Sony Ericsson "Kumquat" will launch as the Sony Xperia U

We just recently heard about the Sony Ericsson Kumquat, and mercifully it’s being reported that the midrange Android handset will ship with a different name. Of course the majority of phones ship with a name that is different from their code name, but few code names are as ungainly as “kumquat”.

The phone will apparently ship after Sony officially buries the “Ericsson” part of their branding; this is a move that was expected after Sony bought out Ericsson’s half of the joint venture. As a result the S-E Kumquat will come to market as the Sony Xperia U. The name still conjures up images of a college that specializes in mobile technology, but at least it’s consistent with the naming convention of the rest of the Xperia line.

The phone is expected to have a 3.5” 480x854 pixel screen, a “mid-range” 1GHz dual-core CPU, and a 5MP rear camera. The design aesthetic seems to match the larger Xperia S. While the Xperia U won’t pack quite as much under the hood as the Xperia S, the size may appeal more to people who want an iPhone-sized Android device.

Sony ST25i 'Kumquat' Xperia U Cool Smartphone Design MWC 2012 Launch?:

Sony announces new 8 and 13MP sensors with HDR video support

Today, Sony announced that it's working on a couple of new image sensors for use in smartphones and other portable devices.

The sensors use a new RGBW matrix, which adds a white pixel to the usual RGB layout, aiming to improve light sensitivity and, in turn, low-light performance. Sony says that while the addition of white pixel normally has a degrading effect on image quality, here they have found a workaround with their new processing algorithms.

The new Sony sensors enable the creation of movies with High Dynamic Range (HDR). That would allow you to capture higher quality footage in high contrast situations, as demonstrated in the following video.

Sony plans to release three mobile sensors, utilizing this new technology this year. An 8 megapixel one, measuring 1/4" in diagonal is planned to start sampling in March, but that one won't have the HDR movie support.

The first proper RGBW Sony sensor should measure 1/3.06" and should come in June. Its effective resolution will be 13 megapixels.

Finally, an 8 megapixel 1/4" sensor with the HDR movie support will be developed by August this year.

So, we probably won't see actual smartphones with the new sensors by the end of the year, but here's hoping that the waiting will be worth it.