During IFA 2013, Sony introduced the first main stream attachable smartphone lens. The QX10 and QX100 allows iOS and Android users to latch on an attachable lens to their smartphone (or tablet) and gain a higher megapixel camera with a larger sensor. With Sony taking the stage on Wednesday, September 3rd at the 2014 IFA, it’s believed that the company will once again unveil another set of QX lenses with a very worth improvement.
Look – VAIO is back – without Sony, that is. Remember back in February Sony announced plans to sell it’s VAIO brand of PC computers? Well that new owner has just relaunched itself and VAIOs are back on sale – in Japan only for now. No more Sony logos of course, Japan Industrial Partners will have to make its own mark on consumers hearts to succeed.
The past few years has been a rough one for the PC industry, as it has been particularly challenged by the popularity of smartphones and tablets which have reduced reliance on the traditional home computer. In the PC industry, the changing times has seen few winners, if any, and Sony certainly wasn’t one of them. As VAIO sales were not performing well, Sony released the brand to Japan Industrial Partners.
So what’s happening with the new VAIOs? Read on to find out.
Though Sony might be doing its best to not let the cat out of the bag in regards to their next Android endeavor, the leaks continue. We already know quite a bit about the Sony Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact (alongside a mystery tablet). Now the latest leaks come in the form of product schematics that place the two unannounced devices next to each other. Besides learning about what makes the two phones different from each other, we can also now more accurately report on their advancements, compared to Sony’s current product line. After the jump, we talk details.
If the name scheming trend from Sony continues (and we don’t have any reason to believe that it will be different), the successor the Xperia Z2 Tablet will likely be the Xperia Xperia Z3 Tablet. Unlike flagship smartphones from Sony which are released roughly every 6 months, Sony is taking a more traditional one year cycle with each tablet it brings to the market. This puts the most recent leak of a Sony SGP621 tablet in direct contrast with previous product cycles which saw the public unveiling of the Xperia Z2 Tablet in February. That is, unless this is a completely different type of tablet.
Sony has yet to officially announce the Xperia Z3 and we’ve already learned a lot about the next phone, thanks to the FCC and other leaks which have revealed the flagship smartphones specs. If these leaks hold true, we now know the phone that will follow up the Xperia Z3, the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. Like the Xperia Z1 Compact, the Xperia Z3 Compact packs many of the features that make up the Xperia Z3 in a smaller size. That means a smaller screen size of 4.6-inch versus the Z3’s rumored 5.2-inch display. What else can we expect?
After the jump, we have far more revealing pictures and specs.
In 2011, Sony initiated strategy for PlayStation Mobile, which would have the brand expand beyond core Sony consoles and arrive on Android devices. The move was part of a strategy that allowed Android users to experience PlayStation titles in hopes of bringing them to the PS3 and PS Vita. Unfortunately, the initiative never gained much traction. Hardware partners were limited and software releases were scant with mainly original PlayStation titles. Sony would also use the platform to allow smaller indie publishers to release titles on which would also be compatible on the PS Vita, but the incentive was low for developers as opposed to simply making their game for iOS and Android.
Fortunately, Sony is finally ending PlayStation Mobile development and with it, freeing up resources for the PS Vita.
OLED displays continue to be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. While every company including Sony has been able to create small displays and incorporate them on camera viewfinders and more prominently on devices like the PlayStation Vita, mass production on large displays remains a challenge. While Sony and others have been able to create large OLED televisions, due to production woes and astronomical costs, none of these sets have come to the market in a meaningful way due to the large price tag they carry. Still, the industry seems to want to make large OLED displays happen while it’s unclear if consumers truly care or if a proper 4K set is enough.
Sony, for its part, has had a turbulent history with OLED productions. In 2012, the company announced a joint venture with Panasonic to combine R&D which never led anywhere. Sony followed up by showcasing a 56-inch OLED TV at CES 2013, but that was the last we heard of the set. Eventually the company did release 30-inch (4,096 x 2,160) and 56-inch (3,840 x 2160) 4K OLED monitors for professionals but rumors followed in early 2014 that they were poised to exit the OLED business.
If that makes your head spin, you’re not alone but Sony is now coming full circle by announcing a new joint venture with Panasonic to once again create OLED displays.
The Sony Xperia T3 was revealed in June and dubbed as the worlds slimmest 5.3-inch smartphone. Featuring a 7mm body with a stainless steel frame, a 5.3-inch HD display with an 8-megapixel front facing camera, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, the Sony Xperia T3 is shaping to be quite the upper mid-range smartphone. Already available in Hong Kong for purchase, Sony is now adding Taiwan to their list of conquered territories which also makes this the second market the Xperia T3 is available in.
Now lets talk price and color.
Good news for those who are looking for a Android phone that starts with the other S. While the Sony Xperia Z2 has been available throughout the world for nearly 6 months, US fans had been left in the cold. Luckily Sony has began to figure out its US strategy a bit and recently released the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet exclusively on Verizon. Ok maybe not the best idea to go with a sole carrier but at least it’s being sold in the US.
So lets talk Xperia Z2 and the US.
We already know a fair deal about the Xperia Z3, the next flagship Android smartphone from Sony. Thanks to the FCC, we can even confirm the 802.11ac wireless chipset inside the powerful device but more importantly, we can confidently assume that a reveal is in the near future. While Sony might not be quite ready to talk about the Z3, thanks to more leaks, we can reveal some key Xperia Z3 specs that may or may not put a smile on your face.
After the jump, Sony Xperia Z3 specs await you.
Recent rumors have pegged Sony has the sole supplier of the image sensor that’s to be found in the next iPhone from Apple. In the last three iterations of the iPhone, Sony has provided Apple with an 8-megapixel image sensor. With the launch of the iPhone 6 (mockup pictured above), it’s believed that Sony will once again be the only vendor partner of Apple to provide a 13-megapixel image sensor. Though not directly confirming the deal, Sony has announced that they plan on investing $345 million to boost image sensor production.
I wonder what product is around the corner that would demand such high volumes (hint, it’s the iPhone 6). Let’s talk details.
Sony has been giving its mobile fleet a booster shot all week long by bringing updates to the Xperia Z2, Xperia SP, Xperia E, and Xperia T2 Ultra among smaller app updates. Now the company has announced the next set of firmware updates and the lucky two smartphones are the Xperia E1 and Xperia M2. The Sony Xperia M2 was initially revealed in February as a mid-range smartphone with a quad-core processor. Thanks to an accidental coding error on Sony’s own site, it seems that an updated Sony Xperia M2 Aqua D2403 is on the way in the near future that will likely bring a water resistant housing to the phone.
As if Sony has woken up to the fact that they command an extensive fleet of Android devices, the company is checking another device off of its list of smartphones to upgrade. Earlier in the week, the Sony Xperia Z2, Xperia E, and Xperia SP were just two of the phones Sony rolled out new firmware for. Now, the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra is receiving the red carpet treatment from Sony with a new firmware upgrade that brings the 6-inch phablet to Android 4.4.2 KitKat.
What can we expect from the newest firmware update? Quite a bit, it seems like.
If you have in your position a Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone then you’ll notice something is awaiting you in the cloud. Starting today, the Sony Xperia Z2 update 17.1.2.A.0.314 is live though what changes it brings with it are currently elusive. Those who’ve initiated the update are reporting no changes in their Android build indicating that Sony is not yet ready to move beyond Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Many had hoped that the firmware update would bring with it Android 4.4.4 KitKat.
As is with the way Sony handles firmware updates, the Sony Xperia Z2 build 17.1.2.A.0.314 is not available in all countries. After the jump, we get into more detail.
Thanks to our friends at the FCC, we already know that the Sony Xperia Z3 (D6603) has been approved for the United States. This means that Sony is legally able to sell their next flagship Android smartphone if they so wish, though I wouldn’t expect it to arrive in the US for many months after its international launch. Now thanks to the FCC, we may have uncovered another detail about the Xperia Z3 which would truly make it a next generation smartphone.
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