There's also the handy and free camera smart extension that allows you to control your phone's camera and also your classics such as a Facebook extension, Twitter, calendar and the completely pointless torchlight. It's a good app and works better than those found on the Gear. If you opt for the silicon strap SmartWatch, there's the bonus of a RunTastic Pro account and as we mentioned in the Samsung Galaxy Gear review, fitness and health is one of the areas that smart watches will come into their own. Ordered into apps created for the SmartWatch and those that work with it, you can choose to search all or drill down into categories such as fitness, photography and games. ![]() They're also easy to find through the Smart Connect app. Sony SmartWatch 2: AppsĪt launch there's a bigger catalogue of apps available for the SmartWatch 2. It's also easy to see in direct sunlight. With the Gear we had to flick our wrist to get it to tell the time, the SmartWatch screen is always on. What the screen does do well, is tell the time. This also means that icons are tiny on the screen, with five home screens and six icons on each, it's not great for larger-fingered folk. It's not as detailed as the Galaxy Gear and icons appear slightly pixelated especially as Sony hasn't skinned the watch in the same way that Samsung has. The screen is the exact same size as on the Gear at 1.6 inches with a resolution of 220 x 176 pixels. Like the Gear, the SmartWatch 2 is heavily dependent on your handset. Also, once you've read the message it'll disappear from the watch, if you want to look back, you'll have to get your phone out. There's no keyboard or voice action here. You can receive messages and read them on the watch but you'll only be able to reply with pre-set templates on the watch. It's slightly annoying but then again we never did like the Dick Tracy-esque look of answering calls with your wrist. If you don't have one of them then you'll be scrambling around to find your phone. Unlike the Gear, you won't be able to take calls on the SmartWatch, you'll be able to see someone is calling you and you can decline but you'll need a handsfree-kit or headset to answer a call. We'll come back to apps later in the review. There isn't much on the watch from the off and you'll have to download dedicated apps from the Play Store to get the watch to do anything but Sony has made it easy recommending apps that are createdįor the watch and those that are compatible for the watch. The set-up was simple, download the app and with one touch on the back of your phone, you're done. Once connected the watch relies on Bluetooth to work with your phone meaning you have to have always-on Bluetooth, ditch that and your connection is gone. If your phone lacks NFC then it's back to good old Bluetooth. It's compatible with any Android phone or tablet running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich - we tested it primarily with the Sony Xperia Z1. One of our main bugbears with the Gear was it's lack of compatibility: the SmartWatch doesn't have the same problem. As with the Samsung Galaxy Gear, it's available in various wrist-strap options (seven colours available) but unlike Samsung's offering, the strap can be changed and the watch will fit any 24mm strap. It's not cheap, but it's not hugely sturdy either. ![]() With it's choice of silicon or stainless steel strap, it's not the most eye-catching or exciting design and the unit we had broke after a couple of weeks' use, with the clasp snapping as we took it off. The Samsung Galaxy Gear felt like a premium device, the Pebble was the opposite and the Sony SmartWatch 2 sits in the middle. Is this the smart watch we've been waiting for? Sony SmartWatch 2: Size and build ![]() We were mildly impressed by the Pebble, disappointed by the Samsung Galaxy Gear and now we have the Sony SmartWatch 2, the second iteration of Sony's clever Android wrist watch. With Google Glass on the horizon, a Google smart watch in the making and a mooted Apple iWatch, every tech company and their dog are rolling out a slice of wearable tech.
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