To localise custom ROMs for our most recent Xperia devices that have keyboards – Xperia™ pro or Xperia™ mini pro – you’ll need to ensure that the ROMs properly handle the physical keyboard corresponding to the country you wish to develop for. Below, you’ll find a list of keyboard mappings, by country, for the Xperia™ pro and Xperia™ mini pro. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment at the end of this post, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Arabic

Arabic keyboard layout.

The Arabic keyboard layout is the keyboard layout used for the Arabic languages. The keyboard contains both Arabic and Latin characters, since Latin characters are necessary for URLs and email addresses. 

AZERTY

AZERTY keyboard layout.

The AZERTY layout takes its name from the first six letters to appear on the first row of alphabetical keys. It is modelled on the English QWERTY layout, and is used most by French speakers based in Europe.

Bopomofo (Zhuyin)

Bopomofo keyboard layout.

The Bopomofo keyboard layout is often abbreviated as zhuyin and colloquially called bopomofo. The system consists of 37 characters and four tone marks, and makes it possible to transcribe all possible sounds in Mandarin.

Cyrillic

Cyrillic keyboard layout.

Danish/Norwegian

Danish/Norwegian keyboard layout.

The Danish/Norwegian keyboard layout includes dedicated keys for the letters Å/å, Æ/æ and Ø/ø.

Greek

Greek keyboard layout.

The Greek keyboard layout follows the U.S. layout for letters related to Latin letters (ABDEHIKLMNOPRSTXYZ), substitutes visually or phonetically similar letters (Φ at F; Γ at G) and uses the remaining slots for the remaining Greek letters: Ξ at J; Ψ at C; Ω at V; Θ at U).

Hebrew

Hebrew keyboard layout.

The Hebrew keyboard layout has both Hebrew and Latin letters. Since Hebrew is read and written right to left, as opposed to the left to right system in English, the cursor keys and delete keys work backwards when in left-to-right directionality mode.

Korean

Korean keyboard layout.

Korean is typed similarly to Western languages. Therefore, its layout (Dubeolsik) shares its symbol layout with the QWERTY keyboard. While Korean consonants and vowels (jamo) are grouped together into syllabic grids when written, the script is essentially alphabetical, and therefore typing in Korean is quite simple for those who understand the Korean alphabet Hangul. 

Latin (Xperia™ mini pro only)

Latin keyboard layout.

The Latin keyboard layout is the parent layout for QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY. 

Portuguese/Catalan

Portuguese/Catalan keyboard layout.

The Portuguese/Catalan keyboard layout follows the QWERTY layout with the addition of the letter Ç, the only application of the cedilla in Portuguese, and which has its own key.

QWERTZ

QWERTZ keyboard layout.

The QWERTZ keyboard layout is mostly used in Germany and much of Central Europe. The name comes from the first six letters at the top left of the keyboard.

Stroke

Stroke keyboard layout.

The Stroke keyboard layout refers to strokes needed to form Chinese Hanzi characters currently in use in China, Japan and Korea. The method is widely installed in mobile phones with small screens because the method only requires five key taps for the 5,000 commonly used Chinese characters. It is also considered too tedious requiring a user to type out all the strokes constituting a single Chinese character.

Swedish/Finnish

Swedish/Finnish keyboard layout.

The central characteristics of the Swedish/Finish keyboard layout include the letters Å/å, Ä/ä, and Ö/ö.

Thai

Thai keyboard layout.

The Thai keyboard layout allows you to write Thai script. The less frequently used characters are accessed by the Shift key.

More information

• Get a description, technical details, and the white paper for Xperia pro.
• Get a description, technical details, and the white paper for Xperia mini pro.
• Find out about unlocking the boot loader for Xperia™ smartphones.

David Karlsson, Sony Ericsson software architect

Hi, I’m David Karlsson, a Sony Ericsson Software Architect. My work mainly involves giving architectural guidance and technical support to our development partners and third party vendors. One important developer topic that comes up frequently is how to reduce the APK file size of an app. Developers who are submitting apps to Android Market™ sometimes discover that their APK file exceeds 50 MB, the current upload size limit. But you don’t have to accept the APK file size as is. There are ways you can reduce your APK file size.

What is an APK file?

An APK is an Android application package file. Each Android application is compiled and packaged in a single file that includes all of the application’s code (.dex files), resources, assets, and manifest file. The APK file is basically a .zip file, so there’s no way of compressing its size any further.

Why you should consider keeping files as small as possible

Memory space on smartphones is often a competitive area, now that most users are storing music, video, messages are more, in addition to downloading apps. The smaller you make your APK, the better it is for the user, and that may be a deciding factor on whether to download your app, versus a similar app that takes up more phone memory.

Tips for reducing file size

Here are a number of recommendations for reducing static footprint. You can choose the ones that fit best for your own particular needs.

ProGuard

A tool for code shrinking, like ProGuard, will significantly reduce the static foot print. The tool is available at sourceforge. Note that it is very important to re-test all of the application after applying ProGuard since it may change the application behavior. As ProGuard replaces the application symbols, to make the code difficult to read, it is important that you retain the symbol mapping, so that you can translate a stack trace back to the original symbols if you have to investigate a crash in your application.

Removal of debug information

We recommend that you remove all debug-related functionality from the application. The application generally does not see or use this data, and the Android operating system does not require it to run the application. Hence, the debug information only wastes space, and should be removed.

To accomplish this, all debug related functionality must be enclosed in conditional blocks, like below:

static final debug = false;

if (debug) {

          Log.v(TAG, “Debug …”);

}

It is important that the debug flag is set at compile time (i.e. declared as static final) for the compiler to be able to completely remove all debug functionality. Creating your own debug method like the one shown below is not a good idea because the call to myDebugPrint() is not enclosed by a conditional block, which means that the compiler must retain information about myDebugPrint() in the calling class.

public void myDebugPrint() {

    if (Debug) {

              Log.v(TAG, “Debug …”);

    }

}

…

myDebugPrint()

…

Removal of debug symbols from native libraries

Using debug symbols makes sense if your application is still in development, and still requires debugging. But if debug symbols are still appearing when you compile a release build, and if you want to remove them, then we recommend that the Debug symbols be removed from native libraries (.so files). This is done using the arm-eabi-strip command, from the Android NDK.

Recommended media formats

If your application relies heavily on images, audio or video, another way you can reduce the APK size is by using certain media formats. We recommend that you use the following media formats for images, audio and video:

• Images: PNG or JPEG. Use PNGs; since it is a lossless format it is very suitable for textures and artwork as there will be no visual artefacts from the compression. If there are space constraints, use JPEGs or a combination of PNGs and JPEGs. A high quality JPEG image may work fine for large photo-realistic images, which the JPEG compression scheme is optimised for.
• Audio: AAC Audio is recommended for all audio resources. AAC achieves better compression at a given quality, compared to mp3 or Ogg Vorbis. Raw formats such as WAV should never be used. The common rational for using the WAV format is that decoding compressed audio streams usually means high latency at playback. However, Android provides the Sound Pool API which enables applications to use compressed audio streams without the penalty of high latency.
• Video: Use H264 AVC. Encode the video to a resolution no larger than the screen resolution of the target device (if known).

Optimise PNG sizes without losing quality

If you use PNG format, PNG images can be reduced in file size without losing quality. To do this, use a tool such as OptiPNG or PNGCrush. Both are great for reducing PNG file size while still ensuring image quality. PNGcrush is an open-source program that iterates over PNG filters and zlib (Deflate) parameters, compresses the image repeatedly using each parameter configuration, and chooses the configuration that yields the smallest compressed (IDAT) output. On the other hand, OptiPNG performs the trials entirely in memory, and writes only the final output file on the disk. Moreover, it offers multiple optimization presets to the user.

Use 9patch PNGs to scale your images

A 9patch png is a special format for PNG that can be used for backgrounds. Nine patch images are especially useful when designing buttons. Instead of defining a regular bitmap to be used as a background, a 9patch defines nine segments – for each of the four corners, the four edges, and the centre. (See illustration).

Segments defined for 9patch PNG.

When you use a 9patch image, the image is subject to the following conditions:

• The corner segments are never scaled.
• The edge segments are repeated along the edge of the in order to fill the edge between the corner segments.
• The centre segment is repeated to fill the centre of the background between the four edges.
• The illustration below shows two buttons. The background of each button is generated from the same 9patch.
  

  Example of buttons generated from the same 9patch file.

 A single 9patch PNG can be used to replace many background images, as it can scale to fill the size of the control. Equally, a single 9patch image can be used on all devices of the same dpi screen, removing the need for screen-dependent backgrounds.

Remove unused resources

Another potential group of space wasters to consider for removal from your APK file are unused resources in your res directory, such as unused layouts, drawables and colors. To detect unused resources in your APK which might be able to be removed, use the android-unused-resources tool. Android Unused Resources is a Java application that will scan your project for unused resources.

Avoid duplication

Making sure that your application doesn’t have duplicate functionality or duplicate assets is an obvious way to avoid having unnecessary files in your APK. It is important to understand which Android APIs you use, and the full functionality that each provides. It could be that one Android API is already doing the work of another API. Duplicated assets (strings, bitmaps etc) are also a waste of space, and can be easily avoided. To a lesser extent, duplicated code will also unnecessarily increase the size of the delivered binary.

***

If you have any questions on how to reduce APK file size, feel free to leave a comment and we’ll get back to you with an answer as soon as possible.

More information

• Read our developer tip about installing large APK files to the SD card.
• Read our developer tutorial on how to use multiple APK support.

This way, we would like to continue to be transparent, share our knowledge, and get external developer contributions to make the tools even better. On our GitHub, you can also find our Web SDK  project we published a while back, and a project called DrmLicenseService, which we will tell more about soon. Stay tuned for more information about open source projects going forward!

The Sony Developer sites offer a great pool of resources with which Xperia developers can use to build upon their own mobile applications experience. If you haven’t had a chance to check out all of Sony’s developer resources, here’s a quick look at what the site has to offer:

sonydeveloper.com

The central location for all Sony developers is sonydeveloper.com. Here, you’ll find a subset of links focusing on Sony Android™ and Yahoo!® Widgets development.

Sony Android™ development

The Sony Internet TV powered by Google™, Sony Tablet™ S and Sony Tablet™ P are powered by the Android™ platform. At the Sony Android™ development site, you can download the application development kit for the Sony Tablet™. This site also has a forum for Sony Tablet™ questions and for general information topics. As a member, you’ll be able to access TV applications and even submit a TV app. TV apps will be reviewed by Sony and may then be featured on Sony Select in Android Market™ for Google TV.  And to make discovery of your app even easier, Sony offers its Select App site which highlights new and unique Android applications in a number of categories, recommended for Sony Tablet™ devices. Recommended applications will be spotlighted at launch with more to come in the following weeks and months. The service is similar to Sony Ericsson’s Get apps and Get music widgets, and similar to the Games Recommender on Xperia™ PLAY.

YAHOO!® Widgets development

BRAVIA® Internet Widgets are small downloadable applications powered by YAHOO!® Widgets and provide you access to the latest in news, weather, stock info, and interactive content when your TV is connected to the Internet. At the YAHOO!® Widgets developer site, get developer news on BRAVIA® Internet Widgets. And soon, you’ll also have access to images, examples, tips and techniques to help you create exciting new applications.

…So why not start developing applications across Sony devices

If you’re ready to expand your mobile app development for other Sony devices, why not take some time to look around at all these Sony developer sites. We’d love to see Android™ apps utilising cross device experiences. We’re also aiming to publish articles focusing on the different technologies available when developing for different screens and devices.

Good luck and happy developing!

More information

• Checking out the starting point for anyone interested in Sony Developer services.
• Get started with Sony Android development.
• Discover BRAVIA® Internet Widgets development.
• See our Sony Developer services affiliate page.

On the 10^th of January, we announced four new Xperia™ smartphones – Xperia™ ion, Xperia™ S, Xperia™ acro HD and Xperia™ NX. This article aims to give you some more details on the last two, Xperia™ acro HD and Xperia™ NX.  Xperia™ acro HD is the follow-up to Xperia acro with popular Japan-specific features including Mobile Wallet via Felica and Mobile TV. Xperia™ NX is a variant of Xperia™ S for the Japanese market. Both will be available in Japan from this spring. Read more after the jump.

Both Xperia™ acro HD and Xperia™ NX will be launching on the Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread) platform. Both devices have 1GB of RAM and a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 MSM8260 dual core processor for stunning, fluid graphics, plus long battery life. You’ll also find the Adreno™ 220 GPU for an enhanced level of 3D graphics performance, and allows for support of a number of APIs, including OpenGL ES 2.0, OpenGL ES 1.1 and OpenVG 1.1. For more information on OpenGL, see our previous OpenGL blog post.

These devices also provide the full Sony entertainment experience with easy connectivity to the Sony Entertainment Network and across multiple screens, whether it’s TV, smartphone, laptop or tablet. You can watch content from Video Unlimited and access the PlayStation® Network for PlayStation-certified content to guarantee high-quality smartphone gaming and access to the PlayStation Store.    

Both products are also GLONASS-capable, allowing the device greater positioning accuracy when using navigation-related applications, and ANT+ enabled, which is an interoperability function that enables the collection, automatic transfer and tracking of sensor data for monitoring of personal wellness. Stay tuned to Developer World for more in depth information about GLONASS.

Key features for Xperia™ acro HD:

• 4.3 inch screen with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine with HD resolution screen (1280 x 720)
• 1.5GHz dual-core processor for fast browsing and content download
• 1 GB RAM
• 12 MP camera with Exmor R™ sensor with Fastest Capture to take shots in just one click directly from standby mode
• Mobile Wallet via Felica
• Android 2.3
• Mobile TV (One Seg)
• Water and dustproof via -  IP57
• MicroSD card slot
• infrared port data exchange (IrDA)
• Water-resistant 

Key features for Xperia™ NX:

• 4.3 inch screen with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine with HD resolution screen (1280 x 720)
• 1.5GHz dual-core processor for fast browsing and content download
• 1 GB RAM
• 12 MP camera with Exmor R™ sensor with Fastest Capture to take shots in just one click directly from standby mode
• Android 2.3
• Water-resistant

Xperia™ acro HD and Xperia™ NX will be available to Japanese consumers from this spring.

More information

• Read the official press release for Xperia acro HD and Xperia NX.
• Learn more about Xperia acro HD and Xperia NX on the consumer website.
• Get information on the Xperia ion and the Xperia S.

In the ANT+ ecosystem, an Android smartphone could be used in several different ways. It could be the sensor broadcasting data, or the receiver storing data and possibly displaying it. But it could also be the Internet gateway to publish data. Or, it could be everything at once. At Sony Ericsson, we’re happy to have included support for this interesting and useful technology in the new Xperia™ S and Xperia™ ion. Besides these phones, Sony Ericsson has released several phones supporting ANT+ previously, including all 2011 Xperia™ phones except Xperia™ PLAY.

To find out more about ANT+ and the latest news about the ANT+ emulator, we spoke with Jeff Fung, who is one of the main developers at Dynastream.

Yesterday we announced the new Xperia™ S and the Xperia™ SmartTags, as well as the Xperia™ ion for the US market. This marks an exciting new era, as these are the first Xperia™ devices supporting NFC. But what is really NFC? Surely you’ve heard about it, and know it’s expected to be widely used in the future. But how does it work, and how will it be used? In this article, you will get to know more about the technology, some of the use cases and how we will work with NFC initially.

NFC stands for Near Field Communication, and it’s a technology that enables data exchange between devices within a short distance, typically only a few centimetres. In most cases, the communication takes place between an active device and a non-powered target, but peer-to-peer interaction between two powered devices is also possible. Transfer rates are low, ranging from 106 Kbit/s to 424 Kbit/s, which means that use cases are all about small data exchanges. A typical use case would be to use the NFC connection as a trigger to set up Bluetooth™ or Wi-Fi™ connections.

With the new Xperia™ S, Xperia™ SmartTags and the Xperia™ ion supporting NFC, it will enhance the user experience of social applications and entertainment. You could tag your friends in a photo, or initiate multi-player games by tapping your handsets together. Check in at places, or even “like” things Facebook-style in real life by reading an NFC tag. Hold your phone close to a pair of speakers to start playing your music. These are some examples of existing and possible uses of the NFC technology. Since it is an open system, any app developer can come up with their own unique use cases.

Another use case is simplified secure transactions using apps like Google Wallet. With Google Wallet, you can have a virtual credit card and simply tap your phone at a reader in the store. You can also store virtual cards for things like customer loyalty information, access to buildings and transportation tickets.

NFC can be separated into three different technical modes which all suit different use cases: reader/writer mode, peer-to-peer mode and card emulation mode. When developing your own NFC-enabled app, you will find out that the different modes all cater to different needs, which are introduced below. In the Android SDK you find the information you need to get started with NFC in your own apps.

For illustrative purposes only. Not for commercial use or re-sale. Use of “Sony” brand subject to regulatory approval.

Interact with NFC tags using Reader/Writer mode
Reader/Writer mode is when the phone is the active part and reads data from or writes to an NFC tag. In Reader/Writer mode the phone is generating a field that is used to read information from passive tags that do not have any power source of their own. When you put a passive tag in the field close to a phone, the tag uses the field from the phone to send data back to the phone.

Many of the possible uses of NFC in reader/writer mode are about simplifying existing use cases. Instead of scanning a QR code – which requires installing a QR-reader app, opening the reader and scanning the QR code – you can simply touch an NFC tag with your phone with the screen lit up to get the same information. Bluetooth pairing is another use case that is made much easier: instead of searching for the gadget you want to connect to, you tap it with your phone and the pairing is done automatically.

Since NFC tags are available at relatively low cost, and can be produced in many different shapes, they can also be used to introduce physical real-world elements into games. For example, to go to the next level, you might have to find and read a tag at a certain place in your city.

Use P2P mode for smooth content sharing
With the new Xperia™ S and Xperia™ ion, you will be able to share content in a really easy way. When touching another NFC device with your phone, the application in use will automatically send the active content, for example, the track that is currently playing in the Media player, or the contact displayed on the screen if you are browsing through your contacts.

In Xperia™ S and Xperia™ ion, this function is enabled in the pre-installed Gallery, Music player, Web browser and Contacts. In our sharing function NFC is normally used to initiate the connection and then handover is done to a faster bearer such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, which makes it work well for locally stored content.

To share content between two devices, peer-to-peer mode is used. This is suitable whenever multi-pass communication is needed, which means the two devices have to talk to each other and confirm the interaction. This mode is defined by the NFC Forum, who defines the NFC standard, and differentiates NFC from earlier proprietary RFID variants, which only works between an active device and a passive tag.

Android Beam is the standard Android implementation of P2P mode which is introduced in the Ice Cream Sandwich release. It works for sharing small pieces of content, for example links to web content. Using Android Beam, you can add the possibility for users to share content from your own app. However, there is no support in Android Beam for the handover to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

Card emulation mode – it’s all about secure transactions
The card emulation mode is used for secure transactions, such as payments, transportation tickets, or when using the phone to access buildings. The card emulation mode can always be active in the phone, since the phone functions as a tag and there is no need to generate a field from the phone. The phone only needs to be ready to respond when being close to an NFC reader. If allowed by the service provider, card emulation can even work when the phone is switched off. Writing applications for card emulation mode requires the opportunity to access the secure element, which most developers don’t have.

Using Xperia™ SmartTags
Xperia™ SmartTags will be available in bundled kits together with certain phones in our Xperia™ 2012 portfolio (bundling options may differ between markets). An Xperia™ SmartTag is a read-only tag, containing an ID. In the LiveWare™ manager application you can configure what action that should be performed when a certain Xperia™ SmartTag is read. This means that reading the tag will have a result that is specific for your phone, while reading the same tag with a differently configured phone will give another result. For example, you can set up a special “work tag” at your desk, which will trigger the ringtone volume to be lowered and music to be turned off.

More information

• Learn more about NFC.
• Find the latest news and more about NFC at the NFC Forum.
• Read about Google Wallet.
• Get a hands-on guide to using NFC in your app in the Android SDK.
• Android Beam is the sharing application included in ICS.
• Find out more about Xperia™ S.
• Read more about Xperia™ ion.
• Check out the new Xperia™ SmartTags.

Today we announced the new Xperia™ S, our new flagship smartphone and the first of the new Xperia NXT series. This stunning Android™ smartphone boasts a 1.5 GHz dual core, 1 GB RAM, 4.3-inch 720×1280 resolution reality display, 12 MP camera with Exmor R™ mobile, NFC, and much more! Read more after the jump.

For illustrative purposes only. Not for commercial use or re-sale. Use of “Sony” brand subject to regulatory approval.

The Xperia™ S is the first in our new global line of Xperia™ phones called the Xperia NXT series. Launching on the Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread) platform, Xperia™ S will be upgraded to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) during the second quarter of 2012. It has a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 MSM8260 dual core processor for stunning, fluid graphics, plus long battery life. You’ll also find the Adreno™ 220 GPU for an enhanced level of 3D graphics performance, and allows for support of a number of APIs, including OpenGL ES 2.0, OpenGL ES 1.1 and OpenVG 1.1. For more information on OpenGL, see our previous OpenGL blog post.

And as Sony’s flagship smartphone, Xperia™ S makes for easy connectivity to the Sony Entertainment Network and across multiple screens, whether it’s TV, smartphone, laptop or tablet. You can watch content from Video Unlimited, listen to songs, personal playlists and radio stations from Music Unlimited, and access the PlayStation® Network for PlayStation-certified content to guarantee high-quality smartphone gaming and access to the PlayStation Store.

For illustrative purposes only. Not for commercial use or re-sale. Use of “Sony” brand subject to regulatory approval.

The Xperia™ S is also NFC enabled, allowing you to share content with other NFC devices and enjoy an increasing number of NFC applications and services, as well as Xperia™ SmartTags. Xperia™ SmartTags are a new kind of accessory that can launch a number of pre-configured profiles in the phone. It’s also GLONASS capable, allowing the device greater positioning accuracy when using navigation-related applications, and ANT+ enabled, which is an interoperability function that enables the collection, automatic transfer and tracking of sensor data for monitoring of personal wellness. For more in depth information on NFC, GLONASS and ANT+, stay tuned to Developer World going forward! For our current information on ANT+, check out these ANT+ blog posts.

Xperia™ S will be available to consumers globally from the first quarter 2012, and will come in 2 colors – black and white.

More information

• Watch the YouTube clip of the Xperia™ S in action.
• Download the Xperia™ S white paper.
• Read more about Xperia™ S on the consumer website.
• Check out the press release for Xperia™ S.
• Check out the new SmartWatch and Smart Wireless Headset pro accessories.

Today we’re announcing a couple of useful Smart Extras™, namely the SmartWatch and the Smart Wireless Headset pro. And for all of you developers out there, we’ve created a brand new Smart Extension SDK, which enables you to create or adapt apps to work with these two new accessories!  

SmartWatch is a micro display for Android™ smartphones, to wirelessly and discreetly access calls, messages and applications. Smart Wireless Headset pro is a Bluetooth™ stereo headset that also works as a standalone MP3 player and FM radio when apart from the phone.

Learn more about the new Smart Extras™ and the Smart Extension SDK after the jump!

For illustrative purposes only. Not for commercial use or re-sale. Use of “Sony” brand subject to regulatory approval.

SmartWatch is an 8mm thin, touch screen accessory that keeps you updated, and your hands free. It features an easy-to-use, ultra-responsive 128×128 pixels, 1.3” OLED touch display with 65536 colours, defined into 9 distinct touch areas in a 3×3 matrix. SmartWatch uses Bluetooth™ to communicate with the phone, and its dust and splash proof (supporting IP54).

SmartWatch is equipped with a vibrating unit, an accelerometer and a hardware button (not configurable for external applications). It also includes widgets for SMS, e-mail, call and music handling, Facebook, Twitter, time and date and more. On Android Market™, you will be able to download more apps over time, as apps can be adapted or created to work with SmartWatch through the Smart Extension SDK. It is also possible to customise it with any 20mm wristband. It is also possible to customise it with any 20mm wristband. For more information, check out the SmartWatch white paper!

Smart Wireless Headset pro is a stereo headset that delivers premium stereo sound. You can also use it as an ultra-convenient MP3 player (it has an SD card reader and a 2GB SD card included, and it can handle SD cards up to 32GB), a portable FM radio, or a remote that displays messages, caller names, media titles and more. You can even call directly from its recent call list, and have your SMSes read through the headphones via text to speech. Smart Wireless Headset pro uses Bluetooth 3.0 to communicate with the phone, and it features a two row display. You can read more in the Smart Wireless Headset pro white paper.

Both SmartWatch and Smart Wireless Headset pro are developed to work with most Android™ phones from Sony, Sony Ericsson and other select Android™ phone manufacturers. Check out the SmartWatch and Smart Wireless Headset pro product pages on our web for more information about compatibility and accessibility.

If you’re an app developer, these two new products will let you implement a lot of different use cases where you can utilise the features of the phone without even picking it up from your bag or pocket. You can either adapt your existing app to work with these products, or you can create an optimised app specifically designed to work with any of these new Smart Extras™.

The use cases you can create are almost endless – maybe you want to create a true pedestrian GPS navigator for the SmartWatch, or a game to make your waiting at the bus stop seem a little shorter, or different skins for the clock? Or maybe you want to clip the SmartWatch or Smart Wireless Headset pro to display a message while you are wearing it on your shirt? Take a look at the Smart Extension SDK to get started right away.

The new Smart Extension SDK does not only mean you can create new exciting use cases that might give you the extra edge on competition. It will also give you extra visibility as SmartWatch and Smart Wireless headset pro users will be able to filter out your apps on Android Market™ through LiveWare™ manager.

All of our phones come with LiveWare™ manager pre-installed. LiveWare™ manager is the engine of our accessory eco-system, as it enables the smart accessories to interact with apps in the phone. LiveWare™ manager can be installed by all phones (including other brands) running Android, which gives you as a developer a huge potential user base.

The Smart Extension SDK is an easy to use, intent based SDK, making it possible to access the display, widgets, notifications and other general controls through the following APIs:

• Notification API: this API is typically used by simple event driven data providers such as SMS, MMS, Missed calls, Facebook, Twitter and so on.
• Control API: this is the most advanced API, giving you full control of the accessory screen.
• Widget API: this is an API enabling you to display a widget on the accessory.
• Sensor API: this API makes the sensor data of the accessory (e.g. vibrator and accelerometer data) available to the Extensions application.

The SDK comes with code examples, an emulator, white papers and full documentation (including javadocs). Download the Smart Extension SDK to get started today!

So what do you think? What kind of apps and usecases would you like to see for these two products? Feel free to drop a comment below.

Updated note! The new version of LiveWare™ manager version is now available on Android Market. Please install this before installing the emulator in the SDK. If you have already installed the emulator, you will need to re-install it when you have installed the new version of LiveWare™ manager. The emulator will only work with LiveWare™ manager version 3.1.13 and onwards.

More information:

• Download the new Smart Extension SDK.
• Learn more about the Smart Extension SDK.
• Download the SmartWatch white paper.
• Download the Smart Wireless Headset pro white paper.