Sony Ericsson today announced new functionality and features to its 2011 Xperia smartphone range with a software upgrade from October 2011. The Xperia neo V phone will be one of the first new products to launch with the new software.

Users with 2011 Xperia smartphones will benefit from improvements to Sony Ericsson's Facebook inside Xperia offering and 3D camera functionality from Sony. The new functionality aims to make entertainment more social by giving users the ability to share and discover apps and games with friends through Facebook. The latest camera enhancements from Sony introduce 3D sweep panorama technology so that images can be captured and then viewed in 3D by connecting the phone to a 3D TV using the HDMI output.

The upgrade also allows consumers to enjoy the benefits of the Android Gingerbread platform including Google Talk with Video Chat.

The new Xperia neo V will launch with the new software and will include all the features like Google Talk with Video Chat, 3D sweep panorama and enhanced Facebook inside Xperia functionality. Xperia neo V will include a Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine and it will be available globally in select markets from Q4 2011.

The software upgrade will be available in select markets through a phased roll out starting from October 2011. Xperia owners will receive a notification instructing them to instantaneously download the software over the air via 3G or WiFi. Alternatively, they will have the option to connect to a computer and download it via PC companion.

Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V at a glance

Size: 116 x 57 x 13mm
Weight: 126g
Operating system: Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread version 2.3.4)
Processor: 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255

3D sweep panorama
5 megapixel camera
16x digital zoom
Auto focus
Face detection
Flash/LED
Front facing camera (VGA)
Geo tagging
HD video recording (720p)

3.5 mm audio jack
aGPS
Bluetooth technology
DLNA Certified
Micro USB support
Modem
TV Out
USB mass storage
USB High speed 2.0 support
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi Hotspot functionality

Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine
16,777,216 colour TFT
Touchscreen (multi-touch)
3.7 inches
480 x 854 pixels (FWVGA)
Scratch-resistant

Phone memory: Up to 320MB
Memory card support: microSD, up to 32GB
Memory card included: 2GB microSD

Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 6 hrs 55 min
Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 430 hrs
Talk time UMTS: Up to 7 hrs
Standby time UMTS: Up to 400 hrs
Music listening time: Up to 31 hrs
Video playback time: Up to 7 hrs 25 min

UMTS HSPA 900, 2100
GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
UMTS HSPA 850, 1900, 2100
GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900