Sony's first LTE smartphone, the Xperia ion

With the Xperia ion, Sony has joined the throng of phone-makers clamoring to announce LTE handsets at CES 2012. Sony's PlayStation certified Android device features a 4.6-inch 1280 x 720 HD display, with both front and rear cameras capable of shooting HD video, at 720p and 1080p respectively. The rear camera has a 12-megapixel sensor which, budding Cartier-Bressons take note, can take shots within 1.5 seconds of leaving standby mode.

                                               

 Sony (not Sony Ericsson, according to the phone's branding) emphasizes the Xperia ion's "easy connectivity with multiple screens" with its ability to send HD content to the laptop, tablet or television via DLNA, HDMI or BRAVIA Sync.

Sony's first LTE handset includes a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and a decent 16 GB of flash storage. It will launch with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). PlayStation certification ensures that the Xperia ion will smoothly run PlayStation Suite titles.

U.S. readers can expect to see the Xperia ion in stores Q2 of this year, available exclusively through AT&T. Pricing is yet to be announced.