Android P Beta Now Available

Google's Android P Beta is now available, including new features now available in the first developer preview. The Android P beta is available at the source links below.

In the past Google has typically only launches its latest operating system previews on its own Pixel line of device, but this time around Essential, Sony, Nokia, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and OnePlus have joined the party…

OEMs are handling their own Android P beta updates, Android P is coming to a huge list of phones. That includes:

Sony Xperia XZ2
Essential Phone
Nokia 7 Plus
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
Oppo R15 Pro
Vivo X21
OnePlus 6


Source: Android P Beta Devices, OnePlus

“The Interview” Hits Netflix On Saturday, At No Additional Cost

Still Haven’t seen The Interview yet? Well nows your chance, It’s coming to Netflix on Saturday and will be available to subscribers to stream for no additional cost.

Netflix announced today that the highly criticized Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy will be available to U.S. and Canadian subscribers starting on Saturday.

The terms of the deal were not announced, Sony announced today that The Interview brought in $40 million from on demand rentals and another $6 million from theaters.

The Interview was already available from various sources including YouTube and Amazon, but both services required users to rent the movie. Now it’s available to all 39 million Netflix subscribers free of charge.

Sony Unveils Android Powered Sony Walkman ZX2, Priced Well Over $1,000

Sony is set to release the Walkman ZX2 in the coming months with a retail price exceeding $1,000. It has a premium look and feel the uniquely placed buttons on a curve, the textured rear, the headphone jack with a gold trim. Unsurprisingly the Walkman ZX2 has 128GB of internal storage that can be expanded with a microSD card slot. 

The Walkman ZX2 supports DSD, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, and Apple Lossless among other types of audio. Aside from connecting to one of the device’s various ports, Sony allows for connecting speakers and headsets with Bluetooth and NFC connections.

For you music lovers who want just a bit more, the Walkman ZX2 has full access to Google Play and is powered by Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Sony Unveils SmartWatch 3 With Stainless Steel Design

Sony kicked off CES 2015 showing off it's new stainless steel designed SmartWatch 3. The SmartWatch 3 was originally released in October of 2014, but Sony has taken the opportunity at CES to give us updated, high end design.

Other than the new stainless steel design, this SmartWatch 3 variant is identical to the one released a few months ago. It’s packing a 1.6-inch 320×320 display with a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm professor and 512MB of RAM. The chassis is IP68 certified for dust and water resistance, even with the new steel design.

This design enhancement is most likely an effort by Sony to make the Android Wear powered SmartWatch 3 appeal to more fashion focused customers. The original SmartWatch 3 was geared mainly towards the athletic type, with its silicon design.

Sony has yet to announce pricing for the steel SmartWatch 3, although saying the device will be available sometime in January. The SmartWatch 3 without a stainless steel band currently runs $249.99, so we would expect the stainless steel model to come in at at least $300.

AOSP Stock Android Available Now For Sony Xperia Z

Announced today on their developer blog, Sony is now doing the same thing with their latest flagship smartphone, and has released an AOSP build for the 5-inch 1080p Xperia Z, complete with as many binaries as they can possibly supply. Sony was able to provide the necessary files to get the SD-card, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, LED light, and most sensors working, but cannot provide the binaries for the camera or modem. Although they do have both working well internally.

Because of the broken modem and camera support, along with a handful of bugs, AOSP for the Xperia Z isn’t ready for every day use quite yet, but it could be only a matter of time. A quick look on XDA shows that the Sony released AOSP code for the Xperia S was used to make a successful ROM. There’s little reason to believe the Xperia Z won’t follow suit. All the files needed for getting AOSP up and running on your Xperia Z are located on Sony’s github, ready for contribution from developers committed to making this project daily-driver worthy.

The decision to give developers and consumers the tools needed to customize the firmware on their Xperia S was, as you would imagine, very well received. Sony was celebrated for being open minded and receptive to consumer demands. Doing the same thing with the Xperia Z seals that reputation. What do you think of Sony’s decision to release vanilla Android for their flagship devices?

Source: Sony Developer Blog, Sony github

Check Out The Latest PlayStation Mobile Certified HTC Devices

Back in early October that Sony finally released their long awaited PlayStation Mobile app for a few certified HTC devices the HTC One X, S, and V. But as many of readers pointed out in the announcement post, there were a few notable exceptions curiously left out of the PlayStation party. Today, Sony is fixing that by adding a handful of new One cousins to the mix, adding the HTC One X+, One XL, and EVO 4G LTE to the list of officially certified PlayStation mobile devices.

PlayStation Mobile App download

Sony Xperia Ion To Launch June 24th For $99.99 From AT&T

AT&T has scored Sony’s latest Android smartphone, the Sony Xperia ion, which will hit virtual and physical store shelves on June 24th for $99.99. Sony is especially touting the phone’s 12-megapixel camera that also shoots video at 1080p resolution. What’s more, the Xperia ion will be the first Sony phone in the U.S. able to connect to AT&T’s 4G LTE network. Other spec highlights include a 4.6-inch 720p HD Reality Display screen, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 16GB of internal memory. Sadly, the device is launching with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, although it will likely get upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich in the coming months. Sony’s previous Xperia models have been fairly underwhelming but Sony has provided this phone with relatively decent specs this time around, and a 4G LTE phone with a 12-megapixel camera for less than $100.

Sony Tablet P Gets A Taste Of Android 4.0

The Sony Tablet S was one of the first Honeycomb tablets to be upgraded to the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. But Sony has not forgot about the clamshell-shaped sibling, the Tablet P, has received its own ICS update. In a post on its Developer World blog, Sony announced that Android 4.0.3 is now available for Tablets S and P, with the Tablet P update being limited to "selected markets" for the time being.

In addition to standard ICS features like the improved launcher and multi-tasking menu, Sony's baked in some new stuff for its tablet owners. These include direct SD card access, "small apps" that can run in a window, and a re-vamped photo viewer.

To grab the new software for either device, head to Settings > About tablet > System updates.

Sony PlayStation Mobile Coming To HTC Devices

Sony has announced that PlayStation Suite has been renamed to PlayStation Mobile, and it’s HTC bound.

After being introduced as PlaySation Suite, the mobile gaming platform has been renamed to PlayStation Mobile and will be expanding past Sony phones.  It was designed for Android, and the first  manufacturer was announced tonight as being HTC.

Sony Begins Rollout Of Android 4.0 For Tablet S

Sony is bringing it’s first Android tablet into the Ice Cream Sandwich age, announcing via the company’s blog that Android 4.0 is now making its way to the Tablet S. Sticking with a stock ICS experience, Sony gives us a rundown of what we can expect in the video below. The clamshell Tablet P should also receive Ice Cream Sandwich, but now is not its time.

If the idea of Android 4.0 on Sony’s tablet is intriguing, the Tablet S is being offered with a $50 instant rebate and free cradle through May 12th. The 16GB model starts at $349.

Sony Says Some ICS Updates Beginning in Mid-April

Sony today indicated via its web site that it will push the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update to the Xperia arc S, neo V, and ray starting in mid-April. The update will be distributed over the course of four to six weeks. Sony said the next batch of updates, slated for the Xperia arc, neo, mini, mini pro, pro, and active, will commence in late May or early June. The update will only be available for download and installation via Windows or Mac computers, and won't be pushed out over the air. Sony won't deliver Android 4.0 to the Xperia S line of devices until the latter part of the second quarter.  It's worth mentioning that the scheduling of Android 4.0 updates for some devices will vary by market and carrier, which is something that Sony takes care to note in its announcement. Still, it's good to see Sony keeping us up to date on its ICS rollout plans, and I'm sure owners of all of these 2011 Xperia handsets are glad to have an idea of when they'll be getting a taste of Google's latest dessert.

Sony Offering Android 4.0 Beta to Xperia Play

Sony has made a beta version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich available for the Xperia Play smartphone. Sony cautions that the beta software is not a final build of Android 4.0, and those who download and install it may encounter bugs. This software is for unlocked variants of the Xperia Play, and is likely not compatible with versions of the Play sold by AT&T and Verizon Wireless. Sony has made similar betas available to a handful of its other phones. It hopes those who install the beta will share feedback so that it may fine-tune the code for all devices. A word of warning, though -- Wifi connectivity is apparently not functional in this beta, and there are no Google apps included either, apparently due to licensing issues. The latter can be solved by finding, downloading and flashing the apps yourself, but the lack of Wifi will probably be a deal-breaker for many. That said, we expect enterprising Android hackers to have a workaround for that before too long.

Google: We Will Launch 10 New Google Wallet Supported Devices For Sprint In 2012

Besides the LG Viper 4G, Sprint will be getting at least nine other devices that run Google Wallet by years end, says Google's VP of Wallet and Payments Osama Bedier. During the Mobile Money: Delivering Innovative Mobile Payment Services panel in Barcelona during Mobile World Congress 2012, Bedier said Sprint will introduce "at least 10 additional phones" with support for Google Wallet this year. He also added that Google is still negotiating with other operators, manufacturers, and potential financial partners to broaden the reach of Wallet in the US.

With 22 of the largest retail chains in the US supporting Wallet purchases at over 300,000 MasterCard PayPass terminals, Google has a big head start. But that's no guarantee that the service will become the standard, as competitor Isis sets up to begin trials later this year. Isis already has the partners -- HTC, LG, Motorola Mobility, Research In Motion, Samsung and Sony have committed to building devices that support Isis, and Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express, Chase, CapitalOne and Barclaycard have partnered with them as well. That is going to be tough to compete against. With recent security issues plaguing Google Wallet, a partnership with Sprint alone may not be enough to keep the project afloat. We'll have to wait and see who can deliver a product that consumers want, and more importantly, a new technology that consumers will adopt.