A couple of weeks ago, the official Android 4.0 (codename: Ice Cream Sandwich) update for my Xperia ray was released. This was a promise by Sony Ericsson (now Sony Mobile) that all 2011 models (Xperia ray, mini, mini pro, neo, neo v, active, and arc) would all be getting an official ICS update.
How do I update my phone? Don't worry, it's easier than you think. I'm on a Mac, so my screenshots will be showing Sony Bridge for Mac (update your Bridge software, it should already say Sony Bridge, not Sony Ericsson Bridge) For those running Windows, the Companion Software does the same thing, the process is similar, even though the screenshots are different.
First, place your phone in Media Transfer Mode (MTP). You can find this in your phone's SETTINGS Menu under Xperia > Connectivity. Don't worry if you started the update without doing this, your phone will give you the chance to do it later on, this just eliminates the extra step.
Next, plug your phone into your computer using the supplied USB cable. Then start Sony Bridge for Mac (or Sony Mobile PC Companion for PC users)
A pop up screen saying that there is new software available for your phone will appear. Click on Update to start. A webpage will open on Sony Mobile's site stating the new features and other information on upgrading to 4.0, you don't really have to read this and can close it to begin the update.
That's it! Wait for the update to download and install. The whole process should take about 30 min depending on your internet connection.
When the update is done, unplug your phone and turn it on. It will take about a minute for the screen to even come on, this is normal for any major Android software update.
When the screen first turns on, you will see the SONY logo, replacing the Sony Ericsson one on your 2011 phone. Then the boot up. Congratulations! You're now using Android 4.0! In the next entry, a review on the big changes in 4.0
The process is quite simple. Plug your phone into your computer. Start up Sony Bridge for Mac (or PC Companion) and it will automatically check if ICS is available.
Follow the instructions to upgrade your phone.
Check your SI Number here to see if an update for your particular production run has already been released!!!!
Touchscreens are the standard for smartphones now. They're fun and easy to use... except during cold weather.
I recently came from Chicago where the temp hit -1ºC. Nothing extreme but enough to warrant the use of gloves. My Xperia ray was suddenly such a burden to use... so I began to search for decent looking touch gloves.
Unlike the older resistive screens, which work on pressure, the new crop of capacitive touchscreen need to sense your body electricity to function. Wearing gloves inhibits this conductivity thus eliminates your phone's responsiveness to your touch. A new market for capacitive touch gloves emerged much like the capacitive stylus.
So I stumbled upon Ralph Lauren's Touch Gloves at a mall and tried them on. And sadly, they don't work well at all. The screen responds to a tap, but can't seem to recognize a full swipe all the time. It will work sometimes, but the frustration just makes you want to take off your gloves all together... or just cut the tips off. Final verdict... forget these gloves all together. Absolutely useless.
There are other gloves that work much better at 1/5 the cost (The Ralph's run for US$60-70 pair) but don't look at nice. So for now, I'm still looking...
Now that Sony Ericsson is no more... Sony Mobile Communications is continuing the support for Open Development.
A new BETA release of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is available for download and testing on the following Xperia Models: arc S, neo V, or ray. Please read all the instructions and warnings before attempting the install the beta software!
Ok, my movie playback review is long over due (that's still coming up)... but I've been playing with the camera of the ray in more situations and this may interest some readers.
I've found that when a bright light source is hitting the ray from the side (effect is more pronounced if the light source is coming from the left - where the lens is closer to the edge) there's very slight ghosting visible in the photo. You can simply change the angle you shoot at, cup your hand over the lens, or make a very small/short lens hood. The X10 Mini Pro didn't have this problem as the lens was recessed further into the body.
I made a crude one out of electrical tape, just to see if it would work. The cleanest way I've found is to get a cone shape slope as close to the lens as possible (reverse of a regular lens hood) to minimize the visual change in the phone.
Slight ghosting visible on the upper left
With the lens hood, slight improvement
My initial idea was to blacken out the silver ring
Electrical tape
Cut a hole slightly smaller then the silver ring
Tweezers make the job a lot easier
The tape slopes and floats a little above the lens
Extending the lens hood to about 1-2mm improves the effect, I'm guessing a small rubber O-ring would do the trick as well.
Over-all I decided to remove my lens hood despite the effect simply because I felt is was only in certain lighting conditions that it had an effect. YMMV, so you may choose to improve on this concept or ignore it all together. Just wanted to share my discovery.
TimeScape used to be heavily integrated into their version of Android. This, in theory, was supposed to make it better, but instead made the interface slow and very difficult to update. This in turn slowed the development of the X10 family and despite the positive feedback on the phones, the quickly outdated software became a huge ball and chain. Today, I'm happy to report that TimeScape is more like an app, rather than a core system. This means that it doesn't bog down the system nor does it hamper software updates.
Running on Android Gingerbread, the new TimeScape looks gorgeous, and allows much better plug-ins like RSS, other Social Networking sites, and email integration via 3rd party plugins available in the Marketplace. The new widget is also live, unlike the older TimeScape which only showed the newest message, the current one allows you to scroll through messages without having to launch the app.
It now also integrates the Infinity button for messages received from contacts, pressing it will bring up a separate 3D stream of messages from that particular contact. No need to look through your call history or email history to see your correspondence with someone.
Graphics are a lot smoother, thanks in part to a faster CPU, but mostly to much more efficient coding. Gingerbread is supposed to have a 400% increase over Eclair, and TimeScape itself has been cleaned up... all these things combined really has improved the over-all user experience (or as Sony Ericsson wants to call it, UX) and enjoyment of using the app.
Facebook integration
Facebook Inside Xperia is another neat (or annoying, depending on your view of Facebook in general) feature. I'm a heavy Facebook user, so this level of integration is great for me. What once took 3-4 apps on my X10 Mini Pro, now is all built-in the UX of the Xperia ray. Contact photos, numbers, status updates, and other important info are all automatically synced and updated. Your phonebook cards can now contain all the info on that particular person's Facebook page. Twitter is also integrated, just sign in with TimeScape.
Some people aren't fond of social integration, you don't have to use them. Just don't log into your Facebook or Twitter accounts. One caveat is if you're on Google+, unlike Facebook and Twitter, you need to log into your Google account to use your Android phone, Google+ integration is AUTOMATIC, and must be disabled if you don't want your phone to automatically update your status and upload photos. Or you can just not download the Google+ app.
A few issues: This integration overlaps with Facebook's own app sync... so you will have 2 Facebook apps using up your data connection. The other is purely aesthetic, the app seems to try to sync even when mobile data is off, so you always get this annoying red triangle saying "Facebook Sync Failed" when you're data connection is lost, even when the app is set to manual sync.
SonyEricsson has been really slow the past few years... fumbling about for a unique fingerprint to put on Android. I think they've found it with TimeScape and Facebook Inside Xperia. Let's hope that future software updates and upgrades won't exclude previous generations so quickly. For now, good job on the big improvement! It makes looking through status updates actually fun! Hahahaha!
Up next - Movie Time! Video formats, playback, and the built-in gallery
Since the introduction of the celfone cam, people have documented every single moment of their lives (both drunken and sober) and has caused a boom in digital photography.
The latest generation of mobile phone cams boast specs that exceed most professional cams a few years ago... but do specs tell the whole truth? Numbers are quite easy to fudge, and test parameters can easily be biased to favor one manufacturer over another. I've found that most of today's mid-to-high end devices are all comparable to each other. This review is to give a real-world comparison and evaluation compared to point-and-shoot cameras.
Most phone cam lenses are fixed at around 28mm (in full-frame DSLR equivalent) this gives the most practical field of view for group shots, parties, and roughly 95% of the events people use their phones to take pictures of.
The Xperia ray sports an 8 megapixel Exmor R sensor which is supposed to be excellent in low-light situations. I'm not fond of using a flash, on any of my cameras... so this was something that caught my attention. Along with the claimed f2.4, this should make the ray perfect for capturing events at concerts, clubs, parties, candle-lit dinners and other things that happen in the dark...
But does it really work well? How does it fare against the previous generation X10 Mini Pro? Against a decent point & shoot camera?
The first shot was taken using my Panasonic Lumix ZS3. This is one of the better all-around point and shoots on the market with a focal range of 28-300mm and a Leica lens. It shoots in 720p HD so this will also be the baseline for the video comparison.
Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro
This was taken using my X10 Mini Pro. As you can see, colors are a bit washed out compared to the Lumix, but general detail is preserved. A noteworthy observation is that the grill on the car looks more 'detailed' with the X10MP, but it's just heavier post processing on the phone's part.
Sony Ericsson Xperia ray
And finally, the shot taken using the Xperia ray. Bokeh is slightly nicer on the ray... not by much, but if you look at the car in the background, the rims have stronger lens blur. Color accuracy on the ray is also closer to the Lumix which is a plus. I initially thought that the X10MP was sharper, but it turned out to just be stronger sharpening post processing.
With the absence of a dedicated camera button however, it is harder to take a shot with the ray. Touch focus doesn't always work and can sometimes give a completely blurry shot. Auto focus gives decent results most of the time, but limits compositional freedom. Over-all the ray has a better camera, but without a dedicated camera button, it takes longer to take a shot.
Forget the front camera... it's sad. Washed out and very soft focused. Flashback to an 80's webcam. It's there. But don't expect iPod Touch/iPhone 4 quality video calls. But there is hope for self-portrait fans. Sony Ericsson's "Smile Detection" allows you to use the rear camera, then the phone automatically takes the shot when you smile. Although this doesn't guarantee it's framed properly.
Now onto the video. The Xperia ray records in 720p HD. Movies are in the standard MP4 format and trimming recorded clips is possible on the phone itself. I did find it nice that the phone records in stereo. Utilizing the back mic for the left channel, and the phone mic for the right channel. The odd position of the mics does create an issue for users that are unaware that both mics are on. If you're holding the bottom part of the phone, you may be blocking the "right" mic and thus audio may sound weak. Because the mics are farther apart than on most point and shoot cameras (like the Lumix ZS3), stereo separation does sound more prominent on the ray.
The following video was taken at night using only automatic settings. This is how most people will be using the camera on this phone so I decided to make a direct comparison with the ZS3's HD capabilities as well. Audio on the left channel is from the ray, audio on the right channel is from the ZS3.
As you can see, the Exmor R sensor does an excellent job of low light recording. Not much noise is added, and detail is quite good. Focusing is ok, but not great. Clarity is still better on the ZS3 of course, but I would have more practical use for the ray's shots than the ZS3. And a little post processing on the Xperia to improve black levels and the shots taken would actually look better than the ZS3. Audio is decent for a device of it's size. I didn't notice any weak audio, I suspect that early reports either had different firmware, or were accidentally covering the right channel mic with their hand.
Video verdict? The Xperia ray is a very capable video recorder. The Exmor R sensor does work and can be used in very difficult lighting situations. Make sure you have a lot of storage though because HD video does chew up quite a bit of space. I can now leave my ZS3 to the dedicated task of just scuba videos. The Xperia ray will now be my everyday video device.
**A usability tip: There are different camera shortcuts that you can add to your homepage for easy access. I added the Camera and Video Camera shortcut. It may not be a dedicated button, but it's a lot easier than scrolling through a menu!**
After seeing how great the Xperia ray's screen in my Part 1 review was, naturally I wanted to check how good its media capturing capabilities are. Does the Exmor R camera really deliver? How's the audio during video recordings? What about music and movie playback? Or are they all just marketing stickers on the box?
First up, audio/music playback. Test was conducted using the ff:
I decided to compare it against my X10 Mini Pro as a reference playback unit. I used a 256kbps mp3 of Dave Brubeck's famous Take 5. The results from switching from one playback system to another are:
Included headsets aren't great. Better than Apple's stock earbuds, but not by much. So I won't bother giving a detailed review of these. But these choke the sound quality of the ray to about 40% of their capabilities.
The Xperia ray's volume is about ¾ of the X10 Mini Pro. This makes it quite weak, even with efficient headsets. Although volume levels are loud, some people may feel it isn't loud enough. Personally I find it's well within the safe db levels of listening even at maximum volume. I would however, recommend using a headphone amp.
Xperia ray has an annoying clicking while NOT playing any media, this can only be heard through my reference K240DFs, not the K324P or the included headphones.
The Xperia ray has much cleaner bass frequency response than the X10 Mini Pro, bass notes are fuller at lower frequencies without being muddy or overpowering. Treble on the ray seems more balanced than on the X10MP, which may make the MP seem 'clearer'.
xLoud feature on the Xperia ray only affects the built-in speaker, and not headphone playback (good call!)
The X10 Mini Pro built-in speaker is much louder and much fuller than the Xperia ray.
Both the Xperia ray and Mini Pro built-in speakers sound 'clearer' than the X-Mini 2, albeit a lot weaker.
xLoud feature on the Xperia ray makes ringtones sound just as loud as the X10 Mini Pro.
Xperia ray built-in speaker sounds best 1 notch below maximum volume, at maximum volume, you get a resonant buzz from the casing of the phone itself... this resonant buzz is not present on the X10MP, I'm assuming this wasn't by design, but just basic acoustics. The sheer volume of the X10MP gives the built-in speaker a larger 'cabinet' to work with thus making it sound fuller and louder.
EQ has a few presets, I'm not an EQ kind of guy, but they work better than the ones on the iPhone 4 or iPod Touch 4 which to me introduce way too much distortion. The ray's EQ is acceptable... although I would still recommend leaving it flat for the best audio quality.
Over-all, I'd say the Xperia ray has average music playback capabilities. Nothing bad, nothing great. I find it cleaner and clearer than the older X10 Mini Pro, but the lack of volume output makes using a headphone amp almost necessary, which negates the convenience of a small phone. Although using it in the car is quite nice and I prefer the output going into my car headunit.
It won't win any audiophile awards, but then again, neither will any mobile phone... will you be happy with the music playback capabilities? I would say yes. Unless you like listening to your music at ear-bleeding volumes, it's quite decent for most users. It sounds better than the 2nd gen iPod Shuffle, but not as good as the iPod Touch 4.
Final verdict: Average music playback. Decent frequency response and respectable bass extension. Low volume output, not a deal-breaker, but some may find it a bit too soft. The included earbuds aren't isolation buds so they do let in a lot of ambient sound, which drowns out the already weak volume of the ray. So unless your unit came with the LiveSound headset, I'd seriously recommend getting a better pair of cans.
Ok, I've been getting quite a few inquiries on which weather app I use on my home screen... Of all the things, I wasn't expecting my photo of my weather widget to get that much attention... but it is a beautiful app...I highly recommend it, and even purchasing it if you prefer the other skins only available in the Pro version! :)
From my initial review of the Xperia ray, the next few entries will be a more in-depth review of each aspect of the phone. This review will be about the Reality Display.
Since the death of my P1i, Android has been my mobile OS of choice. The expandability and flexibility has met all my communication needs since Symbian's UIQ. Now, it's been a little over a year since I got my Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro. I've enjoyed having such a small phone, and all the new larger phones don't really appeal to me as much. Which is what led me to the Xperia ray and it's 3.3" Reality Display.
With my new Xperia ray, the first feature you notice is the beautiful new screen, dubbed Reality Display. With a pixel density of 297ppi, it's much higher than my X10 Mini Pro's 156ppi, and quite close to Apple's Retina Display of 326ppi. (On a side note, PCs run at 72ppi, most Macs run at 96ppi and the Apple iPad runs at 132ppi.) Which is just my way of saying, at this level...this IS nitpicking.) This makes images and video look incredibly crisp and clear. Combined with Sony Ericsson's Bravia Engine (which only works on video and photo playback), the Reality Display is the single most stunning feature of the ray.
The following are close-up shots of the ray's screen against the iPod Touch 4, and the X10 Mini Pro.
Xperia ray screen
iPod Touch 4 screen
X10 Mini Pro screen
iPod Touch 4 vs Xperia ray
Xperia ray vs X10 Mini Pro
The level of detail on the ray is quite high and comparable to Apple's Retina Display. Although no one will ever really read text at these sizes, it does make pages and icons look sharper and more vivid. It also has a tendency to have a warmer hue than both the Retina Display and the X10 Mini Pro.
The other great quality of the screen is the contrast. Blacks are very nice and deep, thus making the other colors stand out very well. If you look at the ray vs X10 Mini Pro, you'll see that the Mini Pro doesn't really show black, it's more of a dark gray. Color rendition on the ray is quite excellent as well. Gradients are smooth and there isn't any noticeable banding.
Another great aspect of the screen is that Sony Ericsson has made it from Scratch Resistant Mineral Glass which keeps the display nice and new looking. I wouldn't keep my phone in the same pocket as my keys, but I'm pretty sure it can handle daily wear and tear. So no need for a screen protector. Due to it's glossy nature, the ray's screen is a fingerprint magnet. On that note, my X10 Mini Pro did have scratch resistant coating and it held up decently, but being a plastic screen, it does have micro scratches visible after only a year.
Now, some people are asking if the screen is too small. It's not. There are bigger screens out on the market, and there are smaller screens. It all depends on what apps you intend to use often... if you use your mobile communicator as your primary entertainment device, then you will be better off with a larger screen... or even a small 7" tablet. The 3.3" screen of the ray is more than adequate for surfing, email, SMS, and casual video playback . Games are pretty decent to play... but the screen size does make finger accuracy an issue with Angry Birds... hahahaha...
Are you tired of lugging around a huge phone? I am. I've been using touchscreen phones since 2003, (Sony Ericsson P800, P910i, and P1i) and they've just gotten bigger and bulkier over the years. I've always found it inconvenient to always have to remove my phone from my back pocket when sitting down. Bulky phones aren't quite nice to have in a shirt pocket either, as they do tend to tug on your shirt. Which is why I was so happy when Sony Ericsson came out with the X10 Mini Pro last year. It was, at the time, one of the smallest Android phones on the market (the smaller one being the X10 Mini w/o the keyboard) It suited my needs at the time, and I was willing to sacrifice screen size and performance for weight and portability.
It's been a little over a year since I've had my X10 Mini Pro and having been spoiled by the diminutive size, it's quite difficult to go back to the bulk of iPhone-sized (or larger) phones. Since then, I've been waiting for a worthy replacement for my little Android.
Enter the xperia ray (yes, it's NOT capitalized). Sony Ericsson's latest entry into the "Design and Style" smartphones. I have to say I'm very impressed.
Beautiful aluminum frame
The Design - Not only do they break away from all the iPhone-esque styled smartphones, but they've actually gone back to the Scandinavian stylings of Ericsson which I've always loved! The aluminum frame really makes a difference. Much like the classic Ericsson models that used magnesium, the new xperia ray feels like a premium piece of equipment. And although this is a purely aesthetic feature, this does make the ray look and feel more elegant than almost any plastic smartphone out on the market today.
No more labels! Yay!
Thankfully Adam-West-Batman-Style labels for features and buttons are no longer present, and external buttons are kept to an absolute minimum! (Yes, I do know that's the camera, I don't need a permanent label to tell me it's 8.1 megapixels. Nor do I need a label to tell me that it's a volume switch. I also know that's the charging port, I don't need a label to tell me that either!)
Volume-wise it's 55.3 cm³ while the xperia mini is 73.2 cm³ which means it's actually SMALLER than the mini, even though sporting a much better screen (more than double the resolution).
iPod Touch 4 vs. xperia ray
It's quite thin, at 9.4mm, it's almost as thin as the iPhone4 (9.3mm), it's bigger brother the arc (8.7 mm) and the Galaxy S2 (8.5mm). But because it's a lot slimmer than the usual smartphones, it's also a lot lighter. At only 100g, it's 16g lighter than the Galaxy S2 and xperia arc (that's a tbsp of sugar lighter... quite a diet), despite being able to keep the same screen resolution as the bigger Android phones.
Jet black Bravia Screen
The Screen - The beautiful screen is jet black, and contrast is great. It makes the phone look incredibly sleek. Although the Bravia Engine only works with photos and video, the screen is excellent and does any media justice even with the Bravia turned off. Viewing under sunlight is not a problem, and is comparable to the better screens out there.
8.1 - f2.4 - HD
The Camera - Quite decent. It's 8.1 megapixels with an f/2.4 which makes macro shots quite nice, with decent bokeh. But it has a tendency to over-expose shots. The Exmor sensor does quite a decent job of low-light shots, albeit at the expense of noise... but it does keep the shutter speed down so you can take bloggable shots at your next drunken party without much blur. This is not going to replace a DSLR or high-end point and shoot, but it can match a similarly sized PS camera. The Exmor sensor will do much better than most PS cameras out there without a flash (I personally hate using a flash, so this is a big deal for me). Video is in HD, and does a decent job for videos and audio. Front camera is not as good as the front cam of the iPod Touch or iPhone 4 though.
The Audio - The external speaker is decently loud. There's a function called xLoud that equalizes any audio played to sound louder, so this works well with ringtones and alerts. It sounds clearer, but not as full, as the XMini2 speaker. The included headset is nothing to blog about, it's included... that's about it. Although it sounds better than the Apple earbuds that comes with all the iPods. But with a decent pair of cans, the ray sounds great... no hiss, noise, or buzz.
The Preliminary Verdict - Sony Ericsson has made an excellent piece of lifestyle hardware with the xperia ray. For those that want a great performing smartphone, that looks elegant and classy, and doesn't burn your wallet, it's an excellent all-around performer! Stay tuned for the next few days to get an in-depth review of each feature!
My first hands-on video. The Sony Ericsson xperia ray is on top of my "Next Phone" list. One of my primary concerns is the ability to use it with just one hand. I think it performs quite well, considering I'm right-handed. The screen is excellent, boasting an 854x480 resolution in only 3.3", gives the xperia ray 296ppi (pixels per inch) which is very close to the iPhone 4's 326ppi.
The predictive input is quite responsive and easy to use for the most common functions. Multi-tap is also available for those that use shortcuts, and odd spelling.
