep, that's me!" then it's also just as likely you're a member of Google+ or any of Google's social services that involve contacts being added to your Google contacts.

"How does this relate to an explossion of invasive events being added my your calendar?" I hear you ask. Well, like many platform based calendar services (such as Windows Live or an Outlook Exchange Server) Google allows users that share the platform who are linked in contacts (trusted) to 'invite' each other to events.

In Google's case, when you're invited to an event it will be added to your calendar for your convenience. This at least, is how the calendar works by default; I imply there that this is not an indefinite configuration.

These 5 simple steps below will assure you're never harrassed by an unwanted, unheard of event through Google Calendar ever again.

Stop this, once and for all!

1. The first step is to log into your Google Calendar via. a web browser, http://www.google.com/calendar

2. Towards the top right corner of the calendar interface, just below your profile photo if you have one, you should see a 'bolt' icon. Click it, then click 'Settings'.

3. Keeping on the 'General' tab, scroll down the list of settings and locate 'Automatically add invitations to my calendar'.

4. Immediately you should spot this setting has defaulted to 'Yes'. You may wish at this point to keep the events, but only set reminders once you have responded. If so, select 'Yes, but don't send event reminders unless I have responded "yes" or "maybe"'. You may choose not to have them at all. In which case, you'll want to choose 'No, only show invitations to which I have responded'.

5. Finally, scroll to the very bottom and press Save. You'll be taken back to Google Calendar, though should notice that any pre-existing 'Spam' events have been removed.

10 Questions: Round 2

2012-10-12T08:55:00.001-07:00

Back in august I ran a blog post collecting some recent questions asked by the fans of the Sony Mobile facebook page, providing some responses in an FAQ form. With the recent release of the Xperia T, the up and coming release of the Xperia J, a handful of regional variations and some kick ass accessories, I wanted to revisit the segment and answer some more recent questions.

So without further ado, let round 2 commence!

Have the Xperia J, V and T replaced the P, U and S or are are they all going to still be sold alongside each other in stores?
The way I understand this is that the J, V and T are a brand new product line, closely related to the 2011 series. The P, U and S are still current phones, and with the S being given a new lease of life in the shape of the Xperia SL, there's still plenty of life in the series yet. Consider this a second product line.

Am loving my Xperia T... is there any news on when we might expect the Jellybean upgrade for it?
There have been rumours of Sony testing 4.2 on the Xperia S, though this is thought not to be android 4.2, but a unfortunately numbered beta version of Sony's own android customisations. Whilst this may be the case, it's comforting to know that new software is on the horizon and therefore it should only be a matter of time before we begin to see jellybeans filling up our screens.

Hello, I've got a problem with my Sony Xperia S. I tried to switch it on but only the T-mobile start up screen came up. It froze, and then none of the butons would work. I can't even switch it off! What's wrong with the phone? Please help. thank you.
It may be rather alarming at first when your last resort, to remove the battery is no longer possible, but rest assured. There is still a last resort, but this time in the form of a cold boot. To do this, hold down the power and volume down keys. After a few seconds you should feel a vibration, signalling the device is now rebooting and to let go of the keys.

How do I use my [smart] tags? I love my phone, but know there is so much more I can do but dont know how. Please help.
Used correctly, smart tags have huge potential to change the way you use your phone. Xperia phones normally come preinstalled with LiveWare manager, and a widget to set up and configure smart tags. All you need to do is enable NFC and scan your first smart tag to be taken to the smart tag setup. It's worth noting that there are other NFC applications out there, so you may find enhanced features through third parties.

Will the Xperia P (Sony LT22i) get the jelly bean update? If yes then when will we have a chance to update it?
From past experience, Xperia devices normally see two to three versions of android. The Xperia P was released on Gingerbread, however recently updated to Ice Cream Sandwhich. Jellybean has been available on certain android devices for some months now and the P still isn't an 'old' phone, so it's highly likely. Whilst there's been no official word as yet, it would suprise me if Jellybean wasn't made available for the U, P and S over the coming months.

Hey Sony! I love my Xperia S but the battery isn't lasting as long as I need it to. Any ideas on how I get a new internal battery with more than 1700mah installed without voiding the warranty?
Unfortunately due to the decision to make the battery inaccessible for some devices, it isn't possible to replace them with more powerful batteries. However, I have found the battery life pleasant on the Xperia S, so I would recommend taking a look at the phone setup itself. ICS contains a battery management option so it's always worth checking there to see what is using most power. Check your screen brightness, app sync settings, running apps, etc. I could run a whole blog post on this. One day, maybe...

Just bought the new Xperia T which is a great phone, but trying to buy a phone case for it is proving difficult. Can you help? Thanks in advance.
As with all accessories for all phones, they start out with very few, but over time more and more enter the market so it's just a case of keeping an active lookout. There very well may be more now than there were yesterday, particularly with the T being such a recent device. Here are some I've found:
http://www.clove.co.uk/sony-xperia-t-titanium-protective-shell-by-roxfit Shell Case, £14.99
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/iprotector-online/_i.html?_nkw=Xperia+T&submit=Search&_sid=1015168110 Patterned, £Various
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/FREEBITSUK-MOBILE-PHONE-IPOD-SHOP/_i.html?rt=nc&_nkw=Xperia%20T&_sid=215885003&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1513&_pgn=4 Various + Leather Pocket, £Various

Where can I find a detailed specifications list of all xperia phones? I would like to compare them all to see which is best for me.
http://www.sonymobile.com/gb/products/phones/ This page contains a list of all Xperia phones. Clicking into each, you should find a specifications link on the top right corner.

Dear Sony, you keep creating Xperia A, B, C, etc, but no new applications for the 2011 Xperia phones like album,walkman, earth live wallpaper, etc. You've just dropped the Sony Ericsson range which is awful.
I don't think, if the 2011 range was dropped, they would currently be transitioning to Ice Cream Sandwhich. It needs to be remembered that technology progresses very fast. Things that are possible now weren't possible back in Q1 2011 when the flagship Sony Ericsson phone (the arc) was first announced. Hardware is capable of so much more now which current models are taking advantage of, but not all of these can be as successful on the older phones. I have an Xperia arc S, which even just with the Ice Cream Sandwhich update has a notable strain on performance, so I for one am glad I dont have a large amount of additional applications draining performance.

My Xperia arc wont let me update any apps due to the small space on phone memory. What can I do?
A great feature in Ice Cream Sandwhich is the ability to pinpoint exactly where data is being consumed. From the launcher, access Settings then Storage to see a breakdown of internal and SD storage, free space, and what formats are using how much space (i.e. images, apps, etc). Tapping on something like Pictures, Audio, Downloads, etc. Will present you with the culprits, whilst for apps you will need to go back to settings, then apps. Wait for a few minutes whilst your phone calculates storage, then press the menu button, and Sort by Size.

Playstation Mobile goes Live Today

2012-10-03T04:15:00.000-07:00

Due to less fortunate events I was left without my trusted Xperia S earlier this year and am awaiting a replacement device (fingers crossed for the Xperia T!) and so have been relying on my Xperia arc S recently, however my eyes are still firmly placed on the goings on surrounding the Sony Mobile world.

Today is the go live date for Playstation Mobile, and the line up certainly looks promising with a host of content from third party developers as well as a number of treats developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (plus Beats Trellis, developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Inc.).

Prices don't seem to be breaking the bank either. Premium content ranges from US$0.79-$5.49 ~~though I've yet to locate a UK/EU price list and without a certified phone cannot check this~~ (comments welcome!). and a full UK price list can be found courtesy of XperiaBlog, ranging between £0.40-£4.99.

Regional variations in content are a controvercial issue with Playstation content, however despite one of the game being developed by SCEE, this does not appear to be an issue with Playstation Mobile, which is welcoming.

One of the games on offer, Everybody's Arcade is listed as a freebie on the US source which may or may not be a sign of things to come, however under any circumstances is worth checking out. I would like to hope this is offered free in all regions.

To see the full list of games from launch, check out Phandroid with the US price list, or the Playstation EU Blog with a helpful selection of highlights.

The list of playstation certified devices includes most Xperia branded devices, Sony Tablet P and Tablet S and a selection of HTC phones including One, One X, One S and One V, with further hardware manufacturers including Asus, Fujitsu and Sharp planning to create Playstation Certified hardware in the future. Of notable interest is the WikiPad, a tablet designed for gaming which is also said to be Playstation Certified. XperiaBlog provides a comprehensive list of Playstation Certified devices as of today, 03 October 2012.

UPDATE: I have been informed that whilst Everybody's Arcade is free, it is actually a portal to further premium games rather than a game or collection of games itself. Klondike is available to play for free, but only on trial. I have also been informed of package price deals, including £7.99 for 5 or £5.49 for 3.

Exploit Wiping Samsung Galaxy Phones

2012-09-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

Just a quicky this time around. In an earlier post, I ran a comparison for the best browser for ICS in which Chrome came out on top. In light of an article published today on UK newspaper The Telegraph's website, I would like to re-affirm Chrome as my browser of choice now for the most important reason of all.

The article details how a small code consisting of just 11 characters can be embedded onto any website, prompting an unsuspecting Samsung Galaxy SIII to be wiped. This includes restoring the phone to factory settings whilst also deleting contacts, photographs, music, apps and "other vulnerable data". It is not clear whether this only effects local resources or if cloud storage (such as google contact sync) is affected, however at this point in time, MB assumes it is only the former.

Whilst this concern is isolated to Samsung phones, it would be worying to hear an exploit like this circulating the web targetting Xperia phones.

The recommended solution to this problem is to use Google's Chrome browser rather than the stock browser, as Chrome will prevent the scripts from running. As the scripts require no user intervention and performs the wipe in a matter of three seconds, a block such as this is the only way to to be certain not to come across this through a website without deciding to stop browsing the web completely.

The internet is not the the only way to exploit this as text messages, QR Codes and NFC tags can also make use of this script. This is of great concern, however at this point we would recommend that whilst Xperia phones are not affected, using Chrome may prevent you from finding out when such a script does begin to affect Xperia devices. Also if you are using a Samsung device, then we extend this advice to you, aswell.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/samsung/9565395/Hidden-web-code-means-hackers-can-wipe-Samsung-Galaxy-S3.html

The police want my money!!

2012-08-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

ok, this blog post isn't necessarily anything to do with mobile phones or android, or sony, or anything that I normally blog about, however is still within the technical assistance I aim to deliver through experiences I've come across. Hopefully you'll never need this blog post, but it's here incase you do.

Lately I have been hearing a lot of buzz about a new type of malware (malicious firmware) which seizes contol of your PC with what appears to be a blackmail claiming that access to your PC will be restored upon payment of a given amount. This particular form of malware has been coined 'ransomeware' for reasons that may by now be starting to sound quite obvious. The usual actions we are all familliar with when using a PC become unachievable. You cannot select text, right click, or even access the task manager.

Within the space of a short few days, I had heard of four occurances through people I know personally, or people that people I know, know. Those short few days later, I too had received this particular attack, which in my case appeared as per the screen capture above. It can appear various forms, however ultimate gives the same message, and generally manifests in the same way. This means that whilst your typical anti-malware software may be having trouble keeping its libraries up to date due to the sheer quantity of different manifestations that are cropping up, when it does appear, the solution is much more simple than it may initially appear.

As I mentioned earlier, you loose complete control. This can bring on emotions of irational fear, and one might think the best solution is to give them what they want. It does look very genuine - it states that it is coming from the local police authority, and reads "Specialist Crime Directorate" followed by "Police Central e-crime Unit". After all, they promise you that upon payment you will regain control of your PC (given up to 78 hours later), and what if there actually is illigal content on the PC? What if I've accessed a website that has downloaded illigal content in the background without my consent. Is this a genuine request from my local police authority? The answer is no. This is NOT a genuine request.

THE FIX
So how does a user who has received this form of attack get around it? Two of my collegues have also experienced this problem, and to paraphrase one of them, having heard of the fixes used between us who had earlier received the problem, it litterally took minutes before everything was back to normal.

**IMPORTANT**
These steps are provided as an account of my own experiences, and due to the nature of the ransomeware require your own judgement at times. It is important to note here that taking backups of your system is of crutial importance at any point (not just now) and this will be of great help to you if it goes wrong. You are following these steps with the understanding that I am not to be held accountable for any problems that may occur.

Safe Mode
The key to the removal of many types of malware is to remove it in safe mode. Safe mode is a restricted access version of windows that comes alongside the main OS, and when running it, unknown automatic tools are unable to load. This means the malware itself is unable to run and gives us a sand box to locate the problem.

To access safe mode in Windows 7, restart the PC. Before reaching the 'Starting Windows' screen, press F8. You will then be given a list of boot options. From here, select to run in safe mode.
Other versions of windows may have different ways to access Safe Mode, however the method is normally displayed in text at the bottom of the screen for a duration whilst booting up the PC.

The attack
As mentioned earlier, the attacks do change - there are several varieties all with the same purpose so in terms of the attack name, I cannot tell you exactly what it's name is going to be, but it is more than likely that you will know when you have found it due to its suspicious name.

Startup

Whilst you are in safe mode, click on the start menu, and then 'Run'. If you do not have 'Run' as an option, you can use the 'Search Programs and Files' feature, typically embedded at the bottom of the start menu.
Type MSConfig and press Enter. This will produce a system configuration window, where you will have access to a startup tab. This screen is useful to note in any case as it provides you a list of applications that are set to run when windows runs.
Scroll down the list, and pay specific attention to the file names. If you trust the statup item name and/or the publisher looks like something relevant (for example, if you use a niche piece of software, something such as Ableton Live, it would be acceptable to have something where Ableton is the manufacturer) you should decide whether you really want it to start up, whether you need it to, etc. You really need to make best use of your own judgement here are there are millions of things around the internet that could appear in this list. If you do not feel it is needed, untick it.
Importantly, look out for anything with a name consisting of random characters. This would look nonsensical, something like 'mstxrpoqxitzztr'. That's just one example, but it really could be anything. (this is how I currently believe these 'ransoms' to appear, although I do not have enough evidence (i.e. an understanding of every single manifestation in existence) to know that this is certain. If you see any of these, untick them.
Keeping on the same screen, now take a look at the 'command' column. This will tell you exactly where these suspicious files are located. Again, you really need to use your judgement. If the location is something like an installation directory, take note of the filename, (i.e. if the file was in C:\Program Files\Adobe\mstxrpoqxitzztr.exe, then mstxrpoqxitzztr.exe is the file name) and run a quick google search for it. If the file name is trusted, you should see enough resources backing up it's purpose and again you can decide whether or not this sounds legitimate. The file will usually locate itself somewhere more permanent, such as the temp files directory, or the system32 directory, however to be certain that you're not removing something legitimate, you should perform the google search as mentioned earlier. (important: You may not be able to do the google search on your PC, so use your phone)
If the file appears to be malicious or holds no trust according to your google search, it sounds like you may have located the virus. Locate the suspicious looking file and remove it. The file can be found in the location specified in the 'command' column, so open 'My Computer' or 'Computer' (based on your Windows version) and browse to the location specified. Locate the file, and delete it.
Repeat the processes above to locate suspicious looking files and remove them if they seem malicious, until you are comfortable that everything has been checked.
Once you are comfortable, restart the PC. If the ransomware still exists, it will appear instantly. If it has been successfully removed, you should be able to use your PC as normal.

As per usual I am providing these steps based on my own experiences and cannot promise or guarantee anything. I hope however that if you do come across this problem you manage to successfully remove it, and that my blog post can be of some assistance in doing so.

10 Questions from the Sony Mobile GB Facebook Group

2012-08-14T05:41:00.000-07:00

So this is the first time I've done this, and depending on how successful it is I may look into doing this on a somewhat regular basis.

The idea is that many many people are using social networking to request more information or support on their products, much of which gets ansered, some of which that doesn't, but most importantly, a lot of these questions are shared amongst multiple members of the community. In an effort to add a further contribution to the Xperia community, I've found 10 questions on facebook and provided my own responses.

"Hi. I have installed the newest Android 4 system. However, since then my headset does not download emails on hour basis as has been set up. Any idea what can be wrong?"
- To re-adjust the regularity of email notifications using the stock email client, access the email client and then press the rightmost button below the screen to access the options. Tap settings and then the email address to see the individual account settings. A little further down, you will see the heading 'Data Usage' with the option Inbox Check Frequency. Tap this and set it to Every hour.

"I cant connect my Xperia S (ICS) to Pc Companion via wifi. how can i fix this issue ?"
- This problem doesn't go into much detail, however I felt either way that this blog post may be of some relevance. This solution to a problem which may or may not be the same as the original poster was experiencing (however whether or not it is the same is irrelivent) but does provide most of the functions (though important to note not all) that can be achieved with PC Companion and in certain cases, more.

"Is there a way to improve the battery life on my Sony Xperia. It's pathetic and drains away whilst sitting on my desk doing nothing. Thanks."
- This post was actually answered very well by Johnny of the Sony mobile GB page, so I will echo Johnny's reply rather than posting too much of my own experiences. Johnny has pointed anyone who is asking this in the direction of a page on the Sony Mobile website, here (Battery Management). The one thing I will critisize is that the page mentions the battery usage menu, a recently added feature for Sony Mobile handsets, but does not advise how to acces this menu. It's an extremely valuable tool, so I can only advise you check it out: Pull down your notification menu, and tap on the settings menu(tools icon). from here, go down to Battery. That's all there is to it. This menu is extremely sensitive to anything that affects the battery so you will need to bare in mind that things such as OS, Screen and Cell standby are likely to be the biggest battery drainers. This is to be expected, however when you get down to apps, you will have a rough idea of what is utilizing more than others (this information is all interprative, for example if you notice that Android OS is using 99% of battery and everything else is 0% (sharing a fraction of 1%) then theres a problem with the OS.)

"Is the xperia s going to get the jelly bean 4.1 update . If so when ?"
- Going up and down the Sony Mobile GB facebook group on a highly regular basis, this has got to be one of the most frequently raised questions, regardless of the release, regardless of the latest model. This question gets asked shortly after the OS is released, as the OS is announced, in some cases before the OS is announced, and in other cases, after the OS has already been released on 'said' device. To summarise, this question gets asked at every point, from before the OS is released to after the OS is available on the device in question. But to answer everyone who asks this question, just enjoy your phone. I honestly think we have gotten to the point where we spend so much of our time wanting something else. We get a new OS, play around with it for a day or two, and then hold out for the next one. As it stands to my knowledge, the only devices that currently have 4.1 (Jellybean) are google devices. This means the Nexus 7, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Moto Xoom. Considering there are thousands of android flavours out there, not to be within the top four doesn't exactly make Sony devices rubbish. Enjoy what you do have, rather than envy what only a select few have. After all, it is that select few who are experiencing the initial problems that come with the launch of anything new; the problems which will ultimately be fixed by time we get our hands on it. That's not all bad, is it?

"When is arko s and mint be launched??"
I believe the original poster of this comment may have been refering to the Acro S and the currently un-announced rumoured 'Mint' device. The Acro S is the trickier question to answer as this device has started to roll out in various countries across the world such as Malaysia and Russia, however has been confirmed not to be a global release, or at least not at the point of it's initial release. The question was asked in the Sony Mobile GB facebook page, and at this point there are no plans to release the Acro S in the UK. With regards to the mint, this device, as yet has not been confirmed. As there has been no confirmation, there is a chance the device may not exist, or may be pulled from production never to see the light of day and so whilst it's always nice to enjoy the idea of a potential new phone coming your way, these rumours are always something not to get your hopes too high on.

"apple has 7 million"
- It's about quality, not quantity.

"Is Sony GX coming to the UK?"
- As Johnny points out on the Sony Mobile page, the GX is aimed specifically at the Japanese markets. However, some additional considerations are that in the past, phones that have been released for the Japanese market have had international alternatives (such as the Arc and Acro), and with rumours of about 6 more devices to be announced this year, we may or may not see something similar to the GX for international markets.

"Hey i heard that the xperia s and the nxt series won't be getting the 4.1 jelly bean update ?"
- At this stage, this has not yet been confirmed. The best place to get any firmware confirmations is the Sony Mobile Product Blog.

"why no voice recorder for xperia ray...?"
- There are many voice recorders available on the android market which serve the purpose perfectly. Evernote is arguably the most popular note taking app for android, and includes voice memo functionality. For more basic voice recorders, tehre are hundreds of basic dictafone apps available on the market, and choosing the right one is something I may do a comparison review on at a later date.

"some users are reporting that ice cream sandwich does not work good on xperia's phones. they are saying that this is due to small ram and cpu compared to what Ice cream sandwich need.
some of them tried on their phones unofficial Jelly bean custom rom.
they are saying it is more faster than Ice cream sandwich and even ginger bread!
this version of Anroid OS is lighter than the previous version and more advanced.
so why won't sony ericsson make this upgrade available officially for xperia's phones users???"
- I would beg to differ. I would go so far as to say that ICS has introduced the most reliable memory management I have seen on an Xperia device so far. Not only does it contain improvements to the way it handles internal memory, but also the ability to swipe away dormant applications adds a huge additional amount of user control over their available memory. Custom roms do not go through the rigorous testing that needs to be completed by companies such as Sony when a new OS is being released. This then needs to be aproved by networks that will be releasing the OS, and so can build up to a lengthy process, but all as required to assure the firmware is smooth. I'm not saying that someone with a custom firmware is wrong, but when you compare the 100+ users who may use someone's custom firmware to the millions of users who will use Sony's, a bug in the software is going to far more damaging to Sony's firmware than it is to the custom firmware. These precautions and measurements are in place for a reason, and you cannot expect any respectable company to take away their testing and quality control divisions for convenience. As for the last part, making the upgrade available officially for Xperia phones, the Jellybean firmware is available to a tiny fraction of all android devices right now (see my earlier answer), and if you mean to have the firmware released on every single Xperia phone, that is just not going to happen.

So that's my 10 facebook questions for.... well I'm not going to set any regularity by ending that with "the week" or "the month" because it really does depend on how successful this is as to whether or not I will do it again or even how regularly. In addition to these questions, is there anything you're burning to know more about? Let me know in the comments and I'll try my best to respond. It may end up being covered in a blog post of its own!

How many Xperias does it take to get online?

2012-07-31T04:53:00.003-07:00

What an end to a very long week. Probably made so by the fact the weekend just passed was non-stop during a family BBQ to celebrate my birthday. I haven't rested in nearly two weeks and I'll be lucky to get any rest this weekend coming up.

However, the point of this blog post isn't to show you my family photos. It's to tell you about how Xperia saved the day in a modern world where internet dependency is etched within our nature.

Our party took place on a sunny day at my mum's static caravan. Both me and my older brother have long fleed the family home, however my adopted younger brother lives at home with my mum so the party consists of a young teenager, two twenty-somethings (myself included), a tech-savvy (to an extent) mum, two grandparents, and two family friends. Of those, mum, me and my two brothers are staying for the weekend. This is where things started to get slightly awkward.

Remember earlier on I mentioned my mum being tech-savvy? OK, that's almost true - this extends so far as having a wireless router. She has had wireless routers in other homes though for some strange reason fears that having one in her static caravan is somewhat different and 'wouldn't work'. So the four of us have come to rely on sharing a single ethernet cable everytime we visit the static home - something we've never all had to do at the same time.

All but one of us (my older brother) have an Xperia phone, and this is where the magic shines. My younger brother has a truly unlimited dataplan, one of those no data-caps, all you can eat tarrifs on '3' (I'm sure I've seen other networks outside the UK offering similar). This, paired with the wifi hotspot option on Xperia meant we were up and running in minutes. Unlimited internet across three Sony Xperia phones, one 'anonymous' phone, a Nintendo Wii and a laptop.

Using your phone as a wifi hotspot can be a great life saver, but it's also important to remember that whilst you may be running unlimited, there will still be restrictions, for example, don't expect to be watching catchup TV or playing MMO games. But for all intents and purposes involved in situations where the internet is restricted on the go, it's such a useful tool to have.

Portable hotspots on Xperia S (running ICS) can be located by sliding down the notification bar and clicking on the little spanner and screwdriver icon towards the top. Next, tap More, Tethering and Portable Hotspot, and then tap on Portable Wi-Fi hotspot. To ensure your data doesn't fall into the wrong hands, you should consider securing your hotspot by giving it a network key in the 'Configure Wi-Fi hotspot' options from the same screen, finally, please remember to consider your data allowances. If you're on a capped dataplan you should keep this utility to an absolute minimum, but that's never to say never, just be cautious on whether it's 'worth it'.

Oh and to answer my original question, how many Xperias does it take to get online? Just one, but the more the merrier at this party!

Happy Birthday MB!

2012-07-05T13:20:00.002-07:00

It occurred to me today this blog is now over a year old, and I never threw a party! So, over the past year I have aimed to provide blog posts favouring quality over quantity. Posts have been a bit of a mix, be it tutorials, troubleshooting, even general debate, however now I want to know what you wish to see from Making.Believe in the future.

I have already added a download section which is currently not functional, but will ultimately provide download links (to the original source) for all recommended downloads from MB blog posts. I've also been considering a reviews tab - I aim in the near future to start providing app reviews which will co-incide with the work I am doing with the Sony Mobile Test Lab. These reviews will appear on my main blog stream, however will also have their very own section for ease of browsing within their own tab.

So, what do you want to see? Are there any focal points you wish to be grouped? Is there anything you'd like to see more of, or anything you'd like introduced? I've always said Making Believe is aimed at those who have some technological background knowledge but are not professionals and wan't to maybe learn a bit more on how to make the most of their phone. So please please please provide any suggestions you have as this blog is all about you, and doing what I can to help you out. The best way I can do that is to tailor the blog to suite your needs.

For now, belate happy birthday Making.Believe =D

The Browser Challenge

2012-07-05T02:58:00.000-07:00

It should now be widely spread news that Sony have released Ice Cream Sandwhich for a number of platforms including the Xperia S. Whilst at this stage many of you will be waiting to receive the update, I can advise that the transition from Ginberbread to Ice Cream Sandwhich is a major one with many things you'll want to consider. If I get the chance, I'll write up a full transitioning guide later on in the week, however for now I wanted to focus on the available internet browsers.

In this day and age, browsing the internet is as important a feature of any smart phone, if not arguably moreso than making and receiving phone calls. Prior to ICS my prefered browser was always Dolphin HD, however the move to ICS sees the introduction of a brand new refreshed stock browser alongside support for Google Chrome for Mobile which recently left BETA and became a full release. Here, I'd like to compare the features and performance of Chrome, Dolphin HD and the stock browser.

1. General Performance

In terms of general performance, I have to say this is an instant flop for Dolphin HD. Whilst having favoured Dolphin HD in previous versions of android, I find that use of Dolphin HD on ICS has become the weakest of the crop. I find regular freezes occur, web pages not running so well with poor or laggy performance, and scripts failing to load properly. This is a huge dissapointment considering how this was previously a fantastic browser choice for android.

The stock browser starts off very fast and snappy when first installing Ice Cream Sandwhich and I have yet to notice any severe issues, however I have noticed that over time the browser does start to slow down a little. As is to be expected, clearing the cache has resolved this issue.

Chrome shines here. It's ultra snappy and responsive, clean and renders websites perfectly. I've experienced no lag at all and really don't have any critisisms to make in terms of performance.

Chrome: 3 points. Stock: 2 points. Dolphin: 1 point.

2. Extras

When deciding on what browser to use, the value add can make all the difference, and as ever Dolphin HD is a highly customisable browser with the ability to find and load third party add ons to truly enhance the browsing experience. Whilst maybe a little gimmicky, as a gimmicks fan I have personally had some fun playing around with the built in Sonar feature which I have to say does work quite well. It's not really one for use in a public place however through a combination of background noise and the little issue of monotonously yelling a bunch of keywords that barely string a sentense together. Back in the old days, Dolphin excelled in the market due to its inclussion of a tabbed interface and the ability to request the full desktop site. Whilst both Chrome and the stock browser have "tabs", Dolphin HD is the one one of the three to truly embrase the visually recognised tabbed interface and so gains points for familliarity. On the other hand, it makes a challenge of requesting desktop versions of websites, something the other two browsers handle really well and so looses points for that.

Chrome's major selling point is its tie in to google products. Whilst the other two browsers have minor elements of being tied into your device's google account, Chrome generally feels like a natural extension to your google life and so may prove advantagous to those who use their google accounts for a lot. Additionally there are many nice little annimations with Chrome - it's vissually lovely, and yet manages to run smoothly in the process. One critisism I would make is that Chrome includes the ability to switch tabs by quickly swiping in the correct direction at the right speed and right location. This is something I have found doesn't work when you want it to, and yet works when you'd rather it didn't and so I find is an annoyance more than anything else. I was going to include something about how Chrome's biggest downfall is the lack of support for Flash, however recent announcements would have it that Flash is being completely discontinued for android regardless of android OS, and so within a few months this will hold no real dissadvantage for Chrome.

There's not much to say about the stock browser. Like Chrome, it syncs bookmarks with your google account and like both browsers has a tab interface and the ability to request the full site, however in terms of unique features, the stock browser is more like the no thrills budget version compared to the other two, though if you look close enough there are a number of hidden gems such as labs and accessibility options (which I'll go into further detail later), however it could really do with making these features more apparent and practical for users.

Dolphin HD: 3 points. Chrome: 2 points. Stock: 1 point.

3. Speed

I initially wanted to provide speedtest results per browser for this one in addition to the general feel of the browser (allowing me to also comment on clunkiness, etc.), but it soon came to my attention that the only browser that would allow speedtest to run was Dolphin HD.

This said, the browser application for Dolphin HD does feel much more set back from the other two in terms of how well it performs. Going from task to task is effortless across both the Chrome and the stock browser, whilst Dolphin can tend to make a meal of things and find itself in a bit of a mess.

The stock browser is loosely based on Chrome for Android, and as such you'll notice a lot of similarities when using them. In terms of overall speed though, whilst Chrome is slightly slower in loading the main elements of a web page, the overall page including scripts tends to be faster at loading than the stock browser.

Chrome: 3 points. Stock: 2 points. Dolphin HD: 1 point.

4. Interface & Ease of Use

By far my favourite interface out of the three is Chrome. Not only does it look good and perform smoothly as I mentioned earlier, but it's entirely practical. From any screen you can see how many tabs are open, pressing the menu button shows you the back forward and favourite controls, web pages are displayed as 'card' like figures (the tabs screen is extremely intuitive) and all this is clean and tucked away.

As I mentioned earlier, the stock browser is loosely based on Chrome, however in terms of interface, things are done slightly different. Whilst controls are still accessed through the menu, these are not stand out obvious and beautiful like chrome and blend in with the rest of the menu. This was initially challenging immediately after using Chrome, though on a regular basis would be easily adaptable. The tabs screen here bases itself on the ICS interface with the swipe to close gestures (It is worth pointing out that Chrome also allows swipe to close).

Dolphin HD gives us more of a desktop experience, though this doesn't always work in its favour for a smaller device like a smartphone. When closing tabs, the tab bar will often dissapear requiring to scroll back up to get back to it. The menu button produces a 'toolbar' like menu, which can leave a lot of the other options hidden. The biggest flaw here is the requirement to go deep into a sub menu just to change the desktop agent, something the other two browsers do flawlessly.

Chrome: 3 points. Stock: 2 points. Dolphin HD: 1 point.

5. Accessibility

This is certainly where the stock browser shines, however lets discuss the other two browsers first. Now, this could be due to the issue I spoke of earlier where things are so tucked away they are hard to locate, but I could not locate any accessibility options for Dolphin HD. This could be an oversight on my part or an oversight on Dolphin's, but either way Dolphin looses points drastically for the inaccessibility of any accessibility options that may be present. This may be something where extensions can cover, but I am reviewing the basic browser apps and not their extensions.

Chrome does contain some accessibility options which is pleasing to see after the experience with dolphin - it allows you to set the default zoomed in text size, and also to over-ride any settings a website may have to prevent zooming.

Now for the stock browser. For anyone who is visually impared, I am going to say quite straight forward that the stock browser may be for you. There are a wealth of accessibility options including those offered by Chrome, however the preview screen for accessibility settings is much more featured, there are more font settings, contrast settings and the ability to 'invert rendering', allowing black to become white and white to become black. A clear worthy winner of the accessibility section. I'm almost tempted to steal the point for Dolphin HD and add it to the stock browser's total, but I shall reframe from doing so.

Stock: 3 points. Chrome: 2 points. Dolphin HD: 1 point.

6. Website Compatibility

This is a special unscored mention. Website compatibility is a hard thing to meassure due to the many many formats in use on the internet, and I don't want to flood you with the supported formats endorsed by the developer, which may not be entirely accurate anyway ('supported' can be a very loosely used term). Asside from this, keeping with the nature of Making Believe, the idea is not to provide anything too overwhelming and I believe a list of hundreds of formats may go against that very nature. I chose to include this special mention as I know some people may be looking for website compatibility and so I wanted to explain why I haven't included it.

7. Summary

Chrome has blown me away. Since moving to ICS I have used a combination of the three browsers in preperation for this challenge, however in all honesty I've used the stock browser much more for casual use purely down to initial familliarity after installing ICS. I believe that mentality may change now. Don't get me wrong, the stock browser is a worthy competitor and for some may be the better option, particularly the visually impared, however as a keen user of google products and a fan of simplicity, Chrome gets my vote.

As for Dolphin HD - has this Dolphin had its day? Dolphin once stood at the helm as the browser of choice to run on android. It contained many features which were new and unique to mobile browsing, however these days those features are present across the board, and Dolphin have failed to keep up with the competition, lacking intuitivity and accessibility options.

Overall Scores:
Dolphin HD: 7 points
Stock Browser: 10 points
Chrome for Mobile: 13 points

MTP Fix No Longer Working - But an Alternative Solution

2012-04-22T07:46:00.000-07:00

Earlier on this week I posted about a problem I have been experiencing with the MTP USB Device driver, for which I also included a fix. Whilst this has worked a few times, regrettably I stumbled across the issue again yesterday, which I was unable to fix.

Now, at this point, I spent many many hours trying to resolve this and have hit another dead end. I don't have many more hours to waste as I'm extremely busy with university and kinda expect a phone to be simple to use without needing to go through all of this.

This said, I have looked into other options, and have found one that suites me rather well! Whilst it may not be possible to perform backups without PC Companion, or to the storage card with the new Xperia Devices (alternative backups are an issue I will look into at a later date), updates come OTA so this is not too much of an issue, even if it does mean the update is delayed as they usually come through PC Companion first, my main concern has been the ability to transport media to and from my phone via. my PC. I have found a fantastic solution, called AirDroid.

AirDroid is a free service available to android users that provides the phone with a web interface that can be accessed through Firefox or Chrome (It can also be accessed through IE, however a message will be received advising the service is optimized for the prior browsers).

AirDroid's desktop interface through Chrome for Windows

Connecting to the interface will provide you with a desktop like service, allowing you to a range of things from viewing photos, organising your music, files, call logs, contacts, even sending and receiving text messages, and uninstalling apps.

AirDroid is far from perfect in its current state. The technology is there to make a wide range of improvements, including some of the technology which is already present on the interface (HTML5) which would allow additional quirks such as dragging and dropping from your PC interface to the phone's desktop interface for fast bulk media transfers. As it stands, sending media is a little tedious, however I have been putting anything I want to send across into ZIP files, sending the files across, and then using Astro on the phone itself to extract the files.

The developer's website contains a user guide (although the service really is VERY easy to use) along with an active forum containing a feature requests section and a blog which contains information on updates, last updated just three days ago. All these things on the developers website really does show that this developer is serious about this product, and I would expect this really to take off with a strong audience over the next few months.

So, if you're an Xperia user (or any android user for that matter) who is having severe problems trying to connect your device to your PC, look no further. Give this a wiz!

Xperia S MTP USB Device Driver Issue [FIX]

2012-04-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

If you're only here for the fix, scroll down :-)

I recently managed to get hold of a brand spanking new Sony Xperia S. I have got to say, so far I'm totally blown away by it. Whilst it does have it's quirks, overall it's a damn good phone - and VERY fast! This is all for another day however.

Today, I wanted to highlight the resolution (or what has worked for me) for one of the most painful smartphone problems I have ever come across in my life. It's also worth pointing out that, in my research over the past 24 hours, this is not a problem restricted to Sony Smartphones. Infact, it's not even restricted to Android (with iPhone Users suffering the same issue) as well as digital cameras also experiencing this issue.

This solution however, is only applicable to Android smartphones. It's entirely possible that it's also restricted to Sony smartphones, however unfortunately my testing only stretches so far as Sony, so test away and if it works for you on another brand, let me know!

The Problem

OK, so I've had this phone a few weeks now. ~~The majority~~ ALL of my PC related communications so far (i.e. first time setup, restoring stuff backed up from my arc S, etc) have been done on my work PC. Yesterday, I finally found some time to sit down and go through my music. Choose what I wanted, and put it on my phone. Only, I couldn't. I plugged my phone in and launched Sony Ericsson PC Companion, to which it popped up asking for an update. So off it went and updated to the latest PCC version. The events following however, were but traumatic to say the least.

Having installed the latest PC Companion, I plugged my phone in, and the phone/PC started doing their thing in installing the device drivers for the first time. I was expecting this to take some time, that's fine. About five minutes later however, an error popped up - it wasn't an offensive error, or at least not at this point. It simply advised that there was a problem connecting to the phone, and to try restarting. I did this. I followed the instructions it gave word for word, only to be faced with the same problem. Further down on the warning, it then advised trying to connect in Mass Storage Mode.

BRICK WALL.

So heres the thing, the way the new Xperia devices are built, there is no external storage. Without external storage, there is nothing to mount as mass storage, and therefore the new devices cannot connect in Mass Storage Mode. Having remembered similar issues from previous models, I was almost certain that something like this would resolve the issue, however I was unable to try it.

And Then....

I won't bore you with all the details, but I'll say this went on for hours, trying multiple fixes, looking up similar issues (to which I've seen there have been a few, hence this blog post) and going so far as replacing the driver files within the PC Companion installation directory, forcing the driver install and much more.

Eventually I gave up for the night. This gave me some time to sleep on it, and having done so I was fresh the next day (today) to try some new troubleshooting. Eventually, I fixed it!

The Fix

So what did you do?? I hear you ask. Here's the fix that worked for me, step-by-step.

It's worth pointing out before hand, that earlier on today I had updated PC Companion on my work PC and was able to replicate the issue there. Since then, I have fixed the issue on both PCs.

Also, some of these steps are very likely un-necessary, however I will walk you through it step by step as I done it, as failing to get this to work could ultimately end up with a few phones going through a few windows. And I don't want to be responsible for that :-)

1. Start off with the device unplugged from the PC.
2. From the home screen, tap Settings, Applications, Developer, and enable Debug Mode.
3. Next, go back one stage so that you are at Settings, Applications, and this time go into Manage Applications.
4. On the top row of tabs, select All.
5. Scroll down the list (alphabetical) until you locate MtpApp. Tap on it, and then tap Clear Data.
6. Plug in device (at this stage it failed to connect again, but bare with me here...)
7. Drag the notification bar down from the top of the screen.
8. Tap on debugging mode to open the developer screen again, and tab debugging mode to dissable it.
9. With luck....... PC Companion should connect. If it still takes a minute, let it do so and don't deem this as a failure until you have received the failure message. Remember, new devices can take a while to connect depending on your envionment.

I was also able enable Debugging Mode after this, and connect into debugging mode just fine, and then come out of debugging mode and connect in normal mode fine, too. So it looks to have done the job.

Disclamer

So there it is. That's the job that fixed the issue for me, and I really hope it does for you, too. However, please bare in mind that, whilst I have posted this in hope that it will help others that have experienced the same issue as me, I am unable to guarantee I can provide any further help if it does fail.

I will happily try and provide any suggestions if I get the chance to do so, however I work full time and am studying part time towards a degree, and therefore providing fast responses isn't something I am able to do with ease.

Again, hope this worked! =)

Do you know about Sony's favourite apps?

2012-01-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

As ever the app explorer I like to think I am, I do enjoy the occasional wonder around the android market to see what clever new goodies are about. One place I like to look on ocassion is Sony Ericsson's (soon to be Sony) own corner of the android market.

Back when this was introduced about a year or so ago I was initially under the impression it would go without updates, so gave it a look but hadn't really thought too much into it. This much further into its life, its clear that, whilst Sony Ericsson Favourites is a little more hidden than it could be, its still something that's much cared about on SE's part.

With many different apps on the lifestyle front anywhere from finding the nearest hotel to touching up your photos, useful utilities to just pure fun factorous apps and games, many of which are free, there's definitely no harm in taking a look at whats in store.

Check it out now by heading to the android market, then navigating to Apps, followed by the Sony Ericsson logo, as illustrated.

A Beginner's Guide to Rooting, Part 1: Turboboost Your Android Smartphone

2012-01-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

NOTE: Whilst this blog post contains steps on how to achieve things that are possible on most android phones, this guide is based on the Xperia 2011 range, specifically the Xperia arc S. The guides should also be applicable to the other Xperia 2011 range devices, however may not be applicable to other devices.

________________________________

Over the years since Android's initial release, I've often found one of the most common controversies has been the subject of rooting. There is a lot of fear involved in rooting, any possible damages, and what it actually means to have a rooted phone. Whilst I pose no regularity, I aim to post several blog posts not only to answer these questions, but also to show you exactly what you can achieve through having a rooted phone.

A word to begin with, these posts will be quite long. This is because they are covering several different areas, be-it tutorials or commonly asked questions for rest assurance. I don't expect you to sit here and read through the whole post, however please read the full section if it is a tutorial, to prevent you from missing out on a required step (missing a required step won't damage your phone, it'll just mean your phone still isn't rooted). It is also a beginner's guide, which goes much more in depth from the vague instructions you may find in other places.

In part 1, I will be giving you a step by step guide to 'turbo-boosting' your Android. Firstly I want to point out that I take very little credit here - I didn't create any of the necessary tools required to do this, and ultimately, I too followed a guide to get this working. What this tutorial does aim to to do however, is to entirely simplify the process of rooting, and other activities associated with rooting. For original guides that I've used, see the source links of each 'Beginner's Guide' post.

Section 1: Busting the Myths Behind Rooting

Here are some common things I hear floating around when people are discussing rooting, and my responses to those comments. You do not need to read these before proceeding with either of the tutorials, however if you are having douts, hopefully this section will put those to rest:

1. Rooting is really dangerous and will brick my phone
This is very much a myth. Rooting CAN brick your phone, but the likelihood is that it won't. This would mainly apply to those who are trying to root a new model device that has never been rooted before using methods that haven't been tested, or developers who are trying to create new root methods. Those are also the guys who know how to get out of such sittuations. Whilst they are rooting their phones just as you are also rooting your phones, what they are doing is a totally different process, and far more risky. Those who are using a tried and tested root method such as the one I am going to demonstrate to you, so long as you use common sense (i.e. Don't pull the cable out half way through), and follow the instructions provided, then you'll have a hard time trying to create a problematic experience.

2. Rooting my phone will void my warrenty
This is almost correct, but not quite. Root is reversible, and, whilst warrenty is not applicable to rooted devices, rooting itself does not void the warrenty. Imagine a lottery ticket. Write the word 'void' across it, and you'll not be able to claim your prize, but write it in pencil and then rub it out (don't actually try this as it's just an example, rubbing out pencilled words sometimes still leaves traces which rooting doesn't) and the ticket no longer voided. The same applies to a rooted device. If you do come across any problems and need to send it for repair, simply unroot it. And if you are unable to get to the position to unroot the phone, chances are without fixing the problem in the process, the repair guys won't be able to get to the position to see if the phone is rooted. Not that I could say for certain, but I would also take a guess at saying they don't check for root as often as you may think. Again, I could be wrong there...

3. Rooting has lost it's benefits in newer android releases
True - ish. Rooting has served many purposes in the past, and as time goes on, the benefits of rooting are being made available to non-rooted devices. A good example of this is the inclussion of the ability to remove stock apps in Android 4.0. But whilst benefits are being closed off, new ones are being opened. A good example of this would be the script I am going to walk through further below, which resolves the problem with home screen redrawing. This issue wasn't present in earlier versions of android.

4. Rooting will give me problems using some of the features of my phone
If you let it, yes. Rooting doesn't do much to your phone, really. It 'unlocks' areas of the phone's file system which would otherwise be locked. An SD card will have a lock switch. If my memory serves me, old tape cassettes did too. Imagine rooting as 'flicking the switch'

NOTE ABOUT GOOGLE MAPS: As part of rooting the device using the method below, you may or may not loose google maps. This is NOT because rooting does loads of damage, etc. This is due to making sure there are enough resources on the phone to proceed. My first comment on this is that I have rooted my phones using this method with very little free space and have not lost maps so this would only be under severe circumstances, but secondly, google maps can always be reinstalled from the market place at a later stage.

Section 2: Tutorial - Rooting Your Android

Useful list of tried & tested devices: http://captaindbg.com/zergrush/

So as previously mentioned, these guides will cover many different areas of what you can achieve through rooting on a basic level, be-it speeding up your phone, freeing up space, installing firmware early (root not required, but still VERY useful!), etc. Fittingly, the first tutorial is to root your phone. After all, you'll need to do this before you can do anything else.

The method I use is called 'ZergRush'. Don't let fancy names confuse you, this is just for information purposes only. Each root method ultimately does the same thing - it roots your phone. This one requires your phone to be connected with your USB cable so make sure to have that handy. The majority of the process will literally do itself.

1. You will need to obtain a copy of ZergRush. This has been built independently by a cummunity developer called DooMLoRD who has chosen to host the file over at XDA-Developers. For your convenience, I have included the link to the file here, however I urge you to create an account with XDA-Developers at least to say thank you once you have rooted your device, but also because beyond what you get here, XDA-Developers contains a wealth of knowledge and is a great learning resource.
Appreciation thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1320350
ZergRush: http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=841876&d=1325678726

2. The file will be a very quick download. It will download as a .zip, so extract this to a folder on your desktop (the desktop is my preference, though you may choose otherwise). Extracting varies from software to software however if you use winrar like myself, just right click on the file, select "extract files..." and choose a location to extract them to.

3. Now go to the folder where you extracted the files. Run the file 'runme.bat' You will see the following screen. Again, don't let this scare you, the whole process is pretty automatic.

ADB Drivers: You will see this ask you to install the ADB drivers. Between an Xperia arc, arc S, Xperia mini pro and 3 PCs, I've never had to do this, and yet googling it will never give you a straight forward answer.

You don't NEED to know this, but it may interest you: To my understanding and maybe someone more knowledgeable can correct me on this, the adb drivers will install themselves when placing the phone in debugging mode (a step coming up soon) if you use a standard firmware, however if you use a customised firmware then you may not have the necessary files install automatically. This is on a whole different level, completely seperate from rooting, and as I say, not something you really need to know.

4. On your phone, press the 'Menu' button. This is a hardware button that has an icon that looks like a long horizontal line on top of 3 shorter horizontal lines. Now press Settings, then go into Applications, and then development. Tick USB Debugging, and Stay Awake. USB Debugging is only required for the root process, and can be dissabled after you have rooted. Some tutorials for doing other things may ask you to put it back on though. Stay Awake is my personal preference, and just means the screen never goes off whilst the phone is on charge.

Press the 'back' button (the hardware key that has an arrow pointing left) and tick 'Unknown Sources'.

5. Now connect your phone to your PC. If you had already done so, selecting 'USB Debugging' in the stage above will have prompted the PC to automatically start installing the correct drivers. If you are just connecting the phone to the PC now, doing so will prompt the PC to automatically begin the driver installation. Again, don't let terminology get in your way, just let it do it's thing. You will see a notification informing you of this, by your system tray (bottom right corner of your PC, where your clock sits).

6. Everything is set. Now, with the 'runme.bat' program open, press space on your keyboard. The process will begin. Lots of text will go up on the command prompt. Don't worry if you occassionally see the word 'Failed' appear, this is fine. The program will attempt to do certain things multiple times, so just let it do so. It will take a few minutes at most, and at the end will read the lines:

ALL DONE!!!
Press any key to continue...

Your phone will then reboot.

Congratulations on rooting your phone.

Don't forget to go and thank DooMLoRD.

Section 3: Tutorial - SUPERCHARGE!!!!!

ok, so now you have a rooted phone. The last section for part 1, I will explain how to 'SuperCharge' your Xperia. Again, this should work on most rooted phones, however this guide is optimised for 'Xperia' phones. Unfortunately I can only say this guide is optimised for the standard Xperia launcher, so sorry 'Four Corners' guys, you can try it, but I can't guarantee anything. The official source however, does say this works on ALL rooted android phones, which is good news :-)

I have however never found the need to run this with a mini Xperia.

Ultimately by SuperCharging your phone, you will have a much smoother experience, with much less 'redraws' on the homescreen. A redraw occurs when the homescreen hasn't been used for a while, and the phone has started to run out of memory. The result of this is the home screen is stopped until you next use it, meaning your widgets and layout take a long time to come back, bit by bit. If you've experienced this even just a few times, you'll probably want to try this out.

This tutorial doesn't necessarily require a USB cable, however I have written it with a USB cable in mind in order to transfer a file across to the device. If you have any other method you prefer of transfering files to your device's storage card, by all means feel free to use it.

You will need to install some software off the market first. The majority of what we do will be done with 'ScriptManager', which you can get from here: https://market.android.com/details?id=os.tools.scriptmanager&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsIm9zLnRvb2xzLnNjcmlwdG1hbmFnZXIiXQ..

You will also need the 'BusyBox Installer' which you can get from here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.jrummy.busybox.installer&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5qcnVtbXkuYnVzeWJveC5pbnN0YWxsZXIiXQ..

AGAIN..... Don't let names and terminology confuse you. I had to get that in there :-)

1. Firstly, lets configure BusyBox. In the link above, we installed BusyBox installer. ZergRush did install the correct version of BusyBox in the process of rooting, however I always like to make sure I install BusyBox whenever a tutorial instructs me to do so, as certain tasks require different versions of BusyBox. Open the appdraw on your phone (by standard this would be the bottom middle software button on your home screen) and find and launch 'Busybox Installer'.

You will see two drop down boxes near the top, the first labelled 'Select Busybox Version'. Press the arrow to the right of this box, and select 1.18.2 from the list. Don't worry about anything else now, and just press Install.

2. Now lets grab the script we're going to run. Again, XDA is to thank, this time a developer called Zeppelinrox, so don't forget to log in with the account you created earlier (wink wink!) and thank the author of the original post. Don't forget I'm just translating this into easy to read instructions.
Appreciation Thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=991276
Script: http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=661892&d=1311292674

The script is just a .txt file, so download that to a location of your choice, so long as you know how to get there (such as your desktop). This file will ultimately find its way to your desktop in the next few steps.

3. Once you've downloaded the file, find it in the location you saved it, right click on it and select Copy. Connect your phone to your PC. With the phone connected, press the physical menu button (the one with a long line on top of three shorter lines), then go to Settings, Sony Ericsson, Connectivity, USB Connection Mode, and select Media Transfer Mode. This will cause your PC to disconnect and reconnect to the phone, in it's new state.

4. Next, go to Computer/My Computer (depending on your Windows version), and find your device in the list.

Double click on your device, and then double click on Memory Card. Rick click on a white background area, and select Paste. The .txt file should now be on the storage card.

5. Once the file has coppied across, you can disconnect the phone from the PC. Next, open the app draw (the bottom middle software button on the home screen) and find 'Script Manager'. This is another one of those scarrier looking places, but as long as you follow this guide, you'll do ok.

Scroll to the bottom of the list and tap on 'V6_SuperCharger_for_Android-update8.sh.txt'.

Make sure this screen looks like the screenshot just above on the right. The key things to check are that SU is green, the other 4 icons are white, and 'Is Script' is selected.

Now press Run (top left). Another scary screen.

6. Now tap on the screen. This has a slightly poor response and you will probably need to keep pressing the screen several times to toggle a sidebar to come on and go away. Press the screen, sidebar comes on. Press it again, sidebar goes away. But don't go too fast, the aim is to eventually bring up the keyboard.

On your keyboard, type 3 and press enter. Let it do it's thing. After a few seconds it will ask you to make another choice, this time between 1-17. Don't worry about anything it says on screen - usually you would need to make a choice based on the on-screen text, but in this tutorial I'm telling you what to select. If you find it of interest, you can take a look at the on screen text, however it really isn't necessary. Just type 6. And then press enter.

It will again do it's thing, though this time it will take a little longer. Once it's done, you will return to the list of 17 options.

Below the list, you should see the following lines:

Launcher is HARD TO KILL! ie. SUPERCHARGED!
Current minfrees = 6, 8, 26, 28, 30, 32

If it displays those lines, including those exact numbers, you are supercharged.

7....BUT... theres a tiny little bit more. Having run this script, a new script has been created. Don't worry, you don't have to do anything as tricky as that again, this next step is relatively short. Select option 16 to reboot. The device will begin to restart. There is no warning, it will just switch off then start back up again. Once done, open Script Manager again. At the top of the list of folders is a folder that just says '..'. press this. This will take you up a level. Press it again, and then press 'Data'.

Scroll down to quite near the bottom - there should be a new script, 99SuperCharger.sh. Press this, and made sure the Fav, Net and Wick icons are white, whilst the SU icon is green, and the Boot icon is a faint blue. Make sure 'Is Script' is selected, and then press Save (top right).

8. Finally, restart your phone.

________________________________

So there's quite a bit going on up there, however hopefully by the end of this post, you've eliminated any fears you may have had about rooting, experienced it yourself, aswell as taken advantage of one of the benefits, in supercharging your phone.

As I mentioned before, I don't plan any regular schedule with these Beginners Guides, so I can't say when the next one will be, however I would like to focus on memory management next time, and at some point in the future, FlashTool, which allows you to flash old and new firmwares. You'll never know how useful it is until you need it, and when you do, you'll be glad you can!

Right, I'm off to make an omelette.