Sony Ericsson earlier confirmed that its entire 2011 line-up of Xperia smartphones will be getting Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, what the phone maker didn’t say was when the update will roll out.

That question has now been answered by Sony Ericsson Italy’s Head of Marketing, Maurizio De Palma who announced via Sony Ericsson Italy’s Facebook page that ICS will be coming to the all 2011 Xperia models by March next year. Because there is almost no operator customisation in the Sony Ericsson smartphones that we have here in here, you can expect Malaysia to be among one of the first countries to get the update as soon as it is released.

Once again, the models Sony Ericsson has confirmed will be receiving ICS are:

Xperia arc
Xperia arc S
Xperia PLAY
Xperia neo
Xperia neo V
Xperia mini
Xperia mini pro
Xperia pro
Xperia active
Xperia ray
Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman

Observers are also saying that Sony Ericsson is expected to launch new devices ahead of the ICS update roll out. If this is likely the case, we’re certainly looking forward to see a dual-core device in the brand’s 2012 offering. So far, Sony Ericsson is the only device manufacturer that is devoid of a dual-core world phone.

We’re pegging Sony Ericsson as one of the brands to watch for 2012. What do you think?

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If you bought a Sony Ericsson Xperia this year than this is probably as close as striking the lottery as you can get.

Sony Ericsson has confirmed that its complete line-up of Xperia devices launched this year will all receive Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich updates. The Xperia phones listed below will get ICS but Sony Ericsson have not confirmed a timing. So while this is awesome news, you might be in for a long wait. Let’s hope it won’t be too long.

Xperia arc
Xperia arc S
Xperia PLAY
Xperia neo
Xperia neo V
Xperia mini
Xperia mini pro
Xperia pro
Xperia active
Xperia ray
Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman

So, Sony Ericsson users, you excited about this?

[source, via]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play hopefuls can now purchase the device from Maxis for as low as RM1,249 with contract.

The deal is the same with any Android device plan with Maxis. You sign up for any rate plan then choose a data package and a contract period of 12, 18 or 24 months but to sweeten the deal Maxis is offering a multimedia dock worth RM99 for free.

Celcom was the first operator in the country to offer the Xperia Play which can be had, with contract for as low as RM848. Comparing the two offerings, Celcom’s subsidy is better and you get more value for your money is still cheaper in terms of bundled pricing and you also get more value for your monthly commitment. On the other hand, while the subsidised pricing for the Xperia Play on Maxis is more expensive, the operator is more flexible allowing you to pick and choose the voice and data plan that suites you the best, but still you get more with Celcom.

With Celcom you get three plans and two contract periods, with Maxis you have a selection of voice and data plans to allow to choose from and three contract periods but you’re paying more for the device.

As a comparison, the cheapest plan on Maxis is RM88/month with RM30 worth of calls (Value First) plus RM58 for 500MB of data a month. With Celcom, the cheapest plan is also RM88/month but you get RM50 worth of calls and 1GB of data a month.

On the face of it, it looks like Celcom does offer better value but at the end of the day, the choice is yours.

Also, don’t forget to check out our first impressions of the Xperia Play here.

Sony Ericsson created quite a buzz when it revealed of a PlayStation-esque phone. Rumours started buzzing that the future of the PlayStation brand will be the marriage between phone and gaming device, and many were convinced.

But as more and more information about the “PlayStation phone” start to surface, it became evident that Sony intends to keep its PlayStation brand distinctly separated from the Sony Ericsson line of mobile phones.

So the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is very clearly not a PlayStation in the purest sense but it is PlayStation Certified. What does this mean? Well essentially, the certification guarantees that the Xperia Play delivers a gaming experience that is as true what you would get on a PlayStation as possible.

Also PlayStation Certified means game titles that play on certain PlayStation devices (like the PlayStation One) can be ported to certified devices without much being lost in translation.

Does this hold true? Can the Xperia Play play the role of an Android smartphone and a dedicated portable gaming machine well or will it follow the footsteps of Nokia NGage?

This is our first impressions of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play.

Display, Design and Built-Quality

The Xperia Play features a 4-inch LCD display with 854×480 pixel resolution that’s similar to the Xperia arc but as the arc has a slightly larger 4.2-inch display, this technically means that the Play has a slightly higher pixel density.

In everyday use however all this means nothing as both displays are crisp and sharp while colour reproduction is pleasingly accurate but of course the arc does a better job at everything with it Bravia Mobile Engine engine helping out considerably. Though with the Xperia Play we would like for the display to be brighter because even in the brightest setting it looked somewhat dull compared to other displays. A curious thing to note is that the Xperia Play does away with automatic brightness. Because of this we had to constantly toggle between low and high brightness settings when switching from phone mode to gaming mode — as you want the dimmest setting possible in phone mode to conserve battery life and you want the brightest display setting for when you’re playing video games for maximum impact.

In terms of touchscreen response, the Xperia Play is pretty responsive, very accurate and a joy to use. Probably one of the best we’ve tested but this has come to no surprise with the new Sony Ericsson devices. They’ve really upped their game in almost every aspect.

In terms of design, we’ll put it out in the open, the Xperia Play is not one of the prettiest phones Sony Ericsson has ever made but it’s not the ugliest one either, but it is certainly one of the fattest phones we’ve ever used. The slideout gamepad really adds a whole lot of bulk to the phone and it’s very noticeable. In light of super-slim phones in the market this 16mm thick (close to double the Xperia arc’s thickness, as thick as a 5sen coin) phone is something we’re not going to get used to. But then again, you can say that it’s a necessary trade-off considering the thinner phones won’t be able to offer a gaming experience like the Xperia Play, but does it have to feel so thick and bulky?

Maybe a Z-hinge arrangement could yield a thinner overall design; we’re surprised Sony Ericsson didn’t implement this on the Play. Sony Ericsson has proven to be capable of designing beautiful and elegant phones; we can’t help but feel that the Play didn’t get the same care and attention as the arc.

Built quality on the Xperia Play drew a mix bag of reactions for us. While the slider action is solid it seems poorly engineered and doesn’t feel like it’s going to last repetitive use. The point where the two halves connect feels flimsy and loose. When closed, there is almost no resistance to keep the phone closed, so the two halves are constantly sliding up and down in your hands.

Some of the buttons on the Play are victims of poor quality as well, the major culprit being the excessively loose power button. The shoulder buttons exhibit too much free-play for our liking as well. Speaking of power buttons, the one on the Play has a discreet notification LED built-in. It’s a novel idea but something that is not practical because the placement of the notification LED is so discreet that it is very easily missed.

There are four navigation buttons on the Xperia Play as opposed to just three on the arc, the difference being the addition of a dedicated search button on the Play. We like the arc’s three-button layout so much better. The four navigation button on the Play feels cramp and to add to this they are not lighted. Numerous times we find ourselves pressing the wrong button when executing a command in the dark. It’s hard to believe that Sony Ericsson overlooked all these niggles considering how well designed the arc is.

Having said all that, the gamepad is top-notch. Although we could probably do with a little bit more depth in the buttons, the overall feel of the gamepad is nice. We like the metallic feel and the texture as well. Button size is just right for our hands as well. The only let down here is the rather flimsy left and right shoulder buttons. Sony did a good job in making sure the PlayStation experience is not compromised in this respect, although those with bigger hands and longer fingers will find the gamepad cramp.

Internals and User Interface

Specs-wise the Xperia Play packs a 1Ghz single-core processor with 512MB of RAM and a rather small 400MB worth of internal storage, thought Sony Ericsson have included an 8GB microSD card in the box. You can expand the add-on memory of the Play up to 32GB.

In terms of camera the Play comes with a VGA resolution front camera and a 5.1MP rear camera flanked by a single LED flash. Camera performance is not great, just average. We expected more from Sony Ericsson in this respect.

One other notable feature is the active noise-cancellation secondary mic located at the back of the device just next to the LED flash. There’s also a decent-sized 1500mAH battery for you to be able a decent amount of gaming between charges.

In terms of interface, it’s pretty much a straight forward affair. The Xperia Play runs Android 2.3.3 with a very light custom Sony Ericsson skin on top. There’s really not much to say here. Everything works as it should; navigation is intuitive and pretty much straight forward. User experience is responsive as well. No complaints so far.

Well maybe except for one. We don’t like that when you slide one the gamepad and the device is in landscape mode, the homescreen interface stays in portrait mode. That gets annoying.

In terms of gaming experience, the Xperia Play delivers the good. We’ll be the first to confess however, we’re not hard-core gamers and haven’t picked up a PlayStation controller for years but as first impressions may have it, we were impressed at the gameplay experience on the Xperia Play.

Although its fair to assume that other phones can probably deliver similar smooth graphics and lag-free, fast-pace gaming but the gamepad on the Xperia Play transforms the experience into something else. Immersed in a game, it is easy to forget the Xperia Play is an accomplished mobile phone as well. That is how good the gaming experience is.

In terms of games, there are multiple sources you purchase games for the Xperia Play, one is to look for compatible PalyStation certified games directly in the Android market. Two is you can go into the PlayStation pocket application and select PlayStation One game from there. Unfortunately, option two in not yet available in Malaysia.

At the same time games like Angry Birds and all that is playable on the Xperia Play as well, the only thing is for non-PlayStation Certified games you’re back to using the touchscreen as your primary control interface.

Plans and Pricing
Currently, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is available from Celcom for as low as RM848 when you sign up with the Celcom Exec contract plan. It is also available outright for RM1,649 with retailers like the IMCC network, so to go for a contract or no contract the choice is yours.

At the end of the day

None of us here at SoyaCincau.com are hardcore gamers so a specialised device such as the Xperia Play is not going to be something that we will be interested in but it is indeed a curious device and it does what it says on the box.

As a mobile phone, we have some issues with the navigation buttons but it gets the job done. That’s not to say Sony Ericsson couldn’t do a better job. We know that can.

It is in terms of game play where the Xperia Play shines. The PlayStation experience does shine through and gaming on the device is indeed enjoyable.

But does the gaming experience justify the RM1,649 asking price? Well it depends on who you talk to. Gamers have a lot to like with the Xperia Play but even so, it’s hit and miss built-quality is a genuine concern. From a non-gamer user perspective, there are a number of Android phones out there that do a better job.

So based on our first impressions of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, we can’t say we want one but gamers will see some appeal in this device. Even so we do recommend you try before you buy.

We broke the news yesterday that Celcom will be offering the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play along with the LG Optimus Black and the HTC Wildfire S, we’ve just been informed today that the devices are available for purchase today and that the pricing for the Xperia Play revealed yesterday was provisional. The actual RRP for the Xperia Play is RM1,649 and NOT RM1,899 as earlier indicated.

Since RRP for the device is now cheaper, the subsidised pricing is also lower as a result. So instead of the earlier stated RM968, the Xperia Play is available from Celcom for as low as RM848 with Celcom Exec.

Revised pricing table after the jump.

Click for larger image

For details on Celcom plans for Android devices click here.

Update: Celcom updates us on the revised pricing for the Xperia Play. RRP is now cheaper by RM250. Celcom Exec subsidised pricing is now cheaper too as a result. Details here.

Holy guacamole! Will you look at that. Out of nowhere, Celcom — the BlackBerry-centric operator — will be offering a line of the latest Android smartphones including the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play along with LG Optimus Black and the just released HTC Wildfire S. Could this be a sign of Celcom’s eagerness to get into the mobile device game? We sure hope so.

The Xperia Play retails for RM1,899 and will be available from Celcom for as low as RM968 when you subscribe to one of the operators Celcom Exec plans.

In terms of the Celcom Exec plans, it is the same deal as previously with RM88, RM118 and RM250 packages. Typical to Celcom, there will be an upfront fee imposed as well. the amount varies depending on the plan you choose and the duration of the subscription contract. Refer to the chart after the jump for details.

The information we got from regular tipster Rakyat Biru didn’t reveal the availability date for these devices, we’re assuming Celcom will make an announcement soon.

Big shoutout to Rakyat Biru for the awesome tip!

Click for larger image

Having surprised us all by being one of the first resellers to sell the HTC Sensation in Malaysia, IMCC is getting Malaysian device junkies all excited again with a list of devices that it plans to bring between June and July this year.

And boy, is it an impressive list with big hitters like the Motorola Atrix and Sony Ericsson Xperia Play set to make an appearance all before August.

With these regular updates IMCC is quickly establishing itself as the go to guys when you’re looking for the latest mobile gadgets at a good price.

If only the Malaysian operations of Motorola, HTC and Sony Ericsson we’re as upfront as IMCC on the availability of its latest devices, we will all be happy.

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Sony Ericsson has just released a new series of TV commercials for the Xperia Play gaming smart phone, and although these new spots don’t feature a freaky hovering Android with human thumbs, they are no less offensive while struggling to be mildly entertaining.

Head on over to after the jump to catch the full series.

What do you think? We much prefer looking at a life-sized Android bust-a-move all day long honestly speaking.