Sony Ericsson today announced the regional launch of Xperia neo, the first GreenHeart smartphone from the Xperia range featuring the best of Sony technology. Taking into consideration green innovations that reduce the impact of phones without compromising on quality, Xperia neo is built on the stunning design language that Sony Ericsson is reputed for. The smartphone boasts a unique shape that not only looks good but is ergonomically designed to fit perfectly in the user’s hand, especially when taking pictures. Xperia neo is equipped with 8.1 mega-pixel camera that boasts Sony's award-winning Exmor R for mobile sensor. The CMOS sensor allows the capture of high-quality, bright pictures and HD video recording even in poor light conditions, which can be shared on an HD TV via the built in HDMI-connector. It can also be viewed on the 3.7" screen featuring Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine that delivers exceptional visual brilliance and a crystal clear image to enhance the overall entertainment experience on Xperia neo. Izzat Kittaneh, Business Marketing Manager, Sony Ericsson, Middle East, said: “Sony Ericsson remains committed to catering to the eclectic preferences and needs of consumers in the market. With our recently launched range of Xperia smartphone, we seek to offer a unique communication and entertainment experience that gratifies our consumers’ well-informed choices. “Xperia neo’s availability in this market is in line with our strategy to ensure that the Middle East remains among the primary regions to receive and experience all the latest products launched by Sony Ericsson.” Xperia neo runs on the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread platform that gives users access to over 200,000 applications for an augmented communication experience. ‘Facebook inside Xperia’, a unique application that allows instant communication and advanced social media experience, is also included. Available at leading electronic stores throughout the UAE at a price of AED1,799, Xperia neo comes in blue gradient, silver and red colour.
In some ways, the rollout of multi-touch gestures may be the biggest change Lion offers when it comes to how you interact with the new OS, but it's other features, like Auto Save, Versions and Resume, that many users will appreciate most. The last major desktop operating system from Apple was Snow Leopard, which arrived in August 2009. When that OS was introduced, the iPhone 3GS was all the rage and the iPad was still under wraps. But Apple was already figuring out how it could use swipes, pinches and taps in what would become Lion. Was the company's decision to change in a fundamental way how Mac users interact with their computers a desperate bid to emulate the success of iOS or a stroke of brilliance?
I think it was both -- without the desperation. Getting started Lion, which costs $29.99 and is available only through the Mac App Store, requires users to have Snow Leopard in place first. And it has beefed up system requirements compared to Snow Leopard. Chief among them, Apple's new OS requires an Intel 64-bit processor, so anyone with a Mac that doesn't have at least a Core 2 Duo chip can forget about upgrading. Lion also wants at least 2GB of memory to run -- 4GB is better -- and at least 4GB of free space on your hard drive for the file download. Yes, download. Rather than dashing to the store for a Lion installation DVD, you fire up the Mac App Store, buy the OS online, then download and install it. (No doubt, MacBook Air users will be delighted, since the Air doesn't have a built-in optical drive.) The bad news: Anyone on a slow connection is going to be waiting a while for the OS to download, although Apple has offered the Wi-Fi in its stores to help out people who don't have broadband. The good news: If your household has more than one Mac, you can hop on that other Mac, use your App Store login there, click on the "Purchased" tab and install Lion using the same Apple ID. The bonus? You don't have to enter a ridiculously long Genuine Protection ID like Windows users do.
For companies worried about updating a lot of Macs in the workplace, Apple has a solution: Enterprise customers with volume licenses can download the Lion installer, which places itself in the Applications folder, and then copy that installer to the machines being upgraded. Apple sent out the info in a PDF explaining what enterprise and education users should do. It also will offer a copy of Lion on a flash drive for $69.99 sometime next month. Note: If you don't save a copy of the installer before you update to Lion, you won't be able to save it later.
The installer deletes itself after the installation is complete; if you need it later, you'll have to download it again from the App Store. A couple more caveats: Lion no longer allows you to run software written for PowerPC, as the Rosetta framework that allowed older apps to run is now gone. And if your machine doesn't have a glass multi-touch trackpad, you'll be missing out on the new gestures built into Lion.
Here she be, folks. The Motorola Droid 3 on Verizon. We're knee deep into this sucker right now. But our initial thoughts are that this is a pretty worth upgrade to the Droid 2, even if nobody seems to be making a big deal out of it. Fast with a dual-core 1GHz processor. A larger, 4-inch display at qHD (960x540) resolution. And Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread -- egads, the most recent version of Android! -- on there to boot. Other specs to note: Android 2.3 Gingerbread 5-row keyboard with dedicated number row Display: 4-inch qHD (960x540) Processor: Dual core TI OMAP at 1 GHz RAM: 512MB Storage: 16GB internal, support for up to 32GB microSD card Front camera: VGA Rear camera: 8MP with LED flash Dimensions: 2.5 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches Weight: 6.49 ounces Cellular data: CDMA/Quadband GSM/Triband UMTS Battery: 1540 mAh (up to 550 minutes talk time, 300 hours standby time) 3.5mm headphone jack USB 2.0, HDMI, DLNA Bluetooth 2.1+EDR FM radio Video: 1080p video capture (up to 30 fps), 1080p output via HDMI We've got lots more on the way. For now, feast your eyes on the quick hands-on video above.
