Sony’s latest addition to the Xperia line of smartphones is the Android 4.1 running Xperia ZR, the main feature of which is that it has better water resistance when compared to the Xperia Z. You can keep the ZR in 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes and while you are at it you can also take photos and full HD videos. But that’s about it.

The Xperia ZR is almost identical to the Xperia Z when it comes to the specs, with the ZR having a smaller screen and a 4.6-inch 720p HD Reality display (the Z also offers full 1080p HD). The ZR’s 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 13MP cam, 2GB RAM, pre-loaded Walkman, Album and Movies apps and NFC have all been there with the Xperia Z, which is also pretty rugged.

The ZR is also fatter measuring in at 10.4mm thick compared to Z’s 7.9mm, though you won’t feel that much of a difference. The ZR’s front cam is VGA (likely 0.3MP), but the Z offers a 2MP one. And 8GB of internal memory with the ZR, while the Xperia Z gives 16GB, but both support microSD.

So the Z seems to be better in a few areas than the ZR, although the latter is the one for you if you are fond of diving with your phone once in a while.

Meanwhile, the success of the Xperia Z seems to have affected the sales of other Xperia handsets. We will have to wait and see how the sales go after the ZR is rolled out sometime in Q2. The new device will be available in black, white, pink and mint.

What are your thoughts about the arrival of the Xperia ZR? Will the sales of the Xperia Z be affected by the ZR? Or will people just go for the Z? Or will they forget both the ZR and the Z and go for an upcoming powerhouse?

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Large-screened E Ink devices have been tried by many companies in the past but none managed to gain ground on the academic market. Sony is also not a new player, but they are still trying their luck. Their latest product is a 13.3-inch flexible E Ink prototype device which is targeted at students and offices.

The device is coming with the new Mobius e-paper display technology with lightweight, shatterproof or rugged characteristics. With this new tech, Sony can make bigger display sizes without making the reader too heavy.

The slate measures in at 233 x 310 x 6.8 mm and weighs just 358 g, and it’s coming with 4GB of on-board storage (with a microSD slot) and a 1200 x 1600 resolution screen that’s an electromagnetic induction touchscreen, which allows you to do page swipes and menu selection. It also supports stylus input for making notes. And there’s WiFi for sharing notes, and its rechargeable battery is said to last for three weeks (with the wireless tech turned off), but the device currently supports only the PDF file format.

The device will be trialed at three Japanese universities, after which the final product will be available on the market but that might take a year or more.

But the question is whether this device will be appealing since there are many tablets out there with fast processors and high-resolution screens, as well as third-party apps. Sony’s own Tablet Z is one of the many options currently available. But if the price is not too much (the Sony Reader PRS-T2 costs $129.99), this new e-reader could be useful for many.

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The Sony range of Xperia phones will soon be joined by a new budget minded device, if these leaked photos and rumored specifications are found to be genuine.

According to the leak, the S39h will be a 4.3-inch 720p Android phone, and will go on sale in China to compete in the fiercely competitive smartphone market. A full specification sheet hasn’t been made available yet, but tipsters suggest the phone to offer dual-sim support, and either a 5 or 8 mega-pixel rear camera. The Xperia S39h might even end up being powered by a quad-core Mediatek chip, if reports in China are to be believed.

Personally I’m not a fan of the design of the S39h and believe Sony will need to improve their styling to compete with high spec, low-cost phone offered by local Chinese brands. What do you think of the S39h, how does it compare to other Chinese-marketed handsets out there?

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While Sony has always been known for reasonably high quality smartphones, they have never led the pack, in large part due to customer perception over problems like slow updates to the latest Android versions.

There has a been a lot of hype generated by Sony’s latest Xperia Z though, with many saying that the phone is exactly what the company needs to make a major comeback, both in the mobile world and in electronics in general. Now Sony has posted its year-end results, showing the company’s first profit in five years.

Sony reported revenue of $72.3 billion, with $7.8 billion of that for the mobile side of things. Now a lot of this profit was generated by favorable exchange rates and asset sales, but the big takeaway is that Sony managed to ship 33 million Xperia smartphones, with the company claiming that a vast majority of these were Xperia Z handsets.

Of course that was actually down from their projected 34 million, but a large part of that (according to Sony) is because demand and hype for the Xperia Z kept attention off their other handsets like the Xperia T and Xperia V.

Bottom-line is that 2012 was a good start for Sony. We’ll really see if the company can take the groundwork laid and run with it throughout 2013, though.

What do you think of Sony’s most recent efforts, including the Xperia Z and its upcoming Sony Playstation 4? Is the company on the right track? For more information about their fiscal results, head over to the Xperia Blog.

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The Sony Xperia Z is certainly a head-turner, but Sony isn’t stopping there. Next up for Sony is the Honami, also known as the Sony Xperia i1 – at least if rumors prove correct.

So what do we know about the Honami? According to the latest leaked specs, the CPU is supposedly a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.3 GHz CPU with 2GB of RAM memory. It is also believed to have a 16 or 20MP camera and a 5-inch full HD display. Other specs include water/dust resistance and a 3000 mAh battery. As for the size, the phone will be a bit on the thicker side at 10mm.

Whether these rumored specs are accurate we can’t be sure, hopefully soon we will get some confirmation of what the Honami is actually packing directly from Sony in due time.

What we have heard no rumors about is if it will be modeled visually off the Sony Xperia Z, or if this baby will have its own lines and style. As we know from the past, don’t take these “leaked” stats as fact, but if accurate, this sounds like it’ll be the new big daddy of the Xperia Z, and hopefully equally as impressive when it arrives on market.

What do you think of Sony’s handsets as of late? Are you interested in the Sony i1 or not?

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Scientists at Nottingham University are currently working on a new method of treating children suffering from lazy eye. The new treatment uses video games and special glasses, which is already proving to be very effective.

The problem with the current treatment is that children are required to wear an eye patch over their good eye for extended periods of time. The results are usually poor, as patients are reluctant to put the patch on. In comparison the new video game based treatment is not only fun but appears to work even after just a few short sessions.

Developers working on the project have created ‘shutter glasses’. The lens covering the good eye shows static content while the other eye sees the action in the foreground. When combined, users experience the game just as they would playing normally.

Nottingham University are now teaming up with Sony Europe to adapt some current Playstation 3 games for use in the ground breaking treatment.

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It’s the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, the 10.1-inch Android Jelly Bean tablet which was announced in January, and it’s now available for pre-order.

The device features a ‘Full HD Reality Display’ (1920x1200p WUXGA), a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP shooter on the back and a 2MP cam up front.

Should you get the Xperia Tablet Z? It is certainly a stylish looking device. On the other hand, its 6000mAh battery and $499.99 price tag for the 16GB (black) model are not very appealing when you compare it to the Nexus 10. The Nexus 10 is better in comparison with a bigger battery, its 2560×1600 display and a more pleasant price. But the Xperia Tablet Z is the one for you if an SD card slot is very important to you. And the Z is also super thin, super light, and water/dust-resistant.

If you order the $599.99 32GB white version of the Tablet Z, you will be eligible for a free cradle. We are not sure why the offer is not available with the 32GB black one.

So, are you interested? Still can’t make up your mind? You can check out a comparison chart here, all thanks to Sony. And do check out Dreyfus, their adorable three-legged spokesdog, in the video below.

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If a new rumor is to be believed, the Sony Xperia Z and ZL are getting a smaller screened little brother in the not-to-distant future. The so-called Sony Xperia ZR is said to feature a design akin to the ZL, though it features a 4.6-inch 720p display instead.

The rumor mill says that this is the same device that has previously been known by the codename Dogo, and that it will be powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm S4 Pro chipset (or perhaps even a Snapdragon 600). Other rumored features include 2GB RAM, a 13MP Exmor RS camera, 8GB storage, microSD and a 2300 mAh.

The Xperia ZR looks to outrank the Xperia Z when it comes to water proofing, with a rating of IP55/IP58.

No word on when this might be coming or even what countries it might target with its release. What do you think, would you be interested in such a device or are you disappointed that Sony is continuing its trend of releasing too many variants of the same device?

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If you are planning to test how tough the Samsung Galaxy S4 is after you purchase it, maybe you can give it the treatment which was given to the Xperia Z recently, provided you have saved enough cash for one more S4. The S4 most probably won’t survive such a test. But the Sony handset is not that great as the S4 specs-wise. So what to do? Why don’t you just wait for the new tougher S4 that will apparently arrive sometime in the future?

According to President of Samsung Gulf Young Soo Kim, Samsung has plans to unveil a water proof/dust proof Samsung Galaxy S4 in the coming weeks. No confirmation on the matter from the company though, but someone in the position of Kim won’t certainly announce things like that just for fun.

If indeed it’s coming it will most probably be a bit more expensive (maybe $50-$100 more) than the S4 currently out there. And could this device have anything to do with the Galaxy S4 Mini being talked about these days? We are digging in to find out more. So, are you interested in getting a ruggedized S4?

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The Sony Xperia ZL has been available for purchase in the United States since mid-March, though only through Sony’s website for an outright price of $759. For those of us that can’t afford such a huge upfront cost, the ZL is finally making its way to a carrier, though one that many of those in the United States have probably never heard of: Cincinnati Bell.

Unless you live in the Cincinnati, Ohio or one of its nearby suburbs, you might not be aware that such this independent regional carrier exists and even has roughly 500,000 subscribers. If you do happen to live in the area and are interested in the Sony Xperia XL, it will touch down on May 1st for $249.99 after a mail-in rebate and after committing to a two year contract.

For those that need a refresher course when it comes to the Xperia XL’s hardware, it is powered by a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor, has a Full HD 5-inch display, a 13MP rear cam, 4G LTE and has Android 4.1 Jelly Bean onboard. There are also a few other useful goodies like NFC and infrared capabilities.

It’s a shame that Sony’s best handsets to date (the Xperia Z and ZL) have yet to really make much of an impact in the North American market. Cincinnati Bell is a good start, and hopefully it will bring the attention of a larger carrier such as Verizon or AT&T.

What do you think of the Sony Xperia ZL? Anyone happen to be a subscriber to Cincinnati Bell? If so, does the Xperia ZL interest you or not?

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