Sony SmartBand SWR10 with Lifelog app
Sony is wowing the crowd at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona this week with a slim, light and waterproof update to its Xperia tablet range and a wearable activity tracker that effortlessly records your daily life.
It’s not that we haven’t seen the likes of it before, but nonetheless Sony’s SmartBand activity tracker is still a promising newcomer on the wearable tech scene. The SWR10 consists of a wristband with a Sony-emblazoned metal fastener and some LEDs, housing a removable Core sensor unit.
This is the first Sony device to feature the Core sensor, which does more than just keep users on track with their fitness goals and monitor sleep cycles for the best time for waking. Paired with the Lifelog app, the Sony SmartBand can also track places you’ve been, songs you’ve listened to, games you’ve played, books you’ve read, and photos you took – all of which can be collated on a timeline within the app.
These added features take the SmartBand beyond the realm of similar activity trackers like Jawbone’s UP and the second-generation UP24 and towards a more complete daily diary that takes note with minimal effort. Users can event press the Life Bookmark key on the SmartBand to ensure that it stores everything from a particular moment.
The SmartBand can be paired with an Android smartphone using NFC or Bluetooth and, even if the wearer is out of range, information will be stored for transfer when they reconnect. Users can also use the SmartBand play, pause and skip music tracks.
The wristband is waterproof and, since the Core unit is removable, users can invest in a range of colours to wear every day, simply transferring the sensor from one to the other. There’s no display so notifications for incoming calls, text, social media activity, etc, come via vibrations.
Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet
Another MWC reveal from Sony is the Xperia Z2 Tablet, which lays claim to be the world’s thinnest and lightest tablet. Weighing in at 439g and measuring 6.4mm, Sony has shaved hairs off its predecessor to keep this title from Apple’s iPad Air (469g, 7.5mm thick) and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 (469g, 7.3mm).
As with the Xperia Tablet Z, the Tablet Z2 is also water and dust-resistant and features a 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 resolution Triluminos display borrowing from Sony’s Bravia TV technology. It runs on Android’s latest 4.4 operating system powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 3GB RAM and Adreno 320 graphics.
Design-wise, the Z2 tablet is a perfect mirror to the Z2 smartphone. It’s also PlayStation-certified and provides support for the DualShock 3 controller for an enhanced tablet gaming experience.
The 8.1MP rear camera features an Exmor RS sensor, while the 1080p 2.2MP front camera comes with the same Exmor R sensor as its predecessor. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and DLNA.
Available in black or white, the Tablet Z2 comes with up to 16GB flash memory with micro-SD card expansion up to 64GB.
Pricing on both the Sony SmartBand and the Xperia Tablet Z2 has not yet been revealed, but both are expected to be released in March.
