Durban - Regular readers of this column will know I’m a big fan of mobile devices built to withstand life’s knocks and splashes, a view only reinforced by my son’s recent loss of an iPod Touch in an encounter with the toilet.
A year or so ago I reviewed the Motorola Defy Plus, and while I was initially smitten by the phone’s compact dimensions and rugged qualities, I soon tired of its less than stellar performance – the product of an anaemic processor and outdated version of the Android operating system.
“Why won’t someone build a phone that’s both smart and strong?” I complained. If they could package it in a slim, attractive body, all the better.
I obviously wasn’t the only one wondering this, because earlier this year Sony released its Xperia Z, a high-end stunner of a smartphone that’s by all accounts selling up a storm in South Africa and abroad. It’s on a par in the specs department with high-end rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, but with the added benefit of being water-, dust and shock-resistant.
Now, if you could make a life-proof phone, what about that other increasingly common digital companion, the tablet computer?
It turns out Sony was well ahead of me on this one, because no sooner had this thought occurred to me than an invitation to the launch of the Xperia Tablet Z dropped into my inbox.
Mark Fenzel, sales director Middle East and Africa at Sony Mobile Communications, introduced the tablet to journalists with a bold claim, describing it as the most premium, high-performance 10.1-inch long-term evolution (LTE)-enabled Android tablet available.
“The Xperia Tablet Z emphasises our commitment to be a leader in the Android market both locally and internationally, by building on the principles established by Xperia Z and perfectly optimising them for the tablet form factor,” said Fenzel.
Sony appears to have achieved that, judging by a demo of the device from Andrew Fraser, the company’s newly appointed SA channel marketing manager.
Built from quality materials and featuring the same gorgeous OmniBalance design as its smartphone sibling, Xperia Tablet Z is also incredibly slim at 6.9mm – thinner in fact than the phone. It’s also really light at just 495g.
Because it’s LTE-enabled, its owners will be able to take advantage of the next generation of high-speed mobile broadband being rolled out (all too slowly) by cellular networks across the country.
It’s the first tablet to run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro asynchronous quad core processor, making for slick, smooth and lag free performance.
Fraser said the legacy and know-how from parent company Sony Electronics were reflected in features like the full HD display and built-in Sonia Bravia engine, designed originally for TVs to extract the best quality from any file type. “This gives it the widest colour reproduction of any tablet on the market.”
Thanks to built-in near field communication technology, the Xperia Tablet Z is also able to connect to a wide range of external devices and accessories including TVs, speakers and headphones just by touching the tablet to the device.
Another nifty trick is the ability to “throw” the movie you are watching or game you’re playing on to your wi-fi enabled TV screen.
Sony claims that the Xperia Tablet Z’s 8 megapixel camera is the best available on any tablet. I was certainly impressed by the pics I snapped during my brief encounter with it that day, although I don’t think I’ll ever feel comfortable holding up a tablet to take a picture.
Then, of course, there’s its “party trick”, which Fraser demonstrated by dunking the tablet into a vase of water.
“Most people won’t do this kind of thing on purpose. But that’s not the point. In real life, our devices go with us and are exposed to the same things we are – rain, dust, sand. With the Xperia Tablet Z, you’ll feel as comfortable taking it on to the beach as into the boardroom,” said Fraser.
The Xperia Tablet Z is expected to launch in South Africa in July on all major networks. Prices aren’t yet available because the contract agreements are still being finalised. At launch it will come with Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.2 soon after.
* For pricing and other details as they become available, visit alanqcooper.tumblr.com or tweet me @alanqcooper