The Sony Xperia Go is designed to replace the Xperia Active as Sony's rugged, outdoorsy smartphone.
Aimed at the more niche sporty, active market, the Xperia Go ventures slightly off from the rest Sony's range, such as the Xperia S, Xperia U and Xperia Tipo.
Available now from O2 and Carphone Warehouse priced at £225 on PAYG and around £20 per month on 24 month contracts, the Xperia Go will be rubbing shoulders with the Motorola Defy Mini (around £160), Defy+ (around £225) and Samsung Galaxy Xcover Extreme (around £225) in the rugged phone market.
As a rugged handset it will come as no surprise that Sony has made the Xperia Go dust and water resistant. The Go carries the IP67 certificate, which means it can be submerged to a depth of up to 1m, in fresh water, for 30 minutes and still happily work.
Coated in a unique hard-plastic material, the handset feels slightly rough in the hand, but not uncomfortable, and the slender 9.8mm frame allows for a decent grip – further enhanced by the textured case, which we expect aids use in wet and muddy situations, especially if you've got gloves on.
We were pleased to see the Xperia Go was packing a dual-core 1GHz Cortex A9 processor, which will provide a decent amount of power, putting it on par with the more mainstream phones in the price range.
The dual-core chip, along with 512MB of RAM, means there's plenty of power to run the Android operating system, which unfortunately is only Gingerbread, although Sony claim that the Ice Cream Sandwich update is done and it's purely down to the networks, who need to push it out to their customers.
Frustration over the operating system aside, the dual-core processor makes mincemeat of Android, allowing us to happily zip through the five home screens on offer, pinch them to see an exploded view of all our widgets and jump in and out of applications without too much fuss.
The 3.5-inch touchscreen was smooth and responsive, as were the three touch buttons below, and although the Xperia Go sports a relatively lowly 320x480 resolution, Sony has stuffed in its Bravia engine technology – which does enhance the display, creating sharper and clearer graphics.
A really neat feature on the Xperia Go is the "wet finger tracking" Sony has implemented on the screen, allowing you to fully use the display even with wet hands.
Anyone who owns a touchscreen phone will know the pain of trying to do anything on it when caught in the rain – but the Xperia Go combats this perfectly and the technology really does work - paint us impressed.
Something to note however, wet finger tracking only works if your fingers or the screen are damp, it does not allow for use when submerged under water.
Seeing as the Sony Xperia Go is yet to get its Ice Cream Sandwich update, the stock Android keyboard is on offer here, which we find to be a little cramped, resulting in us hitting wrong keys a little too often.
Turning the Xperia Go to landscape does improve travel, but we prefer the Sony customised keyboard, which comes as part of the ICS upgrade, something we've witnessed on the Tipo and Xperia Miro.
As the Xperia Go is a water and dust resistant device, the 3.5mm headphone jack on the left and microUSB port on the right of the handset both sport covers to prevent any nastiness getting inside.
These covers were relatively easy to pop off, and plug back in, while providing what felt like a secure and tight fit, which didn't leave us worrying when we dropped the phone in a bowl of water.
As well as the two covered ports, there's a small, metal power/lock key on the top of the handset and a metal volume rocker switch on the right side – both easy to find and hit, even when we were holding the Xperia Go in one hand.
Round the back you'll find a 5MP camera with single LED flash and huge 16x digital zoom, which is capable of recording 720p video, which is certainly a nice touch, although we are expecting to see this as standard on more and more phones these day.
Sony claims than the Xperia Go can capture really good footage underwater, but you'll need to remember to hit record before submerging, as the touchscreen won't respond once it's in the deep.
The camera application offers up an good array of options for the price point, although the Orange San Diego offers more, and at a slightly lower cost.
The camera app, which also doubles are the video recorder, is simple to use and well laid out, with large icons giving a clear indication of what they do.
Auto-focus is at play here (but no tap to focus), and there's a second or two delay once the shutter is pressed while it settles, although this lapse reduced by turning it off.
The Sony Xperia Go also sports a front-facing camera, perfect for video calling or vanity checks, and you can also use it to take pictures and video if you so wish.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that Sony may have cut some corners with the Xperia Go, due to its "rugged" tag, but think again because on top of the 8GB of internal storage, there's also a microSD card slot hidden away behind the back plate.
Taking the back cover off isn't the easiest of tasks, and you need some nails to get it going, but considering this is a phone made for activities we're glad to see a solid and firm construction.
Once the back cover has been removed you're greeted with the striking blue innards of the Xperia Go, and access to the SIM card tray and microSD card slot.
The SIM card tray snugly fits into the blue chassis, creating a firm, and watertight, hold around your SIM.
The microSD card slot sports the same style cover as the headphone and microUSB ports on the outside of the Xperia Go, but it's easy to slide a card in and out of the gap.
There's no access to the Xperia Go's 1305mAh battery, as it's sealed away to avoid any water getting to it. This is a little smaller than the cheaper Miro and Tipo, and with a higher powered processor the Go may have trouble lasting all day if heavily used – keep an eye out for our full review for all the details on battery life.
Early Verdict
The Sony Xperia Go is an impressively styled and feature packed handset which should do well in the sports and outdoor market, but could very well appeal to those who love music festivals, or are clumsy in nature.
From our short hands on test, the Sony Xperia Go looks like it will give its rugged competition a jolly good run for their money, and we reckon than it could easily stand up in the main stream mobile market as well, with a decent user experience set to be further enhanced by the Ice Cream Sandwich update very soon.
One More Thing: Streaming is the new download in Sweden
News in Brief Music downloads? So last season.
Spotify - in the money
Digital music monsters - Spotify v. iTunes, round two: ding ding! In Spotify's native Sweden, music streaming is now accounts for 89% of digital music sales. Bad news for the download, which is down by 14%. Is it time for another format change already? Jeez. [MusicAlly] Noisy - Eagle-eyed Comic Con attendees spotted a Halo 4 branded Xbox 360 which apparently "makes its own sounds". Microsoft is currently making the sound of silence on the subject though so we can't tell you what that means, really. [Eurogamer] Peeping Major Tom - Red5's Spy Hawk remote controlled plane can stream video shot with the 5MP camera on its nose which sounds nifty but could take you one step closer to your first restraining order if you're not careful (and you have £245.95 to burn). Pre-order is open now. [Red5] Calm as still water - If you know your Starks from your Lannisters then you might want to check out the trailer for Game of Thrones Seven Kingdoms, a free, browser-based MMORPG based on the titular television show. [PR] Cat-atonic - We're not really sure why these mood-controlled brain-wave reading oversized cat ears exist, but they do. Wonderfully, Necomimi's website seems to imply that brides-to-be might want to wear them on their big day. [Necomimi] Oh, two - O2's epic network outage yesterday may have allowed tagged crims to roam the streets after curfew because the electronic tags track them using O2 SIM cards. That's nearly as bad as us not being able to post a picture of our dinner on Twitter 'til we got home!! [Gizmodo UK] Apples and pears - There's nothing more exciting going on in technology right now than the categorisation of apps so brace yourself for BIG NEWS: the Apple App Store now has the Food and Drink category that we knew was coming. [9to5Mac] Monsters inc - Lady Gaga's Little Monsters social network is now out of beta and live for all. It is basically what you'd get if Pinterest, Reddit and Facebook had a baby. [Little Monsters] Eye browsing - You want to play eye-controlled Pong but you don't want to spend thousands of pounds? Well, how about a £40 system that you'll have to build yourself? Yes? Good. Now, can we get you anything else? Moon on a stick? [The Verge] Sizer Kose - Apparently people are buying bigger TVs from John Lewis than ever before. Sales of 46-inch TVs are up 103% since February this year. Could it have anything to do with this summer of sport we keep hearing about? [PR]
Greenpeace says Apple has 'significantly improved' clean energy policies
Still no clear path to coal-free future says environmental group
Long way to make iCloud clean, says Greenpeace
Apple has earned a little rest-bite from environmental lobbyists after Greenpeace praised the company for improving its clean energy efforts. In a new report entitled "A Clean Energy Road Map for Apple," the group says Apple has been re-scored following a significant improvement in its commitment to clean energy for its data centres. However, Greenpeace remains critical that the company has no clear path to ending its reliance on coal to power its cloud-storage solution, iCloud. On its blog, the campaigner says: "Despite a welcome commitment by Apple in May that its data centres will be coal-free and powered by 100% renewable energy, the analysis reveals that Apple still lacks a plan that outlines a realistic path to eliminate its reliance on coal to power its iCloud." The report is a result of a drive to 'clean up the cloud,' which calls on Apple, Microsoft and Amazon to move away from coal power for cloud services.
Veiled endorsement
The veiled endorsement comes following a week in which Apple has endured heavy criticism for backing out of a US government backed certification scheme for recyclable, green technology. Apple told the EPEAT organisation that its design direction was no longer consistent with its requirements and asked for certification to be withdrawn from 39 approved models. UPDATE: As we were writing this Apple has requested that its already-approved products be re-certified claiming that it made a mistake.
Samsung filings reveal Apple's efforts to remove banned devices from stores
iPhone maker pushed carriers, retailers in U.S. to drop Galaxy products
Apple attempts to get Samsung's banned products off the shelves at retail
Federal Court rulings may have temporally put the kibosh on Samsung's Android-based Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Nexus, but that apparently wasn't enough for Apple, who is being accused of pressing retailers to remove the products from store shelves. According to one published report, two Samsung filings revealed Friday show exactly how far Apple was willing to go in an effort to squash continued sales of its competitor's banned products. Letters "to many carriers and retail companies that currently sell" the two products in question apparently notified them that "[a]t a minimum" they are required to "immediately remov[e] for sale the [banned product] from all physical and online venues under [their] direction or control." Samsung claims that Apple mailed the letters involving the Galaxy Tab 10.1 on June 28, while similar documents involving the Galaxy Nexus were mailed on July 3, before the injunction received a stay of execution.
Samsung speaks out
Samsung hasn't taken the move lying down, telling the court "they are permitted to sell their existing inventory, even without a stay." "Apple's menacing letters greatly overreach, incorrectly claiming that third-party retailers are subject to the prohibitions of the preliminary injunction, which they clearly are not," the Korean manufacturer added. Filings continue to fly back and forth in Federal Court between the two companies, so this battle is clearly not over quite yet.
Value of Facebook 'Likes' doubted in Beeb investigation
Large proportion of 'Likes' may be from fakers, says BBC report
Those millions of Likes on popular pages may not all be from real users
A new report from the BBC has warned that advertisers spending a fortune in an attempt to get their pages 'Liked' on Facebook may be wasting their time. A popular Facebook page is considered one of the best ways to reach customers in the social media era as it delivers information directly to the news feed on products users have expressed interested in. However, an investigation has found that those liking the pages aren't always every day consumers, but computer-controlled spam profiles that are liking thousands of pages at a time. That means companies advertising their page on Facebook in an attempt to win those all-important 'Likes', may not be getting the right amount of bang for their buck.
Facebook downplays the problem
The BBC's Rory Cellan-Jones put the theory to the test by setting up his advert for a bagel company targetted at the US and UK. Within days there were 3,000 likes from all over Asia. Facebook makes its money from these advertisers, so naturally has denied that this is a significant problem. The higher the Like count, the more it gets paid. The social network estimates that around 50 million of its 900m+ profiles may be fake. Via: BBC
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 announcement likely coming in August
News of a new Samsung Unpacked event has leaked
Word of a Samsung Unpacked event reaffirmed what the rumor mill predicted
There have been plenty of rumors about the Samsung Galaxy Note 2's release date, with most pointing toward a September or October launch for the new tablet/smartphone hybrid. But there's been little word until now of an actual announcement for the device. Now sources claim that Samsung scheduled a Samsung Unpacked event during IFA 2012 on August 30, and it's rumored the successor to the Galaxy Note will be revealed then.
A predictable course
Many Samsung aficiandos assumed that Samsung Galaxy Note 2 would be announced at the IFA 2012 conference in Berlin, where the original Galaxy Note was unveiled during the last Samsung Unpacked keynote the year before. Word of a new Samsung Unpacked event reaffirmed what the rumor mill predicted. An August announcement falls right in line with an October release, which was hinted at last month, or a September launch as reported by yet another source last month. A September launch would allow the Galaxy Note 2 to grab a foothold before the iPhone 5 can steal its thunder. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 was also inadvertantly revealed by a tweet from the Samsung Arabia account, which was promptly deleted. Other rumors indicate that the Samsung Galaxy Note 2's screen will be even larger than its predecessor's 5.3-inch screen, which was big enough to be considered something of a smartphone-tablet hybrid. The Galaxy Note 2's screen could be as large as 5.5 inches, pushing it even further into the category of miniature tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 will also sport a more poweful quad-core processor, says the same source. Samsung Unpacked is where the device maker has previously made important announcements about flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Galaxy Tab 7.7, as well as the original Galaxy Note. A representative from Samsung US told TechRadar he hadn't heard anything about an event on August 30, but did not outright rule out the possibility.
Apple has 'listened to unhappy customers' and opted back into EPEAT
Apple has asked the US government-backed EPEAT group to re-certify its products, less than a week after opting out of the environmentally conscious scheme. The company says it made a mistake by ditching the certification, which rewards gadgets that are energy efficient and recyclable and wants the 39 approved products back on the records. Senior VP of Engineering Bob Mansfield wrote in a letter: "We've recently heard from many loyal Apple customers who were disappointed to learn that we had removed our products from the EPEAT rating system. "I recognize that this was a mistake. Starting today, all eligible Apple products are back on EPEAT."
Heavy criticsm
Cupertino has suffered heavy criticism in the last few days after saying it no longer wanted its electronics to be subject to EPEAT approval, citing a "different design direction." This led to organisations in Apple's own San Francisco backyard, and environmental campaigners to favour a boycott of Apple computers. Regardless of Apple's reasoning, the company has realised which side its bread is buttered and has jumped back into bed with EPEAT before more damage is done.
Strange move
The move was initially considered extremely strange as Apple has been one of EPEAT's biggest supporter and was even involved in drawing up the requirements. Some observers felt that withdrawing its tech was down to the launch of the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display. EPEAT certification requires the electronic device in question to be easy ti disassemble for recycling purposes. The new MacBook Pro is practically impregnable.
