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my_xperia
Jan 31 2013

my Xperia pilot launch [Interview]

January 31, 2013 - 12:00 PM
33 comments

We’re excited to tell you about a pilot kicking off this week – a remote security service we’re calling “my Xperia”, that’ll help you locate and protect your Xperia smartphone should it ever get lost.

It’s initially beta launching in the Nordics with a phased rollout, and we’re lining up a global release during Q2.

Marcin Zielinski, Sony Experience Planner and one of the brains-behind-the-app, recently took the time to tell us a little more about it…

Can you describe “my Xperia” in a sentence?

Sure – “When the unpredictable happens, “my Xperia” helps you locate your misplaced Sony smartphone and protect your personal data”

Why have you created this – what’s the inspiration?

We recognise that your Sony Xperia smartphone is equally as important as other valuables like wallets and keys, but it’s also just as easily misplaced.

The thinking behind the app is to anticipate those unpredictable situations, where your smartphone might end up lost or misplaced – when this happens, “my Xperia” is designed to give you piece of mind by helping you a) locate and find your phone and b) ensure private info doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

Can you tell us a little bit about any key features and how it’ll work?

It’s really simple – you activate the app in your phone’s settings and use Google ID to sign in to myxperia.sonymobile.com to access the central interface.

From here, you’ll be able to control a number of remote functions -

  • Locate your smartphone on a map
  • Sound an alert to get someone’s attention – it’ll also override silent mode and wake the display :)
  • Lock the phone to keep info private, and ping a message with contact details or…
  • Erase both internal and external SD card info / data if required

Can you tell us about the beta launch, and plans going forward?

We’re running a phased launch in the Nordics on select 2012 Xperia smartphones running ICS. We’ll start with Xperia Acro S and add new devices over the coming weeks.

Users who are able to participate in the pilot will receive a notification in their Xperia when the service is available to them.

Following the notification, over-the-air download/installation via Update Center (the app which also brings OTA software-updates to your Xperia smartphone) is required, and the final step includes activation via Settings -> Xperia™ -> my Xperia.

The idea is to grab as much feedback / input on the service as possible, so we can perfect and tweak before full global rollout – please drop any suggestions, questions or things you’d like to see in the comments below. Or share your experiences and questions with other users on our support forum :)

Thanks to Marcin for his time – we’ll be keeping you all up-to-date with the latest on “my Xperia” right here on the blog.

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  • By James Bluem

    I wonder if we will ever see any news about bug fixes for 2011 Xperias…!?

    For more than seven months now, the notification LED of my Xperia arc S doesn’n work and there is still no information how Sony is going to solve the Problem!

    SONY, GIVE US THE SMARTPHONE EXPERIENCE WE PAID FOR!

  • By Craig Ruger

    Working on this instead of fixing bugs in 2011 Xperia ICS software? Who is setting the priorities there? Rhetorical question. Newsflash: nobody cares about this – we want a bug free OS.

  • By Tomas Björklund

    Great development. Keep up the good work.

    Just some feedback. When requesting a sound to be played via the web site, myXperia on the phone crashes if my Bluetooth headset is connected (Jabra Clipper). Also when doing a Locate, the map on the web site (accessed through both through Chrome on a PC and the stock browser on the Acro S) zooms in too far. It was zoomed in so far that it was just gray, as if no map was loaded. When zooming out, I began seeing roads and that it really was located correctly but at the original zoom level, I saw nothing.

  • By Tsunade ...

    Hey sony, what about an update for Xperia Sola ??? And need jelly bean, out sola would run faster with it.

    Do you really think people will rush to buy a new phone by not updating the “old” ones ? Think again. I don’t mean to change my sola anytime soon, and my next phone is unlikely to be a sony. I trusted sony get updates…, i see now that it was a mistake.
    Had sola been updated , i might have gotten an other sony when time comes to replace it. Now, no way !!!!

    • By marc martin

      You’ll quickly change your mind when you phone will not be supported without valid ground. And when you realize that this manufacturer doesn’t bother to just fix bugs: it sells, and it moves on.
      I am very disappointed with that attitude: nothing can justify it.
      Why this lack of communication?

  • By Bacxon Kiama

    Am a first time Sony user and already regrets ever buying my My Xperia U. My phone says its up-to-date yet its running on gingerbread 2.3. I wanna update it to ICS but the cannot do it without voiding the warranty. I dont think I will ever buy a Sony gadget again.

    Amaik. (Kenya)

  • By Max Pax

    what if the THIEF quickly pulls the SIM card out and disables GPS?
    make this available for more countries and more devices for feedback

  • By Rui Melo

    SONY, as a 2011 costumer, using a Xperia Arc S, bought in February 22nd, 2012, WHERE IS THE ICS BUG FIX THAT YOU PROMISE US SINCE 19th October 2012? BE A REAL COMPANY, NOT A LOSER ONE.

    UPGRADE 2011 LINE, TALK WITH US, DON’T IGNORE US, WE ARE COSTUMERS LIKE ALL THE OTHERS.

  • By Constantin Rotaru

    Good development, but when Xperia Arc will work properly??? when you get Android 4.0 when Android 5.0 will be released? From what I knew had to receive Android 4.0 in 2011.

  • By Marc newsgroup

    Great to hear some news intended for the Acro S ! I have this phone and I love its ruggedness a lot. But I also feel a bit leftout with this stepbrother of the regular S: no accessories (e.g. cardock or case), so reading that the Acro S is getting this great piece of software first is a real treat.

    (and don’t you just hate every blog-entry being hijacked by a few grumpy Arc owners?)

    • By carlo ly

      I somewhat agree with Marc regarding both the update and the complaints. If you think other phone providers will give you the service you paid for then do so. If you check other manufacturers, they have also ceased most of their phones from upgrading the firmwares. I have few Sony phones (especially old ones) that they ceased to support now but I did not rant. A little research to know the perfect phone for you will be worth it next time.

      • By lisa parker

        But a little research lets you know that Sony dares to make bugged phones and doesn’t fix problems it creates. But maybe it’s not a shame.
        (I’m a Xperia 2011 user)

    • By Rui Melo

      Marc, just think a little bit before you writte some things. I am a Xperia Arc S user and I came here yesterday because SONY don’t do what they told they would do.

      I don’t mind having a Xperia Arc S, I love it, the problem is, the buggy ICS versions that SONY gave us and make the phone be only 60/70% functional.

      Don’t be upset with me and other ARC/ARC S users because you will have near future, what I am talking about, when you will start having software problems and you will not have even an answer from SONY. I Hope not.

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