Sony Xperia Z1 f with 4.3-inch display, 20.7-megapixel camera launched

Sony has finally taken the wraps off its latest smartphone, the Xperia Z1 f which is a mini-variant of the flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z1.

The device has been introduced under Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo's winter smartphone line-up, and is expected to be released in late December 2013. No pricing details for the newly introduced Xperia Z1 f have been revealed by Sony and NTT DoCoMo.

The Sony Xperia Z1 f (SO-02F) features a 4.3-inch TRILUMINOS HD (720x1280) display with X-Reality for Mobiles. It is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm MSM8974 processor along with 2GB of RAM, much like its elder sibling. The Xperia Z1 f runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box and is manufactured by a single aluminium frame with tampered glass on back and front panel. It comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable up to 64GB with the help of microSD card.

The highlight of the Xperia Z1 f is again the 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS sensor alongside BIONZ image processor engine and pulsed LED flash, as seen in Xperia Z1. It also includes a 2.2-megapixel front-facing camera. Connectivity options on the device include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS/ GLONASS and NFC. The Xperia Z1 f packs a 2300mAh battery with STAMINA mode and is waterproof and dust-proof smartphone, like other high-end Xperia smartphones.

The Xperia Z1 f will be available in multiple colours, Black, Lime, Pink and White, as rumoured earlier.

Meanwhile, Sony unveiled its flagship, the Xperia Z1 at IFA in Berlin and launched the device in India recently.

Rumoured Xperia Z1 mini gets leaked in images revealing colour variants

Some new images revealing the Sony Xperia Z1 mini, a.k.a ‘Xperia Z1 f’ has leaked again. The new leaked images suggest that the rumoured Xperia Z1 mini will come in multiple colours, Black, Lime, Pink and White, unlike the original Xperia Z1 which comes in Black, Purple and White colours.

RBMen has published handful images of the rumored Xperia Z1 mini from leaked brochure documents from NTT DoCoMo Japan. According to the site, the NTT DoCoMo, a Japanese operator, will be introducing its all new winter smartphone line-up on October 10 and that the line-up also includes the yet to be officially unveiled Xperia Z1 mini.

There’s no new information about the alleged device, but as more rumours fly across the Web, it seems quite plausible that Sony may be planning to release the alleged mini variant of the Xperia Z1 soon, which will be an affordable alternative to the flagship smartphone.

Earlier this month, the ‘Xperia Z1’ with model number SO-02F was leaked alongside the Xperia Z1 (SO-01F), which was launched last month at IFA 2013. The former was believed to be the yet-to-be-announced Xperia Z1 mini.

Rumoured specifications of the Sony Xperia Z1 mini includes a quad-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, the same as we have seen on the Xperia Z1; a 4.3-inch TRILUMINOS display with 720x1280 pixels resolution; 16GB of inbuilt storage ; 2GB of RAM, apart from a 2300mAh battery. It supposedly also boasts of IP55/IP58 certification (dust and water resistant), just like the Xperia Z, Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra.

Interestingly, the alleged Xperia Z1 mini is said to ship with the same 20.7-megapixel camera as the Xperia Z1, one of the recently unveiled flagship’s biggest highlights. Additionally, the Xperia Z1 mini is said to feature the same Sony G lens, f/2.0 aperture and the same ½.3” sensor which has been seen on the Xperia Z1. 

Sony Xperia C with 5-inch display, dual-SIM available online for Rs. 20,490

Sony seems to be geared up to officially launch another mid-range smartphone, the Xperia C for the Indian market. The device is currently available online for Rs. 20,490 on Saholic, while it is up for pre-order on Flipkart with the same pricing. Both the ecommerce sites have mentioned that the device will be available from second week of October. The Xperia C was officially unveiled earlier this year at the Mobile Asia Expo.

The Sony Xpreria C is the first smartphone from the Japanese handset to be based on quad-core MediaTek MTK6589 processor; clocked at 1.2GHz. It comes with 5-inch TFT LCD qHD (540x960 pixel) display and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It includes 1GB of RAM and 4GB of inbuilt storage, which can be further expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. The Sony Xperia C is a dual-SIM smartphone (GSM+GSM) with dual standby.

The Xperia c sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with Exmore R sensor. The rear camera comes with features like face detection and Sweep Panorama, and is also capable of shooting videos in full-HD (1080p) mode. There is a 0.3-megapixel front camera onboard also. Connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi, DLNA, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. The smartphone will be available in White, Black and Purple colour options.

Other features on the Sony Xperia C include motion-gaming, FM radio with RDS, walkman app and ‘screen mirroring’. The device is backed by a 2330mAh battery, which the company claims can deliver up to 10hours of talktime and up to 588 hours of standby time.

Sony Xperia Z1 mini allegedly revealed

While Sony is still busy on promoting its latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z1 globally, a site has posted a purported official document revealing the Xperia Z1 mini.

Xperiablog has published some leaked documents from NTT DoCoMo Japan, revealing the rumored specifications of the ‘Xperia Z1 f’ with model number SO-02F alongside the Xperia Z1 (SO-01F), which has already been launched last month at the IFA. The former is believed to be yet-to-be announced Xperia Z1 mini.

The leaked documents also reveal specifications of the ‘Xperia Z1 f’ a.k.a. ‘Xperia Z1 mini,’ which supposedly boast of a quad-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, the same as we have seen on the Xperia Z1. It is said to come with a 4.3-inch display with 720x1280 pixels resolution, 16GB of inbuilt storage, 2GB of RAM, apart from a 2300mAh battery. The documents reveal dimensions of 127x64.9x9.4mm for the Xperia Z1 mini, and also claim it will come with IP55/IP58 certification (dust and water resistant), just like the Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra.

Interestingly, the listing also reveals that the alleged Xperia Z1 mini will ship with the same 20.7-megapixel camera as the Xperia Z1, one of the recently unveiled flagship’s biggest highlights. Additionally, the Xperia Z1 mini is said to features the same Sony G lens, f/2.0 aperture and the same 1/2.3” sensor which has been seen on the Xperia Z1. One of the documents also show the Xperia Z1 compared alongside the alleged Xperia Z1 mini, wich gives some indication about its expected size.

Looking at the documentation, there are no details about the launch of the alleged Xperia Z1 min, but its provenance certainly does hint that the device may be launched first in Japan.

Prior to this, the Xperia Z1 mini was spotted in purported leaked images that revealed front panel with Sony branding on top beneath the earpiece. The design of the leaked front panel of the alleged Xperia Z1 mini was visibly different from the Xperia smartphones launched until now.

Meanwhile, the Sony Xperia Z1 was unveiled at IFA last month, while the device was released in India few days ago.

Sony Xperia Honami aka Xperia Z1's second teaser hints it would be water resistant

With the official launch of the Sony Xperia Honami aka i1/ Xperia Z1 rumoured to be on September 4 coming closer, the company is doing its bit to generate interest by teasing its upcoming smartphone in bits.

The new tweet posted by Sony says, "About to make a splash..." and is accompanied by the #bestofsony hashtag. The second teaser image partially reveals the design of the upcoming smartphone and also confirms that the device would be water-resistant. Other features revealed by the teaser image include a 3.5mm audio jack that can be spotted on the top panel with a chrome finish on the sides, and volume controls placed on the right side of the handset. While the power button sits above the volume controls and is also located at the right side of the device.

Aside from the teaser, Sony has not provided any new information related to the upcoming smartphone. Interestingly, the company has still not revealed the camera of the rumoured Xperia Honami which is also expected to be the highlight of the device. The long rumoured flagship smartphone is expected to pack a 20-megapixel Exmor RS rear camera that will sport a Sony G-lens and BIONZ image processor. The teaser was first spotted by Xperia Blog.

Earlier, Sony teased the power button of its upcoming smartphone on Twitter.

The tweet posted by Sony said, "It's the smartphone everyone's been talking about... not long now." The tweet was accompanied by the #bestofsony hashtag that the company has again repeated in the new teaser.

Recently, a rumour claimed that the Xperia Honami might release as the Sony Xperia Z1.

Rumoured specifications of the Xperia Honami or Z1 include a 5.0-inch full-HD display. It's likely to be powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM. It may include 16GB internal storage and a 3000mAh battery. The device is said to run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Sony Xperia i1 Honami spotted again in leaked picture view insight this blog

Sony's much-hyped alleged upcoming flagship smartphone, Xperia i1 Honami is in the news again.

A Vietnamese Xperia fan club has posted a purported picture of the alleged upcoming flagship device. The new leaked picture shows the rear panel of the smartphone. The back panel shows the camera housed on top left side of the device with a XX.XMP code printed along with the camera, which is said to be 20-megapixel.

Another technology site, Android Beat claims that the reason the device is showing 'X' along with the camera is probably because it's a prototype device. It is likely that the Japanese major is testing the camera of the next flagship smartphone and what will launch may be different than what is being currently tested. The company can use a different-sized camera sensor and not essentially 20-megapixel camera.

Sony is said to be holding an event in September at Berlin where it's widely expected that the world will see company's next flagship smartphone.

The Xperia Honami has been in news for some time now thanks to regular leaks that have appeared online.

Earlier, we reported that the Xperia Honami has been spotted in some images that reveal the design, form-factor and the user-interface of the device. The images that were posted suggested that the Xperia Honami phone follows the same design - complete with squared edges and corners - seen in the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL and Xperia ZR devices, launched earlier this year.

Another report claimed that Sony Xperia i1 will come with a 5.0-inch display with 1080p resolution. It will be powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM. The most-talked about specification is its 20-megapixel Exmor RS camera that would also feature Sony G-lens and BIONZ image processor which are usually found in some of Sony's digital cameras.

The device is also said to come with IP57 certification which means it is dust-and water-resistant.

Debut of the First Firefox OS Smartphone in Spain

Earlier last few days Sony has said that it will launch its Firefox OS version of Xperia E Smartphone in India, but there is no timeline available right now on which time it will be launch.

Telephonica will be the first which offers the first commercial Firefox OS smartphone. This Firefox Os based devices namely, the ZTC Open and Alcatel One Touch Fire, have hit the store shelves in Spain, and other countries like Poland, Columbia and Brazil on Tuesday for $90 with a prepared subscription.

Firefox OS is built around applications that will be written using a HTML%. It is being pitched as a better alternative for a low-end smartphones and will complete all head-to head with cheap android phones and others.

The Open, announced in February at Mobile World Congress said that, these phones are very basic, and have a 3.5 inch screen display, and are powered by a 1GHz processor from Qualcomm.  This Smartphone also has a 3.2-megapixel camera and support for Wi-Fi and A-GPS. There is a 512MB of integrated storage memory and 256MB RAM with micro SD card slot and 2GB card in the package.

On the software side, Firefox OS integrated Facebook, and Twitter, Nokia’s Here Maps - with features such as offline access - - and, of course, the Firefox browser, according to Mozilla. The organization also pitches the platform’s search features:  by swiping to the right users can search for their favorite music artists and get results to buy songs, concert tickets or start listening to songs instantly, Mozilla said.

That Telefónica is the first to offer smartphones based Firefox OS shouldn't come as surprise. The operator has been the platform's staunchest supporter, and helped create and distribute two phones for developers, the Peak and Keon, earlier this year. The Open is the first of a number of Firefox OS devices that will be launched by Telefónica this year, the operator said. Telefónica expects LG Electronics, Huawei Technologies and Sony will also offer smartphones based on the platform.

For €69, Spanish users will get the device as well as a €30 balance and a 4GB microSD card. Telefónica will also offer Firefox OS phones in Colombia and Venezuela, it said.

Firefox OS devices have to be able to compete with Android on price, said Geoff Blaber, analyst at CCS Insight.

[The €69 price] is probably more competitive that I had anticipated, and it is a strong statement of intent. But the challenge is that Android is well below that price point," he said.

Deutsche Telekom isn't announcing any details on its Firefox OS launch, but the operator is planning to host an event in Poland on July 11 where it will provide more details, a spokesperson said via email. Norwegian operator Telenor will launch its first Firefox OS phones in Central and Eastern Europe this year, according to Mozilla.

To succeed Firefox OS needs strong backing from mobile operators.

"We are seeing that from Telefónica and Deutsche Telekom, but the question is if we are going to see other carriers embrace the platform at a strategic level," Blaber said.

Mozilla also has to convince users that betting on an unproven platform is a step worth taking, and part of that is both the quantity and quality of apps, he said. It has to show HTML5 can deliver the richness today's smartphone buyers expect, and for the vast majority of apps Blaber suspects it can, he said.

But for that to happen Mozilla will have to attract developers. A recent survey conducted by IDC and cross-platform tool vendor Appcelerator suggests that the platform is off to a good start. About 25 percent of the respondents said they were very interested in Mozilla's platform, compared to 19 percent for Ubuntu and only 9 percent for Tizen, two smartphone OSes that will start competing with Firefox OS later this year.

However, that is still a long way behind Apple's iOS and Google's Android. About 87 percent of respondents said they were very interested in iOS and 78 percent showed the same level of interest for Android, so Mozilla and the other backers of Firefox OS still have a lot of work to do.