SONY has upgraded its landmark SmartWatch giving it longer battery life, NFC communications, and making it water resistant.
In a statement released overnight, Sony hailed its new SmartWatch 2 as being "a multi-functional message notification device, Android app interface and music remote, all in a sleek and water-resistant design".
Sony says the SmartWatch 2 introduces new features such as NFC (Near Field Communications) connectivity for one-touch pairing with a smartphone, a higher resolution screen for sharper viewing, better visibility in sunlight, longer battery life, a more intuitive interface, standalone watch functionality, and a wide range of pre-installed and recommended apps.
Smart watches currently sit at the cutting edge of consumer technology with Apple, Samsung and other manufacturers signalling their intent to bring Dick Tracy-style watches into the market place.
While sleek and novel, smart watches in the market already have had their problems. First, there is battery life. Ordinary watch users don't have to worry about battery life, for months, maybe years, while smart watches require regular charging, especially those with LCD screens.
The manufacturer of the Pebble smart watch has attempted to deal with this by using a monochrome screen more like that found on an eBook reader, which reduces the power drain.
Smart watches, where the clock face disappears after 20-30 seconds, are annoying too as users have to press a button to see the time which they don't do on a regular watch.
There's been issues of connectivity with some watches which pair with the user's smartphone. In the case of the Italian designed I'm Watch, there were reports of users waiting for minutes for messages received on the smartphones to appear on the watch. The user has to carry a smartphone with them to enjoy a smart watch's advanced features.
Being among the first to market, Sony has a chance to deal with some of these problems, but we are yet to see how successful the update is.
SmartWatch 2 uses specially designed Android apps to bring smart phone functionality to a user's wrist.
In its statement this morning, Sony said the new watch could be personalised with more dedicated apps than any other smartwatch.
"Handle your calls by a simple touch of your wrist, take a photo remotely from your SmartWatch, using a smart camera app, control your presentations remotely using Presentation Pal," are among the features it flagged.
"Taking a run or on the bike? Select a mapping app on SmartWatch to check your route with a quick glance at your wrist, read previously downloaded e-mails when not connected to your phone, use lifestyle apps like Runtastic to map and instantly track your fitness activities on the go, quickly and easily adjust the tracks and volume on your music player, without ever taking your phone from your pocket" are others.
Sony says the SmartWatch 2 is water and dust resistant, and OK to wear at the beach or on a rainy day.
Sony launched its first Bluetooth watch in 2007 and says the insights gained from more than half a million customers has driven improvements.
"The future of wearable devices is incredibly bright with analyst research predicting 41 million 'smart' watches will be sold by 2016,'' said Sony Mobile Communication's head of companion products, Stefan K Persson.
"We have over 200 unique apps dedicated for Sony SmartWatch with over one million downloads to date and we are continuing to work with our strong developer network to deliver ever more compelling smartwatch experiences."
