Phones

Sony Mobile Lowers Sales Forecasts Again Despite Shipping 11.9 Million Units

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 5, 2015 | 4 comments

Sony has been slowly releasing results from Q3 2014 and there is a lot of encouraging news from it. PS4 as expected continues its gangbuster sales, having sold 6.4 million units in the quarter. Net profits for Sony as a whole were up nearly 238% indicating that not only has the company been able to get its costs down, but that more products are being sold with a Sony logo on them. This could also been for Sony’s mobile division which pumped out 11.9 million units during Q3 2014. For the quarter, sales were up 11% compared to Q3 2013 and as a whole, sales were up 6% year-on-year. In fact, this was the highest number of units Sony has ever pumped out in a quarter.

While things seem rosy, Sony doesn’t see this trend continuing. Let’s talk.

Sony SGP771 Model Leaks; Is It the Next Xperia Z Tablet?

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 2, 2015 | 9 comments

Our friends at the Indonesian Postel Regulatory have come through once again. Just days after revealing three models numbers from Sony’s 2015 fleet of Xperia smartphones which likely includes their flagship Xperia Z4, the Indonesian equivalent to the FCC has likely spoiled Sony’s 2015 Xperia Tablet Z. In the past few years, despite a lack of success in the tablet market, Sony has continued to update and improve their slate offerings. While 2013 only saw Sony release one tablet, the Xperia Tablet Z, 2014 was a better year for company where they released the followup Xperia Z2 Tablet and a smaller Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact which offers a 8-inch screen.

More info after the jump.

Qualcomm SnapDragon 810 Chips Confirmed for Fleet of 2015 Sony Xperia Devices

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 2, 2015 | 0 comments

Qualcomm has been on a bit of roll lately and if you’re a stock holder you know that all too well. That’s because the roll has unfortunately been a downhill one for the company. After a disappointing earnings report, news has circulated that Samsung, one of Qualcomm’s largest buyers. had dropped the chip manufacturer in favor of their own internally-built processor. This is on top of reports that Qualcomm has been having issues with their 2015 SnapDragon 810 chip. Likely looking to stir up good news for investors, Qualcomm has announced that though there has been no official news from Sony, that they in fact will be using the SnapDragon 810 chips in their fleet of 2015 products.

Sony Xperia Z3 to Take Advantage of T-Mobile’s New 700 MHz Spectrum

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 30, 2015 | 4 comments

Good news for Xperia Z3 owners on T-Mobile’s network here in the US. Earlier in the week, T-Mobile announced an expansion on their coverage by supporting the low-band 700MHz (Band 12) LTE spectrum. This doesn’t mean the new coverage will be available in all the areas that T-Mobile operates in. For areas that the new spectrum is available, T-Mobile has confirmed that the Sony Xperia Z3 will be able to take advantage of the new band. More details after the jump.

Sony SmartBand SWR10 Now Available in Brown Leather

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 30, 2015 | 0 comments

Remember the Titans Sony SmartBand SWR10? Yea, the one that can track steps, calories, sleep and more? Well besides the traditional black model and the different colored bracelets you could previously purchase, Sony is now offering it with a Brown Leather wrist strap. As it stands, it seems like this option is only for Europe as it’s not appearing on the North American store, though that could always change. The Sony SmartBand SWR10 in Brown Leather carries the same 99,00€ price point as the less fancy black one.

Sony Dips the Xperia Z3 in Purple for UK

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 29, 2015 | 0 comments

Carphone Warehouse, the UK retailer, is getting the Sony Xperia Z3 in purple and as an exclusive. Besides the new bold color, nothing has changed about the Xperia Z3, meaning you’ll find the same gorgeous 5.2-inch 1080p FHD IPS display alongside the 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS camera, which is capable of recording in 4K. Besides the new bold purple color, you can still find the Xperia Z3 in white, black, and copper. It remains unclear if Sony plans to bring the Xperia Z3 in purple to any other country or retailer.

Sony Xperia Z4 (E6533) and Two Other Models Leaked (E2353, E5333)

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 29, 2015 | 14 comments

It still remains unclear if Sony plans to unveil any new smartphones at MWC 2015, let alone their rumored and expected Xperia Z4 flagship. Whether Sony ends up showing off their phones at MWC or at a later date during a private press event (a la Apple style), today’s leaks from the Indonesian Postel Regulatory site, which in the past has been dead on accurate with their revealed model numbers, should bring a smile to Sony fans. While Sony fans have had their doubts about Sony Mobile’s future and their product line in 2015, the revealed three models indicate that there are still new units in the pipe line from Sony in what appears to be a three tiered strategy.

Details after the jump.

Sony Mobile to Cut An Additional 1,000 Jobs

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 27, 2015 | 4 comments

The following news only adds depth to the larger picture of Sony’s struggle in the mobile space where earlier today, we reported that Sony Mobile accounted for less than 1% of US phone activations in Q4 2014. Following that news piece, it appears that Sony is planning on cutting an additional 1,000 employees from their mobile branch in order to return the division back to profits. Details after the jump.

Sony Mobile Accounted For Less Than 1% of U.S. Phone Activations in Q4 2014

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 27, 2015 | 14 comments

Sony’s struggle in mobile is not a secret. While the company had hoped to expand on their 50 million units sold in 2014, it’s now looking more and more like Sony will finish the year at either a small loss in sales or at best, flat. While final numbers won’t be in for another month or so, it’s likely that Sony Mobile will finish the year at 40 million. In comparison, Sony finished 2013 with 39 million units sold. At this point, the only hope Sony has is for North American sales, a market which they were not present in 2013 to be a blockbuster for them but that’s an unlikely scenario.

Despite partnering with T-Mobile and Verizon to offer their flagship Xperia Z3, Sony Mobile accounted for less than 1% of US phone activations in Q4 2014. Let’s talk details.

Sony Xperia Z3 Sales Suspended in Canada by Telus

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 26, 2015 | 6 comments

Telus, the Canadian equivalent of Sprint, has announced a halt in sales of the Sony Xperia Z3 due to a “WiFi hotspot compliance issue.” Apparently, Telus has found that the Z3 exceeds Industry Canada’s standards when used as a Wi-Fi hotspot. Not content with just halting sales, Telus has also disabled the Wi-Fi hotspot capability from already sold models remotely.

More details after the jump, including a statement from Sony.

No New Sony Xperia Flagship at MWC 2015?

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 26, 2015 | 11 comments

Unless Sony Mobile has been able to transform their internal structure drastically in the last few months, a lack of leaks for what will eventually be the Xperia Z4 is likely confirmation that Sony will not be showing off a new flagship smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2015. In the past, Sony has used CES and MWC to announce new smartphones and with CES behind us with a lack of new devices, many had hoped that MWC would be when Sony would reveal a new flagship smartphone. If Sony is indeed planning on passing on MWC which fits in with their traditional time frame of releasing a new phone, when could we see the Xperia Z4?

We discuss that and more after the jump.

What’s Really Happening at Sony’s Mobile Division?

by Jonathan Nolan | Jan 17, 2015 | 11 comments

News is spreading wide and fast that Sony is selling its mobile division, including iconic smartphones like the Xperia Z3 and tablet series. The “news” is the result of comments of Sony Corp. CEO Kaz Hirai, who mentioned different aspects of performance in various divisions and what that might mean for the future.

Sony is NOT selling the mobile division at this time. What is all the talk about a possible joint venture? Didn’t Sony do that already? Is this a flash from the past? What was the CEO talking about and what might happen in 2015?

Let’s take a look…

Sony Open to Sale and Joint Venture Offers for its TV & Mobile Divisions

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 13, 2015 | 9 comments

Like clockwork, after getting back from CES and being dazzled by the extensive fleet of new products Sony had on display, a bucket of cold water has been poured over us which reminds us of the very real challenges that Sony faces. When speaking to reporters, including us during his opening keynote at CES 2015, Sony CEO Kaz Hirai noted that reforms have succeeded “in some parts but not in others.” Kaz was specifically referring to the resurgence of PlayStation, which just saw the PS4 climb past 18.5 million units sold and the embrace of their digital imaging business which has expanded beyond consumers into the medical field and perhaps automotive field in the future.

Where the company still lacks is its mobile and television division, which have each lost considerable grounds to rivals. The two divisions have singlehandedly caused billions of dollars in losses for Sony. To put that in perspective, Sony forecasts a 230 billion yen ($1.9 billion) net loss for the business year to March. Speaking behind closed doors, Sony seems to be further emphasizing that not all of their turn around plans are succeeding and that “no business is forever.” That comment is not only directed at investors, but to Sony divisions as well, iterating that

every segment now needs to understand that Sony can exit businesses

As you’d probably guessed, the segments in question are Sony’s television and mobile divisions. Details after the jump.

The Sony Smartphone Cradle Receiver With NFC

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 9, 2015 | 3 comments

Sony’s looking for a ride – in your ride! Compatible with iOS and Android, the Sony Smartphone Cradle allows you to place your smartphone in your dash and use it as your car’s navigation system. Sony Xperia Z3 owners get extra features like easy connectivity via NFC and easily locking in, thanks to the phone’s built-in magnetic charger.

Using NFC to Transfer Photos Between Sony Cameras and Smartphones

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 8, 2015 | 0 comments

At CES 2015, Sony was showing off new ways to use NFC between their devices. As shown in the video above, the Sony Xperia Z3 was able to act as the viewfinder and control for the Sony Alpha with a simple tap. Beyond controlling the camera, the Sony Alpha will also send a lower resolution picture to the Xperia Z3 for easy sharing.

Want the high resolution photo? You can also easily transfer that with just one tap.