A month back we reported that Sony had discontinued the BKC50 Bluetooth Keyboard with Tablet Cover Stand – a case for the Xperia Z2 Tablet that incorporated the BKB10 Bluetooth Keyboard. The reason given was that Sony couldn’t use a closing magnet in the case as it would have affected the sleep mode/wake up function of the tablet. Therefore there was a risk that the tablet could fall out.
That doesn’t seem to have stopped Sony Japan, who still appears to be exclusively selling the tablet cover. The tablet cover has received some poor reviews because of these stability issues, however the included BKB10 Bluetooth Keyboard is well thought of. If you’re intrigued in how the BKC50 cover stand turned out, check out some hands-on photos below. [read more…]
The Nokia 808 PureView and Lumia 1020 smartphones remain two the best camera phones to date. Nokia has always had a strong pedigree on the camera smartphone front, but they really upped the ante when they released the 808 PureView with its 1/1.2-inch sensor. To this day, it remains one of the largest sensors found in a smartphone. The spiritual follow-up to the 808 was the Lumia 1020, but this ‘only’ had a 2/3-inch sensor.
One of the downsides of sporting such large sensors is having to accommodate it in a smartphone body that manufacturers are trying to drive ever thinner. The compromise is a hump where the optics sit, both the 808 PureView and Lumia 1020 have a hump on their backs. [read more…]
The Sony Xperia T3 is now available to pre-order in Russia, with expected delivery taking place in late July. Sony Russia has all three colours of the handset available (black, purple and white) at a price point of 15,990 Rubles (£268, €340, $457).
The Xperia T3 has already been released in Hong Kong and Taiwan, with European availability expected next month. The Xperia T3 has a steel frame and measures 7mm in thickness, weighing 148g. Other specs include a 5.3-inch 720p IPS display, 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 chipset, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage, LTE support, 2500mAh sealed battery and 8MP Exmor RS camera. [read more…]
A new update recently started to roll for the Xperia Z2 with build number 17.1.2.A.0.314 that brought improved touch performance and charging when the battery is low. The same update has just been certified by the PTCRB for the Xperia Z2 Tablet (SGP521), which means it should roll out in due course. We’ll let you know when it is released. [read more…]
We recently speculated that it was highly likely that Sony had canned its wireless charging accessories for the Xperia Z2 including the WCR12 Wireless Charging Cover and WCH10 Wireless Charging Plate. This was confirmed earlier today when UK retailer Clove updated its product page for the WCR12 with the following message:
“Sony has discontinued this product prior to release. This product will not be coming into stock and a replacement is not available.”
[read more…]
As we have reported recently, Sony is developing a curved CMOS image sensor which allows for higher sensitivity, less distortion and a simpler lens system. It is developing two sensors one for smartphones along with a full-sized chip. Further details about developments on the sensor are expected at the Photokina tradeshow on 16 September, but if you can’t wait that long, rumours on the smaller curved sensor are starting to leak.
The spec sheets below of the IMX271SMK camera sensor points to a 22 MegaPixel curved sensor with an impressive signal-to-noise ratio of 41.1dB. The lens details point to a 7.83mm f/1.2 G Lens that is only 6mm in thickness and a 20mm focal length We’d love to see this technology in an upcoming Sony Xperia smartphone, fingers crossed we don’t have to wait too long. [read more…]
The Sony Xperia T3 has launched in a couple of Asian markets, so it was a matter of time before we started to see some hands-on pics. Below you will find the first Xperia T3 unboxing pictures that we’ve come across, showing the white model. We have also included some pictures that shows the 5.3-inch Xperia T3 sized up against the 5.0-inch Xperia C, 4.6-inch Xperia SP and 4.0-inch Xperia J. Looking at the side profile pictures show just how thin the Xperia T3 is at 7mm. Check out all of the pictures below. [read more…]
The Sony Xperia M2 is a decent budget smartphone with a big 4.8-inch qHD display, 8MP camera, good battery life, loud speakers and acceptable performance from its 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 1GB RAM. The Xperia M2 is also a reasonably slim (8.6mm) and light (148g) handset.
It’s great to see Sony’s OmniBalance design trickle through the lower-end of its range, as the Xperia M2 does look very nice indeed. If you want to keep your handset looking good, then you may have considered buying a case. Today we are reviewing the Case-Mate Barely There case for the Xperia M2 thanks to MobileFun, who also stock a wide range of other Xperia M2 cases. [read more…]
A new firmware update recently started to roll for the Xperia Z2 (D6503) in the form of build number 17.1.2.A.0.314. Whilst the Android build remains at version 4.4.2 KitKat, Sony did work through a number of changes including improved voice call quality, touch performance and charging when the battery is low.
One of the issues for some, was that none of the recent root methods worked on this latest firmware. However, thanks to Japanese developer @cubeundcube this is no longer an issue. An update to his rootkitXperia tool kit manages to root the Xperia Z2 without any issues, even for those with locked bootloaders. [read more…]
It always fascinates us how manufacturers can cram so much technology into something the size of a phone. Smartphones have gradually replaced many standalone gadgets such as MP3 players, digital cameras, portable gaming machines, GPS devices and more. Therefore, it can be quite painful if your phone gets damaged, especially as repair can be costly.
Witrigs, a specialist in spare smartphone parts, has released a video showing how you can replace the screen of the Sony Xperia Z2. It’s a fascinating watch, even if you don’t have the handset, just to see the process of stripping the phone down to its display and then seeing how it is put back together. If you do unfortunately need to replace the screen, all of the necessary parts from Witrigs can be found here. [read more…]
The unlocked Xperia Z2 is now available to order in the United States through the Sony Store website. The Xperia Z2 is being sold for $699.99, but the handset is currently back-ordered with an unknown ship date. We imagine Sony is just working through a few gremlins and that the Xperia Z2 will begin shipping very shortly.
The Xperia Z2 being sold is the international LTE model (D6503) which supports LTE bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 20. This makes it ideal to use with either AT&T and T-Mobile. It’s great to see the handset finally available in the US, despite not seeing any carrier support. There were rumours that Verizon might pick up the Xperia Z2, but that’s looking increasingly unlikely now. [read more…]
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