Sony smart watch set for next week, company unsubtly hints
Sony has been dropping whopping hints, tweeting an infographic claiming one in three smart phone users wants a matching watch.
It doesn't get much more blatant than this. I wonder what Sony might be launching next week at the Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai? Could it be a smart watch perhaps?
The Japanese gadget goliath has been dropping some whopping hints about its upcoming announcements, tweeting the above infographic that reckons one in three smart phone users wants a matching smart watch. Another one says, "Wearable tech is in our DNA. Remember WALKMAN, now...?" with this corking pic attached:
Forget wearable tech, Sony! Just bring those shorts back and you've got a monster hit on your hands.
Sony also reminds us it brought out "the world's first 'smart' watch in 2007". It's wise to use those scare quotes around 'smart' because the Sony Ericsson MBW-150 Music Edition watch wasn't exactly cutting-edge hardware. Here it is:
It had Bluetooth and and a tiny LED display so you could read your texts and control your music. But it was hard to use and didn't work with every Bluetooth phone -- we gave it a generous three stars. It wasn't a hit.
Sony's still flogging smart watches by the way: its current model is £79 and is compatible with some fitness apps on Google Play. I imagine it has correctly summised no one cared about that model and wants to drum up some excitement for a refresh.
Smart watches were all the rage a few months ago, after the Pebble's enormously successful Kickstarter. Every big tech company announced it was working on one, apart from Apple, which has just hinted at it.
Another hotly tipped upcoming gadget from Sony is the Xperia Z Ultra, a whacking great phablet version of the wonderfully waterproof Xperia Z. Today's rumours suggest it'll pack a 6.4-inch Full HD display, a 2.2GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM. It's been aceing benchmarks and is set for a 4 July reveal in Paris, but it may well show up ahead of then at Mobile Asia.
What features would you like to see in a Sony smart watch? Are you down with wearable tech? Or is pulling your phone out of your pocket not that much of a chore? Wear your heart on your sleeve in the comments below, or over on our crop-top loving Facebook page.
Update: Added link to current Sony SmartWatch.