Android Kitkat 4.4 For Sony Xperia Z, Xperia ZL & Xperia ZR

Google recently rolled out Android Kitkat 4.4 and Japanese giant Sony has already revealed the OS updation schedule for premium Sony Xperia handsets like Xperia Z, Xperia ZR and Xperia ZL. IT looks like Sony strictly making sure that all the updates are rolling out before the competitors and they even have a blueprint to make sure that even mediocre devices like Xperia S and Xperia SP will get the Kitkar 4.4.

Kitkat 4.4 for Sony Xperia Z, Z1,  ZL, ZR

As per the latest entry on Sony's blog, first few device to get the Android 4.4 would be Sony Xperia Z - rival device of Samsung Galaxy S4 which also a waterproof android phone by Sony,  Xperia ZL and Xperia Z1.

Along with other Z devices, a phablet Z Ultra as well as Z1- Honami will get the 4.4 OS update.Google Android has already announced that the 4.4 KitKat is designed and created in such a way that it can even run on devices with 512 MB of RAM. The OS 15% efficient and needs lesser battery to run.

Phones getting Jellybean 4.3

Before Jumping to Kitkat updates, Sony will first bring the 4.3 Jellybean updates for the top tier devices. Along with those devices, Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V will be lines up for OS update 4.3.

There is a good chance that Sony might bring these update for devices like Sony Xperia S, Xperia SP, Xperia M, Xperia C butfor the time being there's no official word about these updates.

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Sony Xperia Z, ZR and Z Ultra to feature infrared (IR) remote sensor?

TheSony Xperia ZL is the first android phone from Sony's Z series to feature infrared (IR) remote sensor.  Unfortunately Xperia Z, Xperia ZR and Xperia Z Ultra doesn't have IR transmitter. for those who are not aware with what the infrared is, is the technology used the remote controls for televisions, DVD players and many other devices. For some reasons, Xperia Z misses this feature and that's why the answer to the question is no-  Xperia Z does not have infrared. Sony is is supposedly working on to launch more android devices which will have the functionality.

Infrared (IR) remote sensor in Xperia ZL

The smart phone ZL has default apps which uses infrared. It has the default IR built-in transmitter and there is so much to do and to make most of it. One of the most common use is to use your android phone is a universal remote. using it as a remote control it just the basic use which anyone can use but the developers of Sony are looking to make more of it.

Developers have released  IR remote API kit which can be used by android developers to create apps related to the infrared feature. before this device, the only way to convert your mobile phone into an universal remote to connect using an IR dongle.

leading manufacturers have stopped using IR sensor in the devices as it was replaced by Bluetooth. Before Bluetooth, infrared was used to send and receive files between two phones.

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Remove built-in facebook App from Sony Xperia Devices

So you don't use Facebook app and want to get rid of it, but there is no option to uninstall it? Here's a way to disable the built-in Facebook application from Sony Xperia Smartphones. Japanese giant Sony rolled out jelly bean 4.1.2 update for all the high end phones. One of the problems which comes with the jellybean is non removable Facebook application. If  you're not using it,  it will use your RAM and can make your phone slow. It's always recommended to get rid of the app- if you are not using it. There's no way you can uninstall it, but you can always disable it.

How to disable or remove Facebook App 

Here's the screenshot taken on Xperia S. The user does not use the Facebook app and still a good amount of battery is being consumed by the Facebook app.

Now let's see how can you disable Facebook App. The Xperia 's stock operating system is very similar to Stock google OS.

Steps to disable the app:

1. Go to Settings >> Apps >> All. 
2. Scroll down to find the Facebook app
3. Find all the Facebook extension and go to them.
4. Click on the disable button and it will prompt you to confirm your action.
5. Click yes and you are done.

That's how you get rid of the Facebook app from your Android device when you cannot uninstall it.

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Sony Xperia S Jellybean 4.1.2 Update - Changes in Home screen | Part 1

Sony has rolled out Jellybean OS update for the most of the xperia devices and  Xperia S is the latest device to get jellybean 4.1.2 update. Xperia S was launched in Q1 of 2012 with gingerbread 2.3.4. Phone received first update (ICS 4.0) in Q3 of same year. We will be writing a complete series about new changes. Let's see what has been improved. In this article,will be covering the welcome- home screen changes.

Swipe to unlock

Part 2- Calling and text application changes in Xperia S
The new swipe to unlock feature is a very unique and looks beautiful. Unlike the previous slide to unlock bar, you can swipe anywhere on the screen to unlock. The screen responds to your touch with a nice graphical animation.


Press the power key and welcome screen pops up. It has two icons - a shortcut to stock music player and the camera key. Swipe to the left to access the music player and  to the right to access your camera. The notification bar can be pulled down even without unlocking the screen.

Battery percentage at the top

It was missing in the previous os ICS. The battery percentage is now shown at the top of your screen. Those who are still using ICS, add auto bright widgets to find out the real time battery % usage.

Home screen 

At first glance, it looks very similar to the what we used to have in ICS. Once we start exploring more and more, we can experience improvements in almost every small feature. Try moving from one screen to another and your would love to see the way icons are arranged. Xperia jellybean 4.1.2 OS allows us to the customize five screens which is more than enough.

Press and hold the home screen and you will see another JB feature. There's a new way to add widgets, wallpapers, themes and application shortcuts. This shows preview of your home screen and how your screens will appear.

Power button

Pressing the power button once will tun the display screen ON. Holding power button for longer, will bring a another dialogue with Power off and aeroplane mode. The jellybean  4.1.2's  addition would be an option to capture the screen. We can also use power- volume down option to take a screenshot. Read more about how to capture a screen in Xperia S.

in the next article, we'll cover changes in the SMS-messaging application and calling features.

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Pros and Cons of Sony Xperia M

While people are is still talking about Xperia Z & Xperia ZR, Sony silently introduced Xperia M into the crowded market of mediocre handsets. It seems like Sony is following Samsung's strategy to bring as many devices as  possible to cover each and every segment. From the specs, Xperia M looks like a miniature version of Xperia L which was introduced a few months back in March. It comes with a 1GHz dual core processor with 4 inches TFT display. The phone features back camera of 5 megapixel and comes with Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 out of the box. Let's check out the pros and cons of the Xperia m.

Sony Xperia M

Sony Xperia M Pros

1. The Smartphone runs on 1 GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 SoC inside with MSM8227 chipset along with  Android jelly bean 4.1. This configuration is more than enough for any mid level phone.
2. The body of the device is really awesome and looks like a premium device. it is not difficult to understand that the look have been inherited from recent flagship device- Xperia Z.
3. The Smartphone has all the basic features like Bluetooth 4.0, NFC support, 3G, dual band WiFi, etc.. so as far as you don't want to compete with high end phones, Xperia M can be your everyday companion.

Sony Xperia M Cons

1. The display screen just 245 per where as Samsung has a whole clan of AMOLED devices which can deliver awesome display clarity. The device is quite behind the other manufacturers such as Samsung, htc. 
2. Out of the box  jelly bean could have been an advantage if the phone was launched in 2012. The new Android operating system 4.2 is already out and this Smartphone features a previous version of android-4.1.
3. Only 4 GB of internal storage where as 1.5 GBs of internal space would be used for operating segment  default apps and customization.
4. The biggest disadvantage of this phone would be that it's missing the mobile Bravia engine which could have been the selling point of the device and differentiated it from other Sony phones.

Verdict 

Xperia M is just a new exterior body with same flesh. Sony Xperia sola, Sony Xperia Miro and Xperia j have similar configurations and we couldn't understand the need of another Xperia device with very similar configuration. It's always good to have the option and Xperia m gives you another option to think of.

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Sony Xperia Z Bravia Engine 2 - Differences when enabled / disabled

Sony's introduced Bravia engine even before they started manufacturing android Phones. They have been using the Bravia engine technology in their LCD, LED tv. The advanced version - Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 has been introduced with Xperia Z & ZL.

What is a Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2

It's the display technology developed by Sony engineers which enhance the overall viewing experience of Mobile display. Various tests run on the Xperia Z has revealed that it has got one of the sharpest display. The 5 inch HD screen is capable of 441 PPI which is best in the class.

Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 depends on three factors - brightness, sharpness and color management. it optimizes images and videos to give you the best output enriching the overall user experience.

New update for Bravia 2 engine includes contrast enhancement algorithm & sharpness filter. The contrast enhancement algorithm works really well and incapable of showing more details. Sharpness filter is exclusively for the videos which

Sony Xperia Z's mobile BRAVIA® engine can be enabled well as disabled from the display options. turning on the bravia engine result in more battery usage. we would recommend you to turn the engine ON only when you will be enjoying videos and movies.

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Pros & Cons of Sony Xperia L - Android Jellybean 4.1.2 Phone

While the world is still talking about Sony's flagship device Xperia Z, Sony released a new device named as Xperia L without much hype around it. The device has specifications very similar to Xperia P. The Xperia L has a display screen of 4.3 inches of and powered by 1 GHz dual core processor and an Adreno 305 GPU. The phone features back camera of 8 Megapixel and comes with JellyBean 4.1.2 out of the box.

Sony Xperia L is a mid-range android JB smart phone. Sony already has phones having similar consideration such as Xperia P and Sola. The device seems to be offering a bigger screen and a decent camera keeping the price relatively low. The screen is not as sharp as the P and has just 228 ppi. Let's have a look at some of the pros and cons of the phone.

Sony Xperia L Pros

1. One of the major advantages of the Xperia L is that it comes with JellyBean 4.1.2 out of the box. Sony is known for the delayed updates and that's why having a Sony device is the latest OS running is a treat.
2. The 4.3 inches of display screen, is the perfect size for a phone. A lot of users prefer to have mobile phones having  a display size of 4 to 4.3 inches as it makes the phone usable with one hand which is very convenient.

Sony Xperia L Cons

1. Biggest disadvantage of this phone would be that its missing the mobile Bravia engine which is standard functionality present in every Sony Xperia phone. Somehow Sony has omitted it from the Xperia L and as per the speculations, it has been removed to keep the price under certain levels.
2. 8 MP of camera looks decent on the paper but fails to impress us. The video recording is rather disappointing and photos taken were not up to the mark. for some buyers, camera can be the primary
3. The phone lacks in terms of design. Though Sony is well known for creating beautiful devices which have premium finish. this phone has very unorthodox design which looks pretty old school. 
4. Just like the successors NEO L, Xperia L is missing the FM radio which is quite surprising. One of the readers has just confirmed that Xperia L has FM radio.

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Sony Xperia Z List of Known Issues, Bugs and Common Problems

Sony's latest phone, the Xperia Z was the most recent flagship phone launched by Sony with the hopes of competing with the other Android smartphone rivals like the new HTC One and the newly launched Samsung Galaxy S4. The phone comes loaded with great hardware like a quad core processor, a 13 megapixel camera and a massive 5 inch 1080p screen. But even after all that the users of the Xperia Z are encountering some hiccups while using their phone which sort of makes the phone less of a smartphone and more of a trouble to even bother with which is definitely not good for Sony as it is trying to make a flagship smartphone that can rival the top existing Android smartphones.

Here we have made a list of known bugs that are encountered with the phone and the common problems that the users are experiencing while using their Xperia Z phone.

Overheating

A few users have reported that their brand new Xperia Z overheats while playing some graphics intensive games, so much so that the internal heat control services shut the phone down. While this issue is not showing up in every phone it is quite prevalent and is one of the biggest problems that the Xperia Z has right now. Whether it is due to some internal software clash or if it is just hardware related is still not confirmed but if your phone is heating up to a very high temperature (too hot to hold) it could cause some serious problems.

Lag while using Launchers

This has been a problem with most of the Xperia phones and the Xperia Z is no different. The phone shows a slight lag while using the various launcher apps on the phone. This problem is mostly software related, probably due to the bloatware that Sony adds over the stock Android and could be fixed by Sony in the near future.

Games not running smoothly

A few users have reported that heavy games like Real Racing 3 and Asphalt are not running smoothly or giving a standard framerate while playing and stutter a little while playing. This is a problem because the Xperia Z packs enough of a punch in its hardware to run any current game in the Play store without any problems.

Bricking/Dead Phone/Phone not starting or not responding

This isnt really a problem or a bug. A few users have managed to brick their phone while trying to flash their phone with the wrong kernel. This goes to show that you should NOT be doing any sort of rooting or flashing of ROMs on your phone unless you are absolutely sure of what you are doing. And even after that, the whole process is still risky enough that you might still brick your phone. If your phone is not responding at all after a failed flash/root, you can try to use the 'Repair' option on your PC Companion or flash your phone with the Sony Update Service.

Apart from the three above there seem to be a few more intermittent problems that are appearing for a few users and so far there doesnt seem to be any reasoning as to why these problems are occurring. Here is a summarized list of problems reported taken from the XDA forum.

1. LED not working for apps like SMS, WhatsApp etc
2. Stamina Mode doesnt turn on sometimes
3. Music stored on SD card jumps for some users
4. Screen not turning on
5. Google Services draining battery
6. Dead pixels appearing on the screen
7. Weak Wi-Fi strength
8. Using camera apps crashing the phone

These are the most common problems found with the Xperia Z phone. If you have experienced any more weird things happening on your phone, let us know in the comments and we can confirm it for you if it is actually a problem and maybe help you solve it too.

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Sony Xperia S Jellybean 4.1.1 update may start in April 2013

Sony Xperia S may get Jellybean 4.1.1 update in April

Sony has officially confirmed Android Jellybean 4.1.1 update by start of April. We had written about Sony's Jelly bean OS updare plans for all the Xperia devices. One of the Xperia Owners tweeted about the pre planned update and he German Sony Xperia twitter account confirmed that Sony is likely to start jellybean update for Xperia S.

Sony is known for delayed OS updates and Xperia S which was launched in January, 2011 is getting another update after 2 years. The last Android OS update for the XS was Ice cream sandwich 4.0.4.

Expected jellybean features for Xperia S

Xperia Z is the first android jellybean phone launched by Sony. Xperia S will have similar features with little Tweaks. let's have a look at some of the improvements we might see after the OS update.

1. New lock screen 

2. my gesture movement detection - detect special gestures and assign functions for it

3. quick smooth search - helps in searching your application easily

4. notification preview - get preview of your SMS, e-mail, messages, tweets with short snippet on the home screen.
5. Improved battery life.

Sony's other lower-end devices like Xperia j, Xperia TL have already received JB update and it was quite surprising that Sony took so many months to release the jellybean update.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Sony Xperia Z - Feature Comparison, Pros and Cons

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Sony Xperia Z Feature Comparison

The mobile market is in a flurry with the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4 coming close with March 14th being the day of release. A lot of Samsung and Android fans are eagerly waiting to see what the phone is going to offer and even though most of its features have leaked out online, the launch will put all those rumors to rest. Last year when the S3 was launched, Samsung had a killer smartphone with absolutely no rival with HTC One X being close but still not good enough but this year all the OEM makers have stepped up their game most notably HTC and Sony with Sony launching the Xperia Z as a rival to the upcoming S4. In this post we compare the features of the Sony Xperia Z with the rumored features of the Samsung S4 to see which phone trumps the other to become the newest best seller.

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One - Feature Comparison, Pros and Cons

Display: Both are similar with Samsung S4 sporting 'Green PHOLED'

In this section both the phones are pretty much similar with both of them offering a 5 inch screen with a stunning 1080p display. The Xperia Z has a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels which comes to a pixel density of a massive 441 ppi and Samsung is reported to offer the same specs. One thing which Samsung S4 might have as the rumors suggest is a new 'Green PHOLED' technology for the screen which if true might mean a the screen offering better battery efficiency.

Processor: Samsung might be rocking an Exynos 5 Octa eight-core processor

The Sony Xperia Z sports a 1.5GHz Krait Quad Core processor with an Adreno 320 GPU which as we know is more than enough to support the Android OS and all the graphics intensive games along with it. The S4 on the other hand is rumored to have a 1.8GHz Quad Core processor or as recent reports are leaning towards an Exynos 5 Octa processor which is an eight core processor, could be there will be two versions of the S4 similar to how the S3 was marketed.. At this point you have to wonder that is there even a reason to have eight cores into a CPU and if the OS will ever make use of the resources given to it. In both the cases Samsung still comes out on top.

Memory: Both phones are at par

Memory wise both the phones are packing a 2GB RAM with the Xperia Z having an internal memory of 16GB which can be expanded using a microSD slot. The Galaxy S4 may take a similar route as that of the S3 and come in various internal memory configurations of 16/32/64GB

Camera and Battery: Both sporting the standard camera technologies

Camera is another area where the innovation has come to a standstill with both the phones offering a 13 MP rear shooter and the Xperia Z having a 2.2 MP front cam while the Galaxy S4 having a 2 MP one. The Sony Xperia Z has a non-removable 2330 mAh Li-Ion battery and while no news has come out on the battery of the S4 we're pretty sure it'll be around the same range only as Samsung will keep the battery as a removable one for the convenience of the user.

Design: The design of the Xperia Z looks like its hard to beat

From a Design perspective the Xperia Z is a beautiful piece of hardware with the finish and build quality matching that of an iPhone itself and the phone design made to keep the phone as elegant and as simple as possible. While the S4 is said to be sporting the rectangular minimalist form factor of the S2 instead of the more popular S3, we cant wait to find out what the phone looks like.

Price: Samsung needs to price the phone right or risk losing marketshare

And the price is what it all comes down to. No matter what the features or the design the Xperia Z is a pricey one at approximately 650 USD. If Samsung can market its phone at a competitive pricing like it did with the S3 there is no doubt that S4 will rule the market.

Xperia Z and Galaxy S4 Pros and Cons 

Now that it comes down to it, both phones have their pros and cons respectively. Let us assume that Samsung markets the phone at a similar price range as the Xperia Z. In that case the advantages Xperia Z has is that it is a much better designed phone with Sony slowly emerging as the dark horse of Android phones. The con for the Xperia Z and pro for the S4 is that Samsung bundles its phones with some amazing piece of software like the Premium suite which might sway the users away. On the other hand one drawback for the Samsung phones is that they are not known to be the most reliable in the market where Sony is showing real quality in its phones.

So there it is folks... What do you think of the two phones? Do you think Sony has what it takes to dethrone Samsung from its throne as making the best Android smartphone? Let us know in the comments!

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2013 - List of Sony Xperia Devices getting Android 4.1 Jellybean update

When Sony Xperia Devices will get Android Jellybean 4.1 Update in 2013 ?

Japanese giant Sony started new range of  android  phones with 'NXT series'. Sony Xperia S was the first phone and it was followed by Xperia P. They came up with lot of other devices like Ion, Acro,Acro S, Sola, Xperia J, Xperia T & many other devices.Sony is quite faster when it is about releasing new device and the slowest when it is about rolling out android os update considering devices like Xperia S, ION are yet to get JB update.

List of devices getting android 4.1 jellybean OS in 2013

As per the Jellybean update plan announced by Sony Corp., Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V were the first devices with highest priority. Sony has claimed update in February or March 2013. But Sony Xperia T & TX has already recieved jellybean update.

Next devices in line up are Xperia P, Xperia J and Xperia go which will get jellybean update in march & will be followed by the devices like Xperia S, Xperia SL, Xperia ion and Xperia acro S.

No Jellybean for Devices like

Xperia U - Only dual core phone under $250
Xperia miro - Low bufget smartphone
Xperia tipo - Low budget phone with ICS & just  $170 Price tag
Xperia sola - Brilliant device but less hardware specification will not be sufficient to hold JB.

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Sony Xperia Z and ZL - Specs, review & Leaked Images

Sony Xperia Z (Yuga) and ZL (odin) - First look

There has been lot of excitement over Sony's upcoming phones- Sony Xperia Z & ZL. Some of the leaked images of Sony Xperia Yuga were posted in November and now Sony has confirmed arrival on January 7, 2013.

Previously named 'Sony Yuga', the images of the new flagship phone Sony Xperia Z leaked online showing off the upcoming 1080 5-inches smartphone formerly known as the Yuga (Z) and Odin (ZL). The image also reveals that the global version Sony Xperia ZL will be placing the front facing camera on the bottom right side of the smartphone which is new and quite unusual.

Unfortunately, we still don’t have official release hardware specs, though according to previous leaks the Sony Xperia Z is to come with the following specifications

Sony Xperia Z and ZL specs & features

• 5-inch full HD display with OptiContrast Technology
• Powered by a 1.5 GHz Quad-core processor
• 2 GB RAM
• 13 MP Camera on the rear
• Memory expandable via microSD card
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box

Rumors seem to suggest the Yuga (Xperia Z) is intended only for the Japanese market, while the Odin (Xperia ZL) might be the global version of the handset.

CES 2013 is upon us and Sony’s press conference is scheduled for the evening of Monday, January 7th. where these devices are expected to be announced.

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Sony Yuga Leaked - 5 inch 1080p Screen | Features, Specs and Pics

Sony Yuga with 5 inch 1080p Screen, 12MP Camera & Jellybean 4.1.1

Now that all the Nexus phones have been launched, people need something new to fill up their aspirations in the mobile community and by that I mean people start hunting for leaks for more phones that are being planned by the manufacturers. First victim of these new leaks is the Sony Yuga with a massive 5 inch screen 1080p display. By the looks of it, it might be a stiff competitor to Samsung's new Note II. Seems like the 5 inch screen mark is now becoming the norm with the new Android phones which in theory might sound nice but as for my personal opinion is extremely uncomfortable to hold and use with one hand. Here are the specs of the new phone along with some leaked pics.

Sony Yuga Leaked Specs & Features

• 5" 1080p HD Display
• 1.5GHz quad-core processor (most probably S4 Pro)
• 2 GB RAM
• 12MP rear camera with dedicated camera button
• Android 4.1.1 JellyBean

As far as form factor is concerned, the handset is rumored to have a uni-body design and glass back, much like the LG Nexus 4. Since this is just a leak, there's no info of when and where it'll be coming out, how much it will cost, or any of the other stuff that factor in a buyers perspective while looking for a good phone.

via http://www.android-schweiz.ch/

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SONY Nexus X's Leaked Photo is a Fake

Sony Google nexus’s leaked photograph is a fake

One of the Xperia blogs recently tweeted a leaked photograph of SONY NEXUS X – Google & Sony’s new Nexus mobile phone. The picture has gone viral & provoked a lot of hot debates over internet which proved that people are willing to buy Nexus smart phone manufactured by SONY over the LG Nexus which is about to get launched.

It'a Fake- Confirmed by Experts

Today, some Photoshop expert came with a conclusion that this leaked picture looks like to be a photo shopped image. That is a bit disappointing news for Sony fans as they really wanted to see NEXUS device manufactured by Japanese giant. I guess people will have to make do with a sparkly LG phone as the next Nexus phone.

Though lot of people are excited to the nexus phone from Sony, There are no official announcement from Google as well as Sony.

Also Read-  LG Nexus 4 vs Apple iPhone 5 - head to head 

                   Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie Phone List

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