Big things come in small...er... Compact packages. A Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Review

I'm not a fan of the current trend of ever-growing smartphone screen sizes, aka "Phablets". Mainly because I feel they are a compromise from both sides. They are neither small enough to be convenient to carry around, nor are their screens large enough to enjoy surfing or media properly. I don't think manufacturers should stop making phones bigger, I just wish they'd offer smaller options that aren't based on ancient technology. Thankfully, Sony did just that with the Xperia Z1 Compact.

At 4.3", the Z1 Compact is not small. Unlike the older Xperia Mini or Mini Pro, the Z1 Compact is just that, a compact version of it's larger 5" sibling, the Z1. Both sport a 2.2GHz Quad-core CPU, 20 Megapixel Sony Exmor RS camera, 2GB RAM, 16GB on-board memory, LTE, and IP rating. The only difference being screen size. The Z1 has a Full HD (1920 x 1080) screen, while the Z1 Compact has an HD (1280 x 720) screen. In actual use, the slightly lower pixel density of the Z1 Compact is not noticeable and offers very good color rendition and media performance. For those that may be wondering, the back of the Compact is plastic. The Japanese version however, is glass. I'm not fond of cases at all. So to protect my phone, I immediately got matte protectors for the front and back. The matte screen protector does degrade screen quality slightly, but it also keep it fingerprint free, and reduces glare. The benefits, for me, outweighed the slight color degradation.

Performance of the Z1 Compact is quite exceptional. I've been told that it's even better than the Z1 due to the fact that both the CPU and GPU have fewer pixels to power. As nice as the stock Sony Home app is, I find the common Android layout quite cluttered, hence I use Smart Launcher 2 which allows me to clean up my home screen and significantly boost performance. This launcher has worked on my old X10 Mini Pro til my current Z1 Compact and makes it so much easier to navigate with one hand. On the Compact, it uses such little resources, the phone really blazes through everything even faster than stock.

Battery life on the Compact is great. Coming from the much older Xperia P, which gave me about 7-10 hours of use, the Compact gives me well over 24 hours under similar settings. I used to always have to charge my phone at least 2x a day with my normal use, the Compact leaves me with about 25% charge by the time I'm about to sleep. This is using Sony's Stamina Mode which I leave on all the time. Without it, my Xperia P would last about 5-6 hours, and the Compact would last about 18-20 hours. Disabling data (or switching to 2G only) increases standby time significantly on both my phones. So glad I no longer have to lug around my charger or a power bank!

Audio performance is great too. My preferred audio app is Power Amp primarily because it can crossfade tracks. But other than that, the built-in Walkman app is great. Very sleek and refined. The Clear Audio feature in the Settings really makes a difference in audio quality/clarity when using Bluetooth headsets. But if you're plugged in via the headphone jack into a stereo system, you may want to disable this for a purer sound experience. The speaker is located at the bottom of the phone. Which I think is brilliant. Although the grille makes it look like the speaker occupies the whole bottom of the phone, the actual speaker is only about a third of the grille on the left side. Why I prefer this position is because it allows you to place your phone in your pocket with the speaker facing up and keeps it unobstructed for calls and notifications. You will appreciate this when you keep your phone in your back pocket since it rings pretty loud in a crowded street or mall. I wouldn't really rate any built-in speaker for proper media playback but it has decent volume specially when xLoud and Clear Phase are used. Other than that, I always use external speakers or a headset.

The camera is fantastic. Low light performance is excellent and Superior Auto is getting better. It may be a 20 megapixel camera but this is only available in Manual mode with HDR disabled. HDR, Superior Auto, and the other features drop resolution down to 8MP which is more than decent but kinda disappointing. 3rd party plug-ins like 360 Panorama and the Augmented Reality apps (quite fun) are accessible directly from the camera app or as individual apps on your home screen. Quick-lauch (holding the camera button down to launch the camera) will only launch in Superior Auto mode.

So far so good. Although I wish they had made the Xperia Z1 Compact a bit narrower, I think this is an excellent choice for those that don't want to sacrifice performance for the sake of a more pocketable Android device.

Sony Smartwatch2 SW2 Update!

Sony's Smartwatch2 has just gotten a very good update! The new firmware tweaks existing apps, and offers a new watch face editor that allows drag and drop elements to layout your own display. Several different clocks, weather, date & notification widgets are available for you to position anywhere on the display.

A convenient "Tap twice to wake" feature is added, and responds to shaking your wrist as well. This basically turns on the backlight so you can see the time in low light conditions. It does NOT unlock the watch to enter the menu. You will still need to press the power button to access the apps.

A new calculator (VERY handy) is also present, and has a little Easter Egg hidden in it. On Sony's marketing material, the time displayed is 10:35. Enter 1035 on the calculator and press "=" and a little Snake game will now appear in the watch. :)

Head on over to Google Play and update your SmartWatch 2 app on your phone!

MWC Barcelona: Sony's New Products

Sony just announced the 2nd gen of their best sellers:

Xperia Z2 (Pre-order available)

Xperia Z2 Tablet

Along with several new accessories, like tablet covers w/ Bluetooth keyboards, new docks, Bluetooth speaker docks, a stereo microphone, and new noise cancelling earbuds

Watch Out Again! A Sony SmartWatch 2 Review (SW2)

I had gotten the original SmartWatch when it first came out, it was fun. And I really liked it. It was a nice toy to have, and I actually ended up using it more often than I thought I would. But there was still a lot to be desired. Battery life was only a day if you wanted the display on all the time, and the watch itself wasn't finished as nicely as I would've wanted.

Of course, I upgraded to the SW2 (SmartWatch2) when it came out and it's a significant improvement over the previous version. A note, it is nearly twice the price. But at about P7,900 (about US$175) for the metal strap one (get the metal strap, looks way better than the silicone one) it's not ridiculously expensive.

Remote camera, Walkman, Calendar, Phone (You can answer/reject by remote. The watch itself doesn't take the call), SMS (I'm finding this more useful now that you can have several preset replies.) Facebook and Twitter are some of the default apps provided by Sony. The other apps I find useful are WatchIt which allows all notifications from your phone to be displayed on your SmartWatch (with limited capabilities) and a small note app.

This isn't a game changer. Nor is it a revolutionary device. Ericsson > Sony Ericsson > and now Sony have had about 5 generations of smart watches already. This is an evolution of an accessory, much like the Bluetooth headset. A nice extension of your mobile device.

Some details:

• The watch is waterproof, even though Sony only claims "splashproof" maybe to keep people from swimming or diving with it.
• It works as a standalone watch, unlike its predecessor which only worked when connected to a mobile device.
• It works with almost any Android device.
• It works with all previous Sony SmartWatch apps
• The screen isn't as high-res as Samsung's Gear, but it's decent. The trans-reflective screen was a good choice for battery life and over-all practicality.
• Under normal to heavy use, you can easily get 2 days on a single charge. One week for light users.
• The watch display is on all the time, but the backlight only stays on for a few seconds. Currently, there is no way to change this setting to increase or keep the backlight on all the time.
• Currently there are 10 watch faces available, 3 digital, 5 black analog, and 2 white analog.
• It only works with ONE device. Bummer, I was hoping to pair both my phone and tablet with it.
• At the moment, you cannot change the wallpaper. I just want a plain black one, not the Xperia color swirls
• It has a few built-in apps that work without the phone connected to it, an alarm, timer, and flashlight.
• You can use any 24mm watch strap as a replacement. It's more difficult to change the strap of this one vs. the previous one which just used a clip (but made the watch body quick thick). This may be better or worse, depending on how often you change straps.

This isn't meant to replace your Rolex, Tag, Omega, Bulgari, or the like. It's a decent, everyday watch that acts as an extension of your Android device. Nothing flashy or geeky looking. Most people don't even realize that it's not a regular watch until I get a notification.

I'm quite happy with this updated accessory. I liked the previous one too, and it's still a good option at almost half the price. This is NOT a must-have gadget. But I'm glad I upgraded. :)

Sony SmartWatch2 Calendar Update (Bug fix)

Update for the Sony SmartWatch2 Calendar Smart Extension is out today. Fixes the All-Day Calendar bug which displays all-day events the next day.

Sony SmartWatch2 update available!

Great news to Sony SmartWatch2 owners, a new update is available today!

Accessory Version: 1.0.B.3.46
Host Application Version: 1.3.17

New watch faces available, along with a Stopwatch and other improvements!

All-day Calendar bug still present however. :(

**New bug, the official Sony Camera Smart Extension no longer works with my Xperia P or Tablet Z after this update. :( Boo!**

***December 6 update of Camera Smart Extension app fixes bug mentioned above... YAY!!!***

A Cradle Song...er... Review. The Sony Xperia Tablet Z Cradle Review

I'm a fan of official stands and cradles. I wish more manufacturers would at least offer them as official accessories.

Since I purchased my Xperia Tablet Z, I wanted a nice way to display it at home instead of just laying on a table with the charging cable dangling out. So I waited (and waited) for Sony PH to release it. But being as late as they are, I decided to get it from Amazon.com (although there are several gray market vendors that carry it now for about the same price)

Initial impression are good. I like the fact that the stand is fully adjustable, and not just a few select angles. Charging is much quicker and less prone to damaging the USB charging cover on the tablet itself. Although the charging port on the cradle is at an odd angle and location, I was expecting it to be facing the rear, instead it's hidden behind the stand and facing off to one side. Odd, but no big deal.

Guide rails are smooth and makes inserting the tablet into place very quick and easy. No issues or problems sliding it in. It also triggers a SmartConnect action as it is recognized as a Sony Smart Accessory so you can have it trigger an action upon docking. The default action is to launch the DayDream app which is like a screensaver.

Two shortcomings though, one is that there is NO CHARGER INCLUDED with the dock, as you are supposed to use your existing charger. Not that big a deal considering it isn't expensive, but it would've been nice to at least have a long micro USB cable included. Two, there is no audio/HDMI out. This would've added significant cost to the dock, but it would be a nice option. I hate having other cables connected and was hoping I could plug everything to the dock instead. I know there are Bluetooth and Miracast options but I do prefer hardwired connections when possible.

If you like displaying your tablet at home or at work, this is a very nice accessory. Charging speed is quite improved (even using your existing charger) and offers nice viewing angles for both typing text and watching videos.

Sony Xperia Tablet Z 4.2.2 Update **Updated Aug 9, 2013**

Sony seems to be very diligent with updates now. Something a lot of us Sony/Sony Ericsson fans got burned with before. If Sony wants to stay relevant in the mobile market, they're moving in the right direction.

The latest update is with their flagship Xperia Tablet Z. Bringing a 4.2.2 update to the SGP321 (LTE) model. WiFi models should follow shortly.

The notification bar is now on top w/ the soft keys now centered. I found them quite useful on the side but not big deal with the new layout. The pattern lockscreen wallpaper can now be changed and has added widget support when locked.

The remote/shortcut was removed in place of the app switch/small apps menu found on the Xperia Z

Small Apps

New File Transfer app 

File Transfer App

 New Daydream setting for dock/charging behavior

Daydream setting

New user info page with "Add user" 

User info page

 Google Search Bluetooth headset setting

Google Now Bluetooth setting

New WiFi power saving setting

New WiFi Power Setting

 New security features and settings

New Security Settings

 New Xperia Care/myXperia menu

Xperia Care

Xperia Care

And I've also noticed the screen sensitivity has been adjusted. I used to have problems with random touches when my tablet was being charged. I still get them, but they are a lot less frequent now since the update.

Developer Options seems to have been removed from the Settings menu as well. Quite a shame since I adjusted my animation settings from there all the time. But not a big deal.

I've been very happy with my Tablet Z. It has now taken over almost all the tasks of my Macbook Pro save for the Adobe Suite tasks.

This update was initially reported a few days ago on Xperia Blog. It just rolled out in the Philippines today. Is it available already in your country?

**Update Aug 09, 2013**
Just discovered that you can now change the toggle switches in the notification bar. Settings are under the Display Settings.

**Update Aug 12, 2013**

Two of my apps have developed glitches since the 4.2.2 update:
-PowerAmp (Themes no longer work)
-Talking Calendar (App works in background but can't open app to change settings)

No Such Thing As Too Much Speed (Globe vs Smart LTE)

When I got my Xperia Tablet Z, it was specifically to load it up with an LTE SIM so I wouldn't have to tether it off my phone anymore. As useful as it was, tethering is just a waste of battery life.

There are 2 major telcos in the Philippines, Smart and Globe. I've been a Globe subscriber ever since and can't switch because of archaic Philippine policies on number portability (namely there is none). But since this is a data-only need, I could easily get a second SIM for my data needs on the device I use more often.

Upgrading my Globe line for LTE was quite easy, a quick visit to a Globe center and Php20 to upgrade the physical SIM to their LTE SIM and an hour later, I was online again.

I did an initial Speedtest in Fort Bonifacio Global City just to check things out.

Not too bad. Nothing great for LTE. At 7.35Mbps DL that's about the same as 3G speeds in Singapore. I'm still satisfied. And it didn't cost me anything extra over the Php20 SIM anyway, so it is worth the upgrade.

This was just a preliminary Speedtest. And since this is cellular tech, signal quality and speed will change DRASTICALLY with position and location.

Simply moving my tablet closer to one side of the window increases speed. So YMMV.

Now, my Smart SIM took longer. They were out of stock in 3 Smart Centers that I went to. But thanks to a friend in the company, I got one a few days later. And now the test. Test was done from the same area, looking for the best LTE signal strength.

Both tests were done while connected to each provider's respective servers so they do not reflect actual usage, but rather local loop speeds only. I used my tablet for both tests.

But so far, at 2x the download speed and nearly 4x the upload speed, Smart is the clear winner hands down.

Cost? Both providers currently offer LTE at Php995/30 days, currently no data cap as an introductory offer but hopefully both will keep it this way.

Tablet War Z (Sony Xperia Tablet Z - First Impressions)

Sony seems to be on a roll the past year. With the release of their "Z" line it includes the following smartphones:

Z

ZL

ZR

ZU (Z Ultra - recently announced)

Their current flagship in their tablet line, the Xperia Tablet Z. An impressive piece of design. Now the specs are equally impressive, but the first thing that grabs you is the jet-black glossy screen. Something about it just draws you in. Reminiscent of Sony's Bravia TV line, it commands attention.

The next thing you notice is how thin the thing is. Now most of you, have read the past reviews as this tablet has been out in other countries for several weeks now. But it's something else when you actually hold it. It's THIN. Just as a point of reference, the current iPad is 9.4mm thick. The Xperia Tablet Z is 6.9mm thin. "It's about 27% thinner!" To paraphrase a certain Apple Design Chief w/ a British accent.

Not only has Sony managed to slice this tablet thinner than the rest, it gave it a very under appreciated feature. An IP water/dustproof rating! Which basically means you can get this thing wet and it won't complain. Up to 1m under fresh water for 30 min. Take note, that's FRESH water. Beach goers, the salt water won't damage the internal circuitry, but it will corrode the external contacts and may scratch the screen. If you happen to accidentally get your tablet wet with sea water, wash it down with fresh water ASAP.

***MAKE SURE ALL EXTERNAL COVERS ARE CLOSED PROPERLY***

I think the cover flaps are the most annoying part, but necessary to maintain the waterproof nature and have expansion slots (SIM, micro SD). But was a SIM tray really unnecessary?!?! WTF?!?!

This is one beautifully designed machine. What I like about both Apple and Sony is that they both pay attention to the overall design of their devices. Without looking like each other! Both the iPad and Tablet Z have a very Zen look, but are quite distinct from each other. I'd never mistake a Tablet Z for an iPad. (And vice versa)

In case you didn't notice from the photos, my UI doesn't look like Sony's UI. It's not. Although Sony does the least objectionable modifications to Android (Other manufacturers are just ruining Android with their horribly coded skins) it still causes slight lagging. I've been on Apex since my X10 Mini Pro days and have found it to be a very good launcher. Now, don't get me wrong, Sony's Home Launcher isn't bad. And it actually has a few advantages. The Walkman and Weather widgets of Sony don't work on anything else. So if you like those widgets, you may want to stick with Sony's UI instead. But I prefer designing my own UI layout, so I opt to use a 3rd party Home screen.

LTE will be dependent on your provider, but so far, it's pretty good. That will be for another review when I compare the local providers.

The screen is very nice. Viewing photos and videos is very pleasant. Contrast is very good and viewing angles are decent. Sound is moderately loud, has a gimmicky "Surround" mode which makes music and movie effects sound like their coming from outside the tablet (neat but weakens the audio, nice in a quiet room). Camera is quite good. Nothing extraordinary about it over other Sony Xperia Exmor cameras though. Video playback is nice and clear. The Full HD screen does make 1080p videos look amazing. The Mobile Bravia Engine 2 gives it a slight edge. (Nothing drastic, but enough to make videos look just a little bit better)

So, what are my initial impressions? This is one excellent tablet. It has the right balance of power and design. Quite in line with Sony's "OmniBalance" design ethos. This is a very good come back product for Sony. And worthy of the "Z" flagship designation. That's it for my initial review. I'll be going in depth with this tablet in the days to come. Follow me on Twitter or Facebook for more technology tips and news!

Sony SmartWatch Update

Sony's SmartWatch just got an update! The latest update cleans up the UI and adds new clocks to choose from!

I think this is long overdue. I use my SmartWatch quite often, and I prefer the look of an analog watch. The old clock stayed on, and drained the watch battery in less than a day. The battery-efficient digital watch would extend the battery life to 3-4 days, but I wasn't fond of the style.

The new clocks offer a good compromise, and my current setting is the Motion clock which turns the watch on when you flip it towards you, and shuts it off just a few seconds after.

Update it through Sony's SmartWatch app on your Android phone.

I Wanted a Phone to Match my Macbook Pro, So I Got A Sony.

Let me begin by saying, this was a reluctant upgrade. I liked my Xperia ray, it was no speedy performer even back then, but I could tolerate the so-so performance given the size advantage and design of the phone. But with ICS installed, and all the new apps coming in, the 1GHz CPU and 512MB RAM started feeling very sluggish. (For those that don't really run multiple background apps 24/7, and hate the larger phones, the ray is still a decent phone) I needed something current.. but small..er than the 4.5"-5" phablets that are slowly becoming the norm.

My daily machine is a 13" Macbook Pro. I love the simplicity of the design, and the feel of the aluminum shell. So naturally, I wanted a phone that matched this design ethos. Which drew me to my last phone, the Xperia ray, which had an aluminum frame and was decent performing Android. Now, the Xperia P matches my Macbook Pro perfectly, but how does it perform?

This is an initial review for those looking at a decent mid-level upgrade. That being said, I'm saddened to see the lack of high performance smartphones with smaller screens. A 4" screen seems to be the smallest you can go on a mid-level model right now, and anything smaller is considered "entry-level" and usually lacks a lot of current day tech (NFC, HDMI, etc). The Xperia P falls in the mid-level category, with a price to match. (Should be approx US$350 unlocked from official Sony stores) Had Sony made a newer equivalent of the ray with more RAM and a better CPU, but the same size and design cues, that actually would've been my preferred choice. But alas, the market demands larger screens, and larger phones. So here we go...

First the run down. The specs are decent, but not jaw-dropping. There are many phones out there that out-class the P with brute-force. But if there's anything I've learned over the years, specs don't always matter.

The specs most people want to know are:

1 GHz Dual-Core CPU

1 GB RAM

16 GB Built-in memory

No SD Card Slot

Built-in 1350mAh Battery

4" qHD display (960 x 540) w/ Sony's "White Magic" technology

Micro HDMI port

8 MP AF Camera w/ 1080p HD recording

The Design: The aluminum unibody is just beautiful. Bolted to the internal frame of the phone, it feels solid, and smooth to the touch. The sides of the phone are graced with the speaker, power, volume and camera keys on one side, and the Micro USB, Micro HDMI, and SIM card slot on the other. The back has the camera and LED flash, while the top has the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. On the lower part, is Sony's love-it-or-hate-it (I love it) transparent light band which houses the 3 Android keys (Back, Home, Menu) and connects to the antenna section at the bottom (yes folks, there's something in that lower part not just an aesthetic piece) The front is jet black for all models (black, silver, red) with the antenna section retaining the unit color (this is a painted plastic cap) below the touch-sensitive function buttons.

The Screen: A 4" LCD powered by Sony's "White Magic" technology and Mobile Bravia Engine. The idea behind Sony's White Magic is that the screen contains an extra white pixel that boosts over-all brightness when needed like under direct sunlight, or offers power-savings by being able to lower backlight brightness without making the screen too dim. In practice, it works quite well! The auto-brightness is probably the best I've seen with extremely quick adjustments and very gradual changes, it allowed me to get rid of the auto screen dimming app I had in my ray.

The Camera: Sony's Exmor R sensor, and an aperture of f2.4 seem to be pretty standard across Sony's line. The Xperia P comes with an 8 megapixel version and is nicely recessed within the rear aluminum shell. This gives excellent low-light shots and very quick standby-to-shot time. Sony calls is Quick Launch where the phone goes to a special Camera-only mode when you hold down the shutter key when in stand-by mode. This is pretty handy coming from a phone that didn't have a dedicated shutter key. The whole screen-on-swipe-to-enable-camera was just too slow. There are 2 modes it can function in, one opens the camera app, while the other opens the camera, focuses, then takes a shot as quickly as possible. The latter mode isn't very good and more often takes blurry shots... use the first one to launch the app, then take the picture after.

The Audio: First the good news. The Xperia P comes with Sony's Official Walkman app. This has much better controls than previous Xperia models. Clear Bass, 5 band EQ, and Surround modes are all present and are quite decent in their features. The interface is clean and intuitive, and overall user experience is very pleasant. Now the bad news, internal speaker is quite weak. Weaker than the ray, which was in turn, weaker than the X10 Mini Pro. XLoud, a feature that enhances the external speaker's loudness works, but it makes the speaker louder but a metallic. Unlike the Xperia ray, I recommend leaving XLoud off for the Xperia P. The only good thing about the design of the external speaker is that it's on the side of the phone (instead of at the back like most Sony models). Some people find this weird, but it makes more sense since placing the phone face up usually blocks the external speaker. Having it on the side minimizes chances of it being blocked by a desk, or seat cushion. In real-World use, I have an easier time hearing the P over the ray due to this design call.

The Interface: Sony's UX Homescreen has matured over the years. It's a lot smoother and has better integration with Android 4.0. Timescape however, no longer has SMS and Calls as options. Perhaps users only used Timescape for social networks. Not a deal-breaker. The weather app is quite strange, there are several major cities and capitals missing. Although the timezones are complete, people unfamiliar with one city, aren't presented with alternates within the same time zone. My personal picks for a homescreen is Apex. Others use Nova, or Launcher Pro. But certain Sony widgets only work with Sony's UX. The Timescape, Walkman, Calendar and weather widgets are only available in the default homescreen. Top Contacts is usable with other launchers. Out of the box, Sony's launcher is very nice. For those looking for more control and customization options, there are tons of other options available in Google Play.

The Initial Verdict: A big step forward from the Xperia ray. The dual core CPU and 1GB RAM make a huge performance difference. For those that may complain about the lack of an SD card slot, take note, SD cards are a lot slower than the built in memory. App performance is very good as is HD video recording, multi-tasking, and video playback. The White Magic screen performs as advertised (there is a slight yellow tinge but this is only apparent in an A-B comparison and is negligible). Battery life is almost 2x that of my Xperia ray despite the smaller battery capacity which makes me believe that the screen is delivering the power savings it has promised as well. A competent mid-level phone with an excellent screen and beautiful aluminum unibody design. A phone that gives you tech that you can actually use on a daily basis, nothing more.

For the curious, my next entries will deal with the nitty gritty details: NFC, camera tests, video playback, and HDMI output.

Keep the Gloves On!

Sony Xperia Sola users will get a cool new "Glove Mode" with their upcoming ICS update! Considering I tested out the REALLY EXPENSIVE Ralph Lauren Touch gloves which sucked... this is gonna be a welcome feature this coming winter!

Watch Out! (A Sony SmartWatch Review)

When you just absolutely need to have your Facebook & Twitter feed ASAP and taking out your phone from your pocket wastes too much time... This is the SmartWatch by Sony (Ericsson). SonyEricsson had 3 versions before this one. The first 2 versions were regular analog watches with small displays at the bottom that indicated incoming calls or texts. The 3rd generation, LiveView, had a color display and touch sensitive buttons (not a touchscreen).

The new incarnation is a bit more mature, and packs more features in a tiny display. In it's basic watch mode, it offers 3 time-keeping modes, Default Digital, Always-on Digital, and Always-on Analog. My preferred mode is the analog. I just feel it looks sleeker than the digital counterparts, but that's just me. Although the default version saves a lot of battery life, I'm not too fond of the look. You may download alternate clocks, but none of them replace the built-in ones, so they actually are apps that run parallel to the default clock. Until Sony allows addition clock replacements, I'll stick with their built-in ones for now. Battery life in this mode is approx 1.5 days.

Now onto the apps. Out of the box, nothing comes preinstalled, you have to first pair your phone with the watch. Quite an easy task. Just enter your Bluetooth settings on your Xperia phone, and search for a new device. Turn on the watch and the pairing automatically begins. To activate the watch however, your phone must be online as it will connect with the Google Play servers to update the watch software and search for compatible apps.

There are currently only a few apps out for the SmartWatch but it seems to be growing quite quickly for such a niche device. The essentials are provided for by Sony, mainly: Gmail, Calls, Calendar, Messages, Facebook, Twitter, & Weather. The other apps available are extensions for Google Maps, Universal IMs, Camera apps, and a few GPS ones.

I ended up installing so many apps, that the watch kept buzzing for every single thing I had on my phone. Trimming down to the most frequently needed alerts improves the effectivity of the SmartWatch all together. I've personally got mine down to just calls, SMS, only calendar events with reminders, and only a few people on Facebook. Everything else isn't as time-critical.

So far, I'm finding this little toy to be more useful than I had thought. I had bought it thinking it would just be a fun gimmick, but I'm actually liking the way it functions!

***March 14, 2013 Firmware update adds new clock faces!***

Life Begins at 4.0 - Xperia ray Ice Cream Sandwich Update Part 2

Ok, you're now on 4.0 ... now what? What's the big deal? Well, I think it's leaps and bounds better than both Gingerbread (2.3) ... why? Well, a lot of little things. And for me, it's the little things that count.

First thing you will notice is the sleeker interface. A new font (Roboto) is now system-wide and looks very refined. By default, ICS on Xperia has a bluish/teal look to it, just for highlights and stuff. Animations feel smoother and the phone feels faster over-all. Take note, most performance tests will show that the 2011 Xperia phones run slower on ICS, but it doesn't feel that way.

A new lock feature called Face Unlock is added to the Security menu. More of a novelty, it uses your phone's front camera to unlock it. It fails more often than it works, until they develop a better algorithm to process images, it's not really worth using. But it's fun to show off for a few times. The flaw is that any change in lighting or facial angle and it doesn't bother to reprocess and defaults to the secondary unlock mode right away.

For data hogs, there's now a built in Data Usage meter that also alerts you when you're getting close to your limit. You can allow it to cut off your data when your limit is reached to prevent data charges. And a neat feature seems to be that after a few days, it can plot your average use and will give a projection of data usage for the rest of the month as well!

App switching is better too, press and hold the home button for a thumbnail view of recently used apps. You can scroll through recently used (or still running) apps and a small thumbnail of it's previous state is displayed.

Voice Search is more integrated into the core system now, and can no longer be found as a separate app. It's part of the Google Search widget or app already and functions much better. Assuming a stable 3G (or better) connection, the text transcription now happens as you speak with each word appearing right after you speak it instead of after the whole sentence. This is highly network dependent and not a reflection of Google's voice system. On WiFi this performs reliably enough to not really need the keyboard anymore. As always, this can also be enabled in the system keyboard to allow easy access while typing.

Access to system settings is now made easier through the task bar. Simply swipe downwards, as if to access a notification, there you will find a shortcut to the system settings. No big deal, there were apps that could do this, but I prefer having small functions like this built into the core system, rather than having an app for it.

There are also 2 tweaks that you can do that are hidden in the Developer Options Menu, Animations, and Show All ANRs (Apps Not Responding). The Animations menu used to be under Display, and has now been tucked away from regular users. You may set the speed of the animations, or switch them off. I've found that only 1x and off work well. The rest kinda glitch up. The ANR function comes in handy. Usually, when an app hangs, Android shows a pop-up saying that the app is not responding and asks if you want to wait or close it. Show All ANRs does this even for certain background apps that are hidden by default (like Viber). This is quite handy as it functions like a task killer, but only for apps that are hanging. So no need to waste resources with a 3rd party task killer.

ICS task management is also way better, I've rarely had any resource problems that would require me to manually kill tasks. It does this quite efficiently and silently. If you have a lot of background tasks, you may get pop-ups from the ANR feature, but ICS can handle this task quite well even when not enabled. I just prefer to be notified and given the option to close the offending app.

So far, 4.0 is a big leap forward for Android. The system stability, improved interface, and general tweaks on core functions are well worth the slight decrease in performance over Gingerbread (2.3). I've been using it for a month now and have no regrets upgrading.

**Since I upgraded, Sony has already issued a new software version, 4.0.4**