The CyanogenMod Team announced via Google Plus early this morning that several recent Sony devices were finally getting nightlies of CM11. The Xperia Z1 (honami), Z Ultra (togari), and Z Ultra GPE ( togari_gpe) all now have the last of the major bugs squashed thanks to the tireless developers and can now begin seeing official support from the CM team.

The G+ post goes on to say that you shouldn’t mix up the Google Play Edition and Sony versions of the Z Ultra. I know from experience that you’re going to need one extra file if you’re using the non-LTE version (C6902) of the Z1 for radio-specific bits. This extra zip can be found in the CM11 Z1 thread over on XDA.

If you’re ready to get flashing, head on over to get.cm page for the Sony Xperia Z1, Sony Xperia Z Ultra, or Sony Xperia Z Ultra GPE. Download the ROM for your device, flash it in recovery along with the correct Android 4.4 gapps, and reboot into CM bliss! Please remember that you’ll need your bootloader unlocked in order to flash this ROM, as it requires a custom kernel. Z1 users, make sure you’ve updated your stock ROM to 4.3 BEFORE attempting to unlock the bootloader.

Source: CyanogenMod Google Plus

Image Credits: Android Headlines

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Sony is set to launch its SPA-TA1 tablet attachment for its DSC-QX10 and DSC-QX100 lens-style cameras at the beginning of April. This attachment allows Xperia Z Ultra owners and Xperia Tablet Z owners to finally affix the lens to their devices. Before this, the lens shipped with an attachment to fit phones up to 2.95″ in width, leaving the aforementioned devices out in the cold.

This new attachment is meant to give owners of 3.35-7.48″ width devices a bit of relief from holding the lens separately. The arms come in six different sizes in that range to fit a variety of different devices. It is set to be priced at ¥3,675, or a bit under $36. Hopefully this makes its way across the ocean for the US camera enthusiasts (and fanboys) over here!

Source: Xperia Blog

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Today Sony announced that they have released the open source code for their two flagship devices, the Xperia Z Ultra and the Xperia Z1.

Sony has not traditionally been a presence lately in the mobile market in the US, but they have been working hard to get attention in 2014. First Sony released the Xperia Ultra Google Play Edition, then last week they released the Xperia Z1S for T-Mobile, both of which are great phones. The Z Ultra is a very large but very capable device and the Xperia Z1S is the T-Mobile version of the Xperia Z1. These are flagship devices that pack the latest and greatest specs into a water and dust proof body. If you have not already, they are worth a look as your next device.

#opensource archive for #XperiaZUltra now published – sw vers 14.1.B.3.320 http://t.co/nipNGFGCTt

— Sony Developer World (@SonyXperiaDev) January 27, 2014

#opensource archive for #XperiaZ1 now published – sw vers 14.1.M.0.184 http://t.co/oOU6yTZZQo

— Sony Developer World (@SonyXperiaDev) January 27, 2014

Source: @SonyXperiaDev

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Buy a Sony Xperia Z1S before 2/12 and get one free year of PlayStation Plus

Sony is offering a one year free subscription to the PlayStation Plus service with purchase of its latest Android smartphone, the Xperia Z1S. This offer is valid on phones bought through either Sony or T-Mobile between 1/13/2014 and 2/12/2014.

After the purchase, you can snag this offer by submitting your information along with receipt of purchase and picture of the IMEI number from your Xperia Z1S box, but it needs to be in before 3/5/2014. Sony will then send out promotion codes for the one-year subscription to the PlayStation Plus by 3/21/2014 to all customers who submitted their information before the 3/5/2014 deadline.

Hit this page to buy Sony Xperia Z1S through Sony or T-Mobile or submit your information to take advantage of this if you have already purchased one at Sony’s offer page. Sony Xperia Z1S comes bundled with a PlayStation App for advanced gaming experience. This is a good combo offer from Sony if you already have a PlayStation or are planning to buy one soon.

Source: Sony Mobile

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And the good news for new Sony Xperia Z1S owners keeps coming. Sony has released the open source files for the device this morning. This allows developers to do their thing and make an already good device great.

Before you get too excited, remember that the bootloader is still locked, at T-Mobile’s request. This means that any ROMs will be based on the stock kernel, so no AOSP ROMs yet.

Source: Sony

Via: Android Police

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I’ve owned the Sony Xperia Z Ultra and the Sony Xperia Z Ultra Google Play Edition, and, both were outstanding phones, with a display that would knock your socks off, a build quality second to none (yes even to iPhone’s), and a great size for us folks that like phablet/tablet sized phones. The one major flaw this device has as a phone is an absolutely terrible camera with no LED flash to boot. This is just my opinion of course, but a phone should have at least a decent point and shoot. It doesn’t have to be the Nokia Lumia 1020 camera, but something that takes a decent shot to share with your friends and family. See the full review for the Sony Xperia Z Ultra here by our Very own Mike Lee.

Now! As a tablet this device makes total sense in my opinion. Your basically getting a tablet sized device, with specs that will floor you, and as most tablet owners know, we don’t count on our tablets as our point and shoot camera (if you do, you’re probably using an iPad).

The price set for the Sony Xperia Z Ultra tablet looks to be $495, and it’s only available in Japan online only for the time being, with a release date set for Jan 24th. This beast is still packing some beastly specs with a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 1080p display, 32GB of storage, an SD card slot, and an 8MP camera. Sales and availability for this device are still unknown, but I, for one, am glad the Z Ultra went this route, simply because of the poor camera and no flash. That, to me, makes it feel so much more like a tablet than a phone.

What are your thoughts on the Sony Xperia Z Ultra being a phone and a tablet? Should they have left it as a phone and gave the consumer the option to simply not activate it and use it over WiFi, or are you looking forward to the lower price of $495 (which is still pretty steep for a 6.4 inch tablet BTW). Let us know in the comments.

Source: Sony Japan

The post Sony Xperia Z Ultra WiFi Only Edition Coming To Japan January 24th appeared first on Android Fan Network.

Did you recently pick up a new Sony Xperia Z1S from T-Mobile? If so, don’t forget that besides the $100 rebate offer for also purchasing a PS4 also, Sony is offering other completely free swag.
Just open up the Xperia Lounge app, and there you will see the three freebies from Sony. They are:

• 60 day trial to the music streaming service Music Unlimited
• 10 free PlayStation mobile games
• 6 free movies

You just spent $500 plus on a new phone, might as well enjoy some free entertainment.

The post Sony Xperia Z1S Owners – Don’t Forget Your Free Swag From Sony appeared first on Android Fan Network.

Sony Mobile announced two new devices today, the Xperia T2 Ultra and Xperia E.

The Sony Xperia T2 Ultra is the one we’re most interested in. This is a 6″ HD TRILUMINOS™ Display at 720 x 1280 resolution driven by a 1.4 GHz Qualcomm MSM8928 which is the battery sipping quad core cousin in the Snapdragon 400 family we’ve seen making the rounds lately. For memory, Sony is using 1GB of RAM, with 8GB onboard memory and expandable microSD slot supporting another 32GB of storage.

While the silicone under the hood is a step back from the Xperia Z Ultra, the camera is leaps forward. The Xperia T2 Ultra is notable for carrying a 13 megapixel rear shooter with Sony Exmor RS® and, drum roll please, an LED flash! Also rounding one of the other areas that Sony had fallen a little short are the side bezels which have been slimmed to 2.5MM leaving a device about as wide as a credit card.

The Xperia T2 will be available in black, white and purple in single and dual SIM versions along with the SCR14 which is a slim fitting smart cover stand. Unfortunately, the Xperia T2 Ultra was designed for Asian and African markets, so we probably will not get to see this reach the U.S. Here’s to hoping that changes in the near future.

Next up is the Sony Xperia E1, a midrange music focused handset with twist. We have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor, 512 MB RAM and 4 inch (233 ppi) display combined with a large 1700 mAh battery.

The real news is on the back of the E1, a 100Db loud-speaker that can pump out music from the Walkman app that can be launched from a dedicated Walkman key. It also feature shake to shuffle and hardware controls for easy music control and Sony is throwing in 30 days of streaming music from Sony Entertainment Network.

The Xperia E1 will be coming to Asian markets in black white or purple with single and dual SIM models available.

Want to see the Xperia T2 Ultra or Xperia E1 hit U.S. shores? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Source: Sony 1, 2, 3

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T-Mobile is on an absolute tear this week. They made big waves at CES with announcements and T-Mobile’s very own Bruce Wayne crashed one of AT&T’s parties.

T-Mobile just announced the Sony Xperia Z1s last week and it’s now available through T-Mobile’s website today. The Sony Xperia Z1s is going to set you back $528 if you should buy it outright or you can go with $0 down and $22 a month tacked onto your bill until it is paid off. Either way, this is how you handle business folks! T-Mobile is making some big waves and we can only hope that other carriers follow suite. Bravo T-Mobile!

Source: T-Mobile

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Sony announced today their newest flagship phone in the US market, the Xperia Z1S. It’s a powerhouse of a phone that borrows from some of Sony’s finest technologies. This is the most appealing phone we’ve seen so far from CES, and it’s heading straight to T-Mobile in just a couple short weeks.

If you’ve seen the Xperia Z1, then you are already familiar with this phone. The only differences between the Xperia Z1 and the Xperia Z1S is the now centered headphone jack, the doubled 32GB of storage, and the inevitable addition of T-Mobile bloatware. Radio bands should include everything you need to connect to both T-Mobile and AT&T networks up through their respective LTE networks with no trouble. However, this bit has not yet been confirmed.

For those who haven’t had a taste of the Sony Xperia Z1 before, you’re in for a treat. As far as US offerings go, the Z1S is an upgrade from last year’s Xperia Z. The Z1S packs a larger and higher resolution 5″ 1080 x 1920 display. The screen is sharpened by the inclusion of Sony’s X-Reality Engine, which helps fill in lost pixels in still images and videos. The Trilumenous Display technology is borrowed from Sony’s television tech, but it’s pretty much just another way to backlight the screen. It does a great job of spreading out the light, but the name, Trilumenous, makes it sound way cooler than it is.

Peeking under the bonnet, we can see the internal specs got a huge bump from the Xperia Z last year. The Xperia Z1S is now packing a powerful Snapdragon 800 quad-core CPU clocked at 2.2GHz thanks to Qualcomm. 2GB RAM should keep your apps alive and well for serious multitasking, while the built-in 32GB of storage will ensure you have plenty of room to download huge files. You’ve also got a microSD slot to expand your storage by adding another 64GB. The 3,000mAh battery will have you going strong all day long and then some.

The Xperia Z1S received a significant upgrade in terms of its body as well. The corners are less rounded and more defined, but it leads to a more striking, refined look. The waterproofing has been upgraded from IP57 to IP58, so you can now fully submerge it in water up to 1.5 meters (4.5 feet) for about 30 minutes without having to worry about it drowning. In a cool design twist, the Z1S now has an open headphone jack that requires no cover. It is waterproof and fully open all the time. Thankfully, Sony decided the camera was a major focus on this device, so a two stage physical camera button resides on the side of the device. This is especially useful for taking nice, underwater shots.

The camera itself is a marvel. Sony is using its new aspherical GLens on the Z1S, which, Sony claims, lets lots more light through the sensor, resulting in crisper low light shots. The aperture is a wide f/2.0. A custom 1/2.3 inch sensor, similar to those found in typical point and shoot cameras, rests behind the lens giving it a dazzling 20.7MP size. The BIONZ picture engine achieves faster image processing through the use of the Snapdragon 800 chip. Optical zoom, like the Z1, is 3x magnification.

The PlayStation app comes pre-installed for some nifty second screen features. We’re sure to see a fair bit of T-Mobile bloatware on this device as well. Fortunately, the Z1S is going to be shipped with Android 4.3 pre-installed. The good news here is that the Xperia Z1 is already scheduled to receive an update to Android 4.4 KitKat in the coming month. If its big brother is getting it soon, it should be a short order before KitKat lands on this new arrival as well.

The Sony Xperia Z1S is slated to arrive exclusively in T-Mobile stores on January 22, 2014. It is said to cost a total of $528 outright or $22 a month for 24 months with $0 down. This is an astonishing price for such amazing hardware. Pre-Orders begin on January 13, 2014; you can sign up to pre-register to order one at T-Mobile’s page here. This will ensure you are first in line to snag one when they arrive. Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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