Sony Ericsson makes next-gen Xperia mini, mini pro official

Sony Ericsson used a special event on Thursday to at last confirm the second generation of its smallest Android smartphones. The touch-only Xperia mini and QWERTY slider Xperia mini pro are both much closer to full-size smartphones and both pack 1GHz Snapdragon processors, larger three-inch 320x480 screens, and five-megapixel cameras with 720p movie making. Android 2.3 carries over from the high-end phones and has been tweaked to make better use of the screen space than on the X10 minis, allowing as many as 16 apps launchable from hot corners on the home screen.

Also new is tighter Facebook integration that makes relevant parts of the social network available from music, photos, contacts, and calendars.

Either phone should get about 30 percent longer battery life than before, moving up to 4.5 hours of 3G talk on the Xperia mini and 5.5 hours on the mini pro. They come with a 2GB microSD card but can take up to 32GB.

Shipments won't start until the summer, although Sony Ericsson promises that either Xperia mini will come in a choice of four colors.

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HP Veer 4G official for AT&T, ships May 15

AT&T on Wednesday became the first US carrier to pick up the HP Veer. Badged as the Veer 4G, the extra-small webOS 2.1 phone can use its full 14.4Mbps HSPA access on the network and will support both hotspot creation and AT&T Navigator for those who like subscription GPS directions. The Veer 4G should ship on May 15 for $100 on a contract in black and white colors, though the hotspot will need the $45 monthly 4GB data plan.

The American version of the phone is virtually identical to what was announced back in February and centers on a unique, very small slider design that revolves around a 2.6-inch, 320x400 screen and a Pixi Plus-sized QWERTY keyboard. It runs Qualcomm's 800MHz second-generation Snapdragon for relatively quick performance and still has GPS, Wi-Fi, and 8GB of storage, although its five-megapixel camera doesn't have a flash. WebOS 2.1 has features such as card stacks for related tasks, Exhibition Mode for the Touchstone wireless charging dock, and a browser with native Flash support.

Canada and European carriers are expected to carry the Veer in the near future, but which carriers and their launch details haven't been given so far.

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BlackBerry Bold 9900 official with fast touch, 720p, and NFC

RIM kicked off the start of BlackBerry World with its first truly modern smartphone. The Bold 9900 series is the first to have both a fixed QWERTY keyboard and focuses on an exceptionally sharp, 2.8-inch 640x480 touchscreen. The company is also aiming for its first true iPhone-like responsiveness with a 60 frames per second interface that doesn't lag input like on the Storm or Torch.

Inside, the phone is now much more powerful and carries a 1.2GHz (likely Snapdragon) processor with 768MB of RAM. It now supports HSPA+ 3G on single- or dual-mode GSM versions. BlackBerry 7 is also key to the performance: the OS speeds up RIM's slower browsing speed through a new just-in-time JavaScript compiler and HTML5 support, and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics give BlackBerry phones their first real 3D gaming experience.

BB7 also brings voice-activated Universal Search, like Android. BlackBerry Balance is now official and keeps secure e-mail as well as other corporate information separate from personal data on the phone. The technique can not only keep secret information off-limits to personal apps but lets a company remotely wipe its data off of a leaving employee's phone without touching personal content.

The phone both catches up and moves ahead in some areas for RIM by adding NFC, for making short-range wireless payments or reading tags, as well as adding 720p video recording to the five-megapixel camera. RIM's phone is its thinnest ever at 10.5mm, still a millimeter thicker than the iPhone 4, but also fits both 8GB of internal storage as well as a microSDHC card slot and a removable battery.

Bold 9900 phones should be shipping in GSM (9900) and dual-mode CDMA/GSM (9930) versions starting in the summer. Early leaks have put the launch in or near July. Check in with Electronista later for a hands-on.

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