PhoneTalk

In the episode of Weekly Wireless Wrap-Up LetsTalk's Editorial Director Joni Blecher covers all the Samsung news including new Samsung Galaxy II S smartphone for T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint’s Samsung Galaxy II S Epic 4G Touch. Also included are the new Samsung Tablets, the Galaxy Note, Sony Ericsson’s update to the Xperia Arc, and 10 must have apps for back to school. While the test drive this week is of Sprint's HTC EVO View 4G tablet with digital pen.

Update: New Grand Prize Winner announced. See below for the new winner.

Last month, we launched the Xperia PLAY Player’s Paradise Giveaway and gave away eight Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY for Verizon Wireless and a grand prize that included a Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY, PlayStation 3 and a $50 PlayStation Network Gift Card. All that was needed to enter the Giveaway was to become a fan of LetsTalk’s Facebook page or follow LetsTalk on Twitter and use #LTXP. Join us in congratulating all the winners of the sweepstakes listed below:

May 27, 2011 Winners: John Gulich and Lay Basden

June 3, 2011 Winners: Debra Jacobs and Pedro Romero

June 10, 2011 Winners: Carolyn Gates and Yvonne Joy Neil

June 17, 2011 Winners: Stephen Wagner and Shahei Tonge

June 24, 2011 Grand Prize Winner: Rebecca Fry

It was a busy week for wireless with new cell phones available from Verizon including the LG Revolution, HTC Trophy, and Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY (check out the game controller on this phone) and data plan changes from T-Mobile and Verizon. We also learned about Google Wallet and the Windows Phone 7 Mango update. For information on these stories and more watch our Weekly Wireless Wrap-Up video below.

LetsTalk.com’s latest giveaway is the Xperia PLAY Player’s Paradise Giveaway.What can you win? Two fans every Friday through June 17th will be chosen to win a Sony Ericsson Xpera PLAY plus one-year Sony PlayStation Network Pass. There will also be one grand prizewinner who will receive a Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY, PlaySation 3 Gaming Console, and a one-year PlaySation Network pass. All you have to do to enter the Giveaway is become a fan of LetsTalk’s Facebook page or follow LetsTalk on Twitter and use hashtag #LTXP. Not sure how to become a fan? Simply visit LetsTalk on Facebook and click the "Like" button at the top of the page.

If you’re already a fan of LetsTalk on Facebook, you’ll still be entered to win. Already following us on Twitter? Then all you have to do is Tweet about the giveaway using the hashtag #LTXP. Entering into both WILL increase your chances of winning. Only one entry per person through Twitter and Facebook during the promotion period is permissible. We should note that you only need to enter once to win and selecting/deselecting "Like" on Facebook will not increase your chances of winning.

The contest has just begun and ends Monday, June 20, 2011 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. So, be sure to spread the word. Becoming a fan of LetsTalk’s Facebook page or following LetsTalk on Twitter will help keep you informed about the latest cell phone news, let you know when the most popular phones are available, and more. Know all you need to know to enter? Then click this link to become a fan of LetsTalk’s Facebook page and Tweet about it on Twitter.

Last week, Verizon Wireless announced the Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY phone or rather the long awaited PlayStation phone would be coming soon. Sure enough it is. In fact, you can pre-order one now by clicking this link to ensure you're the first of your friends to get the cell phone. The Xperia PLAY is unlike other gaming-centric phones we've seen in the past because it has an integrated slide-out game controller and it is a PlayStation certified device, which means it has similar controls to those for the PlayStation (circle, X, square, and triangle) gaming console so it offers a true gaming experience. To help put you in the mood the cell phone comes with seven titles: 

• Madden NFL 11 (EA Sports)
• Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior (Digital Legends)
• Asphalt 6: Adrenaline (Gameloft)
• The Sims 3 (EA)
• Star Battalion (Gameloft)
• Crash Bandicoot (Sony PlayStation) 
• Tetris

The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY is also a solid cell phone. It's among the first models to sport the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS out-of-the-box, sports a 4-inch display, has a 1GHz Snapdragon II processor, and comes with an 8GB microSD card pre-installed. The Xperia PLAY also has a front-facing VGA camera for video chat and rear-facing 5-megapixel camera. Get a closer look at the Xperia PLAY in the unboxing video below.

Sony Ericsson unveiled its first true gaming phone, the Xperia PLAY, in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress earlier this year. The phone is the first PlayStation-certified device so you'll be able to play games on it that have been optimized for the platform including gesture- and motion-based games. Running Android 2.3 on a 4-inch multi-touch screen, the cell phone has a slide out game pad that has a digital D pad, two analogue touch pads, two shoulder buttons and the four PlayStation icons: circle, cross, square and triangle. It also sports a 1GHz processor with an embedded Adreno GPU graphics processor for a smooth playback experience. It also has a 5-megapixel camera with a flash and will come with an 8GB microSD card. You can get a closer look at the gaming experience in the video below.

The newest Sony Ericsson cell phone is all about the multimedia experience. It combines Sony’s Reality Display with the company's Mobile BRAVIA Engine in a cell phone that sports a 4.2-inch TFT capacitive multi-touch display. It also looks like it packs a powerful punch with a 1GHz processor, WiFi connectivity, an 8.1-megapixel camera that can also capture video in 720p HD (even in low light). You can even watch those videos on your home TV by using connecting it via the HDMI connector. Better yet the phone will be running Android OS 2.3. It will come with an 8GB microSD card in the box and is expandable up to 32GB of memory. The phone will work on GSM networks around the globe.

The Pantech Laser is a stylish new phone for AT&T that offers lots of customization and fun features, such as Draw Commander. It also comes with a 3-megapixel camera and better yet it doesn't require a data plan. Get a closer look at the Pantech Laser and see how it compares to the Sony Ericsson Vivaz in this first look video from LetsTalk's Cassie Fenley.

According to the Sony Ericsson blog, Xperia X10 users can expect to see the Android 2.1 update coming to the cell phone at the end of October and later. We should note that just because late October is when the update rollout will start, it doesn't mean everyone gets the update simultaneously. These updates are usually rolled out market by market. Additionally, the update will include a few enhancements besides just the 2.1 update such as HD video recording with continuous auto focus and the availability of 5 home screens for apps. You can find out more information about the update by visiting this blog post on the Sony Ericsson blog

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz has arrived for AT&T and this 3G smartphone has a lot to offer. First off, it's a Symbian smartphone (this OS is widely popular abroad) and will let you do many of the things that many other smartphone OS' feature: support for multiple e-mail accounts, a built-in music player complete with a 3.5mm headset jack for listening to tunes, the ability to share the media on the cell phone with other DLNA-compliant home networked electronics, GPS, touchscreen (even has a stylus), and a spacious, vibrant 3.2-inch display. It has an 8.1-megapixel camera and can shoot videos in HD. You can then easily upload pictures and videos to sites like YouTube and Picassa. If you're near an AT&T Mobile HotSpot, you can log onto that WiFi network for even faster video streaming and web surfing. Oh, and it comes in a cool blue casing that gives it a bit more style.

You might have seen some discussion about the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 around the blogosphere and rightfully, so. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is well poised to compete with the most popular Android cell phones recently released. The Sony Ericsson smartphone will have a speedy 1GHz processor (similar to DROID X and HTC EVO 4G), an 8.1-megapixel camera, spacious 4-inch display, and WiFi. Also, on board are quite a few Sony Ericsson-centric features. Watch the video from Sony Ericsson to learn more about the Xperia X10.