Hot on the heels of announcing two high spec smartphones at CES, Sony have now released details of two equally high specification smartphones that will be available for the Japanese market only.

The Xperia acro HD will be the ‘successor’ to the already released Xperia acro in Japan and will also be packed with the ‘made for Japan’ features that we saw on the acro such as Mobile TV and Mobile Wallet (via Felica).

Also released in Japan will be a variation on the smartphone released elsewhere in the world, the Xperia S. Entitled the Xperia NX in Japan, the handset will basically feature similar specs to that of the Xperia S.

Xperia acro HD Specifications:

• 4.3 inch HD display,1280 x 720

Well, NFC isn’t a fast food restaurant thats for sure. The acronym stands for Near Field Communication and is a technology that allows wireless communication between devices. Sony have added NFC technology to their latest range of handsets and have also designed a range of NFC tags to enhance the use of those handsets.

Fortunately for any of us in the dark about  what NFC can do for us and our handset that will make our lives easier/better, Sony have also gone to the trouble of explaining exactly how NFC integrates with their handsets (and indeed most NFC enabled mobile handsets to be fair) in their article on the Sony Ericsson Developers World blog. The article is well worth a read even if you aren’t intending rushing out to buy a brand new Xperia S as soon as it is released, NFC has for a while now been touted as the future of some forms of wireless communication and we do expect to see the technology used a lot more in the future so it might be time to swat up on where NFC is taking us before it arrives!

More new products from Sony have been announced, in the form of three ‘smart’ accessories that will not only be compatible with the new Xperia NXT range of handsets but, with any Android smartphone with bluetooth or NFC support enabled.

First up in the Smart Extras range is the SmartWatch which is basically a wireless display which can mount onto the provided ‘watch strap’ and allows the display of calls, messages and social networking updates in a similar (but better) way to the Live View accessory that Sony Ericsson brought out. Next is the rather exciting Smart Wireless Headset Pro, a bluetooth stereo headset that can also be used as a standalone MP3 player and FM radio or can connect to your phone and will also display call information, text messages and Facebook or Twitter updates. Thirdly, Sony have released a new Smart Extension SDK which will allow developers access to create exciting new applications to enhance and customise both the SmartWatch and the Smart Wireless Headset Pro.

Following on from the official announcement of the Xperia S handset, Sony have also prepared a demonstration video of the handset in action, showing some of the exciting features of the handset and whetting the appetite of those of us who can’t wait for the handset to be released, which can be viewed after the jump:

Announcing it’s arrival as their ‘flagship smartphone’, Sony have now confirmed the release of the Xperia S handset, their first foray into the mobile phone market since splitting with former partner Ericsson recently.

The Xperia S comes packed with a 1.5 GHz dual core, 1GB RAM, a fantastic 4.3-inch 720×1280 resolution reality display, NFC support and a 12 MP Exmor R camera. Sony have also confirmed that the Xperia S is to be their first handset release in their new ‘Xperia NXT series’ and will come preinstalled with the Android 2.3 operating system although, sources tell us that Ice Cream Sandwich should be coming to the Xperia S in Spring 2012.

Expect to see the Xperia S in Q1 of 2012. Initially the handset will be available in black and white colour variations.

There’s still a few hours until Sony present their press conference at CES 2012 in Las Vegas but, AT&T who have just held their press conference have announced several new phones coming to their network, including the Sony Xperia ION.

Firstly, from AT&T’s side this is the first Sony [Ericsson] Xperia phone to feature LTE technology in the US and will be exclusive to AT&T.

The Sony Xperia ION features a 4.6 inch display, with a HD Reality display, outputting a 1280×720 resolution. The ION also packs a 12 megapixel camera with 1080p video recording and a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, capable of recording in 720p. Like the Xperia Arc, the Xperia ION features Exmor R technology.