So who's getting the Ion?

[drogers81]

It's way too quiet in this forum..I've had this phone for a week now..and I honestly can't think of anything o don't like. This phone definitely needs more attention.

Sent from my Sony Xperia Ion using Tapatalk 2

 

[petes67bird]

Exactly phone works better than I could of imagined.

Sent from my Sony Xperia ION.

 

[sniktawm]

I really want this phone, but holding off until it can be rooted. I've been looking at the HTC One X also, but have been holding off because I want to stay loyal with Sony. Can't stand over-hyped Samsung devices.

Sony deserves a chance in the US market. Damn ATT for forcing Sony to lock the bootloader.

 

[paul-c]

Yeah, Sony definitely deserves a chance in the US market. I'll never understand all the hype for Samsung phones.

Sent from my Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini

 

[rcalderaro]

Apparently there's a screen protector pre installed on the ion. I saw this over on xda and in the store today.

Forgot to ask, what are your impressions of it? Good enough to keep on or buy a better one?

I just got this phone on Saturday from Best Buy for free for my daughter and bought the Incipio Silicrylic case too. I didn't know the phone has a screen protector on it already. I don't like it, because it smudges and fingerprints seem to love it. Does anyone know if it can be removed or should I put the screen protector that came with the Incipio Silicrylic case on top of it?

BTW - the phone we got had an sdcard in it, but I thought it was a return (I started another thread about this). Someone pointed me in this direction, and I feel better that since we got the phone from Best Buy, it looks like the sdcard was supposed to be in the phone so I don't have to return it.

Thanks!

 

[paul-c]

I think most people are just putting a screen protector on top of the one it comes with. I'm not a fan of the protector either, but I found that taking it off is more trouble than it's worth. Factory install means it won't come off easily and could leave residue on the screen. I got used to it after awhile.

Sent from my Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini

 

[SonyGuy]

I'm looking at getting this today (1 for me and 1 for my fiance). We are transitioning from the iPhone 4s that we have, and this will be our first Sony phone, and experience with the Android platform. Although we have MANY Sony devices and electronics.

I have a couple Andriod related questions pertaining to the Sony Ion though:
1. What is the difference between Gingerbread and Ice Cream Sandwich, and why does it matter which it has?
2. Has Sony released the Ice Cream Sandwich update yet, or have they announced a date for it?


The main reason I'm confused as to why the OS version really matters is because all the iOS updates over the last 3 years (we've had both the 3gs and the 4s) have been virtually the same with really unnoticeable differences. Why does everyone seem to be making such a big deal about it?

 

[paul-c]

I'm not sure what the big fuss is over ICS. I can do everything I need to running Gingerbread. Sony did throw in a feature from ICS here and there on the ion. For instance, there are lock screen music controls. I have ICS on my Motorola DROID RAZR and I'm not overly impressed. Sony's update will show up sooner or later, but it doesn't affect the ion in the slightest for me.

Sent from my Sony Xperia ion

 

[SonyGuy]

ive played on it for a few hours now and the most difficult thing to get used to is the diifference in keyboards, other than that its incredible.

i will get back to you in a bit, as ill probably have some questions.

I'm not sure what the big fuss is over ICS. I can do everything I need to running Gingerbread. Sony did throw in a feature from ICS here and there on the ion. For instance, there are lock screen music controls. I have ICS on my Motorola DROID RAZR and I'm not overly impressed. Sony's update will show up sooner or later, but it doesn't affect the ion in the slightest for me.

Sent from my Sony Xperia ion

 

[iN8ter]

Looks like you found out where you're getting your upgrade. I guess so haha. I'll take an sd card over earbuds anyday. Ear buds are cheap and don't last all too long in my experience, however, my Creative earbuds have lasted me over 2 years now. Longer than any pair I have owned.

Could it be because of patent issues filed by Apple? I think I recall reading something about Apple wanting to delay the SGSIII. I could be wrong. The patent wars, however, are getting way out of hand. In the end, I forsee Google taking over the world anyways.

Assuming the earbuds are at least similar quality to what Samsung ships with their high end devices (Sony typically makes decent earbuds), I'll take that over a Class 4 8GB SD Card (that's probably the best class you can expect to come with a phone) any day of the week. A class 10 16GB card at Best Buy is $20 and change. A below-average pair of consumer earbuds (Samsung or Sony branded, e.g.) that are worth using cost at least that much, if not slightly.

 

[paul-c]

Looks like Ice Cream Sandwich is finally here for the ion. Anybody download the update yet? I just got done and I must say, it looks really slick. Just wish it would have been an OTA update, updating it through the computer was a pain. Ended up being worth it, though.

Sent from my Sony Xperia ion

 

[bobby james]

Yeah it's probably the best ICS skin. Much better than Sense and especially Touchwiz

 

[paul-c]

Yeah it's probably the best ICS skin. Much better than Sense and especially Touchwiz

Totally agree. I really like what Sony did with Timescape in ICS. Before I installed the update I was worried they would massively change it like Motorola did when they updated to ICS. Glad to see everything I liked from before got to stay.

Sent from my Sony Xperia ion

 

[SonyGuy]

Looks like Ice Cream Sandwich is finally here for the ion. Anybody download the update yet? I just got done and I must say, it looks really slick. Just wish it would have been an OTA update, updating it through the computer was a pain. Ended up being worth it, though.

Sent from my Sony Xperia ion

Yup, I updated it shortly after I the ICS update was announced on FB. Looks great, runs smooth, and I really like it.

 

[buckwild]

Looks like Ice Cream Sandwich is finally here for the ion. Anybody download the update yet? I just got done and I must say, it looks really slick. Just wish it would have been an OTA update, updating it through the computer was a pain. Ended up being worth it, though.

Sent from my Sony Xperia ion

I'm loving it! I too agree it's a PITA trying to update but this new OS is sweet!


Sent from my Sony Xperia Ion

 

[osirhc]

I just purchased the ion and am still running 2.3.7. how do I go about updating to ics?

Sent from my LT28at using Android Central Forums

 

[paul-c]

I just purchased the ion and am still running 2.3.7. how do I go about updating to ics?

Sent from my LT28at using Android Central Forums

Go to the Sony Mobile website. There is software to download so you can update the ion through your computer.

Sent from my Sony Xperia ion

 

[osirhc]

Awesome! thanks

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[paul-c]

Awesome! thanks

Sent from my LT28at using Android Central Forums

No problem, enjoy ICS.

Sent from my Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini

 

[Clif1999]

I just picked up the Xperia Ion from AT&T last week and I love it! I am coming from the Samsung Galaxy Note which I liked a lot but the Ion's styling is so distinctive and sexy that I had to have it. I really hate rounded corners. Give me pointy corners and sharp 90 degree angles any day! Besides, there were three things that the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note lacked that I just could not get past. These three things may seem small but they were important to me. They are: 1) a notification LED light, 2) FM radio, and 3) a physical camera button. I had become accustomed to those features with my Moto Atrix 2. I should never have given them up. I was delighted to see that the Ion had all three! Plus, the styling on the Galaxy Note was so bland and uninspired. Sure it was huge, which I really liked but, it was just stylistically boring. So I grabbed the ION and knew that I had made the right decision. The camera is excellent. 100 times better than the one on the Galaxy Note. And I am not just talking megapixels either. On the Galaxy Note, if you were taking a shot in medium to low light, forget about it. I always ended up with terrible grainy pictures. In fact, outside of taking a shot in bright sunlight the results were hit or miss. Occasionally, I could get a decent shot in medium light but I had to make funky adjustments to the ISO and exposure value settings. Anyway, with the ION, I don't have to worry about any of that. The camera can automatically sense the environment and chooses the best settings. I get great shots every time. Also, if you want to manually adjust the camera there are additional settings that are less obvious. You just have to look for them. Start by turning off the scene mode and you can manually adjust stuff like ISO, exposure value, metering, etc. So, the day after I picked up my ION I learned that the ICS update had just been released so I grabbed the update from the Sony web site, though I really did not have a problem with the phone still being on Gingerbread. The way Sony had minimally skinned it and optimized it, Gingerbread was fine by me. The phone is so beautiful and it operated so smoothly. I had no complaints. After I upgraded to ICS, I noticed that that beautiful, black, big, full-screen dialer that the Ion had on Gingerbread was replaced with something less beautiful. The ICS dialer is smaller and more of a medium gray in color. I didn't like that at all. I downloaded Dialer Ex from the Google Play Store and with some tweaking I was able to get it to approximate the look of the original Gingerbread Ion dialer. Anyway, this post is long and rambling. I just wanted to say that I love my Xperia Ion. I am thinking that a lot of people have mistakenly dismissed this awesome handset. It has all that I need, bold, sexy styling, silky smooth operation, awesomely clear call quality, a great camera, and so much more!