Sony Ericsson has admitted making mistakes in the mobile realm in 2010 and has insisted that they have learned from them. Steve Walker, who is the acting Global Head of Marketing for Sony Ericsson, gave a telling one-on-one interview last week at CES. 

Walker admitted to not anticipating the interest that Android OS attracted and how important sleek hardware would be. He said that at Sony Ericsson, they always were aware of interest in hardware, but considered it less significant than software; according to Walker, that has changed to make them almost equal now. 

Despite the mistakes with the Xperia line of phones, Walker insists that it has made them stronger: 

“As we do every year, we’ve taken those learnings and applied them to the new products in the new portfolio. We do think we’ve taken a big step forward for 2011.”

Sony certainly made headlines at CES by introducing a very suave device, the Xperia Arc, which was the only phone announced in Las Vegas shipping with Gingerbread (Jerry loves to point this out).

Last year, complaints mounted about outdated software and slow updates from the phone manufacturer. This may be a sign that they have righted the ship and will now become one of the premier Android players. 

Does this sway you in any way towards purchasing the Xperia Arc? [Pocket-Lint]

For more on Sony Ericsson's latest device, check out our Xperia Arc forum

CES ushered in a new era of smartphones and tablets. Dual-core Tegra 2 processors. LTE broadband data connections. Honeycomb on tablets (for starters). Laptop companions. Docks that turn your smartphone into a mini computer. Creme brulee-coated smartphones drowning in syrup and melted butter. Wait. That was breakfast.

But one thing that was nowhere to be found in the major smartphone releases? Near-field communication. The feature trumpeted in Android 2.3 Gingerbread (see our hands-on with NFC on the Nexus S) was nary to be seen in any of the smartphones announced at CES. Not in the Motorola Atrix. Not in the Droid Bionic. Not in the LG Revolution. Not in the HTC Thunderbolt. Or the Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone (we just love typing that, by the way) or any of the others.

That's not to say we won't see new phones with NFC in the coming months. Mobile World Congress is a month away. CTIA is a month after that. And carriers can release phones any damn time they want. So NFC isn't DOA, it was just MIA at CES. OK?

CES 2011 has wound down, and if you're an Android fan you're likely either in a sort of heaven that only gadget geeks can enter, or suffering a shaky overload from all the news.  Either way is good.  It seemed like you couldn't shake a stick anywhere in Sin City without hitting something Android related, and kudos to our guys on the floor in Vegas -- while it was loads of fun it was a lot of work as well.  So nurse your sore feet and enjoy a cold beverage while you relax boys, because all this stuff will soon be coming to market and we get to be busy all over again!

All of us here, even the smart unlucky ones who stayed home to keep the Android Central machine running have a whole mess of stuff to ponder, so we locked ourselves in seclusion and deliberated to decide what our "Best of CES 2011" list would look like.  OK, we really did it via email while watching football, eating chips, and drinking fizzy drinks -- but it's all good.  Hit the break to see our list, and be sure to cast your own vote in the Android Central forums!

Imagine a full physical QWERTY keyboard - slightly larger than a deck of cards - that wirelessly connects via Bluetooth to your Android smartphone or tablet. On the backside there’s a microphone and earpiece that extends voice conversations just like a Bluetooth headset. Introducing Mobience, a Korean manufacture, that sells an accessory that does exactly that. I had a few minutes of hands on time with this yet to be named accessory at CES 2011, matched up with a Galaxy Tab. The keys were well spaced, albeit a little stiff to press. As you can see in the picture, I didn’t try to correct my mistakes. That said, with a little practice, there’s a potential of pounding out emails and word documents in no time. When your phone receives an incoming call, the device will vibrate, and you can flip it over and converse the same way you would over any Bluetooth headset. This accessory is currently available in Korean markets, with plans to release in the US at a yet to be announced date.

So Mobience, I realize this is a lot to ask, but please let me know what you plan on naming this bad boy, when it will be available, where I can buy it, and how much it will cost. When you get those details figured out, I’ll seriously consider buying one, mkay?  There's a picture of the back, showing the microphone and speaker, after the break.