Sony has reaffirmed its commitment to Android with the unveiling of its latest smartwatch, the Smartwatch 2.
If you run another mobile OS, then you may find yourself out of luck with Sony’s latest product. That’s because the company has said that it was built with Android in-mind, and it’s vying to become your second screen for your Android-based phone.
In stark contrast to the huge 6.4-inch Xperia Z Ultra, the Smartwatch 2 only features a 1.6-inch touchscreen, with a resolution of 220×176. That’s not to say it doesn’t have other tricks up its sleeve, with NFC and Bluetooth on-board.
Sony has claimed incredible battery life, but given this is a watch, it may seem absurd that you may have to get used to recharging the thing on your wrist every three to four days. Stefan K Persson, Head of Companion Products at Sony Mobile Communications, believes that smartwatches are the way to go, quoting analysts which claim there will be 41 million ‘smart’ watches sold by 2016.
As this will only work with Android, Sony has managed to bring apps to the small screen which can interact with the ones Sony has built for your smartphone.
The company says that these apps will be available to all Android users, meaning you don’t need to own a Sony phone to read tweets, emails, your Facebook news feed and your calendar all on your arm.
If you don’t want to kill the battery on your phone, then you don’t have to have it tethered all the time — with the device acting as a standard digital watch when not connected.
Sony has also taken the opportunity to allow you to personalise your smartwatch, with interchangeable wrist bands — and you don’t have to buy any special ones, just anything with a 24mm strap.
You’re probably itching to get your hands on one of these, but as with everything, you’ll have to wait a little while longer, with the device set to go on sale worldwide in September this year.
