Sony Mobile

Sony e-paper Watch Launches Next Month

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 16, 2015 | 4 comments

One of the more interesting moves by Sony in 2015 has been First Flight, an internal crowdfunding platform by Sony that was meant to help surface creative ideas at the company. The idea here is that the platform allows for Sony employees to get creative with products with low cost to the company. If consumers back and fund the project, Sony steps in and look at how it can scale and deliver on the vision.

One of the first successful products from Fight Flight was the FES e-paper watch and it’s set to go on sale next month.

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium Launches in UK

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 13, 2015 | 0 comments

The Sony Xperia Z5 Premium – you know, the monster 5.5-inch phone with a 4K display – is now officially available in the UK. Offered by retailer Carphone Warehouse, the ultra flagship phone as a recap offers a 23-megapixel rear-camera that can shoot in 4K, 64-bit Octa Core processor with 3G RAM, and 32GB internal storage that’s expandable via microSD with Android 5.1 as the core OS.

If you’re interested, I talk price and an interesting cross promotion after the jump.

Future Sony SmartWatch Could Include LTE

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 12, 2015 | 0 comments

Google has just announced an update to Android Wear, their wearable OS, which could heavily impact the way future Sony SmartWatch’s are designed and built. With the latest build, Android Wear now provides LTE support, meaning devices with compatible chips can easily navigate off of their Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth connection to an available LTE network.

This feature alone can greatly enhance and propel wearables forward as they’re currently tied to our smartphones for most of their advanced functionality. Let’s dive a little more into this after the jump.

Sony Xperia C4 Becomes Available in More European Countries

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 9, 2015 | 0 comments

Originally destined for Asia, Sony has begun a slow expansion into Europe with the entry level Xperia C4. Unlike the premium mid-range Xperia C5 Ultra and Xperia M5, the C4 is much more a traditional mid-range unit as its price reflects. Luckily Sony didn’t skimp on some of the more routinely-used features and packs a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

After the jump, details on price and availability.

Sony Xperia Z5 Dual and Z5 Premium Dual Arrive in India

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 6, 2015 | 0 comments

Partially late to this story and partially on time – Sony has announced the Xperia Z5 Dual and Xperia Z5 Premium Dual for India. The former had an October 23rd release date which means those in India have been able to enjoy the flagship smartphone from Sony for nearly two weeks. The Xperia Z5 Premium Dual, the 4K screened monster device however arrives tomorrow, November 7th.

After the jump, let’s talk color options and prices.

Sony Releases New ‘Modern’ Watch Face for SmartWatch 3 With Battery Widgets

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 3, 2015 | 0 comments

If you’re looking to change things up on your Sony SmartWatch 3 then now is the time to fire up the companion app on your Android device. Thanks to a recent update to the Watch Faces for Smartwatch 3 (2.0.A.0.13), you can now download an all new ‘modern’ watch face which offers a host of customizable options like background color, style, time marker and even accent color. With the new watch face, Sony has also added the ability to add a battery widget which allows you to know the battery of your SmartWatch with a simple glance.

More details on the customization options after the jump.

Sony Mobile Sales Hit 4 Year Low

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 30, 2015 | 19 comments

As I reported yesterday, PlayStation continues to be a bright spot for Sony. The gaming division continues to increase its year-over-year sales as it dominates its competitor, the Xbox One, nearly two to one. With digital imaging also on the rise, which is also helping fuel more aggressive plans by Sony like purchasing Toshiba’s CMOS sensor business, the one division that continues to hold the company is still their mobile arm. In fact, sales of Xperia smartphones have hit a four year low, far behind their 2014 quarter as can be seen from the above chart.

More details along side a more complete sales chart can be found after the jump.

Sony Doubles Down on Mobile, Will Build New Smartphone Factory

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 27, 2015 | 0 comments

There’s been no shortage of talk among news sites, pundits, and fans about the future of Sony Mobile. Even Sony leadership has given mixed answers regarding the money-losing division’s future, but today’s news should at least in the short term (next 5 years) put to rest any doubt that Sony will continue to operate in the mobile business with the announcement of a new smartphone factory in Thailand.

More details after the jump.

Two Senior Executives Depart from Sony Mobile

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 26, 2015 | 0 comments

Sony Mobile has announced the departure of two executives from their UK division. Specifically, Catherine Cherry (Benelux Marketing Director) and Nigel Whitehead (Head of Retail and Distribution) have left the company for undisclosed reasons though the move seems to be due to a internal restructuring. It’s unclear at the time if this move was initiated by them or by Sony.

More details after the jump.

Sony SCR30 Style Cover Window for Xperia Z3+ Picture Gallery

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 15, 2015 | 0 comments

Back in July, Sony would launch the SCR30 Style Cover Window for their latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z3+. Made from PU leather, the colorful cases which come in black, white, copper, and aqua only weigh 40 grams and have been available for purchase for some time now. With more Xperia Z3+ units in the wild, I figured this would be a good time to revisit the cases again with a picture gallery after the jump so you can decide if they’re right for you.

Sony Xperia Z5 Gains Pre-order Status in Singapore & Hong Kong

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 25, 2015 | 1 comment

In the past two months, Sony unfolded a fairly aggressive rollout strategy for their high-end mid-range Xperia C5 Ultra and Xperia M5 throughout Asia. With the phone have launched in many of its intended countries, the Japanese giant is now turning its attention towards its most recent flagship device, the Xperia Z5 family.

Beginning today, those in Singapore and Hong Kong can pre-order the Xperia Z5 with a lot of goodies to go along with them. After the jump, we reveal the bonus add-ons and Z5 pricing.

Purchase the Xperia Z5, Get a Free Hi-Res Audio Headset

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 24, 2015 | 1 comment

To help kick off the arrival of the Xperia Z5 family, Sony is providing different promotions to entice would-be buyers to take a hard look at their latest flagship models. In the Nordics, purchasing an Xperia Z5 will get you a free pair of Sony MDR-10RC headphones, while those in France will be able to get the Hi-Res Audio Headset MDR-NC750 for free.

More details after the jump.

Sony Offers More Details on ‘Made for Bond’ Campaign

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 24, 2015 | 0 comments

To promote their soon-to-be-released Xperia Z5 flagship family, Sony is tapping into their film roots with a ‘Made for Bond’ campaign. For those not aware, Spectre, the fourth 007 flick with Daniel Craig at the helm is produced by none other than Sony Pictures which makes for a more lucrative cross promotion.

Last week, I wasn’t too kind on the ‘short film’ styled ad which features actress Naomie Harris, who plays Moneypenny. I called the piece a bit tone deaf and I’m not sure I’m ready to change my thoughts on it (though I’d love to hear yours). Now, Sony is pulling back the curtain on the ad which was shot on Sony’s F65 professional 4K cinema camera.

After the jump, more information about the cinematic ad and its close roots to the Bond franchise with comments from Sony CEO Kaz Hirai.

A Day & Night With the Sony Xperia Z5

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 23, 2015 | 0 comments

To go along with the Xperia Z5 unveiling and hype, Sony has released a near 7-minute video where they put their latest flagship to the test. Hosted by Maddie Moate, a self proclaimed “technology presenter and YouTube educator,” we see the Xperia Z5 used in a series of differing real world scenarios like going down the streets of Berlin in a bumpy and colorful Trabant to help showcase the phones SteadyShot Intelligent Active Mode and 0.03s hybrid autofocus.

More after the jump, including the video.

A Visual Evolution of the Sony Xperia Z

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 23, 2015 | 4 comments

It’s hard to think of a time when the Xperia Z hasn’t been part of the mobile landscape, yet the phone series isn’t even 5 years old. Unveiling at CES 2013, the original Xperia Z went on sale in February of the same year in Japan and from there slowly expanded to Europe. Since that time, we’ve had many (some might say too many) iterations of the phone in such a short time, including the

Xperia Z
Xperia Z1
Xperia Z2
Xperia Z3
Xperia Z3+/Z4

and the just announced Xperia Z5 series (Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Premium). While consistent with their Omni design Sony has championed, with each new model, the design, feel, and materials used to craft the flagship product have propelled the Z family forward. What has stayed consistent, though changed in placement, are volume up/down, camera, and the power button which has seen the most departure in terms of design since it now doubles as a fingerprint scanner.

After the jump, a high resolution image of the series awaits you.