Japanese Smartwatch
Sony Korea announced on January 16 that it will release its new flagship smartphone and wearable smart device.
The Xperia Z1, the smartphone, features a 20.7-megapixel camera, which will help people take the pictures of their dreams. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor. Each of the four processor cores is supposed to draw power independently, shutting off if it is not needed. That feature should save battery life. The phone also comes with an Adreno 330 GPU, which boosts the performance of 3D games on the smartphone. The phone also has 4G LTE, and a battery that is rated to play 400 minutes of 1080p HD video, or 110 hours of mp3s.
The SmartWatch 2 comes in black or black, and is IP57 water and dust resistant so that people can freely use the device in everyday life without worrying about its exposure to sweat, moisture, or dust. It is equipped with near field communication (NFC), which makes it easy to be connected with other devices. It also has a battery that Sony claims to last for 4 days before needing a recharge. That may seem short for a watch, but the watch has an extensive array of features. The watch works in conjunction with any smartphone or tablet with at least Android 4.0. It can download apps from Google Play. It has a home screen and icons. Out of the box, it is set to handle calls (answering, rejecting, muting, Xperia only), notify you of missed calls, send email, check Facebook and Twitter, remotely control music on a connected Android device, manage your calendar, and display a slideshow of photos. Sony says more apps will become available over time, just like any other Android device.
An official at Sony Korea said, “We intend to offer entirely different user experiences to consumers through our Xperia Z1 and the SmartWatch 2.” The official added, “In particular, since the Xperia Z1 is launched as one of our own packaged devices, we aim to increase customer satisfaction by showcasing a premium value pack with other products of ours that are compatible with smartphones.”
The new premium smartphone comes in black, white, or purple, and is sold at 749,000 won per unit (US$704.06). There are three premium value packs: the MDR pack costs 899,000 won (US$845.06), the smart pack at 949,000 won (US$893.93), and camera pack at 1.019 million won (US$957.86).