Sony Mobile

NTT DoCoMo to Also Carry Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet, New Promo Video

by Sohrab Osati | May 15, 2015 | 0 comments

Alongside carrying the flagship Xperia Z4, NT DoCoMo will also carry the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet. While definitely designed with entertainment in mind, seeing how you’ll be getting a 10.1-inch IPS (2560 x 1600) 2k display that offers 17-hours of video playback, with an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chip (with four Cortex-A57 cores clocked at 2.0GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores working at 1.5GHz), the Xperia Z4 Tablet strangely might also be a great device for those with a lot of work in mind.

That’s because, beyond the power and fantastic battery life the tablet offers, Sony is also debuting a docking Bluetooth keyboard (BKB50) that has a hinge mechanism which allows the Xperia Z4 Tablet to easily dock. Once connected, the screen can tilt up to 130 degrees, simulating the same functionality you’d get from a laptop.

With Walkman Update (9.0.0.A.0.1) Sony Officially Renames App to ‘Music’

by Sohrab Osati | May 14, 2015 | 1 comment

We’ve already talked fairly extensively about why Sony is renaming the Walkman app to Music, a far simpler naming scheme. For anyone purchasing a new Sony device like the Xperia Z4 Tablet, Xperia Z4, Xperia A4, or Xperia M4 Aqua, the new naming scheme will be in place from day one. All Sony devices shipping with Android 5.0 or upgraded to Android 5.0 will have the app renamed as part of the process. For those with older devices that won’t be receiving Android 5.0 Lollipop, or have yet to receive the new OS, you’ll soon see the Walkman app renamed after a new update is released.

Sony Xperia A4 Announced for NTT DoCoMo; Basically the Xperia Z3 Compact

by Sohrab Osati | May 14, 2015 | 0 comments

Sony has been quite busy in their home country, where they’ve revealed the arrival of the Xperia Z4 and the newly announced Xperia A4 for carrier NTT DoCoMo. Much like the Xperia Z4, the Xperia A4 will also arrive in June but with some fun color options which include blue, pink, white, and black, which can be seen above.

As for the phone itself, it should give you a bit of deja vu as it’s basically a retooled Xperia Z3 Compact. More details on the Sony Xperia A4 after the jump.

Sony Xperia Z4 Coming to Verizon?

by Sohrab Osati | May 13, 2015 | 0 comments

Earlier today, it was revealed that Japanese giant NTT DoCoMo would be the first carrier to provide the Sony Xperia Z4. Mostly a tweaked or perhaps finished vision on the Xperia Z3, the Xperia Z4 provides some nice tweaks for Xperia fans with older devices though a harder sell for those with already an Xperia Z3.

However, since the phone’s reveal, there has been little news about its international rollout but one leaker believes news will come soon.

Sony Xperia Z4 Coming to NTT DoCoMo

by Sohrab Osati | May 13, 2015 | 0 comments

Since its Japan-only debut, we’ve been waiting to hear on exactly which carrier(s) will support the flagship Sony Xperia Z4. Now NTT DoCoMo, the Japanese giant, has revealed a summer release for the new phone. As a recap, the Xperia Z4 features

5.2-inch 1080p display
2GHz 8-core 64-bit Snapdragon 810 processor
3GB of RAM
20.7-megapixel rear-facing camera
4K Video

All of this is wrapped in a 6.9-mm-thick, 144g metal-and-glass body structure with an all new 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

Sony Smartphone Shipments to Be Down 23% in 2015

by Sohrab Osati | May 12, 2015 | 2 comments

Sony Mobile and its Xperia smartphones continue to struggle and weigh down on Sony as a whole while the company is enjoying robust sales and revenues from PlayStation and Sony Pictures. The good news for the division is that sales were up 7% on a constant currency basis in FY2014 to $11 billion. According to Sony, this was mainly due to:

an improvement in product mix as a result of a focus on high value-added models

Sony revised its sales multiple times for FY2014 and ultimately ended the year with 39.1 million units shipped, down from their original target of 50 million and right in line with their final expectations of the year. Now the bad news – if the above can be considered good news.

Despite Being Water-Resistant, Sony SmartWatch 3 Fails Consumer Reports Tests

by Sohrab Osati | May 7, 2015 | 8 comments

Previously, I had the chance to review the Sony SmartWatch 3. During my time with it, I walked away impressed by the watch’s hardware, though found the Android Wear experience fairly lackluster. Since that time, a new version of Android Wear has been revealed with new functionality.

Thanks to the release of Apple Watch, consumer interest in the category has risen dramatically. Looking to see which watch reigned supreme, Consumer Reports put 11 models to the test. How did the Sony SmartWatch 3 fare?

The Sony Smart Bluetooth Speaker BSP60 Offers Weather Info, Voice Control, & More

by Sohrab Osati | May 6, 2015 | 0 comments

The Sony Smart Bluetooth Speaker BSP60 is different breed of device from Sony that’s designed to take an everyday product like the alarm clock and interject personality and fun into it while still offering a host of functionalities. As such, you can ask the Sony BSP60 a range of questions, from weather information to your daily schedule and it will answer right back. The voice control capabilities even expand to setting the alarm or timer.

More info after the jump.

Will the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet Float?

by Sohrab Osati | May 5, 2015 | 1 comment

Sony might not be a big player in the tablet market but that doesn’t mean each new iteration of their Xperia tablets aren’t jammed packed with new and eye popping features which are worthy of your next purchase. The Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet, their latest flagship Android tablet was revealed a month ago and features everything you’d want in a tablet. A 8-core processor with 3GB RAM powers a 10.1-inch IPS (2560 x 1600) 2k display that offers 17-hours of video playback in a design that’s even thinner than its predecessor.

In fact, the Xperia Z4 Tablet is the world’s slimmest and lightest 10’ tablet. Seeing how despite its premium features and large display size, Sony was able to still shave off weight from the new tablet, the company set out to see just how light weight the Z4 Tablet really is. With that as the back drop, Sony set out to beautiful Fira Montjuic with some helium balloons to see if they could make the Z4 Tablet float.

That video awaits you after the jump.

Android 5.0 Lollipop to Come to Sony Xperia Z Next Week

by Sohrab Osati | May 4, 2015 | 1 comment

Over the past month, Sony has been releasing Android 5.0 Lollipop for a variety of its smartphones, most notably the Xperia Z lineup which will receive the bulk of updates. Previously Sony had planned to bring Android 5.0 Lollipop to only Xperia Z devices but later announced that none Xperia Z devices would receive the update as well. With a bulk of Sony’s newer devices having already received Lollipop, Sony has revealed that the new OS is around the corner for their original flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z.

Sony SmartBand Talk SWR30 (4.0.0.56) Update Brings New Features With It

by Sohrab Osati | May 4, 2015 | 0 comments

On the heels of a potential new SmartBand from Sony with a heart rate sensor comes an update to Sony’s existing SmartBand Talk SWR30. Different from the SmartBand line, the Sony SmartBand Talk not only incorporates what the SmartBand can do, but adds a few features on top of it like an e-paper display to view information and a microphone to make calls with. Now with the SmartBand Talk 4.0.0.56 update, Sony is bringing a few welcome changes to the sleek wearable.

Putting a New OS on Sony Phones Just Got Easier

by Sohrab Osati | May 4, 2015 | 1 comment

Sony isn’t particularly known to be an open or collaborative company but in the past few years, that trend has started to shift. PlayStation 4 is a prime example where Sony went to developers and asked for their ideas on what a next generation console could be. A few years later and we have the PS4 cranking out blockbuster numbers with Sony expecting to sell 16 million units in FY2015. Now Sony Mobile might be looking to take a page out of the PlayStation playbook by opening up their Android smartphones.

Sony Xperia Z3 Appears Again on T-Mobile and On Sale

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 29, 2015 | 3 comments

In a bizarre turn of events, T-Mobile is once again carrying the Sony Xperia Z3. As a recap, in early April, T-Mobile unexpectedly stopped offering the Xperia Z3. While a sudden move by the carrier, it seemed plausible that it had to do with the impending announcement of the Xperia Z4, Sony’s next flagship smartphone. Two weeks later, Sony would announce the Xperia Z4 but only for Japan with no details on an international rollout. Now, the Xperia Z3 is once again available for purchase on T-Mobile.

Let’s talk a little more after the jump.

Sony SmartBand SWR12 With Heart Rate Sensor Coming Soon?

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 29, 2015 | 2 comments

Besides the SmartWatch series, Sony has also been investing heavily in other wearables which includes their SmartBand lineup. The current Sony SmartBand lineup consists of a colorful selection of bands which track your fitness like other similar devices. Beyond the basic ability to track your movement and set alarms in a waterproof design, the SmartBand also allows you to play, pause, and skip through your music. Connection is also easy thanks to the built-in NFC, while non-NFC devices will rely on Bluetooth.

Now, thanks to the FCC, it seems like a successor is on its way with a noteworthy improvement.

‘Video Unlimited’ Renamed to ‘PlayStation Video’ on Android

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 28, 2015 | 0 comments

Since the start of the year, Sony has been busy renaming and killing services that didn’t match up with its plans moving forward. Under this house cleaning, Sony ended its attempts at competing in the music streaming space and in doing so, killed Music Unlimited. Luckily for those on PlayStation, the service was replaced by PlayStation Music, which is actually a skin for Spotify as the service is entirely powered by them. In order to simplify its naming structure, Sony has also renamed their Walkman app on Android to simply Music. As Sony themselves put it:

Not all people make the connection that Walkman is about music. So, to simplify for all our users, we are changing the name to make it easy to understand what this app gives you: Music

Now Sony is renaming another one of their services.