Meet The Stretch Limo Of Phones - Businessworld

When I first lifted the Sony Z Ultra out of its box, I lapsed into a momentary metaphysical crisis. Or maybe it was an existential one, I can never tell the difference. But then, I gradually realised I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of this device because I was thinking "smartphone". Had I not been, I would have probably thought – what a cute little tablet. And so it's interesting that our expectations and perceptions are so easily manipulated by companies and the marketing that envelopes their products. Sony stretched the size of its much admired Xperia Z smartphone, taking it from 5.0 inches to 6.4 inches, which is just short of the 7-inch devices that we call tablets. The Sony Ultra isn't the only gadget in this size category: there are smartphones from Samsung, Huawei, LG and others that also shot past the 6-inch mark. The budget phone companies are also pushing in larger and larger phones, to stay with the flavor of the month. There are also tablets and e-readers that are on the "small" side. So, the whole idea of size deciding which device is a tablet and which isn't, has faded away. That would have left calling capability as the one way to tell the difference between a tablet and a phone. But no, that's out the window as well. Asus has, for example, included a dialer on its FonePad device. And Samsung has done the same for its 7- and 8-inch Tab 3 tablets. It's not too far-fetched to think that there will be dialers on many more devices before the year is out. For that matter, with its Galaxy S Zoom, Samsung has merged camera and phone so that you could be found holding up a big zoom lens to your ear when you make a call. Awkward, to say the least. It's just as outlandish to hold the Sony Z Ultra up to your ear for a call as it's about as big as a face. The Samsung Galaxy Note used to raise eyebrows when spotted on a call, but it was eventually forgiven. The Ultra, however, goes beyond the point where it can even be held comfortably to talk in one hand – and you can hardly hold it up with two. You'd attract a small crowd. Instead, it's easier to think of the Ultra being used with a habitual Bluetooth user or speaker phone. Here's what I would do if I owned the Ultra and didn't have an iPad, a Note, several 7-inch tablets, and a couple of Kindles. I would put it in a case and slip it into my handbag, feeling rather glad that I wasn't a man with access to shirt and trouser pockets most of the time. I would sit back in the car and read on the Ultra, play a few rounds of something, watch some movies, listen to some music, check my mail, browse, lose myself in my favourite apps. But I would take my calls elsewhere. I would bump into some trouble as the the screen's outdoor friendliness isn't so great, it's sound is not the best, and its viewing angles, although better than many of Sony's recent models, are just about acceptable. Of course, the colours on its 1080x1920 344 ppi Triluminous screen come into their own when there are videos or photographs on display. The screen is not, however, as good as the HTC One's. On the other hand, I would be happy at how fast the Z Ultra worked because it has a 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad core processor with 2GB of RAM. Slip, smooth, slide, glide – without a hitch. It runs on Android 4.2.2 as well. And then again, I would be disappointed because the 13MP rear camera isn't the best, specially in low light. That's surprising as Sony has been busy mastering the art and science of putting camera power into the phone and making more and more compact powerful cameras. But then again, the screen real estate is a real luxury and you can set aside a lot for that. Plus, the device is waterproof and dustproof if you keep all its slots well sealed. And magically, you can just pick up any pen or pencil to write on it which means I can interrupt a movie to take a few notes on an article I am writing. It's a mixed bag, but it also looks very good and I am sure it would turn heads. However, there's little chance that I would own the Z Ultra as it costs Rs 46,990, which let's face it, is Rs 47,000. Fridge or Sony Z Ultra? Nice new air conditioner or Sony Z Ultra? Ah, I think I will go for the fridge. But if you have got the money to spare and your phone is a small not-very-recent thing, and you like carrying a small tablet instead of bothering with an entire slate – go for it. Click here to read more gadget reviews by Mala Bhargava mala@pobox.com Twitter: @malabhargava via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNG6mlpCOX9hQAUxS-3MqPxnpuIE9w&url=http://www.businessworld.in/news/economy/meet-the-stretch-limo-of-phones/1075890/page-1.html

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