Sony Reveals The Xperia Z4, Its Latest Flagship Smartphone

Sony has revealed the Xperia Z4, its latest flagship smartphone, today. The device was made public in an announcement in Japanese, and, at this point, there is neither an international launch date nor an accompanying ‘Compact’ version.

The Xperia Z4 is much like its Z3 predecessor, with the same 5.2-inch screen, a thinner 6.9mm form, and a Snapdragon 810 processor which clocks a more modest 2GHz but is eight-core and 64-bit. The rear-facing camera has the same eye-popping 20.7-megapixels, the front-facing camera has gotten a wide-angle lens, and elsewhere there’s 3GB of RAM under the hood and Android 5.0 Lollipop runs out of the box.

Sony is known for its water- and dust-resistant devices, and the Xperia Z4 also delivers on that front. (That’s of note for any Samsung customers frustrated that the new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are not water-resistant.)

Sony had been rumored to be considering an exit from the smartphone space, though its latest restructuring didn’t see that eventuality realized it remains a possibility in the future. The Xperia Z4 is another iterative product and, while the Xperia Z3 received positive reviews, it didn’t sell particularly well, which makes it hard to see how sticking to the same recipe will dig the company out of its rut on mobile.

But, if you’re an Xperia fan, stay tuned for details of the Z4’s international launch, which will come sooner rather than later now that the cat is out of the bag in Japan

Read More

Android 4.4 KitKat Testing Scheduled for Xperia Z

As Sony has released Android 4.3 Jelly Bean software update for its Xperia series devices, the focus now shifts to Android 4.4 KitKat update, starting from Sony's 2013 flagship smartphone.In December last year, Sony rolled out Android 4.3 update for Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra. Following this, Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR and Xperia Tablet Z received the latest Jelly Bean firmware.

Earlier this month, the company released Android 4.3 for some of its mid-range Xperia handsets such as Xperia SP, Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V.

As for the Android 4.4 KitKat, the update will be available for Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia Z Ultra and Xperia Z1.

Vodafone Australia

Android 4.4 KitKat testing is scheduled for Xperia Z.

There is no official word on Android 4.4 update status for the Xperia Z but Vodafone Australia has new details on the update. The software update page of Vodafone Australia suggests the Android 4.4 KitKat testing is scheduled for the Xperia Z. Currently, there is no information as to when the roll-out will begin.

However, considering the current testing status, the Android KitKat update is expected to commence soon.

Prior to this, Play, one of the network operators in Poland, published a list containing software update availability for a number of smartphones. According to the list, Xperia Z has been scheduled to receive Android 4.4.2 software sometime between the end of February and March.

Read More

Android users will get to install Jolla’s rival Sailfish OS, bit by bit

The operating system will run on some devices in the Nexus, Samsung Galaxy and Sony Xperia lines, and before that comes out a Sailfish launcher will be made available so users can get used to the UI. Jolla’s Sailfish OS isn’t Android – not even an Amazon-style fork – but it can run Android apps and manufacturers can put it on the same hardware they use for Android devices. So after a pretty small-scale start, what would be the smart way for the plucky Finnish mobile upstart to make sure as many people as possible play with its software?Yup. On Friday, Jolla announced the first complete version of Sailfish OS and said users themselves would later this year be able to install it on many Android devices – according to the post-Nokia outfit, this will include “major versions of popular Samsung Galaxy, Google Nexus, and Sony Xperia .” In the meantime, Jolla will soon put a Sailfish launcher into “common Android marketplaces”, so people can get their heads around the operating system’s gesture-based user interface.All this will take place during the first half of this year, Jolla said, noting that the full Sailfish OS should be “commercially ready for global distribution” after the beginning of March, when Sailfish OS receives its fourth significant update.The company also revealed partnerships with other big hitters from Finland: Rovio, for an Angry Birds-themed “The Other Half” smart cover, and security firm F-Secure, for free cloud storage. Jolla will also work with Finnish IT consultancy Tieto to offer integration services to manufacturers that want to make Sailfish OS phones.

According to Jolla COO and co-founder Marc Dillon:

“We’ve been working hard together with our user community to make the user experience of the Jolla smartphone and Sailfish OS effortless and distinct. We believe that Jolla now offers a truly viable option for all smartphone users. Naturally we are not stopping here, as we continue to provide monthly software updates to Jolla devices and Sailfish OS.”

Sailfish OS users will be able to install “their preferred Android app store”, Dillon added – I’m guessing the official Google Play Store isn’t an option, but Jolla has previously announced a partnership with Yandex to see the Russian web giant’s Android app store preinstalled on Jolla devices. Sailfish OS is open source, and the community has already made native apps for Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Foursquare.How likely is it that Android users will go Sailfish? Jolla is hopeful: chairman Antti Saarnio said in Friday’s statement that there are about a billion Android users out there. “Last year in China alone, about 100 million devices were re-flashed after the purchase with a new operating system. This approach allows Sailfish OS to scale into volume fast without limitations,” he noted.

“Just in a few months [since launch, presumably] we have shown how fast an open operating system can develop compared to closed ecosystems,” Saarnio continued. “It’s time for free choice instead of closed walled gardens.”

Read More