Sony applies for ‘head control’ patent to frustrate non-verbal communicators

The company formerly known as Sony Ericsson applied for a patent in 2010 that's yet to be granted, but you never know, one day it might wind up in a handset near you. Having recently introduced the "floating touch" Xperia Sola that doesn't require your hands to make contact with the display, the next logical step is to make the whole thing controlled just with the movement of your head. Wearing a Bluetooth earpiece with a motion sensor, you then map a custom motion onto a phone action, so shaking your head could answer a call, nodding up and down ends it and going from side-to-side will fire up an app. Designed for when it's not safe to jab at your phone (i.e. driving) we think it's a pretty neat idea, unless you're the sort who, even on the phone, nods in agreement to what the other person is... oh, nope, hung up again.

Sony applies for 'head control' patent to frustrate non-verbal communicators originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Xperia Acro HD launches March 15 in Japan

For those confused by Sony's mixed naming conventions, this is the Japan-friendly version of AT&T's incoming Xperia Ion. There's been some additions to the US-bound device we handled back in January, including a built-in TV tuner and mobile wallet functionality. Last time we heard, the LTE-capable Ion was set for a summer world tour, but given this early spring unveiling on the other side of the world, it could pass AT&T's tests this side of 2012 -- hopefully with all four of these color options in tow. Take a tour through the aqua blue and sakura pink palette choices at the source below.

Sony Xperia Acro HD launches March 15 in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Mar 2012 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Xperia S now shipping globally, Ion to join the world tour come summer

Those of you that have been waiting to get your grubby paws on Sony's Xperia S are in luck, as Sony just confirmed during its keynote that it's started shipping globally, with the first units available at Sony's Barcelona store during MWC. Those with stellar memory will recall that's more concrete than its former Q1 suggestion. To recap, those taking the plunge will be privy to a 1280 x 720 4.3-inch display, a 1.5GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 12-megapixel camera all wrapped in a gorgeous shell -- albeit one that runs Gingerbread, with an Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade in due course. Additionally the electronics giant also confirmed the Xperia Ion will be available globally, however those interested will have to wait until summer. It too, totes Gingerbread and a 12-megapixel sensor, but plays host to a larger 4.6-inch display (albeit at the same resolution as the S), a presumably faster dual-core 1.5GHz CPU and delectable LTE. If either strikes your fancy, we humbly suggest our pair of hands-ons from CES -- at least if neither the freshly unveiled Xperia U or P are to your liking.

Sony Xperia S now shipping globally, Ion to join the world tour come summer originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Mobile rebranding quietly begins, changes to roll out over the next month

With the assimilation of Ericsson's wireless stake now neatly a footnote in its corporate history, Sony's moving on and making its newfound freedom known -- albeit quietly. According to a rep for the company, its first rebranding baby steps began just last night, with the former SonyEricsson portal now redirecting to SonyMobile.com. Other related properties, like its social networking extensions and various related digital properties, are also slated to make the transition throughout March, with further announcements planned for Mobile World Congress next week. We'll be there live in just a few days, so stay tuned. In the meanwhile, hit up the source below to see synergy at its finest.

[Thanks, Kevin]

Sony Mobile rebranding quietly begins, changes to roll out over the next month originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSony Mobile  | Email this | Comments