Chris Alexander

On Engineering

Sony Ericsson announces new addition to the Xperia family

31st August, 2011

This post was provided by Expansys - Be First on all the latest smartphones, tablets and all manner of technology.

Sony Ericsson has announced the upcoming release of the next phone in its Xperia range with the Xperia Neo V. The announcement is bound to excite fans of the mobile phone giant, and not least because it will come preinstalled with its new Android Gingerbread 2.3.4 update.

The phone will pack the 1GHz processor that has become standard across the Xperia range, but will not be able to boast the same photographic power as its predecessors with a scaled down 5MP camera in comparison to the older 8MP. It will, once again though, have a front-facing VGA camera for video calling.

This complements the addition of the new Google Talk Video Chat feature that is included in the Gingerbread update. The update is also compatible with HDTVs and 3DTVs, too, as it supports the 3D panorama technology that Sony has also recently announced.

The 3.7 inch TFT screen keeps it closely related to the previous Xperias, while the camera has the ability to shoot video in 720p. Further features include the ability to do a screen-grab, improvements to the Facebook app and a swipe texting technology called T9 trace.

The Neo V is not necessarily a ground-breaking release from Sony Ericsson, since it packs no significant improvements to the previous Xperia, but what it does do is increase widespread accessibility to smartphones. It is due to be released in Q4 later this year, while the Gingerbread update is being extended to the whole Xperia range in October.

The release of the Neo V means that users in the UK will have a much more affordable yet equally powerful smartphone on their high streets. It packs pretty much all of the same features as the original Neo, but has been designed to fit into the rung below its father. Details of costs of mobile phone deals for the new Xperia have not yet been confirmed, but it is expected to retail at about £20 per month.