AnDevCon is all about Android developers
AnDevCon III is happening from the 14^th of 17^th of May at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame, California. The event is one of the most influential Android conferences in the world. As a major sponsor, we’ll have our own booth (#406) where you can try out our latest smartphones and Smart Extras, including the new Sony SmartWatch.

Don’t miss the Sony SmartWatch developer session
If you come visit us at the booth, you’ll also have an opportunity to chat with Sony business managers and developer engineers. Most importantly, we’re hosting a developer session on Wednesday, May 16^th at 3:30 PM where Magus Helgstrand from the Sony Mobile Companion Products team will teach you how to develop your own SmartWatch app extensions. By doing so, you can create new, innovative use cases and get better visibility by getting exposed in the SmartWatch ecosystem. For more information on this session, and to get some hands on demonstrations of other new Sony products, come to booth #406.

Apply to get SmartWatch
Starting shortly, we will also setup a SmartWatch developer incentive, where you can apply to get a SmartWatch for free if you are planning to develop an app extension for SmartWatch. If you notify us about your app extension and once you’ve uploaded it to Google Play, we will send you a complimentary headset (if you’ve created a substantial app extension). The most interesting new app extensions will also have the chance to get promoted in Sony’s online marketing channels!

More information about this incentive will be published shortly on this site. But the best thing is, that if you’re attending AnDevCon, you can come talk to us at the booth and apply to get a SmartWatch straight away!

Get a discount on your conference pass
It’s not too late to register for AnDevCon. As a compliment, you can use the discount code SONY on the AnDevCon registration page and you’ll save $200 US off the full conference pass!

So will you be going to AnDevCon this year? What are you most looking forward to?

More information

• Read the SmartWatch Development 101 session abstract on our Developer World Event Calendar.
• Learn more and register for AnDevCon III.
• Get the technical specs for SmartWatch.
• Learn how to develop apps using the Smart Extension SDK.
• Stay connected with us and all our latest AnDevCon news through Twitter (@SonyXperiaDev).

Have you developed a killer game or app, but need help getting it off the ground? Don’t let your game or app languish in obscurity – get it in front of the crowd! Karl-Johan Dahlström, Head of Developer Relations at Sony Ericsson, can show you how at the upcoming AnDevCon in Silicon Valley, California.

About the session

Led by Karl-Johan Dahlström, the session Get Rich or Die Tryin’ – Building Success with Xperia™ PLAY is designed to show Android™ developers how to get promotion, top placement and increased revenues through Sony Ericsson’s marketing efforts.

– I hope a lot of people will get some valuable inspiration and thoughtful facts from this session, Karl-Johan says. I’m going to showcase how game developers can stand out with Xperia™ PLAY. Also, I’ll share some remarkable statistics that I hope will inspire developers to new levels of business success.

Sleepy Jack gameplay on the Xperia PLAY

Nate Smith, CEO of SilverTree Media, will join Karl-Johan on stage and share how his independent game development company has been able optimise, launch and maximise revenues with their latest title, Sleepy Jack, on Xperia™ PLAY.

The session takes place on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 from 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM. If you haven’t registered for the event yet, as a bonus for our readers, you can use the code sonyericsson to save $200 US off a 3 day conference pass.

About the event 

What can developers expect to get out of AnDevCon? Alan Zeichick, conference chair of AnDevCon II, says, “Developers can look forward to learning in an incredible environment that’s 100% focused on Android. With more than 80 hands-on workshops and technical sessions taught by everyone from Google engineers to independent app developers to representatives of carriers and handset manufacturers, AnDevCon II covers every inch of ground.”

The Sony Ericsson team will be in full force at AnDevCon. Come to our booth (#902) on the exhibition floor to book some face time with one of our Business Development Manager, or if you have technical questions, speak to anyone in our Developer Support group. In addition to the speaker session, check out our booth to demo all the latest Xperia™ smartphones, and try out Sleepy Jack and all our latest games available for Xperia™ PLAY.

BZ Media’s AnDevCon™ II, November 6-9, 2011, in Burlingame, Calif., is the independent conference for software developers building applications for Android smartphones, tablets and other devices. Learn more at http://www.andevcon.com/, or follow on Twitter @AnDevCon. 

More information

• Read more about AnDevCon on our Developer World Event Calendar.
• Get signed up on the AnDevCon Registration Page to attend this exclusive Android event.
• Learn more about the benefits of the Stand out from the Crowd program.
• Find out all about the Xperia™ PLAY Android mobile phone.

Check out all the pictures and key takeaways from VDC 2011 after the jump!

As a major sponsor, Sony Ericsson had their own Developer Lounge on the main floor to show off the latest titles for the Xperia™ PLAY. On both days, we held a competition to see who could get the highest score in Asphalt 6: Adrenaline. Several attendees spent hours trying to achieve a top score, and in the end, we awarded three Xperia™ PLAYs to the highest scoring winners at the end of both days.

Anupam Nath from Sony Ericsson presenting at the session "Learn how to standout with Xperia PLAY" at VDC 2011.

From Sony Ericsson, Aaron Duke and Anupam Nath hosted a speaker session called “Stand out from the crowd with Xperia™ PLAY”. Attendees received an explanation of the benefits for developing for the Xperia PLAY, as well an overview of guidelines and recommendations for game developers. In the Q&A session that followed, Aaron and Anupam took lots of great developer questions from the crowd. Several developers asked about the games launcher, including whether or not Sony Ericsson takes a cut of the revenue (we do not!). In the end, we also handed out an Xperia™ PLAY to a lucky audience member – Kenneth Ng (pictured above in feature image). Thank you to everyone who visited our booth and attended our session. We look forward to seeing you at the next developer event.

Don’t forget to check our Picasa album with pictures from VDC!

Featured band "Cake" performs at VDC 2011.

Magnus Ekenheim

What does Sony Ericsson have planned at VDC?

We will be having a booth on in the Developer Lounge of the main floor, fully staffed by various Sony Ericsson departments, including the Developer Program team. You’ll also be able to try out the newest games available on the Xperia™ PLAY on our two giant screens. On both days, we’ll be giving away three Verizon Xperia™ PLAYs to the players with the three highest score on Asphalt 6: Adrenaline.

Are there any speaking sessions planned?

Yes! We will be focusing on helping our developers to build better games that will stand out from the crowd by hosting a special speaking session. On Tuesday, September 13, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM, Aaron Duke and Anupam Nath will be leading the session – Stand out from the crowd with Xperia™ PLAY. Aaron, a Sony Ericsson Product Manager, will explain how the Xperia™ PLAY is redefining the world of mobile gaming. He will also go over the “current state of PLAY” as well as identify the benefits of developing for Xperia™ PLAY. Anupam, a Developer Program Engineer, will review the standard Android™ developer tools available to developers, and the additional resources you can find on the Sony Ericsson Developer site. He will also provide an overview of how to access gamepad buttons and the touchpad, along with valuable developer guidelines and recommendations to keep in mind when developing Xperia™ PLAY games.

Aaron Duke

Anupam Nath

What can developers expect to get out of attending VDC?

I think it is a really good opportunity to meet with other developers, learn about the Stand out from the crowd promotional program, and get exposed to other apps, tools and ideas that may enhance your own app. You can also book 1-1s with Sony Ericsson business developers.

Thanks Magnus!

And we hope to see you there!

More information

• Sign up for the speaker session and get general information on the Verizon Developer Conference website
• Get the full VDC 2011 Sony Ericsson session description for Standout from the crowd with Xperia™ PLAY.

More information

• For complete details on E3>>>
• For the official press release announcing the full list of Xperia™ PLAY games for E3>>>
• For information on the Glu 500Gs competition>>>
• For information on Sony Ericsson Stand out from the Crowd promotion>>>

On Wednesday, June 1, Sony Ericsson’s Rikko Sakaguchi, Executive Vice President and Chief Creation Officer, will join Qualcomm Chairman and CEO, Dr. Paul Jacobs, on stage as part of his opening keynote speech. Rikko will discuss Sony Ericsson’s vision for mobile and gaming entertainment.

On Thursday, June 2, Sheana Hogan, Head of Partnerships Games & Applications for Sony Ericsson, will be a panelist for the session Monetizing Mobile Games (2:00 PM – 2:50 PM , Manchester G). Sheana will provide valuable insights into how to make money on games for Sony Ericsson’s groundbreaking gaming smartphone.

On both Wednesday and Thursday from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, Sony Ericsson’s Anupam Nath, Developer Support Software Engineer, will host a hands-on lab session: Android game developer basics for the Xperia™ PLAY. Anupam will focus on the basics of Xperia™ game development, the Xperia™ PLAY mapping keys, and the key areas to consider when developing games for the Xperia™ PLAY. Also on Thursday, Anupam will join Kim Ahlstrom, Senior Software Manager, in a breakout session: Developing Snapdragon-Powered Games for the Xperia™ PLAY (3:00 PM -3:50 PM, Manchester G). This session introduces the Xperia™ PLAY and its use of Qualcomm’s 1 GHz Snapdragon mobile chipset. You’ll also get instructions on how to unlock the boot loader and how to use the Games Recommender widget on the Xperia™ PLAY.

During both days, stop by the Sony Ericsson booth (#108) to get hands-on demos of the Xperia™ PLAY and as well as other smartphones from Xperia™ family of products. Also check out our Game Zone area, where you can play to win an Xperia™ PLAY. Choose one of four exclusive Xperia™ PLAY games to play – Backbreaker, Age of Zombies, Asphalt 6 or Homerun Battle 3D – get the highest score of the day and take home an Xperia™ PLAY.

Stay tuned to Developer World for more exciting coverage, news, and photos from Uplinq 2011.

More information

• Get more information on Uplinq 2011>>>
• Get the full Uplinq session description for Monetizing Mobile Games>>>
• Get the full Uplinq session description for Developing Snapdragon-Powered Games for the Xperia™ PLAY>>>

Kim Ahlstrom, Platform Software Development Lead at Sony Ericsson, had been working with Dan Galpin from Google on parts of the presentation, including tips on graphics and drawing for performance. Dan also talked about NativeActivity, and how it’s used to access the touch pad on Xperia™ PLAY, and he provides great information and tips that developers can follow. You can watch the full presentation recorded by Google on the GoogleDeveloper YouTube channel, and in addition to checking out the graphics and NativeActivity topics, check out the end of the session after the Q&A. The reaction by the audience when they learn they will be receiving an Xperia™ PLAY is fun to see!

Google I/O 2011 Attendees receiving Xperia PLAY vouchers.

Thanks again to everyone who came to meet and speak with us at Google I/O. It has been a great event for Sony Ericsson, and we will continue to stay connected to the Android developer community through events and activities like this.

More information

• View the “Bringing C and C++ Games to Android” session on YouTube>>>
• Get game developer recommendations on how to optimize for the Xperia™ PLAY>>>
• Check out our Developer Program event calendar>>>

Here is the Sony Ericsson “re-PLAY” from GDC11 on March 4.

The last day of GDC started out as strong as ever for Sony Ericsson. Throughout the morning, the Xperia™ PLAY demo stations continued to attract both GDC attendees and fellow exhibitors alike, all wanting to get their thumbs on the sleek device.

By noon, a huge crowd had gathered at the Sony Ericsson booth for the daily Xperia™ PLAY giveaway. Jonas Tornqvist, Event Manger, took center stage once more to draw the lucky business card.

The Xperia™ PLAY fittingly went to Ross Sigworth, an IT professional at Electrified Games, a full- service games development company located here in the SF Bay area.  

In the afternoon, the Sony Ericsson crew continued to cater to the GDC crowd, while spur-of-the-moment biz dev meetings happened in their midst.

As the conference drew to a close, the Xperia™ PLAY continued to attract attention, and with positive reactions from gamers of all types, including…

the casual gamer…

the hardcore gamer…

the smart gamer…

and everyone else in between.

The conference came to a successful close at 3pm, and yet the crowds were still coming to the booth. After the last visitor departed, Sony Ericsson called it a day, and ended their first official appearance at GDC San Francisco with a proud and well-earned sense of accomplishment.

The week at GDC11 included key announcements involving partnerships with Havok and Major League Gaming, which garnered extensive media buzz. (Duh, winning!)

See more Sony Ericsson GDC11 event photos from throughout the week here.

Here is the Sony Ericsson “re-PLAY” from GDC11 on March 3.

Sony Ericsson’s first engagement of the day started at 9am, when Kalle Dahlstrom, Developer Program Manager, spoke at the WebGL News and Technology Updates session presented by Khronos. Kalle showed off a prototype WebGL project, then gave away an Xperia™ PLAY to lucky attendee, Ashraf Hegab, a games developer from the UK.

The Sony Ericsson booth (608) continued to attract a steady stream of interest throughout the morning, which included an interview from GameZombie. Our fully trained and capable staff kept on their toes to provide demos and answer questions from event goers.

In the afternoon, Kim Ahlstrom, Head of Platform Software Development, was part of the panel of industry leaders at the VMC Game Labs session, Convergence: Traditional Games and the New Social World. Kim discussed Sony Ericsson’s QA and testing, and commented on trends in social media.

Kim also raffled off Xperia™ PLAY devices, won by two lucky attendees at the session.

Chris Blumberg, technologist at Denuology, a solutions company from LA.

Mike Jones, Senior Manager, Special Projects at Kabam, a social gaming company in Redwood City, CA (right across the street from our Redwood City office).

 The highlight of the afternoon was the 3pm giveaway at the Sony Ericsson booth. A sizeable crowd grew in the minutes before the drawing. Jonas Tornqvist, Event Manager, had to climb on top of the table in order to pick the lucky business card. Lucky winner James Harold, IS/IT Director from the Space Science Institute was excited to bring an Xperia™ PLAY back home to Boulder, Colorado.

See more Sony Ericsson GDC11 event photos from throughout the week here.

Here’s a quick GDC11 recap, or “re-play”, of Sony Ericsson’s activities from March 2.

After two days of conference sessions at this year’s GDC, today marked the opening of Exhibition floor in the South Hall of the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Sony Ericsson started the day with a fully staffed booth (#608) and strategically placed podiums showcasing the Xperia™ PLAY.

Later that morning, Kim Ahlstrom, Head of Platform Software Development at Sony Ericsson, hosted the session Gaming Just Got Smarter, along with Michael Breslin, VP of Marketing from Glu Mobile. The panel also included Karl-Johan Dahlstrom, Developer Program Manager, and Dominic Neil-Dwyer, Head of Market Development. The room was almost to capacity, and six lucky attendees also walked away with Xperia™ devices.

In the afternoon, Karl-Johan gave a presentation in the Unity booth to promote the Xperia™ PLAY. He also explained Sony Ericsson’s developer program offerings, and took questions from the Unity audience.

Day 3 of GDC came to a successful close with a final flood of traffic at the Sony Ericsson booth.

See more Sony Ericsson GDC11 event photos from throughout the week here.