News & Reviews:   Sony SmartBand Talk

Sony recently announced their SmartBand Talk wearable device. A step up from the SmartBand, the SmartBand Talk features an energy efficient 1.4-inch e-ink display with a 288 x 128 pixel resolution. Other tech specs include an ARM Cortex-M4 processor, The SmartBand Talk comes in two sizes and both are IP68 certifief to be waterproof up to 1.5m. The wearable allows you to take and answer calls directly through the smartband and while it does take notifications from your smartphone it can also track your fitness and other health statistics. According to Sony, the SmartBand Talk should last 2-3 days on a single charge and connects via both NFC and Bluetooth. No details yet on Malaysia release dates or pricing but it should be available this year from around 159 euros (RM653).

Just a few more hours before the Sony IFA 2014 reveal and nice looking press renders of the Sony Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact have appeared. While the Xperia Z3 doesn't look that different in terms of design, it could be bringing some refreshed hardware but even then, this is limited to the processor and a few other tech specs. From the press renders, the Xperia Z3 could also be offering a number of different colour options including black, copper gold, jade green and white. The Xperia Z3 Compact may also come in black, green, red and white with the only difference being the smaller 4.5-inch or 4.6-inch display with 720 x 1280 pixel resolution and smaller battery. The refreshed 2.5GHZ Snapdargon 801 processor and 20.7MP rear camera should remain the same. Both are rumoured to have a higher water certification standard perhaps at IP68. Still no Malaysia release dates or pricing, but we should know more in the next 10 or so hours.