Database Info

Sony LiveView - Don't bother

This looks like a must have for me:
Sony Ericsson LiveView
Being a Sony product, though, I'm sure it will be way overpriced.
Has anybody heard pricing and availability information for those of us in the USA?
Edit:
This thing is a waste of money (around $100 imported from the UK) until they update the device and/or software to stay connected or get more than a few hours of battery life. You can't even use it as a watch with it disconnected from your phone. POINTLESS Sony garbage.
I'll learn my lesson one day.

Hello!
I've been keeping an eye out on this too
here is some info on price and the app itself:
http://www.xperiax10.net/2010/11/08/sony-ericsson-liveview-app-hits-the-android-market/
The display is due to be released in the next fortnight with Play.com listing it for £49.99 for release on 19th November.
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Not too far away And £49.99 isn't too bad...

I ordered mine today! They're not available in the US nor are they planned for release here so I had to order online from a company in the UK.
After international air shipping it came out to $109 US dollars and the company said they will start shipping this Friday the 12th!
Should have it sometime next week so I'll came back here and give a review after it arrives.

I just ordered mine, too. Looks cool...

seancneal said:
I just ordered mine, too. Looks cool...
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I see your in FL. I'm in Seattle, WA so you'll probably receive yours before I get mine, not fair! lol.
I like the idea of this LiveView thing, I think it is going to be great for me at work because my job doesn't allow cell phones to be used on the production floor for security reasons. Me being in Maintenance, I'm allowed to carry my phone, I just cannot pull it out of my pocket while I'm on the floor unless its for work related reasons. So with this I can still keep tabs on my messages, social network updates, and incoming caller ID.
I'm just hoping it is somewhat rugged and water resistant. I'd be pissed if I destroy it while I'm working on a machine (I plan to wear it as a wrist watch).

bluegizmo83 said:
I see your in FL. I'm in Seattle, WA so you'll probably receive yours before I get mine, not fair! lol.
I like the idea of this LiveView thing, I think it is going to be great for me at work because my job doesn't allow cell phones to be used on the production floor for security reasons. Me being in Maintenance, I'm allowed to carry my phone, I just cannot pull it out of my pocket while I'm on the floor unless its for work related reasons. So with this I can still keep tabs on my messages, social network updates, and incoming caller ID.
I'm just hoping it is somewhat rugged and water resistant. I'd be pissed if I destroy it while I'm working on a machine (I plan to wear it as a wrist watch).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I work production maintenance in a pen factory. This thing seems perfect for me, too. They aren't as strict about having your phone out, but the convenience seems awesome. Depending what equipment I'm working on, I'll just take it off for working on the machines. Maybe I will do some kind of "pocket watch" type thing with a lanyard. We'll see after I get mine BEFORE you! hahaha
What kind equipment do you work on?

seancneal said:
I work production maintenance in a pen factory. This thing seems perfect for me, too. They aren't as strict about having your phone out, but the convenience seems awesome. Depending what equipment I'm working on, I'll just take it off for working on the machines. Maybe I will do some kind of "pocket watch" type thing with a lanyard. We'll see after I get mine BEFORE you! hahaha
What kind equipment do you work on?
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Click to collapse
Nice! We both work in the same industry doing pretty much the same jobs lol.
I work for a check printing company, so for security reasons we can have cell phones on the production floor because of all the visible bank account numbers, especially ones with camera.
I work in the maintenance department, I fix all the production equipment (digital printing presses, auto boxing/packaging machines, cutters, large stitching and binding equipment, etc). Being maintenance, I'm allowed to carry a phone due to the fact I sometimes need to call for support/ideas from another facility or corporate tech support.
I like your idea of using it as a pocket watch, that's not a bad idea. I'd hate to get grease and oil on it as a wrist watch and/or scratch/crack the screen while my arms are in a machine.

yes please share your experiences when you get the device!

User Guide
Found the User Guide online.
Looking through it now. Hopefully mine ships out from the UK sometime today!

seancneal said:
Found the User Guide online.
Looking through it now. Hopefully mine ships out from the UK sometime today!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice find! I just finished reading through it. Man I can't wait for this thing to arrive. I know it has its limitations, I'm not expecting a full featured superphone on my wrist, but I have I hopes for this device!
I'll update back here when I receive my shipping confirmation.
edit: One thing I noticed from reading the users guide, about how it shuts the screen off after a short time. Ok, I understand the reasoning to save power. But, will there be an option to keep the screen on in clock mod? i.e. screen is always on and showing the time, like a digital watch, and then you press a button to access everything else. I guess we'll have to wait and see, maybe possible with a plug-in or modding.

WOW! I feel like I just had a conversation with a wall! Checked this out, this is the chat transcript from the conversation I just had with a Sony Ericsson chat support specialist, I was trying to find out how to download the SDK for the LiveView. LOL
Please wait while we find an agent to assist you...
You are currently in position number 1 in the queue.
You have now been connected to an agent.
Aimee watson: Thank you for contacting Sony Ericsson Chat Support. My name is Aimee, how can I help you today?
Daniel: Hello Aimee
Daniel: I'm trying to find the SDK for the new LiveView accessory for Android
Aimee watson: Hi Daniel, I just read your question regarding the LiveView accessory.
Aimee watson: You can download the SDK from the Android Market.
Aimee watson: You will need to do a search for 'LiveView TM'.
Daniel: the SDK (Software Development Kit) should not be in the Android Market as it will need to be installed on a desktop PC to write software/plugins for the LiveView... desktop PC's cannot download stuff in the Android Market
Aimee watson: There is also another application you can download from there called Liveware to add compatible applications to the accessory.
Aimee watson: In the UK, it is not possible to do this on a PC.
Aimee watson: It is only possible to do this on the handset itself.
Aimee watson: Which is by using applications available in the Android Market.
Daniel: ok. so developers can write to apps for the LiveView directly from the Android Phone itself?
Daniel: thats a new concept i'm not familiar with
Aimee watson: If developers are wishing to create an application to use with the LiveView accessory, it would need to be uploading within the Android Market.
Aimee watson: You can then use Liveware to load this to the accessory.
Daniel: yes, but I am a developer wishing to write software FOR the liveview, how would I do this?
Aimee watson: You would need to contact the developers team.
Aimee watson: Would you like an Email address for them?
Daniel: I would need an SDK that contains the core API's that the LiveView uses. Sony Ericsson is suppose to be releasing this SDK for developers and I have not been able to locate it. Yes that would be great
Aimee watson: Here you go: [email protected]
Aimee watson: If you drop them an email, they should be able to help you further with this.
Daniel: perfect, thanks for your help
Aimee watson: No problem. I hope you get that sorted.
Aimee watson: Is there anything else I can help with at all?
Daniel: Nope that will be all.

Looks like you can push "any key" to show the display. That shouldn't be too much of a problem in my situation. I wonder if that includes the soft directional buttons surrounding the screen?
Like you said, it is hard to tell how the experience will be until we get our hands on one for ourselves. I'm hoping for mine to be shipped today, too. But it might ship Monday. I usually get stuff in about 5 days from the UK.
You may want to get in touch with Paul @ MoDaCo in regards to development. I hear he's already looking into making some apps for the LiveView.

Mine just shipped via Royal Mail. Waiting for updated tracking information!
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

seancneal said:
Mine just shipped via Royal Mail. Waiting for updated tracking information!
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine shipped today as well. Tracking says "We have received your item, posted on 12/11/10 and it is being processed for delivery abroad."

it works w/ the g2?

osupra said:
it works w/ the g2?
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Click to collapse
Works with any android 2.0 or higher device

Always hated the way watches felt on my wrist... cool item though for people who wear watches still.

Mog said:
Always hated the way watches felt on my wrist... cool item though for people who wear watches still.
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Yeah, I've never really worn a watch much. But I'm a sucker for gadgets. I remember back in the day, late 90's or early 2k I had this pager/sms watch. It was awsome tech for the time lol.

I can't wait. Just ordered mine. I'm actually really curious to see what plug-ins developers will come out with.

yea the only reason why i never wore a watch was because i had the habit of looking at my phone (even if i had a watch on)
So hopefully, since this liveview thing doubles as a notifier and the lot, i would start wearing a watch
LOL, I just had the thought of people cheating in exams with these!

[APP][2.2+] ERP Search SG (Singapore only)

Hi,
This app is only meant for use in Singapore (the rest of you wouldn't want to, really) as it's meant for the toll gantries. I'm sorry if it sounds too "exclusive".
The toll gantries known are part of the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) scheme formulated by the government, and have been set up at traffic choke points, yada yada yada. This app helps to check on the gantry pricing at different times of the day.
There have been numerous apps I've come across on the iPhone platform that does this and more, but hardly anything useful on Android. Hence, I decided to make my own, that does nothing but tell me the price, so I can plan ahead of time. I've found it handy for myself at times, which made me want to share it here and gain some criticisms about it at the same time.
And since this is my first attempt, please go easy on me. But I'll gladly listen to any and all constructive feedback.
For easier selection, the gantries have been categorised into
Arterial
Expressways
CityCentral
Data is pulled from OneMotoring so the prices will always be accurate.
In case you were wondering, all gantries to city central regions have been grouped (CBD/Orchard/Downtown).
Market download here.
Thanks!
5 May 2011: 1.0b, first time sticking my head out.
10 Sep 2011: 1.1, fixed minor bugs, increased gantry pricing font size, vehicle category shifted to context menu, put up on market proper with ads, beta notification removed.
04 Oct 2011: 1.2, bug fix, updated gantry list, show full description of gantries instead.

Well done
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA Premium App

nice job poondek! nice nick too! it's my fav indian swear word that I use very often. hahaha

Nicely done. I was a bit amused to see this make the front page of xda. Have you thought about putting it up on the Android Market?

Spreaded on my Facebook. Nice job!

Cool~ thanks fellas! I'm quite amused to see it pop back up on top after 1 week myself. I'll hold off from forking out the registration to google for now, as I still have a lot to learn.
Nevertheless I still find it worthwhile to share it here, as I find it useful myself. Would have done it earlier, but I felt compelled to add that popup notice due to the sticky I saw about apps getting ripped from xda.

Well done!
Good to see something for singapore from time to time =D

Naise to see Singaporean android developers

Thanks for this wonderful app!

Do Not Move, Read First [MINI REVIEW] Xperia x8

Note:
Deftone said:
Dear Papa Smurf151,
I am writing just to offer a polite reminder about the message I sent to you a day ago.
If you do not have it it is requesting permission to duplicate a thread into the General discussion > General forum.
It is a review on a phone. I think it would be more appreciated by the general public that the people already with an x8.
Please reply as I am at an inconvenience without permission.
Thank-you once again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah go ahead sorry I've been extremely busy with work
XDA Moderator
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEFORE A MOD CLOSES OR MOVES THIS THREAD - The thread was originally posted here but moved to the x8 forums. I have obtained permission to duplicate it back here as shown by the above message quote.
This thread has been created to review the Xperia x8 device. As I say in all my reviews, although there may be other threads reviewing the device, I think it is valid that I give tips based on my experience. This is a Mini guide which means that I will only highlight key information about the phone.
Suggestions are like gold to me and I just want to make my service better. All reasonable comments are welcome. Please PM me if you have any urgent problems. I am sorry if my service is uninvited.​-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Xperia x8 burst into stores around September 2010 worldwide. After using the phone for nearly a year, I can confirm that it is a great phone for both advanced android users and basic ones. I hope to elaborate on the ultimate phone formula used in the device. I will cover a few specific areas.
The device is renowned for its 3G capabilities was developed by the late Sony Ericsson shipped with the Android 1.6 architecture and officially upgradable to the newer 2.1 version. XDA has enabled many ways of surpassing this firmware limit and expanding your experience.
Physical Hardware
You can probably guess that the phone will not have the latest hardware if it was created two years ago and this is why I thought I would highlight the now weakest point first.
The phone has a 76 mm powerfully capacitive touch screen LCD. It has a small yet firm resolution of 320 by 480 pixels. On the back of the device is a 3.2 megapixel camera with fixed focus and no flash and there is no front facing camera. Photos can be geotagged although this feature is not necessarily useful. Fortunately camera can be accessed using the touchscreen menu, or via the dedicated camera button on the side of the phone. The Xperia X8 uses a 600 MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor, as well as 3-axis accelerometers and built-in Global Positioning System. It also has a an ambient light sensor and a digital compass. The Xperia also sports a 1200mAh which was quite an improvement to its predecessor the x10 mini.
Although not initially available, Multi-touch support was also added to several aftermarket firmware versions (ROMS) cough* nAa* cough MiniCM9 cough* .
Like nearly every device, in its day, the x8 attracted many people simply because of its specs. The S3 of its day
Physical Appearance
The Xperia line of mobile phones has always amazed critics with its design being second to none. This fact is what led many to believe the next Nexus phone/s will be designed by the same art team. The phone has a curved back with quite a boxed like front. Combining the generic phone look with a rather futuristic design gives the cellular device an original overall look. On purchasing the phone you are provided with two different coloured backs (varies depending on carrier and country).
User Friendliness
As mentioned previously, the mobile comes shipped with android 1.6 upgradable to 2.1. I can only comment on the 2.1 software seeing as this is the only one I have used.
Sony Ericson paid large amounts of attention to detail and although many users are against developers overhauling android, I believe this was a necessary step as the stock firmware runs flawlessly on the device and SE adds many feature that will make tasks which many believe common easier. I did feel that this generation of phones marked the death of Pay as you Go as many features are internet reliant and internet is impossible on P&G. In addition to this, the raw support for the phone gives advanced users satisfaction too. Not only does XDA support customization but SE does too! More phone developers should take a leaf out of Sony Ericson's book and offer support like they do.
Cost Efficiency
Nowadays, the price of android products seems to depreciate considerably faster than other rivals. This is to be expected seeing as the mobile phone market itself is considerably saturated and with more android variants entering each day cost/unit depreciation will be far greater than the iPhone branding. The phone has become a mid range low cost phone. I would say for a price as low as £80 in the UK, nearly all users will be appeased. The phone teaches users who were not particularly advanced, many things about android. Something the spoon feeding of iOS will never do.
Conclusion
The Xperia x8 is a great low cost phone for beginners to android as well as advanced users. The hardware is acceptable however people will become thirsty for more in this current day and age. Stunning visuals means that you will not be embarrassed in front of your friends and firmware is never an issue. Pay as you go may have been abandoned for the time being but seems to be getting adopted by Google with their latest jelly bean. With the Sony Ericson department no closed, phones like this just won't be produced anymore. Sony are still finding their feet but I think they are going in the HTC direction producing too many phones at once. If phone manufacturers worked upon the fundamentals like SE did, we would have the new breed of ultimate phones.
RATING: I give this phone a 7 jelly beans out of 10. I would nominate this phone as LCTOTY. (Low cost thing of the year) Actually it is a tie between this and toilet paper.
Thankyou for reading my review.
NOTE: Sometimes I find myself on XDA in the early hours of the morning providing the best possible. I sometimes do not pay attention and will get angry quickly. I never mean any disrespect to anyone. If I do cross the line I am sorry in advance. Please PM me and bring my comment to my attention. I will issue an apology ASAP. Even though many advanced XDA users have disappointed me I will always offer XDA the best. I am always trying to be as nice as possible regardless of what people do to anger me so feel free to ask for help with anything.
Sources
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Ericsson_Xperia_X8
Special Thanks to my good friend KidCarter93. Structural duplication rights are shared with him.
Special Thanks also to mf2112 for all his support.
Special Mention to IAmNice, lucastan96, SpyderX and RohinZaraki. Without them the x8 community would be a darker place.

Support indie developers and I'll release free watchfaces for your Sony SmartWatch 2

Hi, as you may know my Google developer account has been suspended. I have lodged appeals to have Google reconsider their decision but they have failed to respond. This is not uncommon for them and is quite disappointing. A petition has already been started by another developer to get Google to treat developers more fairly. If you would like to show your support, please sign up on the link below. For every 10 sign ups via my link below, I will make one of my watchfaces available for free to download. I had just created over 10 new watchfaces when my account was shut down.
Many thanks for your support!
Petition link:
http://www.change.org/p/sergey-brin..._medium=email&utm_campaign=mailto_link_mobile

julz said:
Petition link:
http://www.change.org/p/sergey-brin..._medium=email&utm_campaign=mailto_link_mobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, signed the petition straight away. Its a pleasure to support you, even in such a small way. Thanks for all the hardwork. I have enjoyed using your watchfaces. Really sorry about what Google have done. You kind of get the feeling that devs working on Android Wear will not suffer the same treatment.
Although new watchfaces would be nice, I have lost all of your free-to-download watchfaces from Play store, when I flashed the KK 4.4.4 update for my phone. Any chance you could upload them somewhere and make those available for download?

gandalf_grey91 said:
No problem, signed the petition straight away. Its a pleasure to support you, even in such a small way. Thanks for all the hardwork. I have enjoyed using your watchfaces. Really sorry about what Google have done. You kind of get the feeling that devs working on Android Wear will not suffer the same treatment.
Although new watchfaces would be nice, I have lost all of your free-to-download watchfaces from Play store, when I flashed the KK 4.4.4 update for my phone. Any chance you could upload them somewhere and make those available for download?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mate!
Guess what... as of about 60 seconds ago Google has decided to reinstate my account! I will be selectively republishing my watchfaces - only those that are original designs though just to be safe.
My offer to release a free watchface for every 10 petition signatures still stands though and I will release them here free when each target is met. The watchfaces will still be available to purchase via Google Play (once I'm set up again).

Thats great. Glad to hear google saw sense.

post your watches on the amazon market. That's why competition is good.

kill_dano said:
post your watches on the amazon market. That's why competition is good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, yes this is something I've started the process of doing but will hold off now as my google account is back online. Unfortunately the time and effort spent publishing to amazon takes time away from actually designing new watchfaces. It takes me about 15-20 mins per app to get it prepared and listed on amazon or google as I need to do the graphics for each.

I think the reason to close the account in the first place was due to the violation brands name/designs. I warned about this in some post and put a link to the page which had alot of information for developers/designers what they need to know when designing something that already exists. But cant find that post anymore. Hmmm... Odd... Anyway, the problem is mostly that people uses other designs/part of the designs or brand name as part of their own designs. Just checked Play store and it seems to be that they removed those watchfaces violating other brands like Rolex etc. Am I right?
This is good for everyone who does some design works
Copyright basics for graphic designers – Part 1 ... to 3
http://myows.com/blog/copyright-basics-for-graphic-designers-part-1/
Short version
http://www.onextrapixel.com/2013/09/05/10-copyright-laws-every-graphic-designer-should-be-aware-of/
Sent from my phone - Note 10.1 (N8000)

enigma_x said:
I think the reason to close the account in the first place was due to the violation brands name/designs. I warned about this in some post and put a link to the page which had alot of information for developers/designers what they need to know when designing something that already exists. But cant find that post anymore. Hmmm... Odd... Anyway, the problem is mostly that people uses other designs/part of the designs or brand name as part of their own designs. Just checked Play store and it seems to be that they removed those watchfaces violating other brands like Rolex etc. Am I right?
This is good for everyone who does some design works
Copyright basics for graphic designers – Part 1 ... to 3
http://myows.com/blog/copyright-basics-for-graphic-designers-part-1/
Short version
http://www.onextrapixel.com/2013/09/05/10-copyright-laws-every-graphic-designer-should-be-aware-of/
Sent from my phone - Note 10.1 (N8000)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this. Yes it was although what finally triggered my account suspension was based on an incorrect ruling. That is why I was able to get my account back and took precautions to prevent further issues by removing all my other watchfaces that were a potential risk.
Thanks for the links, I'll have a look into them for future reference.

Think that it was actually better that Google did something than any of those companies demanding their legal rights. It might have been nasty situation.
Sent from my phone - Note 10.1 (N8000)

Yes, exactly right... I had already started to make modifications such as removing logos but I think it is safer just to remove them all and start with my own designs.

T-Mobile Xperia Z3 Colors!

It seems there is a lot of excitement about the T-Mobile Sony Xperia Z3 (D6616 model#), but disappointment by the simple fact that T-Mobile is apparently only planning to offer it in the color Black. Please help me bring this to T-Mobile and Sony's attention that there is a lot of desire for the T-Mobile Xperia Z3 in other colors, especially white. Maybe we can start a Twitter trend like #tmobilexperiaz3colors or something. We can also contact both companies via different means. I think there's a lot of potential to convince T-Mobile to at least offer white as an additional color option, and I think it would benefit them even if other colors were only available via Web orders (so that they don't have to worry about inventory overhead in stores).
Twitter: @TmobileHelp and @sonyxperiauS
Sony Store Phone#: 1-877-865-7669
It would be great if this could be stickied, mods!
Thanks for everyone's help in advance!

If you want more colors, make the Z3 popular

I'm hoping this thread helps with that.

wolf0491 said:
I don't think it will happen until t mobile sees string device sales
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This one seems rather popular:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Planet-Waves-Pro-Winder-String-Winder/dp/B0002E1G5C