Sony Corp. has opened up its "Socialife News"reader app, previously limited to its Xperia Android smartphones/tablets and VAIO PCs, to other Android smartphones (*1) free of charge.

Socialife News is a news reader app with over 13 million downloads, aggregating a variety of news as well as Facebook posts, Twitters and YouTube videos into a beautifully designed layout for high-speed viewing. The app allows its users to easily add, through an in-app"Add feeds"function, a host of high-quality content sources offered by affiliated news partners (*2) covering various areas, including general news, entertainment, sports and IT. In addition, users can also register blog posts and RSS news content found on the Internet.

The app also comes with a function for bookmarking favorite Facebook and Twitter posts and news articles. Users of multiple handsets can use any of them to access a cloud-based service for referring to the same news list and bookmarks registered. Moreover, a widget introduced in November 2013 at the request of users can be an exclusive widget showing particular content of choice.

In 2014, Socialife News will have the official content of the FIFA World Cup (TM) for which Sony is an official sponsor. Users can read FIFA official news, photos of players and other information of the FIFA World Cup (TM) through Socialife News. Sony will further enhance its proprietary technology to offer a whole new news-reading experience.

*1 Compatible with Android 4.1 or higher smartphone handsets.

*2 Socialife News partners: More than 2,000 feeds from over 250 news organizations, including Fox News, Los Angeles Times, Financial Times, NPR, AOL, Huffington Post, Mashable, The Verge, SB Nation, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Design Milk, Artists Facebook Wall (Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Usher, etc.), Oatmeal, Gawker, Design Milk, Perez Hilton, Euro Gamer, O'Reilly Media, Fashionfreax, FilmDrunk, Thrillist Media, Polyvore, Etsy, Townsquare Media, Business Insider, StarCrush, ComicsAlliance, Boombox, Saveur, Worldcrunch, Mail Online, Evening Standard, Metro, Maximum PC, sofeminine.co.uk, Deutsche Welle, Zdnet, Spiegel, Focus, Le Figaro, aufeminin.com, Sport24, Evene, EL PAEL PAocus, Le Figaroeuronews, L'Internaute, Journal du Net, gofeminin.de, kicker online, alfemminile.com, Linkiesta, Il Post and IT Espresso.

- Compatible handsets

Smartphones

Xperia Z1 and other smartphones of Android OS 4.1 and above.

Personal computers

VAIO Windows 8 sold in 2012 and thereafter

Tablets

Xperia Tablet/Sony Tablet

- Google Play store page https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sony.nfx.app.sfrc

- Windows Store page http://apps.microsoft.com/webpdp/app/f523c95d-5714-4ae1-a60e-a7d387d8c41d

- Socialife Official Website

http://socialife.app.sony.jp/