Promo image of alleged Sony Xperia Z5 Compact leaks ahead of IFA 2015
There isn’t long to go until the 2015 edition of the IFA opens its doors in Berlin, where we’ll most likely see Sony announce its new Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 compact handsets in a press conference on September 2nd. Until then, we can expect the flow of leaks to increase both in quantity and quality, and today we have a leaked promotional image of what is believed to be the Xperia Z5 Compact.
It isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Xperia Z5 Compact on show, having been previously leaked both here and here. A new button layout is believed to be on the cards, with the promo image showing the buttons to be situated rather lower on the device than one would normally expect. The round on-off button that has been present on so many Sony devices in recent years is also believed to have been replaced with a fingerprint scanner.
The Z5 Compact would still appear to be sporting Sony’s almost customary OmniBalance design, and it’s thought to have a Snapdragon 810 SoC providing the grunt along with 3GB of RAM on tap for multitasking. It’s also expected to carry a new camera sensor, possibly the same 20.7MP sensor that its larger sibling, the Z5, will feature. The display resolution might be as low as 1280 x 720, although that would be a lot of horsepower for such a low-res screen.
What would you like Sony to unveil at its press conference? Personally, I’m really hoping the rumoured Xperia Z5+ is announced, but that’s just me.
Source: TechTastic
Via: Pocket-Lint
Come comment on this article: Promo image of alleged Sony Xperia Z5 Compact leaks ahead of IFA 2015
Sony SmartBand 2 is officially unveiled
Earlier today, Sony officially announced its new SmartBand 2 wearable. Following recent leaks, the band will replace the current Sony SmartBand and focuses on improving fitness tracking and notifications.
The new SmartBand 2 will include many improvements over its predecessor. It includes an all-new “advanced heart rate tracking” technology for better fitness tracking and more accurate results. It will also include new options such as coaching, which will provide tips throughout your day as well as fitness reminders to keep you healthy.
The SmartBand 2 will sync up with your smartphone therefore giving users notifications right at their wrist. It will include new LED’s as well as vibrations to make sure you don’t miss a thing. Sony estimates the new band will bring about 2 days of battery life on a single charge. In addition it will be IP68 certified for anything life brings your way. But that’s not all! Just in case you loose your phone or leave it laying around the house, Sony has implemented a new feature that will notify users with a short vibration if they happen to suddenly walk away from their smartphone.
The SmartBand 2 will be compatible with Android devices running Android KitKat or higher. In addition iPhone users will also be able to use the latest band so long as they are running iOS version 8.2 or higher. The SmartBand 2 will be available in 4 colors beginning with standard Black and White options first with Pink and Blue at a later date. The new band will hit stores starting in September and will cost €119 or about $133 USD. You can check out Sony’s official promo video for the SmartBand 2 below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: Sony Mobile
Come comment on this article: Sony SmartBand 2 is officially unveiled
Sony announces SmartBand 2 for September
Sony Mobile on Thursday announced the second generation of its multi-function wearable, tapping the SmartBand 2 with a September launch. Available in a variety of colors (White, Pink, Indigo, and Black), the silicone rubber-coated unit has an IP68 waterproof rating.
The SmartBand 2 is designed to work in tandem with Sony Xperia handsets however it can pair with any Android smartphone. Features include notifications for calls, texts, tweets, and emails; pulsing RGB LED indicators alert users. Additionally, the wearable provides music playback control via play, pause, and skipping buttons.
In terms of monitoring and tracking, the SmartBand 2 will keep an eye on activities such as walking, running, and other workouts. Moreover, it has a hear rate sensor and will also gauge general fitness and stress levels. The device also offers up sleep detection, alarm clock functionality, and can provide insight into your nightly downtime.
The SmartBand 2 will launch in 60 countries in September and will retail for around 119 EUR, or approximately $132.
The post Sony announces SmartBand 2 for September appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Sony SmartBand 2 unveiled with heart rate monitor
Sony has just officially lifted the lid off its new SmartBand 2, as the company looks to grab a bigger share in the crowded fitness tracking market. Again, Sony’s tracker is trying to cater to quite a wide audience, but the hardware change-up might make it more appealing to the sports market this time around.
The e-paper display is the most noticeable feature to be dropped from the SmartBand 2. In fact, the new band doesn’t feature a display at all, but does vibrate to alert your attention to a few little things. However, the new Sony fitness band has gained a heart rate monitor and is IP68 water resistant for depths up to 3 meters.
Sony is pitching the SmartBand 2 not just as a fitness device, but as a handy day-to-day companion. The band can vibrate to alert you to calls and messages, if you accidentally leave your phone behind, when you achieve a daily or monthly fitness goal, and it even works as an alarm clock. The band can also pause and play music from your phone with a couple of taps and has a night mode to disable notifications.
For the fitness side of things, the SmartBand 2 pairs up with Sony’s Lifelog app, which keeps track of your stress levels, heart rate and various other activities. It also functions as a timeline of your events, pictures and music, so you can presumably see how these activities affect your health and lifestyle. You will also find all of the usual fitness statistics to track over time, including steps taken and heart rate, but the SmartBand 2 doesn’t appear to do anything all that new.
The SmartBand 2 supports Android devices running 4.4 KitKat or later and will be available to purchase sometime in September. The retail price is set for around $130 (€119) and will be available in black, white, pink and indigo color options.
Sony’s latest SmartBand has a heart rate monitor
Sony has revealed the SmartBand 2, a new version of its original fitness tracker that brings a much-needed heart rate monitor. That was a notable omission from the first SmartBand, a device that’s mostly aimed at the sports set. In fact, the new model looks much the same as the original and keeps the same raison d’etre: it tracks your fitness levels and nearly everything else you do using the Lifelog app. While it lacks a screen, it can keep you abreast of your smartphone reminders via LED and vibration notifications.
It might be a tough sell, however. After all, there are smartwatches that do the same functions for not much more, and better fitness trackers for less. However, Sony’s pitching the SmartBand 2 as a device you can wear all the time that gives you copious data about your life. The Lifelog app can tell you where you were (and when) when you did certain activities — like taking photos, swimming, etc. It can then tie it all together in a chart that shows your heart rate, steps, and other parameters at a different times of day. It can also track your sleep, buzz if you leave your phone behind and more.
The tracker joins Sony’s other wearables with Lifelog functionality, including the SmartWatch and SmartBand Talk, which does have an e-paper screen. It’ll arrive sometime in December for around €119 ($130) in black, white, pink and indigo.
Source:
Sony
Tags: Fitness, FitnessTracker, SleepCycle, Smartband2, sony, video
Sony wants your help testing PlayStation 4’s next update
In a rare instance of following Microsoft’s lead this generation, Sony is opening up a beta program for its game console firmware updates. If you want to help test the next patch all you need to do is fill out an application, own a PlayStation 4 and wait. A post on the PlayStation Blog notes that the beta starts early next month and further details about what it includes will hit by then. Here’s to hoping that unlike the Xbox Dashboard Preview Program this won’t require near-constant updates every time you turn your console on. Now, if only Sony would take another cue from Redmond and actually lock down some exclusive games…
Filed under:
Home Entertainment, Laptops, HD, Sony
Source:
PlayStation Blog
Tags: beta, firmware, gaming, hd, hdpostcross, playstation, playstation4, ps4, sony, update, xbox, XboxDashboard
Sony Xperia J1 Compact: The Phantom Pain Edition coming to Japan on September 3
Sony’s Xperia J1 Compact: Phantom Pain Edition was made official today in Japan, with a set release date of September 2, a day after Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is available to buy on the PC and consoles.
Keep in mind that this is the same device released in Japan back in March, only now, it’s being designed after the much-anticipated Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, a title extremely popular among the Japanese community.
It features the same 4.3-inch 1280 x 720 display, a Snapdragon 800 chipset, a quad-core 2.2GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, a 20.7-megapixel camera, a 2.2-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 2,300mAh battery.
Besides that, the only real differences you will see is a lot of bundled software content related to Metal Gear Solid V, such as a art book in PDF format, a voucher to purchase web comics, and so on.
The device will sell for 59,800 yen, which translates to about $480 USD. There’s no doubt that this particular edition will be limited to Asian markets. However, you’ll no doubt be able to get your hands on it through unofficial channels, such as eBay.
It’s not as likely to see as much attention as the Galaxy S6 Edge: Iron Man Edition saw, but it’s still a nice looking device from Sony.
source: Sony
via: G for Games
Come comment on this article: Sony Xperia J1 Compact: The Phantom Pain Edition coming to Japan on September 3
Sony’s ‘Metal Gear Solid V’ devices flaunt your stealth action fandom
Are you a Metal Gear Solid fan? So much so that you bought an MGS edition PS4, and have no trouble making sense of the series’ frequently intricate plots? You’ll want to hit up your favorite Japanese exporter, then. Sony has unveiled a legion of limited edition Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain devices, all of which come with game-themed cases, engravings, sounds and wallpaper. Some are more extravagant than others, though. The Xperia J1 Compact phone, Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact and Xperia Z4 Tablet we can understand, but there are also Phantom Pain versions of the Walkman A16 and audiophile-oriented Walkman ZX2. Yes, you too can demonstrate your fondness for stealth action by buying a soon-to-be-obsolete MP3 player — something tells us that these models won’t be wildly popular.
The whole lot will arrive in Japan on September 2nd, in sync with MGS5 itself. It’s not clear how much the phone or tablets will cost, but you’re looking at ¥28,000 ($225) for the Walkman A16, and an eye-watering ¥140,000 ($1,125) for the ZX2. None of the products are known to be reaching the US, as you might imagine. We could understand snagging the A16 for those morning runs, but you have to be very, very committed to Hideo Kojima’s alternate history (not to mention well-off) to get that ZX2. We’d suggest rolling that money into a new TV or speaker system that will do better justice to the game.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video, Tablets, HD, Mobile, Sony
Via:
G for Games
Source:
Sony (translated)
Tags: hdpostcross, metalgearsolid, metalgearsolidv, MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain, mobilepostcross, smartphone, sony, thephantompain, walkman, xperia, xperiaj1, xperiaz4tablet
Sony commissions Metal Gear Solid smartphone ahead of Phantom Pain release
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Video game themed smartphones are pretty few and far between, so when we heard that Sony was commissioning a Metal Gear Solid smartphone to celebrate the launch of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, we got a little excited. True, it’s not the flagship Sony Xperia Z4/Z3+ that is getting the Metal Gear treatment – it’s going to be the Sony Xperia J1 Compact – but that Outer Havens logo on the back almost makes up for the lesser specifications. The Xperia J1 Compact will also be customized to have Metal Gear Solid themed wallpapers, ringtones and will come with an art book from the franchise as well.
In fact, it’s not just that smartphone that Sony has had themed: you can also get the Xperia Z4 Tablet and the Xperia Z3 Compact, but only with a themed case rather than a full Metal Gear makeover. Sony has even got a Metal Gear version of the $1,000+ Walkman that it is apparently still selling. If that has your heart racing, you’ll need to be ready to shell out ¥59,800, or about $480 USD, for the Xperia J1 Compact TPP (The Phantom Pain) edition when it becomes available for preorder on September 2nd.
What do you think about this Metal Gear Solid smartphone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Sony via Phones Review
The post Sony commissions Metal Gear Solid smartphone ahead of Phantom Pain release appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Sony “4K X-Reality” display software tipped for the Xperia Z5
Despite already releasing a flagship smartphone this year, rumors have begun suggesting that Sony is preparing a successor, possibly an entire new Xperia Z5 range. The latest rumor also hints that some of these handsets may be making use of the company’s “4K X-Reality” technology.
Sony’s X-Reality technology is used for content upscaling in the company’s high resolution TV range. The 4K X-Reality PRO software is currently used in Sony’s 4K TV’s to upscale regular HD content.
The details below suggest that Sony has three handsets in the works, possibly a super-sized Xperia Z5+ (S70+), a regular Z5 (S70) and a smaller Z5 Compact (S60). Only the former will apparently feature 4K X-Reality technology and likely a higher resolution display to go with it, while the other two are perhaps limited to 1080p. The listing also makes references to Sony’s Triluminos and Prevision Color technology.
Previous leaks have also hinted at a 5.5-inch Xperia Z5+ smartphone with a massive 4K (2160×3840) display resolution. We also know that a number of panel manufacturers have been showing off 4K panels in the 5.5 and 6-inch ranges and have been moving closer to mass production, so a 4K smartphone is possible, although perhaps rather unnecessary.
However, this latest rumor does not necessarily mean that Sony will be making the leap to a 4K smartphone. The company could be using its upscaling technology for a half way resolution, such as QHD. Sony has already released a QHD version of the Xperia Z3+ as the Z4v in the US, but the handset is an exclusive to the Verizon network.
What do you think about the possibility of a 4K smartphone from Sony? Would the company be better off putting this tech into a tablet?
AIVAnet 