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You might remember the Android Open Source Project for Xperia S our Developer World colleagues worked on last year – because of the interest and participation in that initiative, we’re now running a similar AOSP for Xperia Z.

It’s part of our ongoing commitment to support and collaborate with the Android community – the Sony software code will be open for external developers to work with and contribute to, and it’ll be overseen by the same team that was behind the Xperia S AOSP.

It’s worth noting that the software isn’t intended for everyday use, and it doesn’t include apps and services as part of standard phone software – everything you need to get started can be found on Sony’s GitHub and don’t forget to check out Developer World for all the info.

We’re excited to kick this off and look forward to working with as many developers as possible!

The next Sony software rollout for Xperia P, Xperia go and Xperia E^dual is starting this week – it is a phased process and will ramp up over this month and next*.

The new software brings Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean”, along with a number of different and improved Sony features. We’ve been working to blend our Sony Xperia software with Google’s Jelly Bean release to create some cool user experiences – some of the functionality you can look forward to includes:

Newer and even more intuitive versions of Sony Media apps: WALKMAN, Album and Movies

A set of slick, easy-on-the-eye libraries that let you access and share all your snaps, videos and tunes.

Make your battery last longer with Battery STAMINA Mode

Battery STAMINA Mode lets you get the most out of your battery when you need it. Fully customizable, your phone knows when the screen is off and shuts down the draining apps you don’t need, and then instantly starts them up again when the screen is back on.

Organize and search for your apps in a new quicker way

Application tray sorting is that bit breezier – just press and hold on any app – move, add it to your desktop or create a folder within the tray by dropping it on top of another.

We’ve also added a new search function within the application tray that makes it easy to locate your favourite apps.

Personalize your phone even more with your additional panes

A revamped homescreen experience for handling widgets, apps and shortcuts… with up to 7 desktop panes, widgets that auto-resize and actionable notifications, you have complete flexibility to create the interface you want with a few simple touches.

Google Now brings you just the right information at just the right time even before you know you need it

Combining the power of Google search and user profiling, Google Now helps you accomplish daily tasks more efficiently. You can learn more about Google Now here.

In some cases – particularly for Xperia go users – we’ve only made the upgrade accessible via PC Companion or Bridge for Mac due to the size of some software packages, and these users will only receive an in-phone notification if running Ice Cream Sandwich.

We’ve heard your questions and know you guys are keen to hear about updates for Xperia S, Xperia SL, Xperia ion and Xperia acro S – these smartphones are next in line to start receiving Sony’s Android 4.1 software from the end of May.

We’ll bring you the latest info when we can and, as always, you’ll only find the official details right here on the blog.

*Availability and rollout timing will vary by market and customer variants

Quick heads up on some neat content coming your way from one of our recent projects – as part of the ‘Xperia Versus.’ series we invited PYYRAMIDS and Damian Kulash from OK Go, famed for their collaborations spanning music, film and technology, to go to the Arctic with Xperia Z and create music inspired by the Northern Lights.

We took the band’s lead singer Damian Kulash, bassist Tim Nordwind and singer Drea Smith (who perform together as PYYRAMIDS) and photographer Martien Mulder to the village of Jukkasjärvi in Northern Sweden this past March.

There, we tasked them with capturing the “sound” of the Aurora Borealis using some of Sony’s latest and greatest technology, including Xperia Z.

Check out Wired’s write up and the trailer above for some of our group’s accounts of the experience – and keep all eyes on the blog to see how things unfolded later next week…

Over and out,

Ant.

Quick heads up everyone. This week our Developer World colleagues have looked in-depth at one of our power management technologies, Battery STAMINA Mode – see how it works and tips for developers in optimizing apps to be more power-efficient.

We know there’s a balance (and sometimes compromise) between the high-end functionality you get in a smartphone and having the battery juice to experience it all. It can be frustrating after enjoying mobile entertainment (video and games especially), then not being able to maintain enough power to text, call, blog or tweet.  

It’s a common concern and something we regularly discuss in both consumer and more developer focused forums / social channels.

We recognized a few things: a) people don’t use their phone all day long and in many cases it can spend up to 90% of the day on standby in your bag or pocket, and b) many apps and processes continue to run in the background, using up your battery life.

To tackle this, we developed Extended Standby and Battery STAMINA Modes across 2012 and 2013 Xperia devices, to extend standby time by up to four times or more. The premise is simple; saving power consumption when you don’t need it, lets you get the most out of your battery life when you do need it.

It’s well worth checking out the Developer World content for all the info.

In January 2013, Sony Mobile launched a voluntary phone recycling program in Russia. This new program provides our Russian consumers with the possibility of recycling their old phones in a more environmentally sound way.

Because of the vast geography in Russia, Sony Mobile had a challenge to include the whole country in a recycling program. However thanks to our great service network, this is now possible! The service locations exist in all major cities and most service locations are walk-in locations which mean that they are perfect for hosting our recycling collection boxes.

Since January 2013, we now have recycling collection boxes in 39 service locations across 32 Russian cities. To make them as visible as possible, the boxes have been made big enough to attract the attention of all service center visitors and they are located in places that are easily accessible for all visitors.

Handing in your phone at one of our collection centers, you can be assured that the phones will be recycled in a responsible and environmentally sound way in accordance with our Global Environmental Warranty. All the collected phones will be handed over to an international recycling company which will recycle them in the most environmentally friendly recycling process possible.

So what are you waiting for? Make a positive contribution to the environment by recycling your phone today! Your recycling contribution will help to lower the extraction of new materials by enabling the re-use of already extracted ones.

You can find all the Russian recycling locations here and to learn more about Sony Mobile’s recycling program and recycling options in other countries, visit our recycling pages at: www.sonymobile.com/recycle.

Russian translation below -

Программа добровольной утилизации телефонов стартовала в России

В январе 2013 года компания Sony Mobile запустила в России программу добровольной утилизации телефонов. Эта новая программа предоставляет российским покупателям возможность утилизировать свои старые телефоны без вреда для окружающей среды.

Из-за обширной географии России привлечь к участию в программе жителей всей страны было не просто. Однако благодаря нашей сервисной сети это стало возможным! Пункты сервисного обслуживания Sony Mobile есть во всех крупных городах и в большинстве своем расположены очень удобно, поэтому они отлично подошли для размещения контейнеров для утилизации.

С начала января 2013 года такие контейнеры были установлены в 39 пунктах сервисного обслуживания, расположенных в 32 городах страны. Контейнеры достаточно вместительные, их легко заметить, и размещены они в легкодоступных местах.

Сдавая свой телефон в один из наших сервисных центров, вы можете быть уверены, что этот телефон будет утилизирован без вреда для окружающей среды в соответствии с нашей экологической политикой (Global Environmental Warranty). Все собранные телефоны будут переданы международной перерабатывающей организации, которая гарантирует их утилизацию самым безопасным для окружающей среды способом.

Итак, чего вы ждете? Сделайте свой вклад в защиту окружающей среды — сдайте свой старый телефон сегодня! Ваше участие поможет уменьшить добычу исчерпаемых ресурсов за счет повторного использования уже существующих материалов.

Все адреса пунктов утилизационного сбора можно найти здесь. Чтобы подробнее узнать о программе утилизации Sony Mobile и вариантах утилизации в других странах, посетите сайт www.sonymobile.com/recycle.

Hello everyone,

Greetings from Milan! Last week I spoke at Salone del Mobile, the world’s largest furniture fair. So, what might a Sony Mobile designer be doing at a furniture show, you ask?

Well, the thing about being a designer is that we share our inspirations across a variety of platforms; from furnishings, to clothes, cars, smartphones and more.

And as technology becomes more interoperable, we are crossing traditional design borders. Cars are now communication platforms, smartphones are controlling things around you, and the home is becoming ‘smarter’ too.

A large part of this is because today’s consumers place more of an emphasis on style than ever before. Meaning the designer plays just as important a role as the engineer when it comes to putting together a great product. I discussed this and more as part of Ford Europe’s design panel, where I got to speak with other designers including Martin Smith and Sheryl Connelly over at Ford, and Carlo Alberto Carnevale Maffè, a professor of strategy at Boconi School of Management.

We touched on the fact that consumers are becoming increasingly interested in the people and processes behind the products they use. One thing I’ve noticed is that the roles of engineer, designer and product manager are becoming more interdependent. We have to work more closely and in tighter collaboration – having common goals and understanding of what each expert is bringing to the process. We are seeing the rise of the Experience Designer, Human Interface and app designers – hardware appears to be losing some of its importance.

We have an instinctive desire for technology to be integrated and non-intrusive – it should do what it does and then get out of the way. On the other hand, we also have an inherent desire to own, and cherish objects that are giving so much benefit to our lives. There is a tension here – the desire to objectify, and the desire to de-materialize. A lot of our thinking is about finding the magic balance between these elements.

Offline, the panel discussed the concept of “simplexity”: putting together a simple, user friendly interface that supports complex technology. We work to do this in both hardware and UI design – our OmniBalance design theme recognises the desire for a beautiful product with the need for universal use, practicality and de-materialization. Xperia Z is the first embodiment of these principles: a simple “single surface” that is balanced and useful in any direction. Our interface design has a theme we call Dynamic Simplicity that allows us to layer complexity – presenting a simple and easy to use interface on top, but with layers of complexity that are adaptable to the advanced user.

Another area we touched on is the integration of smartphone and mobile communication technologies into other “things”- the so-called “internet of things“.

One last thing we discussed was the democratization of design. Fact is, well designed products are now available and affordable to all, and technology is being used in most socio-economic levels. 3D CAD and visualization tools, app development tools, rapid and virtual prototyping, and marketing channels have been democratized. The process of design and prototyping has been democratized. And while it’s still difficult to mass produce, there are on-line communities and tools to raise funding if you want to launch a product – this is not a threat to us, but an opportunity to engage with increasingly knowledgeable users and consumers. I look forward to hearing and collaborating with more of them in the future.

Tom Waldner, Head of Creative Product Design, Sony Mobile

It’s official – we’ve been recognised by Guinness for the world’s largest animated mobile phone mosaic!

And no, this isn’t an April fool…

A few weeks’ back at Mobile World Congress 2013, we took 196 Xperia Z smartphones and organised them into a 14 / 14, 6ft2″ wall – smashing the previous record by more than double

It’s great to receive this accreditation - if you have any ideas on what we could could create next time around, feel free to drop them below!

For those of you who liked the TV commercial for our Xperia Z smartphone, and with the Holi Festival that inspired it starting last week, there’s some fantastic new content now available from the team who made it. Tarsem Singh, our director, recently went travelling through India on the look out for inspiration and he took an Xperia Z with him to capture the journey.

We’ve charted the trip in a series of short videos – you can see his perceptions of Xperia Z’s 13MP camera as it caught all the colourful experiences on the road.

Born in Punjab, India, Tarsem is a filmography director – his 20+ year career has seen him direct everything from commercials to music videos and films. Notable highlights include the 2011 blockbuster “Immortals”,  his Snow White adaptation “Mirror Mirror” and visual masterpiece “The Fall”, as well as music video classics like En Vogue’s “Hold On” and REM’s “Losing my Religion”.

See Tarsem’s amazement as he captures a woman’s intricately decorated hands and a fountain full of petals.

Jodhpur is India’s “Blue City” and the backdrop to Tarsems 2006′ film, “The Fall” – see how Xperia Z captures one of the director’s hallmark and personally favourite settings.

See more of / pay homage to Tarsem’s journey so far as he captures a unique shrine on India’s roadside.

Update: As of today (28/03), Sony’s Android 4.1 rollout has started for Xperia TX*. 

Hello everyone,

As planned, this week we’re starting the software rollout for our first batch of Xperia smartphones Xperia T and Xperia V*, with Xperia TX following next month. 

The new software brings Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean”, along with a number of different and improved Sony features – the rollout will continue to ramp up over this month and next.

We’ve been working to blend our Sony Xperia software with Google’s Jelly Bean release to create optimum user experiences – some of the cool functionality you can look forward to includes:

• Updated, more intuitive versions of Sony Media apps: WALKMAN, Album and Movies 

A slick, easy-on-the-eye library that lets you view and access all your snaps, videos and tunes in one place – not to mention the signature Sony audio and imaging tech that makes your content stand (and shout) out!

• Increased options for personalization

A revamped homescreen experience for handling widgets, apps and shortcuts… With up to 7 desktop panes, widgets that auto-resize and actionable notifications, you have complete flexibility to create the interface you want / need with a few simple touches!

• Improved app organization and search 

Application tray sorting is that bit breezier – just press and hold on any app – move, add it to your desktop or create a folder within the tray by dropping it on top of another!

We’ve also added a new search function within the application tray that makes it easy to locate your local apps.

• Improved camera functionality 

One for both the budding photographers and all-action snappers amongst us – we’ve added a more intuitive viewfinder with the addition of auto scene setting, and the option to switch between front and back camera with a single touch.

• Google Now 

Combining the power of Google search and user profiling, Google Now helps you accomplish daily tasks more efficiently.

It brings you just the right info at just the right time – cards appear throughout the day as prompts or reminders, and appear as a notifications when they’re flagged as important! Now there’s no excuse to miss that all important meeting…

As soon as the Jelly Bean software is available for your device, you’ll receive a notification in your phone. In most cases you’ll have the option to download and update over-the-air, but in some instances the software package may only be accessible via PC Companion or Bridge for Mac.

Please visit www.sonymobile.com/update for more information.

As usual we will continue to keep you up-to-date with our progress, responding to as much of your feedback along the way as possible.

*Availability and rollout timing will vary by market and customer variants

We’ve started to roll out a firmware update for our Mac app, Bridge for Mac. 

It’ll hit markets over the coming weeks* and you’ll receive a prompt when it’s ready to go.

So since you’ve made the leap of (smartphone) faith, you probably want to know about some of the new features and functionality in version 3.2. Here goes:

Improved support for Xperia Z & Xperia ZL, with new compatibility for Xperia Tablet Z

Xperia Z and Xperia ZL have always got on well with Bridge, but we’ve streamlined the way they communicate with each other, as well as adding full compatibility for soon-to-launch Xperia Tablet Z.

Smoother compatibility with Mac OS 10.8

There’s now less lag when you hook your Xperia smartphone up to your Mac, intelligent Backup & Restore for your content and more bullet-proof handling of media meta data.

Contact setup & sync

Migrating contacts and sorting in an orderly fashion is a hassle at the best of times, right? Our new service does all the hard work for you, setting up your Xperia phonebook by auto-syncing contacts across your different social / enterprise / personal accounts.

Xperia camera import

We’ve made importing your snaps, laughs and memories (to iPhoto or a folder of your choice) easier and more intuitive. It’s now more effortless to find your killer shots. You can even find those of *that* night out you “forgot to delete”…

Xperia Transfer

As mentioned a few week’s back, we’ve made it easier to get started with your new Xperia smartphone – check out our post and video for a look at some of the key features.

It’s worth noting, we’re always looking to refine our computer apps to make your experience more fluid (including PC Companion for PC / Windows) – you’ll always find the latest update news right here on the blog!  

*Timing and availability will vary by market