Sony Mobile

Sony Project N, powered by Nigel the voice assistant video preview

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 6, 2017 | 0 comments

The obvious big announcement from Sony at CES 2017 is their foray into OLED TVs with the A1E but if we look beyond the glamour of it, there are a lot more interesting products Sony is working on and one is dubbed Project N. Chances are that you’ve seen or heard of this product before, as it’s shown up at various trade shows and events like SXSW.

So what exactly is Project N? Think of a wearable that lives around your neck that’s powered by something like Siri, but it can also take pictures for you, and can also take calls, and can also play back your music, that’s equipped with GPS, gyro sensors, and a lot of other wizbang gadgetry. Confused? Perhaps it’s best to let Sony explain it.

Sony Xperia Agent video preview – a voice assistant with a face

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 5, 2017 | 0 comments

Shown previously at other conferences, Sony had the Xperia Agent once again front and center at CES 2017. Designed to compete in the same space as Amazon Echo, Xperia Agent hopes to bring a personal connection to voice-driven products by literally putting a face, albeit an adorable robotic face, on the technology that we’re meant to interact with. Here is our video preview of what all it can do for you.

Sony keeps promise, becomes first OEM to release Android 7.1.1

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 3, 2017 | 0 comments

In early December, Sony made the bold announcement of wanting to beat all other OEMs to the latest Android build. For a company that’s had a checkered history with OS releases, 2016 shaped up to be a strong year with more consistent and timely updates across the Xperia lineup. Now, to everyone’s delight, Sony has kept its promise and in doing so, has released Android 7.1.1 Nougat for the Xperia X which paves the way for the build to arrive on other Xperia phones as well.

Sony Xperia Ear review – “poorly thought-out solution”

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 2, 2017 | 2 comments

If Sony’s product roadmap holds, we’ll be given two more voice-driven devices sometime in 2017: the Xperia Agent and Xperia Projector. Until that time, the best example we have of Sony’s ambitions towards AI and voice-enabled products is the just-released Xperia Ear, their competitor for – or take on – the Apple AirPods. As Alistair Charlton from the International Business Times writes in his Xperia Ear review, you start off with a lot of slick tech.

The Ear comes with a lovely charging case with a spring-loaded lid and a snug pocket for the Ear to sit in, where it recharges from the case’s own battery, which in turn is charged via a microUSB port. There is no on button; you just take out the Ear, wear it and it starts working via a Bluetooth connection to your Android phone.

But before we even dive into its functionality and what it can do, the most profound knock against the Xperia Ear is its comfort level and no matter how amazing the technology behind it is, if you can’t bear to keep it in your ear, the entire thing becomes pointless.

Sony Xperia X gets Android 7.0 Nougat in Canada

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 30, 2016 | 0 comments

A quick heads up to our friends in the north – you can now download Android 7.0 Nougat on the Xperia X. From Sony Mobile Canada:

We’ve cooked up a treat for you! Nougat is now available on the Xperia X. Follow our channels to see when it will be available on your device.

Rose Behar writes for mobilesyrup about the prospects of Nougat coming to additional Xperia models in Canada:

Sony Mobile fails to crack the top device activations for the holiday 2016 season

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 28, 2016 | 3 comments

Prior to Christmas, a bit of data began to circulate regarding the demise of Samsung and the rise of Sony in their place. In short, in the vacuum left by the recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, it was the Sony Xperia XZ that was getting the biggest boost from it. At the time, I was skeptical of the results which lacked any meaningful sales figures, writing that

while this sounds good for Sony and I’m not arguing it’s not, the overall effects of it are still unknown. Part of the problem with the above graphs is that they lack any form of quantity, think of them as Jeff Bezos charts, where things just go up.

And it looks like Sony Mobile isn’t ending the year with a bang after all, or certainly not in the scale the previous data was depicting things.

Sony Xperia XZ is the most popular Android flagship in second half of 2016?

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 21, 2016 | 10 comments

Many people wondered what the demise of Samsung and their Galaxy Note 7 fiasco would mean for the greater mobile market and more specifically Android. Some had predicted that it might be the newly launched Google Pixel that would sweep up users left behind or Apple with iPhone 7 (something that Tim Cook himself denied). Well according to a new study by Apteligent Data, it was actually Sony and the Xperia XZ that benefited the most.

Google December security update (M1D64T) arrives on Sony SmartWatch 3

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 19, 2016 | 0 comments

Quick heads up to owners of the Sony SmartWatch 3: over the next few days, Google’s December security update will be available to download. It’s not clear what specific changes will come with the update and it’s unlikely that we’ll ever learn, other than typical patches. Once updated, your SmartWatch 3 will move to firmware M1D64T. It’s always good to see that Sony is keeping up with the updates that it has access to. Everything else, like Android Wear, is entirely out of Sony’s hands as OEMs are only able to customize the front face.

Android 7.0 Nougat lands on Xperia X and X Compact (34.2.A.0.266)

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 16, 2016 | 1 comment

Heads up to Xperia X and Xperia X Compact owners – as promised, Sony Mobile is continuing their aggressive rollout of Android 7.0 Nougat and the new OS build is available for you to download. For those of you wondering what Nougat brings to the Xperia line, you can read a preview of the software update here. From Xperia Blog:

Sony Mobile has begun to rollout the Android 7.0 Nougat firmware update for Xperia X (F5121), Xperia X Dual (F5122) and Xperia X Compact (F5321) handsets. The new update moves the build number to version 34.2.A.0.266.

Potential 2017 Sony Xperia XA model leaks

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 15, 2016 | 2 comments

It wouldn’t be Sony and specifically Sony Mobile without a leak and what we have today is potentially their 2017 model. Specifically, it’s believed to be the Xperia XA successor though it certainly could just be whatever replaces the Xperia X. Still, with a lack of obvious fingerprint sensor on the power button, I’d wager we’re looking at the Xperia XA. According to the leaked renders, the phone’s measurements come in at:

Motorola and Pebble call it quits on wearables but Sony smarted up a long time ago

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 15, 2016 | 1 comment

In last week’s news blast, I touched upon the fact that there appears to be a huge consolidation happening in wearables. Just a few years ago, you wouldn’t catch a company without some contraption that went around your wrist and Sony was no different. Most people know them for the SmartWatch series but Sony also pumped out the SmartBand, SmartBand Talk, and even did partnerships with brands like Roxy. Now, besides Apple who is doing solid business with Apple Watch, hardly anybody wants to talk about wearables.

Thank you for being part of our story. We're closing one chapter and inviting you along for the next. #pebbleXfitbit https://t.co/SMau6NhCEl pic.twitter.com/3we0dJPZzr

— Pebble (@Pebble) December 7, 2016

Pebble, for its part, is now dead and gone. The once darling of the crowdfunding community, just last week sold all of its assets to Fitbit (which can been struggling on its own) for $40 million and now ceases to operate. If you had any new units from them on order, they’ve been cancelled and all warranties are now null and void. Sure, you might chalk them up to being a small fish but others are exiting the business as fast as they can too.

Sony wants to beat all other phone makers to Android 7.1.1

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 9, 2016 | 0 comments

Android updates and Sony aren’t necessarily synonymous with one another, but in 2016, something seems to be changing. Not only are updates coming out of Sony Mobile more regularly, but they’ve also managed to be one of the first manufacturers to release Android 7.0 Nougat. Sure it’s not available on all of their devices yet but the rollout has been much faster than previous Android builds. Now according to Xperia Blog, Sony wants to beat all others to Android 7.1.1.

What Android 7.0 Nougat brings to Xperia phones

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 2, 2016 | 4 comments

Android 7.0 Nougat has been the most aggressive release Sony has done to date. In just the past week we’ve seen the latest OS build arrive for Xperia X Performance and Xperia XZ with more phones to come in the near future. According to Sony, Nougat will be made available to the

Xperia Z3+, Xperia Z4 Tablet, Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact, Xperia Z5 Premium, Xperia X, Xperia XA, Xperia XA Ultra and Xperia X Compact.

All of this then begs, what exactly does the new OS bring with it?

Android 7.0 Nougat also arrives on Sony Xperia XZ (39.2.A.0.327)

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 1, 2016 | 0 comments

A follow up and addition to yesterday’s story about Android 7.0 Nougat arriving on the Xperia X Performance – Sony is now rolling out the latest build for the flagship Xperia XZ as well. Specifically, the update is available for the Xperia XZ (F8331) and XZ Dual (F8332) with build number 39.2.A.0.327 attached to it. It should go without saying that all updates for Sony are a phased rollout so don’t be surprised if it’s not showing up quite yet for your phone.

Android 7.0 Nougat arrives on Sony Xperia X Performance (39.2.A.0.327)

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 29, 2016 | 0 comments

Just a quick heads up for Xperia X Performance owners – Sony is now rolling out Android 7.0 Nougat. As always, the gang at XperiaBlog have a nice little breakdown of it.

Firmware build number 39.2.A.0.327 is currently rolling to the Xperia X Performance (F8131) and X Performance Dual (F8132). The update is currently only rolling to select regions