It seems the masses have abandoned the need to take blurry prototype shots, as the pics we're seeing of the Paris are all crystal clear. The device is touted -- by a forum user, so take it with a healthy dose of salt -- as having A-GPS,a 5 megapixel camera, 2.6-inch display, Google Maps, rocker QWERTY keypad, and a very vanilla design aesthetic. The forum user who took the pics, gliatiotis, also chimes in that he was pretty humdrum about the handset, with the major complaint being that the hardware isn't advancing in this line. The drums seem to be beating louder each day on this phone, so we're hoping release to the masses might be just around the corner. Follow the link to get at a pile more pics.

[Via SlashPhone]

It looks like your future digital camera could have considerably more wireless options than built-in WiFi or an Eye-Fi card, at least if Sony Ericsson has its way. As Unwired View reports, the company has filed a number patent applications that detail its plans to add various wireless connectivity options to digital cameras, including GSM, CDMA, and WiMAX, in addition to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. That would apparently come both in the form of wireless cards built into the cameras themselves, and in the form of wireless adapters or docks that would attach to the camera, with some dedicated flash memory also thrown in for storing settings for Flickr and the like. Of course, there's no indication as to when we can expect to see such cameras and, as Unwired View points out, the idea itself may not be the most patentable, but you can sign us up for any connectivity option that doesn't involve a tangled mess of cords in our gadget bag.

While we're sure there's at least a few folks that'll be pleased to hear that Sony Ericsson's eagerly-anticipated XPERIA X1 will launch with Handango's InHand service on the device, we're guessing there's a tad more people that'll be interested in the other little detail revealed in the company's recent newsletter: that the X1 will apparently be launching in mid-September. Of course, we'll still have to wait to hear from Sony Ericsson to know for sure, especially given some of the launch date confusion in the past, but this latest word is at least in line with the company's most recent statement that the X1 launching in the second half of 2008, so it might not be such a crazy idea to start counting down the days.

We saw the Sony Ericsson Z770i a little while back and now a mild refresh arriving in the form of this lovely bit of flip-candy called the Z780i. SEMC Blog outed this handset's WAP profile recently and now they've brought us a few thumbnails of what appears to be a Z770i twin but with a more reasonable looking keypad. There aren't many details to spare aside from what you can see above but there do seem to be profiles for both 'a' and 'i' models -- with 'a' bringing us some frequencies in the 3G range that'll we'll be able to enjoy over here. That's it for now kids, but we'll be back with more info as soon as we hear about it.

Read - WAP profile for Z780i
Read - WAP profile for Z780a

[Via SEMC Blog]

Ahhh, Sony Ericsson rumors begin to swirl just as CTIA is getting set to close up shop for another year, and if you believe 'em, the P5 or "Paris" is just around the corner. We have to admit, while pretty, the pic of this little slider does look a bit sketchy -- specially the screen -- but we've heard rumblings about similar sets for long enough we can at least take a moment to hope. Apparently featuring UIQ 3.3, the P5 is rumored to be set for official launch in May with release date set for fall. Of course, Sony Ericsson is well known for slipping the dates in a big way, so we'll just lay back and wait to see what's what.

[Thanks, Kevin and Kaloyan]

CTIA approaches, we expect rumors to swirl and almost right on cue Sony Ericsson's leaky faucet drips out a couple shots of an upcoming set codenamed "Emelie" appear. Not much is known about this set except that it is finished in metal -- oooh, ahhh -- packs a 2 megapixel camera, sports a QVGA screen, and may end up in the $200 - $300 range. The handset's description also mentions 18 keys inside the case -- so clamshell format is likely -- and that said keys are "curvy and sparkly." Here's hoping Sony Ericsson are set to bust out some new fun at the show next week, and if the offering is anything like Mobile World Congress this year, we can hope for an armload -- though, it's not likely.

There certainly hasn't been any shortage of XPERIA X1 details to emerge since the desirable device was first announced back in February, but those still looking for something to whet their appetite until they can actually get their hands on one can now get their fix courtesy of a new white paper released by Sony Ericsson, which packs a bundle of interesting new tidbits. That includes details on the pre-loaded XPERIA panels, along with word of DLNA-compatible media sharing via ActiveSync or WiFi, details on the video recording options (30fps MPEG-4 and30fps H.263, both VGA), and confirmation that the only browser included will be Internet Explorer. Also according to the white paper, you can expect Google Maps and Java ME to be installed by default, and you'll get Exchange Direct Push email built-in, with setup wizards provided for Gmail, Yahoo, and Live Hotmail. What's more, as Inxperia points out, there is also a noticeable lack of 1700MHz support, although we doubt that'll be a deal-breaker for too many folks.

It looks like those eagerly waiting to get their hands on Sony Ericsson's HTC-made XPERIA X1 can rest a little easier, as the much anticipated apparently is still on track for release in the second half of this year, and not in February 2009 as recently rumored. That word comes straight from Sony Ericsson Corporate Vice President of the Global Communications Aldo Liguori, who told the Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog that "I can confirm that we will be launching the X1 product in 2nd Half of 2008, as per our announcement of 10th February." That sure is about as definitive as you can get, though we're guessing there's plenty of folks out there that think any date other than tomorrow is too long to wait.