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Tag: Xperia Z

  • CES 2014: Sony Announces the Xperia Z1s Smartphone

    At last year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Sony first announced its Xperia Z smartphone. The device was the company’s first serious stab at the high-end smartphone market. Though the hardware was impressive, the Xperia Z and its successors (the Xperia Z1 and the Xperia Z Ultra) failed to catch on in the quickly saturating market.

    This week, Sony has chosen CES 2014 as the venue to announce its latest Xperia smartphone, the Xperia Z1s.

    The Z1s is nearly identical to the Xperia Z1, featuring a 5-inch 1920 x 1080 resolution display, a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 3,000mAh battery. The phone also has the Z1’s 20.7MP rear camera, though the front-facing camera is only 2MP. Sony’s main marketing point for its Xperia Z line is back in the Z1s, which is waterproof for up to 30 minutes in water up to 4.9 feet deep.

    The Z1s will be offered with storage up to 32GB and will come running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, though plenty of Sony software (such as the PlayStation App) will be pre-loaded onto the device. The smartphone will be available exclusively on T-Mobile in the U.S., with pre-ordering starting on January 13 and availability coming January 22. Sony is also running a special deal involving the Z1s in which customers who purchase a Z1s and a PlayStation 4 from January 13 until January 21 will get a $100 VISA gift card.

    “As a waterproof smartphone complete with the best of Sony’s technology, Xperia Z1s breaks the mold of not only what you can do with a smartphone, but where you can take it,” said Ravi Nookala, President of Sony Mobile U.S. “Building on the momentum of the successful partnership for the launch of Xperia Z, T-Mobile’s shared vision of delivering an uncompromised mobile experience makes them the perfect exclusive partner to bring Xperia Z1s to the U.S.”

  • Sony Xperia Z1 Smartphone Officially Announced

    Though most of the details about the device have leaked over the past month, Sony today officially unveiled its new Xperia Z1 smartphone at the IFA conference. Sony CEO Kaz Hirai took to the stage and announced the product along with a host of others.

    The Z1 will now have a 5-inch screen to go with its 2.2Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor. Other hardware includes 2GB of RAM, a 3,000mAh battery, and 16GB of built-in storage, with a microSD card slot for expansion. The device is also waterproof, a feature Sony has been touting for many of its products for some time now.

    To differentiate the Z1 from other high-end smartphones, Sony has focused on putting a high-end camera into the device. The rear camera in the Z1 has a 20.7MP CMOS image sensor that Sony is calling “high sensitivity.” The wide-angle 27mm lens is set at F2.0. Sony has also included software to take advantage of the camera, including some augmented reality, social media, and photo search features. Sony is calling it “the world’s leading camera in a smartphone,” though it doesn’t quite match the recently announced Nokia Lumia 1020’s crazy 41MP camera.

    The Xperia Z1

    “Xperia Z1 represents a significant milestone for Sony in our continued efforts to deliver unforgettable experiences to our consumers,” said Kunimasa Suzuki, CEO of Sony Mobile. “Not only by bringing the power of Sony to the smartphone and through close collaboration with our partners but by setting a new standard in premium smartphones.”

    “New standard” might be overselling it a bit, but the Z1 does appear to be yet another solid high-end Android smartphone. As HTC has proven, however, even fantastic hardware isn’t enough to break Samsung’s grip on the Android smartphone market. In an attempt to avoid HTC’s fate, Sony is emphasizing the Z1’s integration within an entire product ecosystem, including tablets, stereos, walkman mp3 players, a new smart watch, and its PlayStation Mobile game store.

  • T-Mobile Announces Jump, Allows You To Upgrade Twice A Year

    T-Mobile Announces Jump, Allows You To Upgrade Twice A Year

    T-Mobile made headlines earlier when it ditched contracts, and became the “uncarrier.” Now it’s ditching another much maligned carrier practice – the two-year upgrade cycle.

    T-Mobile just announced Jump today at its press event. The new service, which costs $10 a month, allows those on T-Mobile to upgrade their smartphone twice every year. Even better, Jump treats you like a new customer so you don’t have to pay the full price of the phone when you upgrade. Instead, you only have to pay the down payment just like a new customer would. Like always, you can also pay off the rest of the phone at any time. As for your old phone, it must be traded in to T-Mobile upon upgrading. You wont owe anything more on it either.

    Some people may think that $10 a month is a little much for Jump, but T-Mobile is injecting a little more value into it besides the aforementioned two upgrades a year. You’ll be automatically enrolled into T-Mobile’s Premium Handset Protection and Mobile Security program. In short, it’s an insurance program that will replace your phone in the event of it being stolen or destroyed.

    T-Mobile says that it will start offering Jump to its customers on July 14. Incidentally, T-Mobile will start selling the Sony Xperia Z and Nokia Lumia 925 three days later on July 17. It’s a perfect excuse to pick up a new phone from T-Mobile while signing up for Jump for that sweet upgrade action.

    As an aside, T-Mobile has released two new ads for Jump starring SNL alum Bill Hader:

    [h/t: Gizmodo]

  • T-Mobile Gets Sony Xperia Z, Lumia 925 On July 14 [Rumor]

    T-Mobile Gets Sony Xperia Z, Lumia 925 On July 14 [Rumor]

    T-Mobile has been on a roll this year. It first ditched contracts in late March and then it started to offer the best deals in the industry on hot devices like the Galaxy S4 and HTC One. Now the carrier is getting even more great smartphones.

    TmoNews obtained a product roadmap from T-Mobile that lists July 14 as the launch day for both the Sony Xperia Z and the Lumia 925. Barring any sudden love for Sony from the other major carriers, both the Xperia Z and Lumia 925 will be exclusive to T-Mobile.

    So, what will these new devices bring to the table? The Xperia Z is Sony’s latest flagship device, and as such, comes equipped with some pretty serious hardware. It has a 5-inch 1080p display, a Snapdragon S4 quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, 13MP rear camera and support for 4G LTE. It’s also dust and water resistant.

    As for the Lumia 925, it’s Nokia’s continuation of its popular Windows Phone 8 line of devices that began with the AT&T exclusive Lumia 920. The Lumia 925 is more similar to Verizon’s Lumia 928 as both devices feature a number of upgrades over the original Lumia 920. The 925 features a 4.5-inch OLED display, 1GB of RAM, an 8.7MP camera and 32GB of internal storage. Unfortunately, the 925 doesn’t have the Xenon flash that the 928 has, instead opting for a dual-LED flash.

    Like all rumors, you should take this information with a grain of salt. I don’t doubt the authenticity of the product roadmap, but launch dates change all the time. T-Mobile is certainly no stranger to delaying product launches at the last minute. Let’s just hope that it’s not hit with any major delays as yours truly is really looking forward to the Xperia Z.

  • Sony Shows Off Xperia Z Tablet, Smartphone at MWC

    Mini-tablets may be the most popular announcement at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC), but Sony still believes it has a chance at challenging the full-sized iPad.

    Sony today announced that the Xperia Tablet Z will soon be available throughout the world. The 10.1-inch tablet will be available worldwide “from spring 2013.”

    The Tablet Z is only 6.9mm thick, which Sony claims makes it the thinnest LTE tablet ever made. The tablet’s screen has resolution of 1920 x 1200 and 224 pixels per inch. It also features a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of ram and either 32GB or 64GB of storage. The front camera is 2MP, while the back one is 8MP. It includes all the connectivity options one would expect from a full-sized tablet, including LTE capabilities, NFC, and Bluetooth.

    Meanwhile, Sony also announced that its Xperia Z smartphone, which was announced at this year’s CES, is now available worldwide. The smartphone has a 5-inch 1080p display, a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, and 2GB of RAM. In many ways it is similar to the Tablet Z, only smaller. The “neat” feature of the device, though, is that it is dust and water resistant. It’s a feature that is touted in the new ad campaign that Sony unveiled during its conference at MWC.

  • CES 2013: Sony Mobile Finally Gets Serious With The Xperia Z

    Sony hasn’t had the greatest track record when it comes to mobile devices. The company’s attempts to compete with Samsung and Google have been disappointing at best. That’s why it was all the more surprising to see Sony finally bring its A game to CES 2013 with its latest mobile offering.

    On Monday evening, Sony Mobile announced the latest smartphone in its long line of Xperia devices – the Xperia Z. The device features a number of improvements and enhancements that may help Sony finally catch up with the rest of the smartphone market, and even surpass it in some ways.

    “With Xperia Z, we are bringing over half a century of innovation in TV, imaging, music, film and gaming to create a superphone experience that truly stands out,” said Kuni Suzuki, President and CEO, at Sony Mobile Communications. “With great specifications, Sony’s media applications, One-touch functions and outstanding battery life, Xperia Z is well positioned for leadership in the smartphone market. By putting smartphones at the heart of our strategy, Sony is enabling people to create, enjoy and share content and experiences like never before.”

    The Xperia Z is being dubbed Sony’s new flagship mobile device, and the specs don’t disappoint. The device sports a 5-inch 1080p display, a powerful Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, NFC sharing, a 13MP fast-capture camera and 4G LTE. The device is also dust and water resistant.

    Sony Mobile also announced the Xperia ZL, a smartphone with the power of the Xperia Z crammed into a smaller form factor. Both phones will be available in the first quarter of this year. There’s no word on pricing yet, but expect comparable prices to other flagship devices.

    Both phones will ship with Android 4.1, but will be upgraded to 4.2 shortly after launch. Here’s hoping Sony can keep these phones updated with the latest Android OS when Google inevitably announces Android 4.3 later this year.