Sony Ericsson Launches Channel on Android Market

Today it seems that Sony Ericsson has become the first manufacturer to launch their own channel on Google’s Android Market. This channel is open now, and is dependent on which carrier you’re on, but they say it’ll be open to “most” Android users across the USA (and the world?) This feature will be replacing your “My Apps” section on the main bar (next to apps and games) moving, but not REmoving, that feature from the market. If you see the Sony Ericsson button in the market and want to instead head to My Apps, all you’ve got to do now is press your menu button to find it.

But wait a second, says basically everyone in the world, the “My Apps” button is the one I use the MOST! Sony Ericsson will have quite the time, we estimate, making this section valuable enough for people to stop complaining about how it’s changing their experience for the worse. That said, this channel will provide an area where Sony Ericsson will be able to send out the games and apps they feel best work with the phones they’re producing. For the better? Or for the brand?

Have a peek at a few futures of this new channel below, and let us know if you’re excited to see it show up on your Sony Ericsson phone:

- Provide recommendations to help you find the best games & apps that enhance your Sony Ericsson ‘most entertaining’ experience.

- Provide a way to easily find original apps from Sony Ericsson such as Timescape plugins etc.

- From time to time offer exclusive games & apps only available in this channel.

- Help our developer partners promote their apps & games giving them a highlighted market space to our consumers.

• [via Sony Ericsson]

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InPulse Adds A Smartphone-Like Experience To Your Wrist Watch

Mobile phones have evolved into smartphones because these devices have basically become computers in the form of a cell phone. Besides browsing, one of the key components that make smartphones as interactive as a computer are the apps that can be used within the device. And it’s interesting to consider how we can add this element of computing and interactivity to other gadgets we use in everyday life. Today, Y Combinator-backed startup InPulse is launching its wrist watch, which adds elements of smartphone-like computing to a watch.

Founder Eric Migicovsky says that he is a avid cyclist and wanted a way to check his email, SMS messages and calls in a hands free devices. Using a smartphone on his trips didn’t make sense because he wasn’t able to actually use his hands while cycling. So he started thinking about how he could add smartphone capabilities to a watch, which he always wore when exercising. Thus, InPulse was born.

The device connects via Bluetooth to your phone and will deliver email alerts, SMS messages and calls directly to the watch. The watch can connect wirelessly to all kinds of host devices: computers, laptops, and smartphones and works best with Android, Blackberry, Mac, Windows and Linux (adding iPhone support is in the works, but Apple requires special chips to be built into the watch.) It’s a two way connection, so inPulse can send packets back to the host based on user interaction.

As for the specs, the device’s screen features a 1.3″ 96×128 pix full color display. The watch also includes a
ARM7 microcontroller running at 52MHz; 32kB total program space, 8kB RAM; CSR BC4-ROM Blue (L2CAP); aver-the-air programming; a vibrating motor; and a 150mAh lithium-ion polymer battery. The device charges via microUSB and the battery apparently lasts up to 4 days depending on display/wireless use. The device comes in two colors: the silver version is $149 and the black anodized version if $199.

Of course, a bluetooth enabled watch is not new. For example, Fossil teamed up with Sony Ericsson a while back for a similar device. Another competitor is Casio’s Bluetooth watch. What is innovative about InPulse is the ability to create apps for the device, which then adds some pretty impressive functionalities to a watch.

For example, one app allows you to get notifications on the watch, and lets you see your messages coming in without taking out your phone. There are many use cases for that feature, but namely, it can be rude to check your phone for emails in the middle of a serious meeting or event. Another beta user (the device was soft launched earlier this year) is a paramedic who needed both hands free for work.

InPulse has opened up it platform to developers and so far over 30 apps have been created for the watch. These range from making your watch into an iTunes music controller to becoming a PowerPoint presentation remote control (Migicovsky used his InPulse watch to present and pitch during Y Combinator’s demo day a few weeks ago). You can also check-in to Facebook Places from the watch. The beauty of the device is that you can program it to display anything via apps. Another popular use case is to programmers is display real time server stats for programmers on the go. There’s even a site devoted to featuring the watch’s apps.

While there was recently a Yale hackathon dedicated to developing for InPulse, the startup is sponsoring a hackathon at the Hacker Dojo on April 17. You can find details here.

So far, InPulse has sold 600 devices to beta users. As we increasingly become more reliant on constant connectivity, devices like InPulse will certainly make consumer’s lives easier. For example, my phone accompanies me to the gym and I constantly check it while on the treadmill. And I wake up in the middle of the night to check emails, etc. But during my pilates lesson, I’m unable to check my email and keep my phone by my side. A watch that showed me my missed calls, emails and latest news headlines would be ideal for me.

Clearly, InPulse’s users are those who want and need to be connected at all times (like me). But it’s important to note that some consumers may be willing to abandon their apps, emails, and phone calls for a few hours while their hands are tired. Of course, in the tech world, those people are few and far between.

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Android Community at CTIA Wireless 2011

Android Community is hard at work at CTIA Wireless 2011, the annual mobile confab which this year is in Orlando, Florida. We’re expecting a ton of wireless news including stories on Android phones and even more tablets. In fact, news has already been leaked that AT&T is bringing the Nexus S 4G, with it’s pure Google Android experience, to mobile customers this year along with the LG Thrill 4G and HTC HD7S.

Sprint has already teased that they plan to release a wide range of devices including the 4G HTC Flyer tablet. But they’re also going all in with Google Voice services in a move that will certain have ripples as the confab continues this week. T-Mobile, who recently got swallowed up by AT&T, is still here and are bringing the HTC Pyramid and Doubleshot along with them. And it’s even more important now that AT&T has decided that all T-Mobile customers will have to transition to 4G phones after the merger.

Samsung is going to be launching it’s mid-size 8.9 inch Galaxy Tab here in Orlando, as a part of the 78910 marketing campaign we teased here earlier this month. The campaign clearly means marketing of the entire 7, 8.9 and 10.1 inch line of Galaxy Tabs. And then there’s LG, Nokia, Sony Ericsson and it’s new Xperia Play, and we’re sure tons of tablet stories. So stay tuned for all our show coverage with the CTIA 2011 tag, and of course follow along on the Android Community homepage!

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Sony-Ericsson’s Xperia Arc and Neo seen in action

Here’s a video of the Sony Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo being taken through their thumb paces at a Press Conference in Copenhagen. Looking at the video, it’s pretty clear just how snappy the interface is in both handsets. The phones are comfortable to hold thanks to their curved in design and the menus flip by at lightning pace. The video also shows a size comparison of both cameras along side the LG Optimus X2.

What’s really cool is that according to the video post, the camera on the Xperia Neo has a continuous shooting speed of about one image per second with a 5 image burst. A nice benefit when shooting some action. I mean, you won’t be taking a shot by shot of a game winning goal from Junior or anything, but a little bit of continuous action is better than none at all.
For those of you with a Sony-Ericsson X10 and wanting to see how it works yourself, we have a few links to an Xperia System Dump from our good friends at XDA. There’s a the slick Sony-Ericsson system launcher which also gives a rather nice set of widgets including a scrollable image gallery widget. The dump also includes ringtones, apps, wallpapers and more. What a great way to breathe new life in your phone while you’re waiting for the clock to run out on that two year contract!

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