From Zero To.... Miro! Sony Extend Its Product Line Further!!

As a Sony Ambassador I was lucky enough to be invited to one of the recent Sony roadshows and take a look at some of Sony's new handsets, one of which being the Miro.

The Miro continues the vibrant, young and aesthetically pleasing look that Sony has gone for in its new range. Sony has aimed for a slim, stylish smartphone with deep Facebook integration of your contacts, gallery and music player for easy sharing. It has even expanded on the illuminated bar from the Xperia U and S, the light giving you the ability to choose light intervals and change how it notifies you of incoming messages, Facebook updates and more.

Although this is a mid-range handset it still packs enough punch to be a real winner in a competitive market. With an 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM and the Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 operating system, the Miro will easily move from page to page on the internet, update Social Network pages in an instant and be able too look at video, pictures or music on the move with no problems. It features a 3.5-inch 320x480 touchscreen which was surprisingly responsive seeming the product I was testing was a prototype.

Top quality photos can be taken with its 5 megapixel front facing camera which will easily capture all life's moments; and the ability to record at 30 frames per second results in brilliant videos on such an affordable handset. Again Sony has looked towards the social networking side with a front facing camera letting you video chat with friends on multiple devices. 

When it comes to technology Sony is unbeatable and with the Miro, it's business as usual. They have included its xLOUD audio enhancement system and DLNA support that allows you to stream media content from the phone to a bigger screen HDTV wirelessly. Also included in the Xperia handset is Bluetooth, GPS and WiFI support.  

So if you're looking for a smartphone with integrated Facebook technology at your fingertips along with excellent web browsing and media functionality, this is the phone for you. 

Sony even used Facebook for its marketing campaign to promote the release of the Miro, describing the handset as an "Xperia with Facebook" phone and it will be "easier and faster to like, comment and share!" 

Check out its promotional video below for a sneak peak at the handset.

Ready Set..... Go! Xperia Go is Announced

Straight off the back of the Xperia U release Sony have now given us the design specifications for the Xperia Go. This ruff and rugged handset is meant to be able to handle all the elements without losing the sleek design features of the new Xperia range. This handset still looks as lovely as its other family members the Xperia S, U and soon to be released P. 

Sony have definitely seen their is a market for a strong durable phone that still has an elegant look about it. The Xperia Go boasts a scratch-resistant display and the highest water and dust resistance of any smartphone on the market. All this in a handset that you wont be afraid to put in the table in the pub in front of your mates!

Unlike other handset's aimed at being "life proof" the Xperia Go will not fall short on the technological side. It has a crisp 3.5" Display and  Sony's Mobile BRAVIA Engine which make's sure the display is still crisp as ever. A dual core 1GHz processor means the Xperia Go will lack in power and will easily be able to handle anything you throw at it. This handset is even DLNA compatible allowing you stream content to other devices.  

The handset is well equipped to be able to take photo's and video whilst on the move; whether this be during a hiking trip, on your morning run or just the family gathering a 5 mega-pixel camera that records in 720p HD will have no problems capturing your life's moments. And with the latest sleep to snap in just over a second you wont miss a beat. 

All in all if your looking for a mid-range handset that looks great and is able to handle "Life's little bumps" this may well be the handset for you. Xperia Go is a dust-proof, water-resistant smartphone that doesn't hold back. It is equally elegant for everyday use with its sleek design as being able to handle the rough and tumble of life, this doesn't have to be just hiking up the Himalayas or on a building site it is also built for whatever daily life can throw at you like being dropped into the sink whilst washing up or as in Sony's promo video into a bag of flour!

Its all about U... Xperia U First Look

Sony's latest Android smartphone since dropping the Ericsson brand is to be named the Xperia U. This model will be placed mid range with the Xperia S still being the flagship model. 

Its a phone that takes a lot of its design from its older brother, with the transparent bar between the base of the phone and the buttons providing a focal point. The difference between the transparent element on the U to the S is the multi colour flash option. Unlike the Xperia S the U will change colour to match your background, match your artists album art with matching colours and change automatically to match the shades in your photos too.

Although the Xperia U does not pack the same sort of punch as the S if you were glancing at the phone you'd struggle to know the difference between them with the phones looking almost identical. The look and feel of the Xperia S was a classy look and Sony have seen no reason to change. If anything they have looked at improving the original design with swappable caps that add a coloured plastic strip to the bottom of the handset. All these changes may just be on the surface but it gives the Xperia U personality. 

Sony have decided upon a 3.5-inch screen Sony understand that not everyone wants an oversized screen "Galaxy Note 5.3" or HTC One X 4.7") but Sony has not compromised the viewing experience; The mobile version of their Bravia TV technology has been fitted to the Xperia U and colours look sharp and vibrant as always.

The U comes with a 5-megapixel camera and a front facing camera for making video calls. Sony has a good track record when it comes to camera's (The Xperia S has boasts the biggest megapixel camera on the market). As well as this Sony have included their xLoud enhancer providing 3D surround sound this enhances your music and video's giving "deep bass and high treble's."

The Xperia U boasts a 1GHz dual core processor which will have you zipping through menu's and sub-screens with ease. Its processor gives you ample power for a device which is mid-range in the market and will not disappoint. Whether this be gaming, video or just simple browsing this handset should handle these tasks with ease.

Android users looking for a budget handset that will allow you to push the boundaries of power and performance will not be disappointed by this great handset!! 

The Era Of The Smart Tag Is Upon Us.....

NFC  or Near Field Communication is the new buzz word from the Telecommunications industry. It is a set of standards for Smartphones and similar devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than a few centimetres. 


NFC isn't really new... or cutting edge. In fact this technology (or a variation of sorts) is already being used throughout the world - especially in Japan. NFC like RFID can quickly swap information between devices when they're touched together.

So What are Smart Tags....


NFC Smart Tags are Sony's new fun and innovative take on using NFC for everyday use; previously NFC has been used for making mobile payments (Google Wallet) and public transit systems (oyster cards use RFID). Now Smart Tags can give your NFC-equipped Android phone a series of commands to keep you from performing repetitive tasks. 

For example, swiping your phone by a Smart Tag beside your bed could turn your phone silent, activate your alarm for the following morning and turn off unwanted features such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Why not do this manually?!? Because once you start using these Smart Tags there is a certain charm to swiping your phone and knowing it is all done in the blink of an eye. 

Would your life not be easier if you could merely sit at your desk in work and with a swipe of your phone WI-Fi is switched off, phone is put too silent and your diary application is launched showing your meetings for the day?

What about getting into the Car and with one swipe GPS is switched on, Bluetooth is activated and your navigation application is loaded. All very handy and time saving in a world were everything moves at a million miles an hour. 

I think Sony's new Smart Tags take NFC technology to a whole new level. Instead of using NFC solely as a payment tool like other competitors Sony have focused on a different value to the NFC chip. The ability too totally customise the Smart Tags as you see fit makes NFC work for you rather than it be a one way deal. But as Sony have with the Smart Tags we will leave the decisions up to you!

The Sony Smart Watch

The Birth Of The Smart Accessory

The Sony SmartWatch is one of the first in a range of secondary display’s for your Android-powered handset that provides quick access to notifications from select apps and services on your phone. It’s also able to show you who's calling or texting, control music, and even wait for it..... tell the time. 

Sony’s range of LiveWare accessories certainly offer a unique take on connected headsets and wearable interfaces for your Android phone in the past such devices have been hit and miss; previously unresponsive and not worth parting with your hard earned cash but are phone-connected watches finally growing up, and is the SmartWatch worth the extra cash?

 The SmartWatch’s main feature is a 1.3-inch OLED display fitted into a case and gives the look and feel of the recent Ipod Nano. A power button is placed where you’d find the crown winder of an analog watch, and a Sony logo is printed on the bezel beneath the glass face.


The display itself is bright, clear, and astonishingly sharp. The color depth is decent, especially for something so small — Sony’s specs say that it’s capable of showing 65,000 colors.
Rather than accommodate a microUSB port Sony have moved for a special USB cable terminating with a hooked end, this clips into place against charging terminals. This very clever and innovative approach from Sony gives the Smart Watch a better look without a clunky cheap looking microUSB on the side.

The SmartWatch looks smart – something you’d actually want to wear instead of something that’s much too nerdy to exist outside the realms of your own home. Having said this, the watch strap that comes in the box isn’t the best, but you can attach it to any watch strap you like using a specialised adapter that’s coming soon.

Unlike most smart watches, which ship with only a few apps preinstalled, the Sony SmartWatch allows you to install new apps onto the watch itself. 

The watch uses Bluetooth 3.0 to connect to your phone, and is designed solely for use with Android handsets, specifically with Sony’s Xperia line, though other phones from other manufacturers are also supported — a full list is available on Sony’s website. 

Once you’ve got things installed and set up, it works well. You’re able to read incoming texts, email messages and tweets as advertised, and the music and camera controls are particularly useful.All I can think about is the moment of real joy when you start using it —  using your watch as a communicator as you see data beginning to appear on the device looks really fun! Over 40 apps are available for the watch, offering the core functions you’d expect like call handling, text messaging, music controls, Facebook, and Twitter. There are also a few surprises: the remote viewfinder app is especially impressive, showing the output of the phone’s camera on the tiny display and allowing you to focus and trigger the shutter.

I feel one of the most useful feature’s of the Sony SmartWatch, is going to be the ‘Find My Phone’ app, which can be downloaded through the SmartWatch app. As the name suggests, this app will locate your misplaced phone by calling it – just don’t leave your phone on silent!!!

One area the device has obvious potential in is sports. Sony has promised that a partner app for Endomondo Sports Tracker is on the way, which will offer your time and calories burned, and is aiming to have it available when the SmartWatch launches. Im a gym instructor and personal trainer and apps like this excite me and would be very impressive if it is a stable system.

All in all, it’s a definite step up from what we’ve seen previously for Android phones, although there’s still some way to go in improving the SmartWatch’s user interface. Thankfully the issues all seem to be software-related, so it’s quite possible that many of them will be improved over time, particularly as new apps are developed for the platform  on an almost-daily basis.In terms of innovation, Sony have hit the nail on the head with the Sony SmartWatch. The SmartWatch definitely has its charms and works great in situations where reaching for your phone is either awkward or unsafe. The idea of syncing your watch with your phone is a great idea. The SmartWatch is certainly a huge improvement over Sony’s previous LiveWare offerings, and directly addresses many of the irritations of the LiveView. It’s also a great piece of geek chic, and is in its own way an attractive product.

I hope to get my hands on one of these soon so I can make a more detailed review on how responsive the device is and how well the apps on offer work.

Sony Xperia S Promotional Box Arrives!

Thought I would write another blog to tell you about some lovely promotional material that arrived for the Xperia S!




The promotional material continues their advertising idea of ‘Made of Imagination’ more about this innovative marketing plan below.




The box came filled with goodies such as: Sherbet UFO's, Play dough, tiddly winks and information about their flagship phone (read the previous blog about the Xperia S to learn more).




Yet again Sony have had the forwarding thinking too make sure everyone and not just the consumers know about their interesting and innovative marketing strategy. Getting the sales advisors that they rely on to sell their products involved is a great way to push the brand. At the end of the day these are the people that they trust to sell their products.

"The idea of getting sales assistants to create our own ideas of what is inside an Xperia S with the play dough I thought was fantastic!" said Michael Jameson of T-mobile Southport.

It's too easy for other companies to roll out the same old promotional material with the same boring sweets and leaflets about the "newest handset" this was a breath of fresh air!

Hope this update was useful! I have written about Sony's ‘Made of Imagination’ campaign below.





The integrated ad campaign entitled ‘Made of Imagination’ will include TV, print, digital, out-of-home and retail activities. A 60-second TV spot directed by Academy Award nominee, Wes Anderson starts airing across Europe this Saturday, on March 24. Developed together with McCann Worldgroup, PHD and LBi, the Made of Imagination aims to show off the Xperia’s range design and entertainment features.
Steve Walker, chief marketing officer at Sony Mobile Communications said, “Xperia smartphones are a cornerstone of Sony’s entertainment experience and we wanted to create a campaign that is true to Sony, one that is unique, memorable and sparks consumers’ curiosity and imagination. The Made of Imagination campaign demonstrates that Xperia smartphones are made of more than microprocessors and memory chips – they are designed to let consumers use their creativity and imagination to drive connected experiences that interest and excite them.”

The TV spot features children and the script is based on the thoughts of an 8 year old boy. The same stop motion animation techniques as in animated films such as ‘Coraline’ and ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ were used to create the video. The music is written by Jonsi from Icelandic group, Sigur Ros. The campaign focuses on Play, Watch, Listen, and Create.

Location:Chapel St,,United Kingdom

Sony Xperia S

The Sony Xperia S is the flagship smartphone and the first to come to Europe badged as purely Sony. 

As ever Sony lead the way with there sleek and impressive design. You will love the see-through strip at the bottom of the device, which also houses the home, menu and back soft-keys and the phone's antenna system. It's a really nice design touch and sets it aside from rivals.

 One of the greatest features of this ground breaking phone is its 720p HD resolution which will hands down beat any other phone on the market for watching movies on the move.

 Like previous Sony "Ericsson" models a fantastic feature is the 12-megapixel resolution camera which also offers the excellent shot-to-shot technology which almost eliminates the shutter-lag between taking pictures, couple this with Sony providing full HD recording and you have a handset which can cope with what ever you want it too shoot. Even the front facing camera has the ability to record in HD which has been a severely lacking commodity in other competitors.

The 1.5GHz dual core processor provides more than enough punch to handle any tasks required of it, beating the current market leading models with ease. Boasting a massive 32gb internal memory you can be assured you will always have space for pictures, music and movies a plenty.

An HDMI-out port and NFC support as well as access to the Sony Entertainment Network, make sure the Xperia S has a focus on music, gaming and films that other devices lack especially with the excellent Need for Speed shift already included making sure you hit the ground running from the moment you switch the phone on.

The Xperia S is a feature packed phone and will be a massive competitor on the market. The camera is one of the best-specced ever seen on an Android device, while it's also got plenty in the engine room to keep things ticking over. Most of all though you will be impressed by the excellent design which will surely have Apple and HTC bracing themselves.