Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has confirmed that its flagship Xperia Z will finally be available in the United States in the coming weeks. The device first launched in Europe, Asia, and other markets in early February, and it was the best-selling smartphone for six weeks straight in Japan.

With the increasing use of NFC, it’s only natural that companies want to promote their NFC-enabled products, as much as possible. Sony is the latest company to jump on the bandwagon, publishing its “With a Touch/First Touch” commercial on YouTube and on selected TV broadcasting channels.

Handheld games consoles like the Nintendo 3DS and the Sony PlayStation Vita have long been suffering at the hands of smartphones and tablets. But the latest data from IDC and App Annie should give handheld game developers — including Nintendo — something to really think about.

While consumer spending on Android and iOS continued to rise during the first quarter of 2013, it fell considerably on handhelds.

Nokia has this morning announced its new Lumia 925, a Windows Phone smartphone with an aluminum frame that hopes to step up Nokia’s fight against Apple and Samsung. But does the Lumia 925 really have what it takes to compete with the iPhone 5, the Galaxy S4, the HTC One, and other high-end smartphones?

We’ve put together a spec-by-spec comparison to help you decide whether Nokia’s new flagship is worth the switch to Windows Phone.

Sony has today announced the Xperia ZR, a midrange alternative to its flagship Xperia Z. Like its bigger brother, the Xperia ZR is waterproof and promises to survive depths of up to 1.5 meters. It also has some pretty impressive specifications for a midrange smartphone.