Equipment
The delivery package is not rich in various goodies: the bracelet itself, a microUSB cable, as well as two straps to choose from - short and long. But the box is beautiful, just for show. See for yourself. The gadget seems to be selling itself.
Sony SmartBand Talk Box
The case is available in two shades: black and white. Additionally, for 1,190 rubles you can buy a set of blue or red colors. There are sets of different sizes: L with a strap length of 68 mm or S (52 mm). In general (not in our country) there are additional colors: pink or green.
It's easy to replace a standard strap yourself. To do this, on the back of the gadget you need to pick out two latches, symmetrically located on the sides of the main unit, then remove the bracelet.
SmartWatch 3 SWR50
Sony also presented Smartwatch. The most important feature of Smartwatch 3 is that, unlike other models, it uses non-standard Sony equipment. Instead, Android Wear is used, since the company fruitfully collaborated with Google during the creation of the product. The characteristics of the device are impressive: 512 Megabytes of main memory, 4 Gigabytes of integrated memory and a processor with a frequency of 1.2 GHz.
The screen of the device is 1.6 inches, the display is equipped with protection against water, dirt or dust. Battery with a capacity of 420 mAh, which can be recharged via the micro USB port.
GPS modules with a compass and gyroscope will prevent device owners from getting lost or bored.
The Life log app helps you keep track of what you did throughout the day. The Smartwatch will look perfect on your hand in black.
If you are not a fan of classic black, then the manufacturer can offer you straps in white and pink colors. The start of sales is scheduled for autumn 2014. The watch itself is removable, which means you can easily change the color and design of the strap. At the moment, only two colors are available: white and black. But undoubtedly the color range will expand.
The preliminary price of the device is 230 €. Now let's get back to the Life log Android app.
The new part of the application allows you to make notes about the day and shows the state of events in your life. The bracelet and watch will accumulate information about the client and express it in a user-friendly form.
Convenience
The main thing in any pedometer is ease of use, as well as comfort. The strap, which is made of very soft and pleasant to the touch silicone, is responsible for these parameters.
It doesn't rub the skin and fits well on the hand.
The main part of the gadget, the core with the electronics inside, is now itself protected from water. It does not need to be specially pushed inside the strap to prevent water from accidentally getting inside. In other words, the design has become more reliable.
Belt Attachment
Two buttons appeared on one side: the small one is responsible for controlling the gadget (scrolling through the menu), and the large one is for adjusting the volume of the speaker built into the bracelet. The latter, by the way, sounds quite loud. At the level of smartphones, the volume of which can be described as below average.
Control buttons
Right there, nearby, there is a microphone hole. Yes, now you can talk to your electronic trainer. Why is this? Yes, for everyone's sake. I will tell later.
Microphone hole
On the opposite side there is a small plug that covers the microUSB connector. Connects to the computer and charges to a full battery in just over an hour. In 15 minutes of charging you can get about a third of the battery full and use the gadget all day.
microUSB connector
And there is also a through hole for... I don’t know why. The manufacturer is silent about why it is needed. Guess it yourself, they say.
Through hole. For what?
Display
This is a distinctive feature of the updated pedometer. And right away we can highlight several of its main features:
- curved,
- e-paper
- diagonal 1.4 inches
- resolution 296 x 128 pixels (density 192 ppi)
- responds to touch
Sony SmartBand Talk screen
This type of screen has two main advantages: it consumes little energy and remains perfectly readable in the sun.
Practical and reliable! It would seem that nothing more is required from such a simple gadget. No matter how it is!
There are two main, perhaps not comments, but wishes to the manufacturer:
Firstly, the plastic covering the display is susceptible to scratches. And secondly, the lack of backlight affects convenience.
In the first case, you should be careful when handling SmartBand Talk, since the soft plastic surface quickly becomes covered with a network of small scratches. But at night on a dark street or in a room with poor light it is very difficult to make out anything on the screen. It is difficult to do something about this from the user's side. Just turn on the light.
The Swede and the Reaper: review of Sony SmartBand Talk (SWR30)
It doesn't seem like smart bands as a class are particularly appealing to the public. However, like smart watches. But this does not mean that interesting models do not appear on the market. For example, Sony released and even finally quickly brought to us its SmartBand Talk. This is the second generation of the bracelet. And at first glance, it seems that it differs from the first only in the presence of a screen and headset functions. But at second glance there are many interesting things in it.
What is this?
Sony SmartBand Talk is a smart bracelet with a screen, a built-in microphone and speaker, a smart alarm clock, a soft strap and a price of approximately $130. Works with Android devices, still connects via Bluetooth or NFC, and requires three applications to contact a smartphone - Sony SmartConnect, SmartBand Talk and Lifelog.
How does it differ from competitors and neighbors in the line?
In terms of capabilities, the SWR30 is close to the Samsung Gear Fit, a bracelet that only flagship Samsung smartphones can take as companions. In addition to any user activity, Gear Fit can
Specifications:
- Water protection according to IP68 standard (immersion in liquid to a depth of 1.5 meters)
- built-in microphone, speaker and vibration motor
- weight 24 grams (previous model weighed 21 g)
- width 23.5 mm, thickness 9.5
- Bluetooth 3.0, NFC
- sensors: accelerometer, altimeter
I would also like to say something about compatibility.
Only smartphones with pre-installed Android 4.4 or later are supported.
This is quite important, since some phone models, especially from second or third tier manufacturers, still have not received the update to Android KitKat. Be careful with this question.
Ergonomics
Put it on and forget it - this is about the Sony SmartBand Talk SWR30. First you need to decide on the size of the strap and fasten it with a simple and convenient locking mechanism. The latter is absolutely identical to that in SWR10. I took off the bracelet only while charging; the rest of the day and night it was on my hand and did not cause any discomfort, which indicates good ergonomics.
There is no need to remove the bracelet in the shower or during rain; it is protected against moisture according to the IP68 standard, which allows you to immerse the device to a depth of up to 1.5 m.
Functionality
The main functions are tracking the activity of the owner of the accessory during walks, training (running) and monitoring sleep phases. All this has happened before, including a smart alarm clock, which wakes up the wearer via vibration at a predetermined period of time. A very convenient thing, I must say.
Here are the functions added with the arrival of the SWR30:
- the ability to talk through a fitness tracker,
- viewing different notifications (messages, Viber, WhatsApp, Facebook, mail, calendar and so on),
- notifications via built-in speaker
- input types: voice, touch
Now let's look at everything in more detail. Let's start with the connection. The tracker pairs with the main device via Bluetooth. I recommend using pairing using the latter. This way everything happens much faster.
The connection holds well. If the signal is lost, in most cases it is restored automatically.
If this does not happen, then using NFC you can forcefully but quickly restore contact.
To work normally with the device, you need a smartphone with the latest version of the operating system, the SmartBand Talk application, the Lifelog utility, which we already encountered when we disassembled the previous Sony SmartBand SWR10 model, as well as an account from the Sony Entertainment Network. All your data will be stored there (anonymously, according to the developers) and synchronized with the service in case of emergency. Just in case.
The main screen of the SmartBand Talk utility shows the connection status and charge level of the gadget. To do this, you need to press the “Find SmartBand” button, after which the bracelet will begin to vibrate, at the same time making alarming sounds. By the way, the same thing is easy to do in reverse order. Directly from the tracker, activate an alert signal through the phone speaker to understand where it disappeared again. Oh yes. As always, lying behind the sofa.
On the second tab, called “Settings,” you can configure alarms, screen orientation, display color (black or white background), and most importantly, add or remove any installed application from the notification list.
For example, you received a notification from Viber that your friend sent some message. I tapped on the screen and looked at what was there. If it turns out that this is a link to another laugh, then you can safely stay on task and not take out your smartphone. Fortunately, even after viewing the notification on the tracker, it continues to hang in the phone’s message curtain. So friends will not be forgotten.
Notification from Gmail
For many people, notifications from Gmail are important. When a letter arrives, an icon appears indicating the envelope and the number of new messages. One touch on the screen leads to viewing the letter: the sender, subject and first line of text are visible.
This is what a letter looks like on Sony SmartBand Talk
In the smartphone application, you can select and transfer specially prepared utilities to the SWR30. This can be from remotely controlling the camera or playing music on the head unit, to fixing a static picture with any information. Let's say you're at an annual meeting of accountants: you can enter your full name and organization name into SmartBand Talk, and then wave it in front of your colleagues like a regular badge. Can you imagine the effect?
Badge screen
For example, this is what the weather screen looks like. Briefly about the main thing, so to speak.
Weather on Sony SmartBand Talk
There is also camera control. It all comes down to the appearance of one single icon with a camera on the screen. The first press launches the smartphone camera, the second press releases the shutter. A real find for young spies. Just don’t forget to turn off the sound, otherwise you can quickly make a mistake.
Smartphone camera control
Here is an incomplete list of what else can be hung on the bracelet as additional functionality:
- activity information
- world time
- creating audio notes
- voice control
- activating or disabling a specific function (Wi-Fi, sound, show charge level, etc.)
- weather display
- assign favorite contact
All sorts of different applications
There can be ten additional working screens in total. I would like to say that the voice control function is limited to seven languages. Of course, there is no Russian among them. However, if you have certain communication skills in English, then the door is open for you to communicate relatively closely with the device. So, you can find out the current time, dial a contact, ask to read an SMS, view the calendar schedule, set a timer, and something else.
Battery life
The battery installed here is small - 70 mAh. The manufacturer says that the tracker can last three working days in a row and one hour of continuous conversation. Not a fountain, of course. What is it really?
It turned out that the bracelet lived exactly as long as the guys from Sony stated. I want to say that the bracelet was not connected to the phone for only 5-6 hours. The rest of the time I walked, slept, washed dishes with it - in general, the tracker was in operation all the time.
The previous model SWR10 honestly worked for a week of continuous use. Here, with energy consumption, everything is somewhat worse, although there are still no actively consuming charge elements.
SmartBand SWR10
We present to your attention the new Sony Smart Band Talk or SmartBand SWR10 bracelet. Its curved screen makes it special, unique and one of a kind. But the elegance of the display is not the only innovation of the device. Now every device owner can easily connect it to their phone and communicate with callers thanks to the built-in multifunctional microphone and speaker.
Smartband Talk is two MB of integrated memory, a regular processor with a Cortex-m4 core, a black-and-white 1.4-inch screen, in addition there are keys for controlling the phone’s sound and calling up the menu directory for the bracelet option. Thanks to the E-Ink screen, you can use the device in bright light. The bracelet operates without recharging for up to three days of active use due to the built-in 70 mAh battery.
The Lifelog application will allow you to see all the statistics for your day. You can connect to other devices using Bluetooth. There is good news for fitness bracelet users! This device can replace any fitness bracelet for you. You can choose any color of the strap, depending on your taste, desire or preference. The device has IP68 protection, which means it is protected from moisture and small dust particles, which makes it possible to use the bracelet anywhere and in any weather without worrying that it might get wet and stop working. The device can connect to both phones and tablets via Bluetooth. SmartBand Talk will be released very soon in four colors. The price in European countries today is 50-100 €.
Since I am the owner of the U9 Wristband, I can immediately note the disadvantages:
1. No display. This means a loss of information content and you will not be able to use the bracelet as a watch. 2. When there is an incoming call, you will be notified only by vibration, but you will not know who is calling you.
In this regard, the U9 is very convenient because when there is an incoming call, I always know who is calling.
In general, SmartBand SWR10 is an interesting thing, but at a price of 20-40 dollars. Not more.
