Phandroid
Sony details Xperia Themes, says more theme-able assets to become available in a future update
It was back towards the tail-end of December that Sony began updating many of their flagship devices to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. While that may not sound too exciting for those demanding nothing less than KitKat, Sony was able to bake in unique features to the Android build, introducing something many have been begging from OEMs for years now — native theme support.
So, while Xperia themes aren’t necessarily anything new, it’s a feature that hasn’t been given much time in the spotlight (or that many even know about). To help get the word out, and explain a little more about their theme engine, Sony was able to take some time out on their official blog to interview Andreas Schön, one of the men responsible for bringing Xperia Themes to Sony’s smartphones and tablets.
In the interview, Schon explains that, while there are currently 280 assets theme-able for Xperia devices running Android 4.3, Sony is planning on adding even more assets in a future software update. Sounds great. Right now, everything from the back/home/multitasking software buttons can be theme’d up, reaching all the way to check boxes, sliders, and buttons. As an example, we’ve included the Triflat Xperia theme for you to gawk over (above). Who knows, maybe this means someone will offer a “Google Experience” theme in the near future for those that prefer a stock Android look. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.
Really, it’s a feature that should have gotten more publicity than it has. There are already a handful of Xperia Themes available in the Google Play Store, and for those of us that have yet to experience an Xperia device, probably didn’t know this amazing feature even existed.
When it comes time for this blogger to choose his Android for the year, I’m going to be seriously considering the Sony Xperia Z2 (especially after getting some hands-on time with it at Mobile World Congress). It’s a shame more OEMs aren’t giving their users the choice Sony is now offering, but who knows what the future holds.
ASUS Chromebox (Celeron) presales go up on Amazon, Newegg and Tiger Direct for $179
Last week, little-known retailer SabrePC began listing the ASUS Chromebox for pre-sale, but it seems the company jumped the gun a bit as they took it down shortly afterward. It seems ASUS has given everyone the green light by now, though, as three leading online retailers have decided to list the device for pre-order:
- Amazon — $179 with free shipping, ships March 14th
- Newegg — $179, ships March 14th
- Tiger Direct — $179 with free shipping
Pricing seems quite standard across the board, though Newegg in particular considers their price to be a $20 discount, and there’s no telling if that discount will dissipate in due time.
The $179 ASUS Chromebox will be powered by Intel’s Celeron 2955U processor, which is a 1.4GHz dual-core processor. There will be other models with Core i3 and Core i7 Haswell chips with 2GB or 4GB of RAM, though those will likely run you a pretty penny more (with the latter-most actually being available to business who purchase it as part of a larger package).
Other specs of the Celeron-equipped Chromebox include 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage via SSD, Gigabit ethernet, 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, 2x USB 3.0 ports, 1x 3.5mm headphone / microphone port, 2-in-1 SD/MMC port, and more. Of course, you’ll have to seek out your own keyboard and mouse, as well as a display if you don’t already have one.
We’ll have to wait and see if performance on this thing can stand the test of time, but for $179 we imagine many people will take the plunge anyway. Be sure to check it out through the pre-order links above if you’re feeling particularly splurge-y today.
[via Chromespot]
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