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Verizon Offering The Sony SmartWatch And Accessories For $150

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by Roy Alugbue on
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We already know Verizon is a major player in the smartphone and tablet game, but it’s now growing its portfolio of accessories too. The famed Sony SmartWatch has been casually listed on its website for a price of $149.97 and can also be found in its stores as well. In addition, Verizon has accessories for the device such as extra wristbands listed as well. This means there is yet another way of getting those Facebook, Twitter and Gmail updates to Verizon customers using the Bluetooth-powered device. I’m sure some of you all are just itching to get more details of the device, so make sure you hit the source link to find more information.

source: Verizon Wireless

Latest Sony SmartWatch Updates Causing Significant Issues With Devices Including Complete Malfunction

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by Roy Alugbue on
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Software updates are generally greeted with open arms for owners of various devices. But occasionally, there are updates that are released that owners may want to ignore… which may be for owners’ good. Such is the case with recent software update for the Sony SmartWatch. Apparently owners of the device who recently updated the required application in order to operate the watch has experienced everything from random disconnects to minor functions not working as seen in the below examples: » Read the rest

Look, Ma… No Hands! Sony SmartWatch Receives Much Needed Update

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by Ed Caggiani on
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I recently reviewed the Sony SmartWatch, which I now wear daily on my wrist to up my geek cred. My review concluded that the watch was “for gadget freaks and early adopters only” due to the spotty Bluetooth, random crashes, and not being able to see the time without touching the watch.

My patience has paid off, however, since I received a firmware update yesterday that vastly improves the SmartWatch in many ways. The watch requires a constant Bluetooth connection to your smartphone, and the phone needs to be running Sony’s SmartWatch app. The app was updated first, automatically for me, from the Play Store. Once the app finished updating, it fired off the watch firmware download and pushed it to the watch. The entire process took less than 5 minutes and was very smooth.

Once the SmartWatch rebooted, it re-connected to the phone and that was that. Now to explore what has changed.

» Read the rest

Sony Open Sources Two SmartWatch Extensions For Developers To Play With

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by Ed Caggiani on
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Our review of the Sony SmartWatch was luke-warm, but the device does show some promise with its extensibility and SDK. Most of the issues I have with the watch can be fixed with software, and anything Sony can do to get developers to take to their platform helps add value to this $150 toy.

Sony seems to understand this and today open-sourced two of its extensions to the developer community. The first is the music player extension, which will allow devs to build on Sony’s music controller app. The second is called 8 Game, a tile-sliding puzzle, which can serve as the basis for further game development.

This is a good start, Sony, but don’t let it end here. Nothing kills a platform faster than too few apps, and us SmartWatch owners want more… more apps, more games, more functionality. Nothing would make me happier than to write an update to my review in a few months time saying how much better the SmartWatch has become due to a thriving ecosystem.

Devs, hit the source link to get started… and whip me up something awesome, please.

source: sony developer world

Sony SmartWatch: Just How Smart Is It?

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by Ed Caggiani on
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I’ve been a gadget geek since I was around 7 or 8 years old and got my first calculator watch. This “nerd” watch, as some people call it, was my first foray into multi-function devices and advanced personal technology. This was followed by watches that played games, were powered by solar cells, and held all my friends’ phone numbers.

Even my latest watch had to have some sort of techie gimmick to it. It’s a good ol’ digital Casio watch that also has analog hands. If that’s not enough, it would also sync to the atomic clock in Colorado to ensure it was always accurate. This simple watch has been on my wrist for years now and I haven’t really had the itch to get something new until recently when more and more companies are starting to release interesting wearable gadgets like Motorola’s MotoActv, the Pebble, the Nike+ FuelBand, and the WIMM One.

Sony’s Second Try

Among that group of manufacturers toying with the idea of wearable tech is Sony. They started with their universally panned LiveView watch. This watch was not a commercial success by any means but showed that Sony was starting to think about how to integrate watches and mobile.

Even with the slow start, Sony climbed right back on and released the Sony SmartWatch. In this second iteration, does Sony up the ante enough to have a hit? I recently decided to plunk down the cash ($118 from Expansys during a special they were having) and see for myself.

Hit the break for my review of Sony’s latest SmartWatch.

» Read the rest