[First Look] Sony Xperia sola and SmartTags

Sony Xperia sola

The newest and youngest of all Xperia models is the Sony Xperia sola, announced by Sony Mobile recently as part of the Xperia NXT collection. With the Xperia sola, Sony Mobile pushes some new ideas with NFC-based SmartTags which we think are rather cool.

Sony Xperia sola

Do you have a tendency to miss-select internet links on your touchscreen smartphones? Unique to this model, the Xperia sola comes equipped with a “floating touch” navigation system, which lets you select items on your browser without actually have to touch the screen.

It’s equipped with a 3.7” display screen with Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA engine. In the processor front, the Xperia sola is powered by a 1Ghz dual-core processor and runs Google Android Gingerbread 2.3 (upgradeable to ICS 4.0 when available). The built-in 8GB internal storage should be sufficient for general usage with a MicroSD slot should you need additional storage for your media. The Xperia sola adopts the xLOUD technology for crisp audio playback. This 107g smartphone comes with a 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash and is NFC-enabled for use with Xperia SmartTags. Two SmartTags are included in the box.

SmartTags.
SmartTags. Little things that do a lot. Image credit: Sony Mobile

SmartTags are really quite cool. They can be personalised with up to 10 commands. Out of the box one is ready for the living room to turn on Wi-Fi and launch Google news and weather apps, and the other one for the bedroom, which turns on the alarm and switches to silent mode. Brilliant.

Xperia sola also supports NFC pairing, allowing consumers to connect with other NFC-enabled phones, just by tapping each other.

We think SmartTags are awesome. At least someone is doing something interesting with NFC! In essence, the Xperia sola is perfect if you’re looking for an easy yet innovative smartphone.

The Xperia sola will be made available in Q2 in Black, White and Red.

The Sony Xperia U will be available in Q2.

Brian Chan
Former Lecturer. Gamer. Idea Generator. Tournament Organizer. Loves Kairosoft games. Lived in a box twice in Recettear. Never turns down a Catan challenge. Cheats in Monopoly. Broke Skyrim. Sucks at Dance Central. Plays a fem Shep. Heavy bow-gunner in MH3p. Completed Persona 2 Portable 4 times. Well, he's just too damn free.