Sony IFA Releases – Xperia Z3, Z3 Tablet, E3, SmartWatch 3, SmartBand Talk and more

Exciting day for Sony as they announced a plethora of new products. The Xperia Z3, the latest addition to Sony’s flagship Z series features a super-slim 7.3mm frame that is thinner, narrower and lighter than before, and also the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, the world’s slimmest and lightest waterproof compact 8″ tablet for ultimate portability. It is only 6.4mm thick and weighs 270g. Focus at IFA this year is about wearables and Sony offers two options, the SmartWatch 3 based on Android Wear, and the Sony SmartBand Talk for the fitness and exercise aficionados.

Sony’s flagship Xperia Z3 has always ranked high on fashion marks thanks to the bold colours and super slim frame and the Z3 continues the trend with a spec upgrade. The Xperia Z3 will be available this year in a new range of colours white, black, copper or silver green. Sony is also quick to address the budget or mid-tier markets with the Xperia E3, which has seen good growth and demand, thanks to entrants such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Asus. The E3 is a simple budget phone with a 4.5″ screen that mirrors its older sibling design but at a budget price. Target availability is in Autumn 2014 with no news on pricing yet.

Lastly, Sony announced the addition of two new products to its SmartWear Experience range, Sony SmartBand Talk and SmartWatch 3.

The SmartBand Talk has a hip and sporty vibe with a narrow bezel and modern styling.  It uses e-paper display which allows for high visibility and low-power consumption. It addresses the challenges of outdoor usage and poor battery life. The target audience is for those with an active lifestyle – the new built-in accelerometer and altimeter sensor technology feels how you move – and how much – to provide an accurate overview of your daily physical activity; whether it be walking, running or climbing. You can see how active you were and how you have been communicating, as it pulls all of your information from your smartphone and then enables you to view it on its e-paper display screen, wherever and whenever you like.

The SmartWatch 3 sports similar feature sets to other Android Wear counterparts but incorporates one of the major additions that Google is planning to release with the ability for direct Bluetooth connection support, for e.g. pairing of watch with headphones. In addition, the SmartWatch 3 comes with GPS built in. This is great because it means you can leave your phone at home while continuing to use useful features such as fitness and distance tracking.

Advantages of the SmartWatch 3

• GPS Built-in, for standalone fitness activity tracking
• Pair with Bluetooth headsets directly
• Charges with a microUSB cable. NO cradle to mess around with.

Even without your Android smartphone, SmartWatch 3 has impressive standalone functionality. The built-in microphone, and Accelerometer, Compass, Gyro and GPS sensor technology means more accurate, more powerful lifelogging. SmartWatch 3 offers significant step ups from SmartWatch 2, including a 1.6” 320×320 TFT LCD Transflective display for visibility in bright sunlight, set within a stainless steel back panel, for a premium look and feel. It is of course waterproof, rated IP68.

It has a built-in 4GB local memory, that means you can sync playlists, and simply connect with a Bluetooth headset to listen. You can do this before a run, leaving the smartphone at home and still have great music offline.

With so many choices, consumers are going to have a headache deciding which wearable smart watch is the right one for them.

 

Product	Product Highlights
Xperia Z3	Xperia Z3 blends design and engineering with a 7.3mm super-slim rounded aluminum frame, and comes equipped with a 20.7 MP camera, new 25mm “G Lens”, and is the world’s first smartphone with ISO 12800 sensitivity for superior photos, even in low light.
Xperia Z3 Compact	Xperia Z3 Compact is the only smartphone to deliver uncompromised performance in a beautifully compact design that is just 8.6mm thick and 129 grams, perfect for one-handed use.
Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact	Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is the world’s slimmest and lightest compact tablet providing ultimate portability for entertainment on the go. It is the only tablet with PS4 Remote Play, making serious mobile gaming a reality.
Xperia E3	Xperia E3 provides unmatched entertainment with fun features such as creative camera apps, in a slim and light flagship design perfect for one-handed use. The phone is the ultimate smartphone for young consumers, without an expensive price tag.
SmartBand Talk	SmartBand Talk is a powerful lifelogger, with its built-in microphone and speaker, equipped with a  short call function so you can talk into it and hear your caller. With HD Voice support, the smartwear is perfect for when you’re on the move or if your phone is out of reach.
SmartWatch 3	SmartWatch 3 is Sony’s latest generation SmartWatch, but the first specifically designed for the latest Android Wear updates in close collaboration with Google.