SugarSync for iOS users gets and update, iPhone/iPad users rejoice

Earlier this year SugarSync brought their smartphone-to-PC free syncing service to Android users everywhere.

Making a name for themselves with iOS, SugarSync are now ready to push the next version of their service to iPhone and iPad users everywhere, which includes a heap of new functionality.

For starters they’ve made interface improvements primarily based on user feedback. You can now sync folders individually, organise photos alphabetically or chronologically and there’s now batch processing when it comes to copying, moving or deleting photos or albums.

Also another key new feature is the integrated notes service. Alongside photos, SugarSync now allows you to create syncable notes that pertain to album or photo content or anything you want to write about really.

It’s good news for fans of an already popular service on Apple’s turf, but it’s now a case of what happens to the non-iOS users. Does the Android SugarSync app get left out in the cold, or will they take steps to sweeten things up there too?

Officially confirmed: iPhone 5 comes on October 4th

That's that then - the invitations have been sent and it has been officially confirmed that we are just a week away from seeing the next iPhone. The announcement will take place next Tuesday in a rather unusual place - the Apple campus in Cupertino.

Normally those things happen in other venues in San Francisco, but this time Apple will be inviting journalists to its home. There's an outside chance that this is done so they can make LTE demonstrations, without depending on the (still rather spotty) LTE coverage. Still, most rumors suggest that the iPhone 5 won't have an LTE radio so we wouldn't bet our houses on that.

However, the most exciting part about the event is the number of smartphones that will be announced. We received information from at least two reputable sources that more than one iPhone will be revealed, but if the invitation is to serve as a clue, it's only going to be one.

The first three icons describe the date, time and location of the event, so we assume that the number of missed calls on the last one indicates that we won't be getting both an iPhone 5 and an iPhone 4S.

Update: Interestingly, BGR.com has evidence that AT&T has issued a vacation blackout order to its employees for the middle of October, which naturally leads us to believe that the next iPhone will launch somewhere around that time.

Anyway, the event is now less than 7 days away so the end of this seemingly endless guessing game is near.

Windows Phone Marketplace goes online, minimalist UI and more

Every major smartphone OS has its own go-to place for apps and the biggest among them – Android and iOS have enjoyed online appstores for a long time. Finally, Windows Phone has joined the ranks of those with online access with its own WP Web Marketplace.

The web Marketplace is now up and running and offers purchasable and free apps at the same time. Users can buy apps with the credit cards they’ve listed in their Windows Live IDs after which the Marketplace will send SMS or email to the device itself with download links.

The UI of the web WP Marketplace is very clean and Metro-like. There’s a rotating slideshow front-center of the webpage, which displays prominent apps. Under it there are two sections – Apps and Games. The App section is divided into Free, Top and New, while the Games one has the Xbox LIVE, Free, Top and New sub-sections.

The 7-inch rugged Honeycomb tablet Asus Tough ETBW11AA announced on its way to Japan

Don’t you just love the simple and easy to remember names that manufacturers give to their Japan-only products? Take the Asus Tough ETBW11AA Android Honeycomb tablet, which was just announced, for example.

The 7″ Android 3.2 tablet with a screen resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and WiMax connectivity comes with IP54 certification. This means that the slate is capable of surviving water jets for 3 minutes and should be sealed against any particle larger than 1mm. It should also live through drops on concrete from up to 76 cm, which is not a lot, but still impressive for a tablet.

The Asus Tough, as we’ll call it for short, is powered by an Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset, featuring a couple of Cortex-A9 cores, clocked at 1GHz. It measures 215 x 132 x 20-22.2 mm and weighs 620g, which is quite a lot for its class, but element-resistance does take its toll. Not to mention the huge 7,400 mAh battery that’s inside and the WiMax radio.

The Asus Tough should go on sale on the KDDI network in November, but there’s no pricing information on it yet.

Samsung announces Omnia W, we go hands-on

Windows phone 7 Mango update is coming any moment now and so are the first phones that will have it stock right out of the box. HTC has already announced the Mango-based Titan and Radar, so today is the Samsung's turn - meet the Omnia W.

The Omnia W packs a 3.7-inch WVGA Super AMOLED screen and is based on the Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chipset with a 1.4GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 graphics and 512MB RAM. Since Microsoft has strict policy about the hardware there is very little space Samsung to innovate.

The rest of the specs are pretty much standard - a 5 megapixel snapper with a LED flash, a 720p camcorder, a front-facing VGA camera, 8GB internal storage, a 1500mAh battery and the usual connectivity (Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth).

Samsung Omnia W runs on the latest Windows Phone 7 Mango version and there are just few Samsung apps you can download for free to get something unique with your phone, since Microsoft forbids customizations.

According to GSMInfo.nl the Omnia W is expected this November for about €450 for the unlocked device.

We also got a chance to play around with the Omnia W. It's nicely compact and not too heavy. The battery cover is made out of brushed metal (a nice touch!) but the rest of the body is plastic. Still, the Omnia W feels solidly built.

On the front, there's the 3.7" SuperAMOLED screen with WVGA resolution. Below that is the Windows key flanked by capacitive back and search keys. There's a half-pressable shutter key on the side as it's customary for Windows Phones.

Unfortunately, the phone had a rather bad case of a dead battery, so we can’t share any impressions about actually using the phone. We bet, however, it won't be long before we get one-on-one with the Omnia W again.

Samsung announces Galaxy S II LTE and S II HD LTE in Korea

Samsung has announced two new smartphone for the South Korean market. The first is the Galaxy S II LTE that we saw back at the IFA and the second, and the one that a lot of people were waiting for, is the Galaxy S II HD LTE.

The Galaxy S II LTE has a 1.5GHz processor, 4.5-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display, 8 megapixel camera, 1080p video recording, 16GB internal memory, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, TV-out via MHL and an 1,850mAh battery, all in a 9.5mm thick body. The Galaxy S II LTE will be sold through SK Telecom in South Korea.

Now coming to its more exciting brother, the Galaxy S II HD LTE has a stonking 4.65-inch SuperAMOLED (not Plus) screen with 1280 x 720 resolution display (316 PPI), making it rather unique in the Galaxy S II range of handsets. All the other specifications of the device remain identical to the Galaxy S II LTE. The Galaxy S II HD LTE will be sold through three carriers, SK Telecom, KT and LG U+. 

Touch panel issues to delay the iPhone 5 shipments

Issues with the touch panels, produced by one of Apple's suppliers will, reportedly, be causing a delay in the shipments of the next iPhone. According to the latest rumors, the defect panels are going to render Apple unable to meet the initial shipping targets for their upcoming smartphone.

The panels in question are manufactured by Wintek and are allegedly suffering from a "delayed bubble" issue which becomes apparent only later during the in the process of assembly. Since Wintek is delivering about 20-25% of the touch panels for the next iPhone, the supply shortages shouldn't be too dramatic, but that also depends on how the other suppliers are doing.

We are yet to see if that new turn of events will affect the actual announcement of the next iPhone. Previously, we heard that the unveiling will take place on October 4th, but that hasn't been confirmed by Apple just yet.

Secret Samsung handset bags CTIA 2011 finalist position

The CTIA 2011 Hot for the Holidays Awards are currently underway and the judges have revealed the names of the finalists in various categories so that the online voting may begin. It seems Samsung once again has got all the sections covered, with one finalist in almost every category. But we noticed one phone in the list that hasn't been named by the panel.

The device, called simply as 'A product to be announced from Samsung Mobile' can be found in the 'Gamer and Entertainment Enthusiast' section. Now there is a good chance we are talking about the Nexus Prime here. And if it really is the Nexus Prime the fact that it was a finalist in the 'Gamer and Entertainment Enthusiast' category means it is packing some serious firepower under the hood.

If you scroll down to the 'Shutterbug' category, you'll find the mention of another unnamed device. This time however, there is no mention of the manufacturer so it could be from any manufacturer.

To check out all the finalists, click on the source link below.

Thanks to r4yN for sending this in.

Galaxy S II global sales pass the 10 million mark

The hit smartphone Galaxy S II has surpassed the 10 million landmark in global sales. It managed to achieve this in just five months of going on sale.

The previous record holder in Samsung's fleet was the Samsung Star S5230, which managed to cross the 10 million mark in six months. The hot selling Galaxy S managed to achieve the same in about seven months. Being significantly more expensive than both, the fact that the Galaxy S II managed to reach the sales figure in a shorter period of time is quite an achievement.

Then again, this is not surprising. The Galaxy S II has struck a chord with the smartphone buyers thanks to its awesome features and performance and people are shoveling their money at Samsung just to get their hands on the best smartphone on the market right now. Now that the phone has started selling in the US as well, the next landmark will probably take even less time.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S now available, online at least

Although we've heard no word of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S in stores, we've spotted it on one online retailer's website and no doubt it'll start cropping up elsewhere soon.

The Arc S is an uprated version of Sony Ericsson's previous flagship the Arc. The key difference being the improved 1.4GHz processor (compared to the Arc's 1GHz). Beyond that the S is effectively the same device but that's not a bad thing.

Highlights include the top-notch 4.2" LCD with Sony's BRAVIA engine to really make it 'pop'. There's 512MB of RAM, an 8MP camera capable of 720p HD video at 30fps with continuous auto-focus and a new 3D sweep panorama mode, a feature previously reserved for the likes of Sony Cybershot cameras like the TX-9. The most impressive thing about the sweep being that it creates a 3D image using the S' single lens camera. Also we should add that we've checked with SE personally and the same feature should be coming to Arc users in the not too distant future so there should be no bad blood between Arc and arc S users.

The Arc S will be available in Pure White , Gloss Black , Misty Silver , Midnight Blue and Sakura Pink and if you want one now, check out the source link and have $528.50 spare. Still unsure, check out our coverage of the original Arc here to get an idea of what you could be picking up.

Update: Although we have no confirmed date yet, mobile carrier Three will definitely be getting the Xperia arc S, alongside Sony Ericsson's Live with Walkman. Thanks to Ahmed for this one.

HTC Sensation XE : First look

Out of one party and into the other - HTC is showing off yet more hot gadgetry and we’re going hands-on with it. After yesterday’s Rhyme launch, today we’ll be playing with an even hotter piece of smartphone technology. The Sensation XE is not only the new HTC flagship, but its also the company's first dip into the audiophile pool.

The Sensation XE was officially announced a week ago and now we get a chance to play with it for the first time. Needless to say that we were pretty excited as it represents quite an improvement even over the already impressively specced Sensation. We are talking an even faster dual-core CPU (1.5GHz vs. 1.2GHz), an updated Sense UI (v3.5) and the addition of the highly regarded Beats audio to the mix here.

For starters, here's a quick overview of the HTC Sensation XE key specs:

HTC Sensation XE at a glance:
General: GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 900/2100 MHz, HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
Dimensions: 126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm, 151 g
Display: 4.3" 16M-color qHD (540 x 960 pixels) S-LCD capacitive touchscreen; Gorilla glass
Platform: Dual-core 1.5 GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm MSM 8260 Snapdragon chipset
RAM: 768MB
OS: Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread)
Memory: 1 GB storage, microSD card slot (16GB in the box)
Camera: 8 megapixel auto-focus camera with face detection, touch focus and image stabilization; Full HD (1080p) video recording at 30fps, dual LED flash, VGA front facing camera
Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 3.0+HS, standard microUSB port,
GPS receiver with A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM radio, TV-out (MHL)
Misc: Sense 3.5 UI, DivX/XviD codec support, Beats audio enhancements and headphones in the package, 1730mAh battery, built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, proximity sensor, gyroscope sensor, ultra-fast boot times

Google Propeller is a social news reader app to compete with Flipboard, still in the works

Google is allegedly working on a social news reader app for both the iPad and Android, which should step on Flipboard’s toes – which, incidentally, is the app that’s named 2010 app of the year by Apple.

The rumor first emerged from a comment on Google+ by blogger Robert Scoble, who said that he’s “heard from someone working with Google that Google is working on a Flipboard competitor for both Android and iPad”.

The name of the hush project is said to be Propeller and supposedly it’s only one of many socially-oriented announcements Google is preparing. Sadly, there’s no more information on the matter but we hope to hear more soon.

It looks like the search giant is really serious about becoming king of the hill in social networking terms.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with Flipboard’s game, here’s a short video.

Download Windows 8 Developer Preview right here, back up your current installation while you’re at it

We have been itching to get our hands on Windows 8 – which is still just a working title, by the way – ever since the first screenshots surfaced. But when Microsoft officially unveiled it to the public yesterday the itch turned into a proverbial rash.

Luckily, we won’t have to wait for long to try it out for ourselves because Microsoft has has finally released the Developer Preview on their website for everyone to download.

Now we have three different files here to download. The first is the full blown 64-bit version that comes with the OS as well as developer tools. If you are a developer wanting to get a feel of the Windows 8 SDK then this is the version to download. You will have to perform a clean install with this version.

http://wdp.dlws.microsoft.com/WDPDL/9B8DFDFF736C5B1DBF956B89D8A9D4FD925DACD2/WindowsDeveloperPreview-64bit-English-Developer.iso Click here to download this version. (4.8GB)

The second version is 64-bit just like the first version but comes sans the developer tools. You can retain your accounts files and settings if you choose by opting for this version.

http://wdp.dlws.microsoft.com/WDPDL/9B8DFDFF736C5B1DBF956B89D8A9D4FD925DACD2/WindowsDeveloperPreview-64bit-English.iso Click here to download this version. (3.6GB)

The third version is identical to the second one but is 32-bit.

http://wdp.dlws.microsoft.com/WDPDL/9B8DFDFF736C5B1DBF956B89D8A9D4FD925DACD2/WindowsDeveloperPreview-32bit-English.iso  Click here to download this version. (2.8GB)

(Note: You may find that download accelerators are unable to download the files. In that case revert back to using the built-in download manager of your web browser.)

In each case the download is an ISO file that you will have to burn on a disc or a bootable thumb drive. You’ll need a dual-layer DVD for the developer version, as well as a drive that supports burning and reading them. System requirements for running Windows 8 Developer Preview on your PC are as follows:

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Multi-touch display for using the touch-based functions

Do remember this is a beta software. There can and will be bugs and certain apps may not work correctly. Issues are part of testing a beta software and as usual, should you choose to download a beta software you instantly lose the right to complain about the bugs and issues that you may face while using it. DO NOT install it on your primary computer, especially if it’s your work PC. Neither Microsoft nor GSMArena can be held responsible for the loss of any personal data or information or damage to your hardware should you choose to install this beta software.

Also, backup your current system before you install the Developer Preview or you may lose all your files. The Developer Preview cannot be uninstalled. You will have to re-install your previous OS and then perform a restore to go back to the way things were.

Now with those scary warnings out of the way, go ahead and give it a try and do let us know how it goes. If you come across any bugs in the software report them to Microsoft as it will help them to improve it further. For more information, click on the source link below.
 

Microsoft unveils Windows 8, the next major release of its computer OS

Today at its developer-focused BUILD conference Microsoft is showcasing (currently) the latest major release of its wide-spread Windows OS – dubbed Windows 8. It features a new UI – Metro Style, which looks like an overgrown version of its WP7 for smartphones, improvements on performance, security, privacy and reliability, and more.

Windows 8 tries to substitute what we do with a mouse and keyboard with touch swipe gestures, while at the same time still providing the same experience if you want to go the peripheral way. The new Metro UI features the all-too-familiar live tiles from Windows Phone 7, which are implemented in the Metro UI’s Start Screen. This screen unites all of your live tiles, widgets, apps, people, content and more. It’s basically your main homescreen.

Metro UI also incorporates the well familiar Windows 7 desktop style, which can be accessed at any time – the same in looks and functionality as it is on current PCs. This eliminates the need to drastically change your work paradigms and what you’ve grown accustomed to – it’s all still there.

Internet Explorer 10 is the browser of choice for Windows 8 (Platform Preview version 3 is on Win 8 currently) and is said to put the emphasis on the sites you’re browsing and not the browser by offering a minimalist, out-of-the-way UI. IE 10 is based on HTML5 and promises to be free of add-ons and plug-ins, which could slow it down.

Windows 8 builds on the know-how and principles of version 7 and improves on speed, battery management and offers an amazing 8 second boot time, which was demonstrated on a couple of devices (including currently selling ones). Everything in Windows 8 will be hardware graphics accelerated and all Metro-style apps will benefit form the acceleration too. It also has improved on the security of its predecessor. Windows 8 also has the same hardware requirements as Windows 7 so there’s no need to upgrade your system in order to get it.

Finally, Windows 8 will be supported on a wider range of devices and architectures, such as ARM-based ones and x86 ones (x32 and x64), on touch devices, from your run-of-the-mill 10″ tablet or netbook to high-end 27″ touch all-in-one PCs.

Nokia's first WP7 device to come no sooner than Q1 2012?

Nokia's first Windows Phone 7 device may be coming in Q1 2012 missing the deadline Nokia's top management was hoping for - the Nokia World show on October 20th. The information supposedly comes from Nokia's Australia branch, which admitted to Wp7r.com that a WP7 Nokia won't be released until Q1 of next year and that's about all the details it can spare.

Now this doesn't exclude the possibility of a this year's announcement as the new info concerns the actual market release. We'll have to wait but we know for a fact that Nokia has a WP7 prototype (Sea Ray possibly) and that it will probably have similar, if not identical, specs to the Meego-flaunting N9.

Those specs include a 1GHz processor - single core as WP7 still hasn't crossed the dual-core line, a 3.9-incher of FWVGA resolution, an 8 MP Carl-Zeiss optics camera with dual-LED flash, NFC and a gig of RAM. It's almost certain too that WP7 Mango will be the OS version of choice. But while it all sounds great now, any of these specs could change in a jiffy, mind you.

We're hoping Nokia brings along something special to the WP7 line and not your run-of-the-mill Windows Phone clone.

iPhone 5 to get iOS 5 GM starting Sept. 23rd, says analyst

Apple is set to release the 'golden master' build of iOS 5 to iPhone 5 manufacturers abroad this month, an analyst has revealed.

Ming-Chi Kuo of Concord Securities has told Apple Insider the software is likely to be handed over in the week starting September 23rd, so that assemblers can begin installing it on the handsets and start shipping them out for an imminent launch.

'Golden master' is the term Apple uses for release candidate software that is usually indistinguishable from final build available to the public once any last minute bugs and glitches have been ironed out.

iOS 5 is currently in its seventh beta with developers working around the clock to get it ready for a release in the coming weeks. Although the Cupertino has not so much as confirmed a new handset, if the recent flood of rumours are anything to go by an announcement may just be around the corner with a possible mid-October due date.

Features mooted to be on board the fifth-gen kit include a larger, four-inch display, a dual core A5 processor (same as the iPad 2), a slimmer design and possibly an eight-megapixel camera.

Eighth major release of Android to be named 'Jelly Bean'

Once again we bring some good news and some bad news, both courtesy of our friends at This Is My Next.

First, the good news. The eighth major release of Android after Ice Cream Sandwich will be named 'Jelly Bean'. Considering Google's tradition of naming Android OS versions after sweets in an alphabetical order, this isn't really a big surprise, although we are always interested to know which sweet it would be. The version number for it is still unknown, then again, so is the one for Ice Cream Sandwich.

Now the bad news. TIMN is also reporting that the 'game changing stuff' that Ice Cream Sandwich was supposed to bring has now been pushed back to Jelly Bean. So it seems all you will get with ICS will be a couple of changes here and there along with a new theme (remember this?). Then again, this is mostly what Gingerbread was as well.

We hope Google doesn't continue to push the good stuff back or else we will begin to wonder if there really is any good stuff coming our way at all.

Samsung Galaxy Note priced, pre-orders start

Samsung’s monster-sized smartphone-cum-micro-tablet has gone on pre-order on online retailer Clove, a matter of days after it was unveiled at the IFA tech expo.

Clove is listing the handset for a wallet-sapping £600 when bought off contract. But for that outlay you are bagging something that promises to make the likes of the budget-friendly AndyPad slate look like a Speak & Spell.

Not least because it’ll pack a 5.3-inch, lush Super AMOLED HD screen, Android 2.3 Gingerbread out of the box and a 1.4GHz processor of the dual care variety to keep everything running super smooth.

It’s also home to a two-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls, an eight-megapixel camera with LED flash at the rear and offers 1080p video playback, plus 16GB internal storage that you can boost by up to 32GB via microSD support.

UK availability has yet to be confirmed. But, pending an S2 legal hiccough, we reckon it’ll debut in the next couple of months or so.

Rumour: iPhone 5 announcment incoming in ‘next week or two’

Hot on the heels of news that retailer Best Buy is prepping for the imminent launch of the iPhone 5, an anonymous tipster from another ‘mobile phone store’ has claimed that its staff are also being trained up to showcase the ins and outs of the handset to customers.

The tech deepthroat who informed CNET UK of behind-the-scenes developments revealed that employees of the undisclosed store have already been briefed at a “staff training event”, going as far as to say that the handset will feature a four-inch display and a 1.5GHz processor.

"They also said an announcement will be made in the next week to two weeks, and they won't start stocking it until very late 2011 or early 2012," the source added.

The CNET folk themselves don’t seem to be buying into it much, believing that the timeframe is largely speculation rather than actual, bona fide knowledge of Cupertino’s plans.

What’s more, it does seem a little convenient that the gen showed up just as reports of Best Buy is readying for the hotly awaited event on October 21st cropped up all over the web. As is customary with rumours, a healthy serving of sodium is highly recommended.

[IFA 2011]Samsung Galaxy Note promo videos pop up, enjoy

Samsung has released two videos of the Galaxy Note smartphonlet. The first one is your typical music-accompanied promo video while the second one features YH Lee, Senior Vice President of Samsung Mobile Communications Business, Global Marketing.

Here goes the promo video below. It highlights the SuperAMOLED “HD” 5.3-incher, the minimum scrolling and screen transition features, the 1.4 GHz dual-core Exynos processor, the S pen drawing functionality and more.

And here’s the chance for you to brush up your Korean with this video interview with YH Lee, Samsung Vice President. Alright, I’m kidding, the video has proper subtitles.

The Galaxy Note was officially unveiled today at Samsung’s pre-IFA 2011 event.

Leaked slide shows Nokia 703 Windows Phone 7 handset

So, is this finally it - Nokia's first Windows Phone 7 handset? Could be - it's allegedly from a presentation for a carrier and shows a device very much like the Sea Ray (it showed up on video too). It's called Nokia 703.

The slide even lists some specs, which are unfortunately unreadable. Well, almost unreadable - you can clearly make out the categories and if you stare at it long enough, you start seeing even the fine print.

Take this with a pinch, or better yet a handful of salt, but we think it says "LCD 480x800 pixels 3.7 inches" next to the "DISPLAY" label. And that looks an awful lot like "5MP" and "720p@30fps" next to the camera. As for the memory, it seems like it says 8GB storage and 512MB RAM. Horatio of CSI would be proud of us.

Now, what we're reporting here is a leaked slide with barely readable text so the actual device specs might be quite different - but if they turn out to be accurate, the Finns better have some compellingly low price for the Nokia 703 or it won't get very far.

Under General, the second word seems to start with an N, which would indicate a November launch - that would be in line with an October announcement at Nokia World and a launch the following month.

Sony Ericsson announces Xperia arc S with a 1.4GHz processor

Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S is the fastest Xperia smartphone up to date with a 1.4GHz Scorpion single-core processor and running on Android 2.3.4 out of the box.

The Xperia arc S is almost identical with its arc predecessor but the processor. The new arc S is based on Qualcomm MSM8255T Snapdragon chipset, which features a 1.4GHz processor, Adreno 205 GPU and 512MB RAM.

The rest of the specs are pretty much the same - a 4.2" FWVGA Reality display with Mobile BRAVIA engine, an 8 megapixel camera with Sony Exmor R sensor and 720p video recording and the same impressive connectivity options including HDMI port.

The Xperia arc S also preserves the original arc design and has the same measurements and size.

Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S will run on Android 2.3.4 Gingebread out of the box - the same version that will tick inside the newly announced Xperia neo V and will become available to the whole Xperia 2011 lineup later this year.

In case you've missed the news about the Android 2.3.4 update, you can learn everything about it here. It will bring USB on-the-go, Sony 3D sweep panorama for the camera, even better Facebook integration, Swype-like text input (T9 Trace), integrated screen capture, Video chats via Google Talk and more.

The Xperia arc S will hit the shelves in Q4 this year, but the price is yet to be revealed.