Sony Xperia X family priced in Europe, X and X Performance headed for the US

Knowing Sony’s spotty track record in terms of timely US expansions of its chiefly Asian and European-focused Xperia handhelds, it was only natural to fear the surprising new X, X Performance and XA might never pursue their American dream.

But while we still have no idea exactly when are the “mid-rangers” supposed to start selling stateside and for how much, pre-registration pages on the Japanese OEM’s US website suggest a happy ending is in store.

Sony owns up to absent Xperia Z5 fingerprint scanners for US release, offers non-explanation

A couple weeks back we got what sounded like good – if not just a few months later than we’d like – news: Sony was just about to bring some of its latest flagship hardware to the US as it prepared to start sales of the Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact. Better late than never, though, right? Well, if these were the same Z5 and Z5 Compact as we’d seen elsewhere, perhaps we could learn to be happy that we were getting them at all, but it wasn’t long before a new wrinkle developed in this tale, as we got word that Sony had altered the construction of its phones and removed one of their most interesting features: the side-mounted fingerprint scanners integrated into the phones’ power buttons. Now Sony’s provided a statement to us where it confirms that news, while offering a explanation for its decision that’s a lot less than satisfactory.

Want to message your PlayStation friends? Sony has an app for you

Sony has released a dedicated messaging app for PlayStation, letting PS users message friends without having to use the crowded PlayStation app for mobile.
The new PlayStation Messages app is available for free on iOS and Android. Once you sign in, all of the conversations with PlayStation Network friends flood into the app, letting you continue conversations started on the console.

PlayStation Messages is split into three sections: Messages, Favorites, and Friends. Messages lets you see all of your recent conversations, Favorites is where you can create group chats, and Friends lets you see who is online at the moment.

Sony preps free online multiplayer weekend for PS4 owners

Sony announced that PlayStation Network members will be able to experience the online multiplayer modes in all PlayStation 4 games free of charge this coming weekend, beginning Friday, December 11th, and extending through Sunday, December 13th.
Online play in PS4 games is normally exclusive to players enrolled in the PlayStation Plus service, but this requirement will be waived for the duration of Sony’s weekend-long promotion.

SONY A7R II REVIEW

Possibly the most discussed, written about, and argued-over camera in recent memory, the Sony A7R Mark II is causing quite a stir. Sony has been outdoing itself with every new variant of the A7-series, but with the A7R II, it’s gone beyond basic evolutionary upgrades. The mirrorless interchangeable lens camera is packed with cutting-edge parts, as well as a trick or two up its sleeve (hint: Canon users, take note).
Yes, it’s easy to get mesmerized by fancy specs, but the A7R II delivers on quality, too.

Sony’s back with the new SmartBand 2 fitness band, and this time it has a heart rate sensor

Sony has announced the SmartBand 2, a follow-up to the original SmartBand that launched way back at the beginning of 2014, and represented Sony’s first major push into wearable technology. The SmartBand 2 adds more functionality, wider device compatibility, and comes at a competitive price; but there’s a distinct downside too.

The design hasn’t changed a great deal, in that it’s still a single color silicone wrist strap with the Core module at its heart, but Sony has shifted away from the press-stud fixing to a more secure metal clip. The original SmartBand was a basic fitness tracker, but the new SmartBand 2 comes with an updated accelerometer and heart rate sensors, for a more complete picture of your activity levels.

Sony unloads at E3 2015 with new franchises and The Last Guardian

Before Sony took to the stage late Monday night, rumors hinted at the company officially unveiling an extended look at the long-awaited follow up to 2005’s Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian. Though like every E3 conference since 2007, gamers figured the rumors to be a ruse, distracting those looking forward to the show from figuring out the true big reveal before the event even began.

But unlike every one of those E3 showings over the last eight years, Sony’s Japan Studio came to this year’s presser armed with a nearly seven-minute video showing off actual gameplay from The Last Guardian. As hoots and hollars rang out from the attending crowd, it became clear Sony desired to pull no punches for its 2015 keynote.

Related: Check out all of the latest news and coverage coming out of E3

Ninety minutes after that big reveal — right around the time Nathan Drake appeared headed for his painful fate in the Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End gameplay demo — Sony’s E3 event came to an official close. Over the course of the hour and a half show, Sony treated gamers to a slew of exciting announcements and reveal trailers, each of which flanked by more gaming news than anyone knew what to do with. Now with the dust completely settled, we’ve compiled all of the sights, sounds, and otherwise which came out of Sony’s impressive E3 briefing; check out our complete recap below.

The Last Guardian

The Last Guardian was a game that many believed would never come to fruition, especially since it was announced more than six years ago for the PlayStation 3. However, that all changed when Sony revealed the long-in-development adventure title and showcased a lengthy game trailer during its press conference at E3 2015.

The in-game footage followed the character and a massive, dog-like guardian named Tico, as they progressed through a puzzle-riddled level, engaging in all manners of teamwork as they moved about the crumbling environment. Director Fumito Ueda and Sony have claimed the forthcoming title is all about friendship and companionship, and as seen in the latest gameplay reveal, it looks to be the case. Let’s just hope new developer Gen Design can keep the ambitious title on schedule.

Sony reporting huge shortage of IMX214 camera units

The current trend by Chinese phone makers to use the Sony IMX214 in their newest phones is putting huge pressure on Sony who are reporting demand is outstripping supply.

Last year the IMX214 was the camera sensor to have on any flagship Android phone. The sensor boasts 13 mega-pixel imaging and the ability to shoot 4K video. The sensor found its’ way in to the OPO, Oppo Find 7 and many other flagship devices last year.

The IMX214 is still an excellent sensor, but as it is last gen tech the price has dropped meaning Chinese phone makers are able to spec the unit on their low-cost flagships for 2015. Elephone, Ulefone, to name just a few, are all using the sensor on their new devices, but demand is so high Sony are reporting shortages.

PlayStation Vue is everything you love to hate about cable TV in a game console

Cable networks know they’re in trouble. After years of resistance, content providers are striking deals that break  such coveted channels like HBO, AMC, and ESPN free from the bonds of cable, so they can be streamed right over the Internet.

Dish Network made the first great stride in this direction with the introduction of Sling TV, which offers a handful of popular channels and video on demand over the ‘net. And now Sony has come along with its own take, called PlayStation Vue.

Sony SmartWatch 3 review: Android Wear can be remarkably unremarkable

Almost since Android was introduced, it's been followed by people (including me) complaining about manufacturer customizations to the software. Companies like Samsung, Motorola, and LG used to layer horrifically bad software UI on top of the "pure" Android experience. They're better now, but still, there's always been a call for Google to force its partners to keep things in line and just release something close to the original vision.

By all indications, the company did just that with the wearable version of the platform, Android Wear. In the six months since it launched, we've seen a handful of different watches, but very little differentiation. I've been using Sony's SmartWatch 3 for awhile now, and I'm starting to think we had it all wrong. It's not just that this watch is kind of boring (it is), it's that the software platform is already feeling like it's waiting. Waiting for the Apple Watch, of course. Call it the meh before the storm.

10k a day: why are there no good running smartwatches?

The Apple Watch is looming large on the technology horizon at the moment - we're mere weeks away from its April launch.

What's been interesting, if not surprising, is the sudden outcry over what it won't do, namely monitor your stress and blood pressure (down to hairy arms, apparently).

Apparently we should all be up in arms because Apple was supposed to have made the greatest health device ever to adorn our wrists. I got the chance to check one out in Cupertino, and while it is well made, even slapping it on the wrist of a stupidly chiselled model in running gear couldn't convince me this was going to be a replacement for a standalone watch.

Sony Xperia E4 Dual

NETWORK	Technology	GSM / HSPA

LAUNCH	Announced	2015, February
	Status	Coming soon. Exp. release 2015, March

BODY	Dimensions	137 x 74.6 x 10.5 mm (5.39 x 2.94 x 0.41 in)
	Weight	144 g (5.08 oz)
	SIM	Dual SIM (Micro-SIM, dual stand-by)

DISPLAY	Type	IPS capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	5.0 inches (~67.4% screen-to-body ratio)
	Resolution	540 x 960 pixels (~220 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes, up to 4 fingers
	Protection	Scratch-resistant glass

PLATFORM	OS	Android OS, v4.4.4 (KitKat)
	Chipset	Mediatek MT6582
	CPU	Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7
	GPU	Mali-400MP2

MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 32 GB
	Internal	8 GB, 1 GB RAM

CAMERA	Primary	5 MP, 2592 х 1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
	Features	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama
	Video	1080p@30fps
	Secondary	2 MP, 720p

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

COMMS	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
	Bluetooth	v4.1, A2DP, apt-X
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS
	Radio	FM radio with RDS
	USB	microUSB v2.0

FEATURES	Sensors	Accelerometer, proximity
	Messaging	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM, Push Email
	Browser	HTML
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
		- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - Xvid/MP4/H.265(market dependent) player - MP3/eAAC+/WAV/WMA/Flac player - Document viewer - Photo/video editor

BATTERY		Non-removable Li-Ion 2300 mAh battery
	Stand-by	Up to 552 h (2G) / Up to 548 h (3G)
	Talk time	Up to 12 h (2G) / Up to 12 h 40 min (3G)
	Music play	Up to 48 h

MISC	Colors	Black, White

Android Lollipop 5.0 update: when can I get it?

It's been a while since Android Lollipop was unveiled, but a lot of your handsets still don't have it, as it's down to individual manufacturers to bring it to their devices.

That takes time, but we're finally seeing it trickle out to ever more phones, and many manufacturers have also revealed when they plan to roll out the update.

We're constantly updating this article as new information emerges so read on for details about your specific device and manufacturer and remember to check back regularly.

The good news though is that if you don't have Lollipop for your phone yet you probably will soon. And the even better news: it's worth the wait, as it includes a smorgasbord of new features, a visual overhaul and numerous under-the-hood improvements to make if faster, more efficient and lighter on your battery.

Read our hands on: Android 5.0 Lollipop review
Latest update: Samsung has started rolling out the Android 5.0 Lollipop update to Australian Galaxy Note Edge owners and Motorola has brought Android 5.0.2 to Canadian Moto G handsets.