Sony Mobile

Explained – Why Sony Renamed ‘Walkman’ App to ‘Music’

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 27, 2015 | 3 comments

Nearly two months ago, we reported on Sony renaming the Walkman app on their mobile fleet to Music. As expected, while some fans shrugged and only hoped that improvements would come to the app alongside the name change, others were more up in arms about it as Walkman has a certain nostalgic factor among Sony fans. Since that time, Sony has had an aggressive rollout of Android 5.0 Lollipop and even launched two new devices, the Xperia Z4 Tablet and Xperia M4 Aqua, both shipping with the new Music app.

Now, Sony has finally explained the reasoning behind the shift in their app naming.

Sony Xperia Z4 vs. Xperia Z3 (In Pics)

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 27, 2015 | 6 comments

Exactly a week ago, Sony unveiled the Xperia Z4, their next flagship Android smartphone. Announced only for Japan, the Xperia Z4 takes what’s good about the Z3 and improves upon it instead of reinventing the wheel. That means a slimmer design, more powerful processor, and a much-improved front-facing camera.

So how do the two phones stack up against each other? Luckily for us, somebody had the same question in mind and decided to literally stack the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z4 to find out. After the jump, a series of pictures that compare the two phones await you.

Android Wear Update to Bring Wi-Fi Support & More to Sony SmartWatch 3

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 23, 2015 | 0 comments

Sony, like many other tech companies, is getting heavily into the wearable market. Just this year alone, Sony has introduced three such products, the SmartWatch 3, SmartBand, and SmartBand Talk. Unlike Android on smartphones which is designed by Google and tweaked by hardware manufacturers, Android Wear is nearly 90% Google. This means that manufacturers are open to designing the hardware as they see fit with no direct oversight from Google. Software, however, is handled entirely by Google with manufacturers like Sony only given freedom over the watch faces that ship with them.

Now Google has announced an update to Android Wear that will bring along with it Wi-Fi support and a few other notable additions. After the jump, those details.

Sony Xperia Z3 – 4K Night Footage

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 22, 2015 | 0 comments

For nearly a month, we had a chance to set out the Sony Xperia Z3. Just last week, we showed off the 4K capabilities of the Xperia Z3 during daytime. With the Sony Xperia Z4 having been announced for Japan and utilizing the same 20.7-megapixel rear-facing camera (though it has an all new 5-megapixel front-facing camera) with 4K recording, we thought it be an appropriate time to show off the Z3’s 4K night time footage which can be seen above. The footage was captured in Santa Monica, CA.

Sony Xperia Z4’s Front-Facing Camera Has Some Neat Tricks

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 21, 2015 | 0 comments

Sony’s next flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z4, was revealed yesterday, putting to rest the fun ‘how many leaks will there be before we know everything about this device‘ game. Though not a dramatic departure from the Xperia Z3, the new and even thinner phone with a 5.2-inch display offers quite a few refinements over its predecessor. One such improvement is the front-facing camera that’s now been upgraded to 5-megapixels for even better ‘selfies.’ Let’s be honest, hipster or not, a better camera is always appreciated, especially when there’s nobody around to help you capture that moment.

Fortunately for Xperia fans, Sony did more than just up the megapixel count. Those details after the jump.

Android 5 Lollipop (14.5.B.0.228) Certified for Xperia Z1s on T-Mobile

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 20, 2015 | 0 comments

T-Mobile has yet to announce when Android 5.0 Lollipop will be arriving for its fleet of Sony smartphones, but if recent reveals are any indications, it should be sooner than later. While T-Mobile has confirmed that it will support Android 5.0 for the Xperia Z1s and Xperia Z3, they also abruptly pulled sales on all Sony smartphones two ago. Many wondered if this was due to the impending reveal of the Xperia Z4, which was announced earlier today. However, the Xperia Z4 currently has no release date outside of Japan.

Regardless of the reasons behind the move, Android 5 is coming to T-Mobile. More details after the jump.

Flagship Sony Xperia Z4 Finally Announced, Just Not For You

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 20, 2015 | 2 comments

As expected, albeit a month earlier than I had predicted, Sony has unveiled their next flagship Android smartphone, the Xperia Z4. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, the Sony Xperia Z4 offers a lot while not trailing away too far from the well-received Xperia Z3. So what’s changed? Quite a few things, including a new ‘selfie-friendly’ 5-megapixel front-fracing camera and a new processor to power it all.

Details after the jump.

Sony Xperia Z3 – 4K Day Footage

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 17, 2015 | 1 comment

One thing that makes the Sony Xperia Z3 unique compared to other phones out there is its ability to record in 4K. Having a computer that’s capable of editing 4K, I wanted to put the Z3’s powerful camera to the test and so I headed down to Santa Monica to shoot some footage. My goal throughout this was to treat the phone and in turn the produced footage as if I was an everyday consumer. That means despite being edited together, none of the footage, video or audio, has been altered in any shape.

If you have a TV or computer that’s capable of viewing 4K footage, be sure to click the settings button on the video and select 4K. For everyone else, you can still view the above video in 1080p.

Google Releases Android 5.1 Lollipop for Sony Z Ultra Google Play Edition

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 15, 2015 | 0 comments

The Sony Z Ultra Google Play Edition ( a mouthful) has always been a different kind of beast compared to Sony’s other smartphones. Unlike their normal line where Sony handles both hardware and software tweaks within the guidelines of Google, the Z Ultra Google Play Edition is all Sony hardware and all Google software. That’s to say that while Sony fully developed the hardware, all software was left to Google which meant for some less bloatware and a more pure Android experience. At the same time, if you liked any of the apps provided by Sony like Walkman or their cameras, you were equally out of luck.

Still for some, the pure experience of Android and timely OS updates was a unique one to pursue. While it’s been sometime since Google has discontinued the phone, updates are still rolling out for the phone and ones that are even newer than what Sony is releasing.

Sony Xperia Z1, Z Ultra, & Z1 Compact Receive Android 5.0 Lollipop

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 13, 2015 | 0 comments

Sony promised Android 5.0 Lollipop for its fleet of Xperia Z devices and they’ve continued to deliver. Just last week, Android Lollipop became available on the Xperia Z3 Dual, Z1, Z Ultra and Xperia Z2 & Z2 Tablets. With most of their newer units having already received the latest OS, Sony is now turning its attention to some older phones like the Xperia Z1, Xperia Z Ultra, and Xperia Z1 Compact. Specifically, the Android firmware arriving for said devices is 14.5.A.0.242 and brings with it Android 5.0.2. Sony’s most recently-announced devices, the Xperia Z4 Tablet and Xperia M4 Aqua, also ship with Android 5.0.2.

Two New Sony Xperia Z4 Images Leak

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 9, 2015 | 9 comments

At first, we have one leaked image of the Xperia Z4 to go by. Shortly after, as such things are, we had several images and some potential tech specs to go along with them. While none of the leaked images are likely from the actual product and more likely internal renders from Sony, it’s safe to say that we know what the Xperia Z4 will look like. That is to say that it looks somewhere between the Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z3. For those eager to see a little more, we have one more larger image to share with you after the jump.

Sony Comments on Mobile Business & Its Path to Profitability

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 9, 2015 | 2 comments

The fate of Sony Mobile continues to be up in the air. The division, which was supposed to save Sony, has instead turned out to be a liability for the company. Sony once had ambitious plans for the division which would have seen them sell over 50 million devices last year. Sony now believes they’ll sell 39.2 million units for FY14, a 9% reduction year-on-year. Under current CEO, Kaz Hirai, Sony hasn’t been shy about closing divisions that aren’t working, a decision which led them to sell VAIO, their PC division, and reduce their majority stake in Olympus.

While this doesn’t mean immediate doom for mobile, it does mean that the next few years will be a crucial time for the division. While televisions was allowed to suffer a decade of losses, under the new leadership, Sony will likely not be as lenient to mobile. Starting in 2015, Sony has outlined a new three-year strategy that includes FY15, FY16, and FY17 which ends on March 31st, 2018. Sony hopes to use Return on Equity (RoE) as the primary KPI (Key Performance Indicator) as it targets a group RoE of 10% in FY17.

More details on their strategy and comments on mobile after the jump.

Xperia Z3 No Longer Offered By T-Mobile; What It Means for Sony

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 8, 2015 | 3 comments

A sign of things to come for sure, T-Mobile has unexpectedly stopped selling the Sony Xperia Z3. Just a little over 6 months into October 2014, we saw T-Mobile begin carrying the flagship smartphone from Sony alongside Verizon. During that time, Sony has claimed that T-Mobile has been a good partnership for them though we’ve had no real sales to go by. The only sales numbers we’ve had have been general ones for the entire mobile division of Sony which have been poor to say the least.

In early March, T-Mobile announced support for Android 5.0 Lollipop on the Xperia Z1s and Xperia Z3. Now, less than a month later and T-Mobile no longer carries any Sony devices. Is this a sign of good things with the Xperia Z4 in the near future, or a sign of bad things for Sony Mobile?

Discussion after the jump.

Android 5.0 Lollipop Arrives For Sony Xperia Z2 & Z2 Tablet

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 8, 2015 | 0 comments

On the heels of announcing Android 5.0 Lollipop for the Xperia Z1, Z Ultra, and Z3 Dual, Sony has also revealed that they’ll be bringing the latest OS update to additional devices as well. Unlike the said updates which will arrive next week, you can look forward to Lollipop on the Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z2 Tablet starting today.

Sony Xperia Z3 Dual, Z1, and Z Ultra to Receive Android 5.0 Lollipop Next Week

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 7, 2015 | 6 comments

Rejoice, Sony fans, as more and more devices are beginning to receive Android 5.0 Lollipop. The latest smartphones to receive the newest OS update are the Xperia Z3 Dual, Xperia Z1, and Xperia Z Ultra. According to Sony, Android 5.0.2 Lollipop will begin to arrive for said smartphones sometime next week. While Sony had previously announced Android 5.0 Lollipop for only Xperia Z devices, they would later revise that statement and include devices like the Xperia C3 and T2 Ultra.