We Finally Find Sony’s New Xperia Z, Soaking in a Fishbowl [CES 2013]
LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – It’s pretty unusual to see a major headset manufacturer’s brand-spanking new flagship phone soaking in a goldfish bowl. Then again, if that phone is the new waterproof Sony Xperia Z, maybe a fishbowl is exactly where one would expect to find it.
The new powerhouse handset is rated to IP57, making it capable of use in fairly dusty conditions (think: Burning Man) and waterproof to a depth of one meter.
All that armor protects one of the most sophisticated and drool-worthy Android phones we’ve seen: a gorgous 5-inch, 1080p display that’s as crystal-clear as it is massive, driven by Sony’s Mobile Bravia 2 engine; a fast Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core chip running Jelly Bean; a fast 13-megapixel camera that’s capable of HDR stills and video; and of course, LTE, NFC, etc.
The Xperia Z is coming within the next couple of months, and some countries will also get the ZL, a smaller version of the handset. More details here.
The other new item worth noting at the table was the Walkman Sports MP3 Player NWZ-W270, a waterproof MP3 player that’ll give you an hour of music ona piddly three-minute charge. Available in March for $100, and happily also iTunes-compatible.
When he was eight, Eli Milchman came home from frolicking in the Veld one day and was given an Atari 400. Since then, his fascination with technology has made him an intrepid early adopter of whatever charming new contraption crosses his path — which explains why he's Cult of Android's test editor-at-large. He calls San Francisco home, where he works as a journalist and photographer. Eli has contributed to the pages of 