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Today we officially unveil the Xperia™ Tablet S, Sony’s second-generation tablet that features a slim, aluminium body, splash-proof design, and a 9.4“ HD display with low-friction coating and OptiContrast™ Panel for minimal reflection, high contrast and a real sense of depth. Inside this Android 4.0.3 (ICS ) tablet, you’ll find an NVIDIA® Tegra™3 1.4 GHz processor with ULP GeForce GPU. The Xperia™ Tablet S also provides a guest mode for versatile use, Small Apps (extended widgets) for easier multi-tasking, and the ability to play games wirelessly using a PS3 Controller. Read on to learn more about the Xperia™ Tablet S.

Xperia™ Tablet S – bringing Xperia™ to the world of tablets for the first time
The key features of the Xperia™ Tablet S include a distinct “folded” design and splash-proof features. Inside sits an NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor, and runs the Android 4.0.3 operating system. Xperia™ Tablet S also has a built-in remote with time-saving macro programming. And it has a Guest Mode for personalised profiles for family and temporary users. The tablet is PlayStation® certified, ensuring high-quality gaming and access to the PlayStation Store, along with the Sony Entertainment Network.

Xperia™ Tablet S.

Develop your own Small Apps
The Xperia™ Tablet S is the first Sony tablet to introduce Small Apps. With this functionality, you can use specially developed Small Apps, or widgets that you define as Small Apps, to run on top of other applications and add smart solutions for daily routines requiring multi-tasking. An example is the Small App called Mini Remote, which controls the volume with a small remote widget on your tablet when playing music.

If you’re a developer, we will soon release an SDK for Small Apps, so you’ll be able to design your own unique Small Apps for Sony tablets. This way you will get the opportunity to get good exposure to Small Apps users, and you will also have the opportunity to create Small Apps that really extends the idea of what a widget can do. Stay tuned to Developer World for more information about this going forward!

And don’t forget that you can always develop tablet-based Xperia™ games, apps and custom app extensions. For that, a wide range of Sony developer tools are available in conjunction with the Xperia™ Tablet S, such as the SDK for Sony Tablets.

Availability and colours
Xperia™ Tablet S will launch initially in European markets from September and then across further global markets. The available colour is silver.

More information

• View Developer World’s Xperia Tablet S video on YouTube.
• See the official Sony press release announcing the Xperia™ Tablet S.
• Access Xperia Tablet S developer tools.

Today, we’re announcing a number of Sony smartphones joining the 2012 Xperia™ line up – Xperia™ T, Xperia™ V, and Xperia™ J. The Xperia™ T (Xperia™ TX in some markets) is our new flagship smartphone, and it includes Sony’s best HD smartphone screen – a 4.6” HD Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA® Engine, and best camera – a 13 MP fast capture camera that goes from sleep mode to snap in just over a second. The Xperia™ V is a sleek and durable (dust proof and water resistant!) LTE smartphone featuring a 4.3” HD Reality Display, 13MP fast capture camera, and is PlayStation® certified. Finally, the Xperia™ J combines the eye-catching design with a large, 4.0” FWVGA screen, a 5 MP AF camera, and social media updates with illumination.

Read on to learn more about Xperia™ T, as well as Xperia™ V and Xperia™ J!

General features of the new Xperia™ smartphones series – One-touch connectivity, Small Apps functionality, dual browsers, Smart Connect
The Xperia™ T, Xperia™ V and Xperia™ J smartphones are all based on the award-winning “arc” design that combines a slim form factor with an emphasis on the display for excellent viewing, and an ergonomically curved back for a super comfortable grip. These smartphones also connect you to Sony’s media app and entertainment services, including the WALKMAN®, PlayMemories Online, Sony Entertainment Network¹, and Music Unlimited.

Xperia™ T and Xperia™ V incorporate One-touch connectivity – one simple pairing step for sharing content wireless across smartphones and other NFC-enabled devices including the new Sony SRS-BTV5 and SRS-BTM8 speakers. (For more info on NFC, read our NFC blog post.) Also included are Small Apps, which are small apps that run on top of other applications and add smart solutions for daily routines requiring multi-tasking, like extended widgets. An example is the Small App called Mini Remote, which controls the volume with a small remote widget on your phone when playing music (at the same time as you might be surfing the web).

Dual browsers are supported on all three phones, allowing you the choice of using the native browser or Google’s Chrome browser. Also with the native browser, WebGL 1.0 is supported, allowing the use of interactive 3D graphics inside the browser without the use of plug-ins. For developers, this means you can create in-browser games or HTML5- based web apps. (Read our previous blog post on WebGL support in Xperia phones.)

Finally, these Xperia™ smartphones are the first to use Smart Connect, formerly LiveWare™ Manager. This application makes your mobile accessories, such as headsets or speakers, connect easily to your Android™ phone. Stay tuned to Developer World for an upcoming blog post explaining more about the new features in Smart Connect.

We’ve laid out some of the extensive specs for each phone below, along with some extra details:

Xperia™ T brings outstanding performance
Xperia™ T, comes with Qualcomm’s MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 Plus SoC (system on chip), which has two Krait (the successor to Qualcomm’s Scorpion) cores running at up to 1.5 GHz. The Snapdragon S4 class of processors is the first mobile processor to be manufactured using the latest 28nm process technology that provides advantages in frequency scaling, power consumption, and size reduction.  It comes with Android 4.0 (ICS), It has One-touch connectivity enabled by NFC (Near Field Communication) for easy pairing between NFC devices. And yeah… Xperia™ T will feature as James Bond’s smartphone in the upcoming cinema release Skyfall.

Xperia T.

The MSM8960 incorporates the Adreno 225 GPU, delivering 50% more processing power than its predecessor, resulting in better graphics performance at higher display resolutions. Adreno 225 is a fully programmable OpenGL ES 2.0 GPU with a Unified Shader Architecture (USA), this maximises the processing power of the GPU by offering flexible vertex and shader processing. The APIs supported by Adreno 225 include OpenGL ES 1.1, OpenGL ES 2.0, and DX9.3. To learn about OpenGL ES, read our previous blog post on 3D for Android.

Xperia™ V brings LTE, NFC, and dust & water resistance
Xperia™ V shares many of the same great features with Xperia™ T – Sony’s best HD experiences, easy connectivity with One-touch sharing enabled by NFC, and award-winning arc design. In addition, Xperia™ V incorporates Sony’s unique technologies:

• Mobile BRAVIA® Engine2 is an evolution of Mobile BRAVIA® Engine delivering an ever better viewing experience by adding a new real-time contrast optimisation and improving sharpness enhancement on top of high quality colour management and noise reduction.
• ClearAudio+ mode, developed with Sony’s own signal processing technologies, allows users to effortlessly enjoy audio quality that may have been stripped away by music compression. ClearAudio+ mode incorporates a variety of Sony’s sound technologies, but with one simple operation, users can easily enjoy Sony recommended sound in ultimate clarity and presence, across the entire spectrum of sound.
• HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology is an imaging technology used in Sony Cyber-shot® Digital Cameras that lets users capture clear photos even against strong backlight. With HDR, the camera quickly captures the image twice with different exposure levels and layers it together to create one optimised photo. HDR is automatically activated when Superior Auto detects scenes with strong backlight.
• Superior Auto is technology used in Sony Cyber-shot Digital Cameras that intelligently detects scenes (up to nine scenes), sets most optimal settings for still image, and applies best image processing including layered technology (up to four photos), making it easy to get the best shot even in a dark or backlight scene.

Xperia V.

Xperia™ V also comes enabled with LTE – supporting LTE Band I, Band III, Band V, Band VII and Band XX – for the fastest download speeds (in markets where the technology is available). Finally, this smartphone offers the highest levels of dust and water resistance in a smartphone (IP55/57⁺), ensuring protection from the effects of immersion up to 1m for 30 minutes.

Note: The phone is not designed to float or work submerged underwater outside the IP55 or IP57 classification range.

Xperia™ J – stylish and affordable, with standout screen size
Xperia™ J has the same arc design as Xperia™ T and Xperia™ V, but with specifications that make it accessible for consumers who want to combine great style with affordability. It boasts a large 4.0” SWVGA display on Gorilla glass, making it scratch-resistant. In addition, the slim Xperia™ J also provides social media updates with illumination, a 5MP camera and a front chat camera.

Xperia J.

Get the hard facts for Xperia™ T, Xperia™ V and Xperia™ J

Develop Xperia™ games, apps and custom app extensions
A wide range of SDKs and developer tools are available in conjunction with using Xperia™ T, Xperia™ V, or Xperia™ J. With the Smart Extension SDK, you can create apps for Smart Extras™ accessories (SmartWatch and Smart Wireless Headset pro). You can also create extensions that enhance the capabilities of Timescape™ and Music player, signature apps in every Xperia™ smartphone, by using our Extension Developer Kit (EDK). For developer help on Xperia™ smartphones, post your questions on external developer forums where we are active.

Availability and colours
Xperia™ T will launch globally over the next few weeks. Xperia™ V and Xperia™ J will launch globally in calendar Q4 2012. For Xperia™ T, the available colours are black, white, and silver. For Xperia™ V, the available colours are black, pink, and white. For Xperia™ J, the available colours are black, gold, pink and white.

More information

• View Developer World’s Xperia T, Xperia V, and Xperia J video on YouTube.
• Download the Xperia TX white paper, Xperia V white paper,  and the Xperia J white paper.
• See the official Sony press release announcing the new Xperia™ series of smartphones.
• Learn about NFC support in Xperia devices.
• Learn more about Mobile BRAVIA engine.

1. This service is not available in all markets.
2.  Memory comprises approximate 2.5 GB of firmware, 2 GB of “Phone memory” for downloaded applications, and 10.8 GB of “Internal storage” for music, pictures, movies and some application data.
3.  Memory comprises 1.2 GB of firmware, 2 GB of “Phone memory” for downloaded applications, and about 3.7 GB of “Internal storage” for music, pictures and movies, and some application data.
4.  Memory comprises 650 MB of firmware (using 1.3 GB physical memory to secure against memory errors), 766 MB of “Phone memory” for downloaded applications, and around 2 GB of “Internal storage” for music, pictures and movies, and some application data.
5.  There is no API for the light sensor. 

Hi folks,

Back in February this year, my fellow Xperia bloggers and I headed out to Barcelona for Mobile World Congress – well, now we’ve packed our suitcases once again and are flying out to Berlin, Germany for IFA 2012!

We’ll be bringing you all the killer info, interviews, news and behind-the-scenes scoops, exclusively from the Sony booth, live from the floor.

IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin) is one of the world’s leading trade shows for consumer electronics and home appliances, and one of the oldest industrial exhibitions in Germany.

Since 1924, IFA has been a global showcase for the digital world, with major tech manufacturers presenting current and upcoming innovations. Key digital lifestyle products are a mainstay with TVs, PCs, smartphones and tablets set to be a major focus this year, along with keynotes and discussion forums covering industry trends and issues.

This year, IFA will run from 31st August to 5th September, and we’re kicking things off with our Sony press conference at 16:00 CET tomorrow. Feel free to join us for that by visiting the Sony community forum to catch the livestream – take it from me, it’s not to be missed ;–)

The show is open to the public from Friday 31st August, so if you’re about in Berlin, feel free to come and say hello, or if not, keep your eyes on the blog over the next week as Will, Clare and I will be checking in regularly, every day!

PS. You can also follow the action as-it-happens on Twitter with #Sony_IFA, #SonyXperia and #IFA2012.

Hey guys,

Just finishing up our press conference at the Sony IFA 2012 booth today, and we’re excited to announce new additions to the Xperia family: Xperia T, Xperia V, Xperia J and Xperia Tablet S – all packed with Sony’s best HD experiences to deliver the next step in connected entertainment.

First up, Xperia T is a new flagship Android smartphone boasting a huge 4.6″ signature Sony HD screen, 13MP camera and effortless “One-touch” NFC functionality. We’re also excited to give you a heads-up that James Bond will be sporting one on his latest outing, Skyfall… I’ll fully de-brief you on that later tonight!

Xperia V shares many of the same great features as Xperia T, but it’s also LTE enabled for lightning network performance and comes with the highest level of smartphone water resistance; up to 1m for 30 minutes!

Xperia J has eye-catching design with a large 4″ screen and comes complete with social media update illumination, for those looking for style and affordability.

Xperia T, Xperia V and Xperia J are built on the same design language first introduced by our award winning Xperia arc and Xperia arc S – combining a slim hand fitting form, with a focus on high quality displays for crystal-clear viewing.

Xperia Tablet S brings the world of Xperia to a tablet for the first time. It’s a place for your imagination to play, boasting a quad-core processor, slim aluminium body and splash-proof design, built-in universal remote capability and a wide-range of accessories including covers, docks and stands.

I’ve listed a full rundown of these products’ key specs and shipping details at the foot of this post, so check ‘em out!

These Xperia smartphones also come locked and loaded with Sony’s media applications: “WALKMAN®”, Album, Movie and Music Unlimited – these combine the best of Sony’s hallmark technologies and content to connect you a host of awesome entertainment experiences across Xperia smartphones, tablets and VAIO PCs.

We’ll take a closer look at these apps over the next few days, but word-on-the-booth is that Xperia smartphones shipping from September (until the end of the year) will come with a free 60-day Music Unlimited trial, Sony Entertainment Network’s (SEM) music cloud-streaming service that puts millions and millions of tracks at your fingertips.

What would be the point of all this great content, if you couldn’t easily share it with your nearest and dearest? Well, we’re also putting NFC technology at the heart of our content sharing proposition through “One-touch” functionality.

You can enjoy sharing music and photos instantly through an array of NFC enabled Sony devices, by simply touching one to another to establish a connection, no fumbling around required! For example, Xperia T and Xperia V users can stream music wirelessly with “One-touch” to the new Sony SRS-BTV5 NFC enabled speaker, also announced today.

For all the official information, check out our pressroom.

We’ll be getting up-close-and-personal with all of our announced products and accessories over the next few days, so keep your eyes fixed firmly on the blog

Ant.

Newly announced Xperia™ series – what you need to know

Xperia™ T

• 4.6” HD Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA® Engine for razor sharp clarity
• 13MP fast capture camera that goes from sleep mode to snap in just over a second
• Full 1080p HD video recording capabilities and a 720p HD front camera for the highest quality content
• Easy connectivity with ‘One-touch’ function enabled by NFC
• PlayStation™ Certified
• Latest generation 1.5GHz dual core processor for improved battery life, fast performance and ultra sharp graphics
• Android version 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Will be upgraded to Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) following launch. Detailed timing to follow
• MHL connectivity for viewing content on a big screen without the need for a charger
• Use Xperia TV Dock with MHL to HDMI converter and charging connector to enjoy photos and videos on an HDMI enabled TV
• In some markets Xperia T will be known as Xperia TX
• Available in Black, Silver and White colours
• Launching globally over next few weeks

Xperia™ V

• 4.3” HD Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 for razor sharp clarity
• 13 MP fast capture camera with full HD video recording.
• Latest generation 1.5GHz dual core processor for improved battery life, fast performance and ultra sharp graphics
• LTE for the fastest data download speeds (in markets where technology is available)
• Easy connectivity with One-touch ‘One-touch’ enabled by NFC
• Clear audio+ for the highest level of sound quality
• PlayStation™ Certified
• Android version 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Will be upgraded to Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) following launch. Detailed timing to follow
• Highest levels of dust and water resistance in a smartphone (IP55/57+) ensure protection from the effects of immersion up to 1m for 30 minutes
• MHL connectivity for viewing content on a big screen without the need for a charger
• Available in Black, Pink and White colours
• Launching globally Q4 2012

Xperia™ J 

• 9.2mm slim stylish design
• Large 4.0” FWVGA Display
• Social media updates with illumination
• 5MP AF camera
• Front chat camera
• Available in Black, Gold, White and Pink colours
• Launching globally Q4 2012

Xperia™  Tablet S 

• Slim new aluminium body and splash-proof design
• 9.4” HD display with OptiContrast™ Panel with low-friction coating
• NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor and Android 4.0.3 operating system
• Android version 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• Various experiences with original applications and Sony’s network services
• Optimized accessories (sold separately) to enhance experiences in every scene
• Available from the beginning of September 2012

Today we’re proud to announce a new Developer World website. With the new site, we will continue to bring you the latest developer and technology news & tools for Sony Xperia™ products in an even better way than before. Now it will be easier for you to find our most popular content, such as tutorials, popular posts, articles, open sourced phone software, drivers and many other downloads, as we have restructured and cleaned up the site based on the feedback we have received from many of you. Read on to learn more!

Easier to find popular posts
Most notably, you may first recognise that we have updated our frontpage with a multi-item area on top. Here we will pin many of those blog posts and links that we think are of special interests to you. It will be like headlines for some of the hottest topic right now. This way you don’t have to search or browse through the blog post history to find the hot topics. In addition, we’ve also added a classic “Most commented” widget to the right, so that you can see what posts have really engaged a lot of people. Maybe you want to share your opinion as well?

A new Knowledge base section
Another big change on the site is the new Knowledge base section. In a clean and straightforward way, you will easily find:

• All of our tips and tutorials, from concrete coding tutorials, to tips on app promotion and monetisation.
• Tool guides related to Sony Xperia™ products, or tools released by Sony and Sony Ericsson.
• Technical articles about popular Sony technologies, or technologies used in Sony Xperia™ products.
• An introduction to the different open source initiatives we are working on related to Sony Xperia™ products, including links to open sourced phone software, code examples and GitHub projects.
• A massive list of useful external developer resources (outside of Sony), presented in different areas. If you’re looking for a special developer tool, or some specific knowledge, there’s a good chance you fill find a useful resource in this section.
• A big archive of older reference information related to older Sony Ericsson phones and technologies.

More focus on our developer services
The new Developer World website also emphasises our different developer services in clearer way than before. Check out our Services menu to see our current services, and learn more about the Phone loaner program for North America, the Unlock boot loader service or the Stand out from the crowd program.

We hope you will enjoy it
This site obviously includes lots of other changes, and we truly hope you will enjoy the change. Feel free to click around to check out all of the different sections and assets. As it is a new site with some complexity built in, you may experience some minor glitches during a short period. If you find anything that does not work as it should, or if you have suggestions on improvements, feel free to drop a comment below! We will try to look into it as soon as possible.

Have fun devs!

Nowe dodatki do Smart Tag rodziny.

Rodzina Smart Tag doczekała się kilku nowych dodatków. Oryginalnie do Smart Tagów przypisane były zadanie oparte na zasadzie „ Gdzie jestem?”, Nowe Smart Tagi będą działały na zasadzie „Co robię?”. Oznacza to nową funkcjonalność i szereg nowych rozwiązań związanych z uruchamianiem zadań. Nowe Smart Tagi przystosują twój telefon do tego co chciał byś robić. Nowe zadania oraz kolory Smart Tagów : Graj (zielony), Oglądaj (fioletowy), Słuchaj (pomarańczowy) Aktywności (szary).

Nowy Bezprzewodowy głośnik SRS-BTV5 z technologią NFC.

Ten mały bezprzewodowy głośnik zawiera w sobie jedno dotykową, intuicyjną technologię parowania i łączenia – NFC, dzięki temu rozwiązaniu wystarczy przystawić telefon do obszaru NFC na głośniku, a ten w rezultacie będzie mógł odtwarzać twoje ulubione nagrania bądź posłuży jako zestaw głośnomówiący. Ten bezprzewodowy głośnik jest mały oraz lekki co sprawia że bez trudu można go zabrać gdziekolwiek się chce.

TV Dock dla Xperia™ T i Xperia™ TX

Ładuje telefon oraz pozwala na przeglądanie zdjęć , oglądanie filmów i internetu na twoim telewizorze.

Smart Connect

Smart connect jest aplikacją na najnowszą platformę Android 4.0, która pozwala zadecydować co chcielibyśmy aby było uruchomione gdy podłączysz swojego smartfona do innego urządzenia. Możesz wybrać między jedną a wieloma czynnościami które wykona twój telefon. Smart Connect jest zmienioną i ulepszoną aplikacją LiveWare™ manager. Smart Connect reaguje na podłączenie jakiegokolwiek urządzenia za pomocą  Bluetooth™, NFC, micro USB lub wejścia audio. Dla niektórych akcesorii są już pre-konfigurowane akcje. Spraw by inteligentne akcesoria były jeszcze inteligentniejsze!.

Today, we’re delighted to announce that the Nokia Music service has launched for US customers.

American Lumia owners will be able to download the Nokia Music app from the Nokia Collection in the Marketplace. And it will come preloaded on Nokia Lumia 900 and 710 smartphones.

Of its many virtues, the best part of Nokia Music is undoubtedly Nokia Mix Radio: we’re enormous fans of the service here on Conversations and have written about it several times before.

New York: September 5, 2012

Watch the webcast live from the event.

Video feed starts 10.00am Eastern Time Zone

If you missed those posts, the killer features of Mix Radio are the ability to create playlists from your own tastes, or select from hundreds of specially curated mixes drawn from the Nokia Music collection of over 17 million tracks. What’s more, you can download these playlists over WiFi to listen to anywhere, without needing any further data connection.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

You can catch all the action around Nokia Music on the @Music_Nokia Twitter channel.

Welcome to Social Innovator of the Week, the weekly post that honours and highlights individuals with innovative business ideas and solutions that support a wider community of people both on and offline. If you know someone with a clever and original idea for a social business then I want to hear about them!

To give you an idea of the kind of people I usually featured in this series I recommend you check out Andre Campbell and Leila Kashanipour, just a couple of my favourite social innovators from the past.

For now though, it’s back to the present! Today I’m itching to tell you about the USA based Alok Appadurai. He is, wait for it – a social entrepreneur, writer, vegetarian, urban farmer and co-founder of ‘Fed By Threads’ – and you’re about to find out why his clothing business reflects his deep belief for social justice and human rights.

Let’s look a little closer at Fed By Threads.

The idea 

To create inspiring shirt designs that feed people at the same time. For every shirt that Alok (and his partner in crime Jade Beall) sells they will provide 12 meals to food-insecure Americans. Some of their core beliefs summarise the company pretty well: ‘fashion that feeds’ and ’fighting hunger in our own back yard’. 

Conventionally, charitable organisations like Fed By Threads usually support issues abroad in developing countries, but America has many if its own problem that need addressing. 

Who benefits from the shirt sales?

Here are some interesting social statistics that Alok uses to help illustrate his motivations for the business on the company homepage:

• 16 million children in America live in poverty in households that lack food security. 

• 48.8 million Americans lived in food insecurity in 2010. 

• 3 million rural households across America lacked adequate food supplies.

• 6.2 million suburban households similarly went without food security. 

Is there anyone else involved in the project?

Fed By Threads donates to Feeding America (the national hunger relief charity) and the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona (to aid local hunger relief). So Alok has ensured he is literally catering for people in his local community but also on a national scale, because Feeding America has 200+ food banks across America.

Recently Alok also teamed up Kristen Taylor from Bee Green Foods to release some bespoke Fed By Threads shirts for the organic produce organisation.   

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Follow Alok on Twitter to find out more about his up and coming projects!

That’s it for this week, if you would like me to feature anyone in this post next week then please do leave me a comment with a link in the comments section below. If I don’t feature them next week then I will try my best to do so in the near future.

Alternatively drop me a tweet: @Nokia_Connects, let me know what you think about some of Alok’s work, are you inspired?

[Image credits: Fed By Threads, Quarterwaters]

Today, we’re delighted to announce that the Nokia Music service has launched for US customers.

American Lumia owners will be able to download the Nokia Music app from the Nokia Collection in the Marketplace. And it will come preloaded on Nokia Lumia 900 and 710 smartphones.

Of its many virtues, the best part of Nokia Music is undoubtedly Nokia Mix Radio: we’re enormous fans of the service here on Conversations and have written about it several times before.

New York: September 5, 2012

Watch the webcast live from the event.

Video feed starts 10.00am Eastern Time Zone

If you missed those posts, the killer features of Mix Radio are the ability to create playlists from your own tastes, or select from hundreds of specially curated mixes drawn from the Nokia Music collection of over 17 million tracks. What’s more, you can download these playlists over WiFi to listen to anywhere, without needing any further data connection.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

You can catch all the action around Nokia Music on the @Music_Nokia Twitter channel.

Welcome to Social Innovator of the Week, the weekly post that honours and highlights individuals with innovative business ideas and solutions that support a wider community of people both on and offline. If you know someone with a clever and original idea for a social business then I want to hear about them!

To give you an idea of the kind of people I usually featured in this series I recommend you check out Andre Campbell and Leila Kashanipour, just a couple of my favourite social innovators from the past.

For now though, it’s back to the present! Today I’m itching to tell you about the USA based Alok Appadurai. He is, wait for it – a social entrepreneur, writer, vegetarian, urban farmer and co-founder of ‘Fed By Threads’ – and you’re about to find out why his clothing business reflects his deep belief for social justice and human rights.

Let’s look a little closer at Fed By Threads.

The idea 

To create inspiring shirt designs that feed people at the same time. For every shirt that Alok (and his partner in crime Jade Beall) sells they will provide 12 meals to food-insecure Americans. Some of their core beliefs summarise the company pretty well: ‘fashion that feeds’ and ’fighting hunger in our own back yard’. 

Conventionally, charitable organisations like Fed By Threads usually support issues abroad in developing countries, but America has many if its own problem that need addressing. 

Who benefits from the shirt sales?

Here are some interesting social statistics that Alok uses to help illustrate his motivations for the business on the company homepage:

• 16 million children in America live in poverty in households that lack food security. 

• 48.8 million Americans lived in food insecurity in 2010. 

• 3 million rural households across America lacked adequate food supplies.

• 6.2 million suburban households similarly went without food security. 

Is there anyone else involved in the project?

Fed By Threads donates to Feeding America (the national hunger relief charity) and the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona (to aid local hunger relief). So Alok has ensured he is literally catering for people in his local community but also on a national scale, because Feeding America has 200+ food banks across America.

Recently Alok also teamed up Kristen Taylor from Bee Green Foods to release some bespoke Fed By Threads shirts for the organic produce organisation.   

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Follow Alok on Twitter to find out more about his up and coming projects!

That’s it for this week, if you would like me to feature anyone in this post next week then please do leave me a comment with a link in the comments section below. If I don’t feature them next week then I will try my best to do so in the near future.

Alternatively drop me a tweet: @Nokia_Connects, let me know what you think about some of Alok’s work, are you inspired?

[Image credits: Fed By Threads, Quarterwaters]