We love coordination like this. Moments after Google’s new “Play” media market went live (a rebranding of the Android Market), we are already seeing the first updates to their suite of apps with Google Play branding on them. If you jump into the market, you should see Google Books and Google Music updates, changing the names to Play Books and Play Music respectively. That is really all that is changing though is the branding, however, the Books update does mention that it is “now integrated with Google Play.”

Market Links:  Play Music | Play Books

Cheers Albert!

Google Music and Books Receive Updates, Google Play Branding Included is a post from: Droid Life

Time to welcome in a new member to the already impressive Android collection on Verizon, the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY aka the Playstation Phone.  Murmurs of the device possibly hitting Big Red started last week and today, it became official in an announcement at MWC in Barcelona.  The PLAY will come to VZW first out of all the U.S. carriers and should be here some time in the spring, which means it’ll be battling it out with new versions of our beloved DROID franchise like the DROID X2.

Loading up with Gingerbread (Android 2.3), a slideout gaming keyboard, 4″ screen, 5MP camera, 1GHz processor, and a GPU capable of producing 60 FPS, this could be one heck of a fun toy.  What do you guys think?  Who’s ready for some serious gaming?

Full gallery, press release and specs after the break.  

Game On. Sony Ericsson Brings Highly Anticipated Xperia™ Play To The Verizon Wireless Network

• Xperia(TM) PLAY is the world’s first PlayStation(TM) certified smartphone
• Powered by the latest version of the Android(TM) platform (Gingerbread version 2.3)
• Xperia(TM) PLAY will be available in the United States in the Spring 2011
• More than 50 top game titles available at launch

ATLANTA, GA — Are Americans ready to play? Sony Ericsson and Verizon Wireless think so. Sony Ericsson today announced that its new Xperia™ PLAY, the world’s first PlayStation™ certified smartphone, will be available on the Verizon Wireless Network in the Spring 2011.

“This spring, expect to see a lot of people with their heads down and thumbs up,” said Peter Farmer, Head of Marketing for North America, Sony Ericsson. “Xperia™ PLAY combined with the power of the Verizon network gives you everything you need in a smartphone and the one thing you want – the ultimate gaming experience.”

Xperia™ PLAY is powered by the latest version of the Android platform (Gingerbread version 2.3) – and is PlayStation-certified, which ensures an optimized gaming experience featuring content from the PlayStation Suite. Xperia™ PLAY will provide a best-in-class gaming experience right out of the box with many of the most popular games pre-loaded, including Asphalt Adrenaline 6, Bruce Lee, Star Battalion, The Sims 3, and Tetris. More than 50 additional titles from top franchises at leading game publishers will be available for purchase at launch.

“Working with Sony Ericsson to bring the world’s first PlayStation-certified smartphone to the nation’s most reliable network builds on our commitment to deliver the best mobile gaming and entertainment experience to our customers,” said Jeff Dietel, vice president-marketing for Verizon Wireless.

According to the Entertainment Software Association’s 2010 consumer survey, in the United States:

• 67 percent of households play computer or video games
• 42 percent of heads of households report they play games on wireless devices, up from 20 percent in 2002
• The average game player age is 34 and 40 percent of game players are women

Facebook users can enter the First2Play contest and could be one of the first 10 people to get the Xperia™ PLAY by visitingwww.facebook.com/SEUSA.

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY Key Features:

• PlayStation certified gaming experience
• Latest version of the Android platform (Gingerbread version 2.3)
• 60fps play-back enabled through the Snapdragon 1Ghz process, optimized with enhanced graphical processor unit the Adreno 205
• Dedicated gaming controls for real console quality game play, including four-way directional keys, recognizable ABCD keys with PlayStation iconography, left/right shoulder keys and two analog touch inputs for joystick action
• 4-inch brilliant multi-touch display
• 5.0 megapixel camera

© Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, 2011

The Liquid Identity logo and Xperia are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB. Sony is a trademark or registered trademark of Sony Corporation. Ericsson is the trademark or registered trademark of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson. Additional information regarding trademarks may be located on our website at:www.sonyericsson.com/cws/common/legal/disclaimer.

Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. All terms are subject to change without prior notice.
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, SE-221 88 Lund, Sweden.
Printed in January 2011, R1A

About Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson is a 50:50 joint venture by Sony and Ericsson established in October 2001, with global corporate functions located in London and operations in all major markets. Our vision is to become the industry leader in Communication Entertainment; where new styles of communicating through the internet and social media, become entertainment. Sony Ericsson offers exciting consumer experiences through phones, accessories, content and applications.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest and most advanced 4G network and largest and most reliable 3G network, and serves more than 94 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 82,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visitwww.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library atwww.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

Official Specs:

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ PLAY

Camera

• 5.1 megapixel camera
• Auto focus
• Flash / Photo light
• Geo tagging
• Image stabiliser
• Send to web
• Touch focus
• Video light
• Video recording
• Video blogging

Music

• Album art
• Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
• Google™ Music Player
• Music tones (MP3/AAC)
• PlayNow™ service*
• Sony Ericsson Music player
• Stereo speakers
• TrackID™ music recognition application

Internet

• Android Market™*
• Bookmarks
• Google™ search*
• Google™ Voice Search*
• Pan & zoom
• Web browser (Webkit)

Communication

• Call list
• Conference calls
• Facebook™ application (from Android Market™)
• Google™ Talk*
• Noise Shield
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Speakerphone
• Sony Ericsson Timescape™***
• Twitter™ application (from Android Market™)
• Vibrating alert

Messaging

• Android Cloud to Device messaging (C2DM)
• Conversations
• Email
• Google Mail™*
• Instant messaging
• Picture messaging (MMS)
• Predictive text input
• Sound recorder
• Text messaging (SMS)

Design

• Auto rotate
• Keyboard (onscreen, 12 key)
• Keyboard (onscreen, QWERTY)
• Picture wallpaper
• Touchscreen
• Wallpaper animation

Entertainment

• 3D games
• Dedicated gaming keys
• Flash Lite™
• Gesture gaming
• Motion gaming
• Video streaming
• YouTube™

Organiser

• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Document editors
• Document readers
• E-Manual
• Flight mode
• Google Calendar™
• Google Gallery 3D™
• Infinite button
• Phone book
• Set-up Wizard
• Widget manager

Connectivity

• 3.5 mm audio jack
• aGPS
• Bluetooth™ technology
• DLNA Certified
• Google Latitude™
• Google Location Service
• Google Maps™ with Street View
• Media Transfer Protocol support
• Micro USB Connector
• Modem
• Synchronisation via Facebook™**
• Synchronisation via Google Sync™
• Synchronisation via Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync®
• Synchronisation via Sony Ericsson Sync
• USB 2.0 high speed support
• Wi-Fi™
• Wi-Fi™ Hotspot functionality

* The service is not available in all markets.
** Requires Facebook™ application installed on the device.

Google™ services*

* These services may not be available in every market Android Market™ Client

• Gmail™
• Google Calendar™
• Google Gallery 3D™
• Google Latitude™
• Google Maps™ with Street View
• Google Media Uploader
• Google Music Player™
• Google Phone-top Search
• Google Search widget
• Google Sync™
• Google Talk™
• Google Voice Search
• Set-up Wizard
• YouTube™

Screen

• 16,777,216 colour TFT
• Capacitive multi-touch
• 4 inches
• 480 x 854 pixels (FWVGA)

In-Box:

• Xperia™ PLAY
• Battery
• Stereo portable handsfree
• 8GB microSD™ memory card
• Charger
• Micro USB cable for charging, synchronisation and file transfer
• User documentation

Facts

• Size: 119 x 62 x 16 mm
• Weight: 175 grams
• Phone memory: 400 MB
• Memory card support: microSD™, up to 32 GB
• Memory card included: 8GB microSD™
• Operating system: Google™ Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• Processor: 1 GHz Scorpion ARMv7

Talk time and networks Networks

• Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 8 hrs 25 min*
• Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 425 hrs*
• Talk time UMTS: Up to 6 hrs 25 min*
• Standby time UMTS: Up to 413 hrs*
• Talk time CDMA2000®: Up to 7 hrs 40 min*
• Standby time CDMA2000®: Up to 405 hrs*
• Game play time: Up to 5 hrs 35 min*
• MP3 playback: Up to 30 hrs 35 min*

Networks

• UMTS HSPA 800, 850, 1900, 2100
• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
• UMTS HSPA 900, 2100
• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
• CDMA2000®, cdmaOne, EVDO

Colour

• Black
• White

Official: Sony Xperia PLAY Headed to Verizon Spring 2011 is a post from: Droid Life

According to a chart that went live at Wirefly’s site on February 3rd, the Sony Xperia PLAY is headed to Verizon.  Yep, this would be the Playstation phone that we’ve been covering over at Android Life, but was kept far from the pages of DL since we assumed it wouldn’t come anywhere near Big Red.  The PLAY hasn’t been announced on a carrier yet, but could be on Sunday in a press event that kicks off just before MWC.  I guess we’ll know at that time if that chart needs to see some quick editing.  And I have to admit that seeing this phone on Verizon would shock the heck out of me.

Update:  As expected, Wirefly has now changed the carrier to “To be determined.”

Need a few specs?  How does a 4″ LCD screen, Gingerbread, 5MP camera and the ultimate gaming slide-out keyboard sound?  Anyone interested?

The PLAY’s Super Bowl ad featuring Andy and his creepy thumbs after the break.  

Click here to view the embedded video.

Via:  Wirefly, PhoneArena

Cheers Jason!

Is the Sony Xperia PLAY Headed to Verizon? (Updated) is a post from: Droid Life