Sony Unveils Waterproof Xperia ZR Smartphone - PC Magazine

Sony today added a new rugged smartphone to its Xperia lineup, the waterproof Xperia ZR. The device will allow for underwater photo and video capture, Sony said. With all the ports firmly closed, the Xperia ZR will work in up to five feet of water for 30 minutes. It's also dustproof and shatterproof thanks to scratch-resistant glass. The 4G smartphone features a 4.6-inch, 1,280-by-720 HD display with a 13-megapixel front-facing camera with 16x digital zoom. It will run a 1.5-GHz, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. For easy underwater snaps and video, the Xperia ZR features a dedicated camera key, which can also be activated from a locked screen. For fast-moving scenes, burst mode shoots an unlimited number of images at 15 frames per second. Battery Stamina mode helps preserve battery by up to four times by shutting down battery-draining apps when the screen is off and starting them up when the screen turns back on. "The Xperia ZR pushes the boundaries on where and how consumers can use the full potential of their smartphone. By combining Sony's leading camera technology with the highest level of water-resistance, you will never miss another moment," Calum MacDougall, director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications, said in a statement. "Bringing together the best of Sony's leading technology, media applications and easy one-touch connectivity with the largest ever range of NFC-enabled accessories, the Xperia ZR delivers the unique smartphone experience that people can expect from Sony." The Walkman, Album, and Movies apps provide quick access to music, photos, and movies. A new "Faces" feature within Album recognizes and sorts the faces in photo albums for tagging purposes. The Xperia ZR also includes NFC, allowing wireless links to other Sony devices, like speakers, headphones, and TVs. Sony has a new Stereo Bluetooth Headset SBH50, which lets Xperia ZR owners touch the smartphone once to the headset to instantly pair the devices and make a call or begin listening to tracks. The Sony Xperia ZR will come in black, white, pink, and mint. It will launch in "global markets" during the second quarter, Sony said. Pricing details were not announced. At CES in January, Sony showed off the waterproof Xperia Z. The 5-inch Xperia Z is a bit larger than the ZR, with a 1080p display that PCMag said provided "eye-poppingly high resolution." There was also the Xperia ZL, which had the same specs at the Xperia Z, but sported a matte plastic material and was actually 25 percent smaller than the Xperia Z. For more, check out our hands on with both phones from CES. via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEcifhGrK03RcTYttvJV8x_q9JGBA&url=http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2418890,00.asp

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