Fascinating bit of news dug up by The Verge. AOSP’s main man, Jean-Baptiste Queru, has announced that he is going to try to add support for the Sony Xperia S to AOSP – effectively turning it into a Nexus-class device. “Over time, AOSP has added files related to various hardware targets. […] For a new challenge, I’d like to try to go one step further, and to target some hardware beyond the usual categories. I’ve added a git project for the Sony LT26, i.e. Xperia S. This seems like a good target: it’s a powerful current GSM device, with an unlockable bootloader, from a manufacturer that has always been very friendly to AOSP.” AOSP support is usually reserved for Nexus devices, so this is certainly a bold new step for Android to take. Coincidentally, I made a list yesterday of possible Android phones to replace my Galaxy SII if the need were to arise, and the Xperia S sits firmly atop that list because of its distinctive, angled design (as opposed to the rounded blandness of the SIII and One X). In other words, this is yet another reason to go with this one (since my SII is doing just fine, I’m actually holding out for a WP8 Lumia to replace my HTC HD7).
The look kind of cool, and for some people they work well, but they aren’t as nice or reliable as Samsung. My friend and I both got smartphones at the same time, I a galaxy s , her a Sony X10 . Hers lasted less than a year as did its warranted replacement, mine still works rather well and will soon be cyanogen moded up to jelly bean.
I’ve heard that their later devices are better, but I’d choose reliability over aesthetics.
I prefer and drive an Italian car. So uhm, yeah
.
Well, then, you’re in luck! those same designers of your cars, design phones too.
I think I just found your next phone:
http://www.examiner.com/article/ferrari-458-italia-exotic-car-inspi…
I’m not sure of the status of the iden network in the Netherlands, but its okay if it doesn’t work as a phone, right?
Wow, just be careful you don’t go shopping for a Ferrari and mistakenly take home a phone like I did when shopping for an iPhone only to find I’d bought a Samsung instead, so easily done.
Regarding statistical significance, your sample is a little bit too small…
Edited 2012-08-18 13:40 UTC
Yeah, obviously. With the wide variability of Android phone makers, I’m very careful with my recommendations. If someone gets a bad android as their first android phone, it will reflect badly on android rather than the manufacturer in many cases. The cost between the high end androids and the pieces of crap is practically zero in the US on a subsidised contract. ( If $100 is such a difficult amount to part with, you shouldn’t be getting a smart phone plan which bumps up your bill ~$30 a month). So, I recommend the best, which will give the user the best experience. Currently that would be either the Galaxy SII or HTC one X for most people. No real reason to mess with any of the others for most people.
I think Manufacturers in the US are starting to figure this out. Motorola has recently committed to building less middle and low end phones and focus on building the best high end ones.
That might not work out too well for them overall, long term…
You might not see this, but during the last few short years Motorola retreated from most markets, worldwide; this “focus” on the few “lucrative” (& only those where Moto was somewhat strong) ones didn’t really turn their fortunes – maybe what they’re doing now is not really “less middle and low end phones and focus on building the best high end” (because all low and most of middle they dropped a long time ago), but “no middle, the same or less high end, more ridiculously ultra-end”…
Meanwhile, apart from Samsung, the most healthy Android makers are probably Huawei and ZTE (this one even having the most explosive growth overall, I think, likely the 3rd largest mobile phone maker by now)
In other news, workstations and “old” computer manufacturers didn’t fare well against the onslaught of the PC & it’s economies of scale, once it hit “good enough”.
Varies with person, I say. Samsung products have had the worst reliability of all electronic products in my household. Only 2 things still working are my washing machine (which I admit is very good at what it does) and my Galaxy Nexus (I replaced the back cover cos I don’t want to admit I’m using a Samsung product). Everything else has died, usually just a couple of months after the warranty expired.
I’ve had Sony products die on me as well, but usually after a lot of use (PS2 lasted 4 years, Discman lasted almost a decade).
Plus, for all the bad rep Sony get, they’re nowhere near the corrupting force Samsung is in the Korean corporate and political scene.
On topic;
I’m kind of surprised. Sony have never been known for their “open-ness”, as far as I can tell. Wonder if we’ll see a Nexperia soon.
Not for their CD rootkit or Linux PS3 removal etc, but because they don’t pay Apple or MS a dime for Android and so their phones have great value for the money.
That they are hacker friendly is also a very big plus.
I advised a friend to buy a Xperia Ray and she is really happy (she wanted a tiny smartphone). Great high-DPI screen and very inexpensive.
Sony and Motorola are they only two phone manufactures for me tbh. I really wish the new Motorola line up will be more Nexus and less Motoblur.
After Motorola promised ICS for their once-flagship device Razr (including a very large banner on his product site and even schedules) and simple don’t delivered it, instead choosing to remain mute after they skipped for a second time his own promised update dead line (for all phones! not just Razr), i suggest you to keep away from this manufacturer and stay with Sony only.
“Not for their CD rootkit or Linux PS3 removal etc, but because they don’t pay Apple or MS a dime for Android and so their phones have great value for the money.”
Sony is in many ways as bad as Microsoft and Apple (the rootkit, securom, lobbying for SOPA/PIPA and similar laws, support for the MAFIAA, retarded lawsuits etc). Perhaps these companies simply don’t attack their own kind?
If this acutally turn out to be a usable replacement for Sony’s firmware then that would be great news (even if Sony’s android customizations aren’t too bad compared to some brands). I wonder if they’re going to try to treverse-engineer Sony’s closed source libraries or how they otherwise plan to get the hardware working.
I don’t actually like Sony but I got the Xperia S anyway. It has everything I need. It’s a bit too large for my taste but then it’s impossible to find a premium android phone below 4.3″ nowadays anyway.
As an Xperia S owner: SWEET!
My previous phone was a nexus one, so I am accustomed to the vanilla android experience. I am struggling to think of any features that Sony has added that I care about, so simply having the new OSes earlier without the frills is something I would definitely welcome.
If you are going to buy one; the SL just got unveiled… basically just an S with some extra clockspeed. This is probably a preferable option