Sony Ericsson may have inadvertently leaked a new member of the Xperia family: The Xperia Acro. The company has yet to officially announce the phone, but it was spotted in the firm’s PC Companion software in Japan. We don’t see any specs listed in the leaked image, but that hasn’t stopped some blogs from speculating. XperiaBlog says the Acro sports a 4.2-inch display, an 8.1-megapixel camera, support for NFC, a DTV chip and a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. We would assume that the Acro will run Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) but again, nothing has been confirmed. Sony Ericsson may announce the Acro as soon as May or June of this year, but we wouldn’t hold our breath for a U.S. launch anytime soon. For now, it looks like its scheduled to hit Japan’s NTT DoCoMo and KDDI networks first.

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Sprint and Samsung are adding some spice to the Moment by incorporating mobile DTV into Samsung’s flagship Android device. The Moment will showcase Samsung’s ATSC Mobile DTV chip, a single chip DTV implementation that promises lower power utilization, smaller size and less cost than its multi-chip counterparts. The chip inside the handset will tune in DTV signals from local broadcast stations, allowing users to receive news, sports, prime-time TV and emergency alerts on the Moment’s 3.2 inch AMOLED screen. A mobile DTV-equipped version of the Moment will be rolled out in a limited trial to customers in Washington D.C and Baltimore in Q1 2010. Hit the jump for the full press release. Samsung Moment™, Exclusively from Sprint, Selected as First Mobile Phone to Demonstrate Mobile Digital TV Chip at International CES 2010

Samsung Moment’s Brilliant AMOLED Display to Showcase Live Mobile Broadcast TV on Mobile Phone Format at Mobile DTV TechZone Exhibit in Central Hall of Las Vegas Convention Center January 7 – 10, 2010

LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sprint (NYSE: S) and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile)1, the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the United States2, today announced that Samsung Moment™ will display a mobile phone demonstration of the North American mobile digital TV broadcasting standard during International CES 2010 in Las Vegas on January 7 – 10, 2010. Samsung Moment, exclusively from Sprint, will receive live digital TV using Samsung’s Mobile DTV Chip, the world’s first single-chip solution for the recently approved Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) Mobile Digital TV standard. The ATSC Mobile Digital TV chip will allow Samsung Moment to receive live TV programming from local broadcast stations, including prime-time network programs, local news and sports and emergency alerts.

“It is incredibly rewarding to see one of Samsung Mobile’s flagship devices be integrated with the Samsung ATSC Mobile DTV chip that’s giving the power and potential of free, live mobile digital TV to our U.S. customers.”

The companies also announced that the Mobile DTV-equipped Samsung Moment was selected for a showcase with Sprint customers in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore markets during the first quarter of 2010 — this is the first-ever consumer showcase of this technology. Moment was selected because of its 3.2-inch AMOLED display screen, which delivers crisp colors, bright pictures outdoors, and wide viewing angles. Samsung was the co-developer of the ATSC standard that is making mobile digital TV broadcasting possible on mobile phones, laptops, USB drives and other mobile devices. Samsung’s single-chip implementation of the standard—the world’s first—enables reception at lower power, size and cost than previous multi-chip solutions which separate the tuning and decoding functions between two or more chips.

“The selection of Samsung Moment as the first trial handset for mobile digital TV in the U.S. is an enormous honor for Samsung Mobile,” said Omar Khan, chief strategy officer for Samsung Mobile. “It is incredibly rewarding to see one of Samsung Mobile’s flagship devices be integrated with the Samsung ATSC Mobile DTV chip that’s giving the power and potential of free, live mobile digital TV to our U.S. customers.”

“Samsung Moment is already a customer favorite with its integrated and innovative Android™ platform so we are very excited to be able to offer it with the Samsung’s Mobile Digital TV chip to customers in the Washington and Baltimore areas,” said Fared Adib, Sprint vice president of product development. “It is truly an amazing experience to watch local and network television on Moment with the benefit of its dynamic screen. This trial is a great opportunity for Sprint customers.”

“We are delighted to include the Samsung Moment as a key device to be used by Sprint customers during the Consumer Showcase in Washington DC this spring. Mobile DTV technology will allow DC area consumers to watch their favorite live programs with instantaneous access to local news, weather, emergency information, and of course their favorite entertainment programs broadcasted by eight local TV stations,” said Brandon Burgess CEO of ION Media Networks and President of the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC).

The OMVC is actively promoting mobile digital television technology within the U.S. broadcast industry to achieve widespread market penetration in 2010.

Samsung Moment, without the Mobile DTV chip, originally launched in November 2009 as Samsung’s first U.S. handset integrating the open and innovative Android™ platform with the high-speed connectivity of America’s most dependable 3G network3 (EVDO Rev. A.) and one of the best values in wireless with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM calling feature, available on Everything plans with data.

Samsung Moment represents a new generation of portable Internet access devices and provides access to built-in Google™ mobile services, including Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and YouTube™, as well as thousands of applications available in Android Market™. Moment is powered by an 800 MHz processor, making this device one of the fastest wireless phones available today. Moment is also designed with a full QWERTY keyboard for fast and easy messaging and email entry.

Customers can purchase Samsung Moment without Mobile DTV capabilities through all Sprint channels including Web (www.sprint.com), Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) and our national retail partners. Retail pricing is currently $179.99 (excluding taxes) after a $50 instant savings and a $100 mail-in-rebate with a two-year service agreement.

As charter members of the Open Handset Alliance™, Sprint and Samsung are closely aligned with the Android community. Through Android Market, Samsung Moment users can download more than 20,000 applications, widgets and games on their phone. Pandora®, ShopSavvyTM, TwitterTM, ShazamTM, amazon.com®, USA Today®, Flixster®, PacManTM, CraigslistCheckerTM, and MySpaceTM Mobile are among the countless well-liked applications already available on Android Market. Additionally, customers can access Sprint Navigation and Sprint exclusive applications NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM already preinstalled on the device. Samsung Moment is a perfect solution for anyone who wants the freedom to stay connected on the go and enjoy a PC-like experience.

About Samsung Telecommunications America
Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2008 consolidated sales of US$96 billion. Employing approximately 164,600 people in 179 offices across 61 countries, the company consists of seven independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving almost 49 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2009; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The company’s customer-focused strategy has led to improved first call resolution and customer care satisfaction scores. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

1 Samsung Mobile is proud to provide ENERGY STAR-qualified power adapters with its mobile phones and accessories. ENERGY STAR qualified products use less energy, save money, and help protect the environment. Products that have earned the ENERGY STAR meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy.

2 Based upon reported shipment data from Strategy Analytics Q3 2009 U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Report.

3 “Dependable” based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability, and signal strength for the top 50 most populous U.S. markets (including Puerto Rico) from January 2008 to July 2009. Not all services are available on 3G, and coverage may default to a separate network when 3G is unavailable.

LG Korea unveiled two new mobile DTV devices that are headed for the U.S. in 2010. The first is an upgraded version of the LG Lotus equipped with a long antenna and an integrated digital TV tuner. For those that have forgotten this rather forgettable phone, the original LG Lotus is a boxy QWERTY clamshell that launched on Sprint in late 2008. And, if a boxy cell phone with an ungainly antenna doesn’t suit your fancy, then perhaps a shiny, black portable DVD player with a built-in 800 channel DTV tuner may. No word on pricing or availability but both devices are expected to get the official nod from LG’s US division at CES 2010 next week in Las Vegas.

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Changeover day came and went this past Friday and while the vast majority of the country likely didn’t even notice, a handful of people were in for a rude awakening as analog broadcasts ended. Over the past week, the FCC’s official help line received about 700,000 calls — 347,450 on Friday alone — regarding issues leading up to and following the changeover. About a third of Friday’s calls were from people still looking for coupons to help pay for digital converter boxes and another third were from people having trouble operating their converters. About 20 percent of the calls were regarding reception issues. Michael Copps, acting FCC Chairman, had this to say regarding the tidal wave of calls:

Our job is far from over. This transition is not a one-day affair. We have known about re-scanning and reception issues for some time and have been doing our best to get the word out.

Re-scanning, as Copps mentioned, is said to resolve reception issues a great deal of the time. So, if Grandma decides to call you for tech support rather than dialing up 1-888-CALL-FCC, that should likely be the first stop on the troubleshooting train. As for BGR readers, we imagine most if not all of you have already been enjoying some kind of digital broadcast for years now. There are always a few stragglers though — anyone caught with their pants down this past Friday? Figuratively, that is.

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Today is the day our grandparents have been dreading for quite some time now — that is, if they even knew DTV was on its way. Today is Friday, June 12th, and the switch from analog to digital TV is upon us. While those of us with modern sets and digital cable/satellite/etc have nothing to worry about of course, the generation of analog signals and Rabbit Ears may not be prepared. Then again, if you’re like some of us here at BGR, your grandparents have way more intense set ups than you and it makes you feel a tad uncomfortable. Moving along, it’s estimated that around 3 million US households are not prepared for the switch so Oprah, don’t be surprised if your numbers drop off for a short while. As for the rest of us, if your grandfather is threatening to cut you out of the will unless you come fix his box so he can watch the talkies again, the FCC’s DTV website is a good place for you to start.