Sony's original SmartWatch last year didn't get too many people excited, but with the Samsung Galaxy Gear hitting the shelves and Apple's long-rumoured iWatch getting closer, the time is clearly ripe to release an updated version to stay in the increasingly high-stakes smart watch game.
Design
Like the Gear it's designed as an addition to a smartphone, rather than as a standalone device. It's not quite as capable as Samsung's model (it doesn't have a camera, for example), or as powerful; but it's lighter, has considerably longer battery life and can be used in conjunction with more devices. It's water resistant (IP57 rating, which should be good for up to 30 mins at a depth of one meter), which makes it a bit more practical for wearing out and about though you'll still want to take it off before you go swimming.
There are presently over 140 apps available for the SmartWatch (much more than the Gear), though it's the usual mix of pretty goods and so-whats, including exercise apps, games, languages and remote controls. Some, like the very limited and glitchy map app, are free, but others, including WhatsApp Alerts, cost a fee.
Email notifications are supported, and we tested with Gmail and Microsoft accounts (although it's worth noting you can't reply to them on the device). Currently Microsoft Exchange and Hotmail/Outlook emails only work for notifications if paired with a Sony Xperia Z1, as Sony has adapted its implementation of Android to support it; other Android devices cannot support Microsoft's email technology currently. Some software is also dependent on being used with Sony-created software. The music playback controls, for example, only work with Sony's Android music player; playing, pausing and skipping Spotify is a no-go area. Disappointing.
The 1.6-inch screen is the same size as the Gear's but it offers a lower resolution of 220x176 pixels -- not great, but it's fine for viewing updates and notifications. The battery life is considerably better than Samsung's competitor: leave it on all the time and you should get three to four days out of it, extending to a week or so if you switch it off at night.
Charging is via a standard microUSB slot hidden behind a rubber cover on the side. It powers up by pressing the outsize silver button on the side, which matches aesthetically with the power button on Sony's Xperia handsets.
Conclusion
It's cheaper and lighter than the Galaxy Gear, and it has more social networking apps at launch, immediately making it more useful and less of a toy than Samsung's device, and the subtler style will be a bonus for many. It's not perfect and it's important to bear in mind this is very much a consumption device for getting notifications and updates, but it is useful at times. It needs to evolve quickly, with a lot more apps, to keep pace with developments over the next few months. A fun product for early adopters, but not quite for the mainstream just yet.
Photo credits : http://www.technobuffalo.com/2014/08/13/sony-smartwatch-3-android-wear-rumor/
http://www.tested.com/tech/456562-sony-smartwatch-2-improves-upon-its-predecessor-still-android-only/
http://www.clove.co.uk/sony-smartwatch-2
http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/accessories/smartwatch-2-sw2/
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