This year’s Consumer Electronics Show, CES 2013 seemed a bit dull without the usual biggies like Apple and Microsoft. But the rising (Huawei) and the fallen tech giants (read Sony) seemed to have made the best of the situation by hogging the limelight with some really awesome devices. While Huawei is trying to change its image from a manufacturer of budget android phones to a true technology leader by launching products like the Ascend Mate and Ascend D2, it was Sony who really took us all by surprise.
The past
Sony once had a strong pre-smartphone market-share with its Walkman series. But the last two years, Sony had failed to adapt to the touch era and truly leverage Android’s potential. While all the manufacturers went quad core last year, Sony was content rolling out mediocre phone with single and dual core. Though Sony has the Xperia line of Android devices it has no flagship product that could stand against the Samsung SIII or the HTC One X. And finally the spell is broken and Sony is back in the game.
The present
Sony unveiled the Xperia Z smartphone at the CES 2013 and it sure is a beauty. The bright, big and beautiful 5 inch display and the sturdy solid build make it look and feel like a premium device. The device has a breath taking 1080p Full HD and it incorporates the Mobile Bravia Engine, Sony’s proprietary video rendering technology found in its Bravia line of TVs. The phone is powered by a quad-core processor and is powered by a 2400 mAH battery. The other cool fact about this phone is, it is water resistant! No need to wipe your phone on your shirt to get rid of the smudges, just hold it under a tap! The Xperia Z heralds the arrival of the world’s first image sensor with HDR (High Dynamic Range) video for smartphones. The devices should be available for sale by March and is expected to set a new benchmark for smartphones.
Sony also launched the Walkman W273, an ultra-portable music player that is completely wire free and has all of the MP3’s internals built right into the headset. It comes with 4GB of storage and is available in black, white, blue or pink! It is completely water-proof, so you don’t have to worry about wiping that sweat off again. What is even more impressive is the battery life – 1.5 hours of charging gives a full 8 hours of playback time. Apart from these products, Sony also launched its 4K TV – the Sony 4K Bravia X900A, which will be launching in spring and will be Sony’s flagship 4K TV set.
The future
Sony seems to have started off this year with a good start and I surely do hope it has a hit in the smartphone race, where it badly needs one. The main problem with Sony phones have been the branding. Sony’s custom UI skin on Android phones are neither great nor worse but a bit more attention to it wouldn’t hurt. How about starting by naming it first, really isn’t it about time. Beneath these minor scuffs, lay a diamond in the making. Will Sony be the chosen one and make a comeback in 2013, we’ll just have to cross our fingers and wait.
This article has been reproduced from Sridhar’s blog.
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I used to be a big fan of everything Sony, but then quality issues and the usual design dullness, pushed me away.
I still have a soft corner for Sony, Sony Vaio laptops are still among the awesome products, i believe.
Hope they make it this time.