The IT Nerd

Sony dropped me a note today to let me know that their latest phone the Xperia ZL is coming soon to Canadian wireless carriers this spring. The key features of this phone are:

• Shatter-proof sheet on scratch-resistant glass design
• 1.5 GHz asynchronous quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor with 2GB RAM
• 5″ 1080 x 1920p full HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2
• 13MP Fast Capture camera with Exmor RS for mobile, HDR video (1080p), Superior Auto and Noise Reduction to effortlessly capture razor sharp pictures and videos in any conditions
• Battery STAMINA mode improves standby time by at least 4 times
• Available in Black
• Xperia ZL will launch on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

With subtly rounded edges and a curvature that fits naturally in the palm of your hand, Xperia ZL introduces a new OmniBalance design focused on creating balance and symmetry in all directions.

The power button, a signature design piece that gets its importance from the fact that the average user is likely to touch it an estimate of 76 times a day, exemplifies the premium build and craftsmanship that has gone into the Xperia ZL.

Sony media applications offer a consistent entertainment experience across a range of Sony devices. Pre-loaded on Xperia ZL, the “WALKMAN”, Album and Movies apps, enable discovery of on-line and off-line content through a single access point with new ways to enjoy and share that content. The “WALKMAN” application provides access to all your downloaded music, a library of 18 million songs to explore from Music Unlimited and Facebook social integration. The Movies application gives consumers access to over 100,000 movies and TV series from Video Unlimited while the Album application enables easy access to Facebook friends’ photos as well as browsing photos by location.

The Xperia ZL will launch in Canada with multiple carriers including Bell, Mobilicity, MTS, Rogers, Videotron and WIND Mobile, beginning in April 2013. No pricing has been announced at this time.

The release of products during of CES continues with Sony announcing the Xperia Z. With a 5” Full HD 1080p Reality Display, Snapdragon™ S4 Pro quad-core processor, 13 megapixel fast-capture camera and 4G LTE, Xperia Z has all the specifications expected from a premium smartphone that will be released during Q1 2013.

Features includes:

• 5” 1080 x 1920p full HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2
• 13MP Fast Capture camera with Exmor RS for mobile, HDR video, Superior Auto and Noise Reduction to effortlessly capture razor sharp pictures and videos in any conditions
• Dust and water resistant (IP55 & IP57) with a durable glass display
• 1.5 GHz asynchronous quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor with 2GB RAM
• Battery STAMINA mode improves standby time by at least 4 times
• Shipping with Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and will be upgraded to 4.2 shortly after launch

Pre-loaded on Xperia Z, the “WALKMAN”, Album and Movies apps, enable discovery of on-line and off-line content through a single access point with new ways to enjoy and share that content. The “WALKMAN” application provides access to all your downloaded music, a library of 18 million songs to explore from Music Unlimited and Facebook social integration. The Movies application gives consumers access to over 100,000 movies and TV series from Video Unlimited while the Album application enables easy access to Facebook friends’ photos as well as browsing photos by location.

If that’s not enough, a design variant of Xperia Z – Xperia ZL – will also be released in Q1 2013. Xperia ZL delivers the same immersive entertainment experiences as Xperia Z but in a smaller form factor.

If you’re one of those extreme types who needs a phone to keep up what you do, Sony might have the phone for you. The Xperia go is a new Android based phone that as a scratch resistant mineral glass display and meets the IP67 ratings for protection. Other features include:

• 3.5” Reality display5 powered Mobile BRAVIA Engine gives razor-sharp clarity
• Up to 8GB internal memory and the option to add up to 32GB external (microSD) memory.
• 5MP fast capture camera goes from sleep to snap in just over a second
• Scratch resistant mineral glass display with wet screen control
• Highest level of dust and water resistance in a smartphone (IP67 rating)1, 2
• 1 GHz dual core processor gives consumers super-fast performance
• Launching on Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

As an added benefit, simply sign-up or access Box from your Xperi go to grab 50GB of file storage from the cloud – free, for life. That makes the 5GB that iCloud offers seem small.

It will be available on Fido as well as in Sony Stores in a unlocked flavor.

If you’re eagerly awaiting the opening of the latest James Bond movie Skyfall, then Sony would like you to have an equal level of excitement for release of their latest Xperia phone that will be used by Mr. Bond, James Bond himself. The Xperia T has these specs:

• 4.6” HD Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA Engine
• 13MP quick launch-fast capture camera that goes from sleep to snap in just over a second
• Full 1080p HD video recording and a 720p HD front camera for the highest quality content
• Easy connectivity with ‘One-touch’ function enabled by NFC (Near Field Communications)
• Latest generation 1.5GHz dual core processor for improved battery efficiency, fast performance and ultra sharp graphics
• Android version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), upgradable to Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) following launch
• LTE and HSPA + variants available
• Available in black

You won’t have to visit Q to get one. It will be available on Bell, Mobilicity, MTS, Rogers and Videotron this November.

The end of August brings us IFA 2012 which is one of the world’s largest electronics expo. Sony clearly wants to make a splash as they had no less than six announcements via press release. Here’s the highlights:

• BRAVIA 84-INCH 4K TV: 84 inches is absolutely huge! But big TVs are what the market wants so Sony is filling that niche with a killer TV that has industry leading features.
• Xperia Tablet S: This NVIDIA TegraTM 3 quad-core processor based tablet aims to be the center of your universe by having some of the most advanced media functions found in a tablet.
• Action Cam: A new wearable point-of-view video camera for action sports filming in premium full HD 1080p.
• NEX-5R Compact System Camera: A lightweight camera with the freedom of interchangeable lenses, large-sensor image quality, speedy AF and Wi-Fi capability.
• MDR-1 Headphones: Headphones for the audiophile in standard, Bluetooth wireless and digital noise cancelling versions.
• PlayMemories Update: An update to the PlayMemories family of digital imaging services and applications with the introduction of Camera Apps, the world’s first application download service that allows for on-demand installation of camera functions and features to boost the overall imaging experience.

Clearly Sony is trying to make a splash at IFA with this amount of news in one day. That should get them a lot of positive attention. Not to mention that there’s a lot of product here that should interest everyone.

The news from Sony doesn’t end with their latest e-reader. The Sony Internet Player With Google TV which I have discussed previously has two new apps available on it. One is the TVO On Demand app which gives you various TV Ontario current affairs and lecture programs, point-of-view documentaries, documentary series, and popular dramas whenever you want to see them.This is a big deal for TV Ontario who had this to say via a press release:

“TVO is pleased to be working with Sony to bring our content to a Canadian audience,” said Lisa de Wilde, Chief Executive Officer of TVO. “As part of our aggressive digital strategy, TVO is always looking to leverage new technology and increase our impact by offering our educational programs on a variety of platforms.”

Canadian content is the number one thing that sets the Sony Internet Player apart from similar devices seeing as it ships with the National Film Board app. That’s one big reason why this device has my attention.

The second app is the Cineplex app which allows you to browse showtimes, enjoy exclusive trailers, footage and interviews, buy tickets, and access you SCENE card directly from your TV. Both apps are available from Google Play.

On a related note, The Sony Internet Player With Google TV is now in stores. So if you’ve been wanting to get your hands on one, now is your chance.

Sony has been a player in the e-reader space for some time and when you’re in a market that has competition from Amazon and Apple, you have to find ways to be different. To that end, Sony Canada introduced the Reader PRS-T2 which sets itself apart from the competition in the following ways according to Sony’s press release:

It now features intuitive touch, more paper-like page turns, improved continuous page turns and a smoother zoom in and out. The new device features an improved default book layout and makes it easier to organize and find books. The device has two English and four translation dictionaries built-in (including French), and provides up to two months battery life (with wireless off), and 2GB of storage. Readers can swipe a finger to turn a page, zoom in and out by pinching fingers together or apart or write notes on the page or highlight text with a finger or the supplied stylus. Users can also choose from eight font sizes and seven font styles.

Okay, that sounds good so far. But there’s more:

The device includes new Facebook® and Evernote® features. Consumers now have the ability to post a short passage from books purchased from Reader™ Store to Facebook directly from the device along with the book cover, author, and title.
 
For the first time, Reader is combining features from Evernote to allow users to save their favourite web content to enjoy any time. Evernote’s Wed Clipper allows saving content with a click, and pages saved with Evernote Clearly are optimized for Reader’s crips E-Ink display. Favourite passages can also be annotated on Reader and saved back to Evernote for viewing later on any smartphone, tablet, or PC.

If you’re a social media butterfly, that’s a feature you’ll love. But here’s something that got my attention:

With built-in Wi-Fi®, the Reader PRS-T2 offers readers more access to books anytime and anywhere. Sony continues to offer its popular and critically-acclaimed public library lending feature by offering patrons with a valid library card the ability to easily and conveniently borrow free e-books wirelessly from participating public libraries in Canada via an intuitive, simple-to-use dedicated icon on the device.

Now that means something to me as many library systems offer e-books as part of their lending catalog. That’s a big way to be different than the rest of the pact. The PRS-T2 s Windows and Mac friendly and goes for $139 at Sony Stores, online at www.sony.ca/reader and other authorized retailers nationwide.