Enagadget reports that Sony is teasing a new SmartWatch that will likely make its debut at the Mobile Asia Expo show in Shanghai next week. One of these "teases" is an image supplied by Sony, shown right, that says one in three smartphone users want smart wrist wear. That's true, but only if the price is right, no?
According to the report, Sony Xperia's Twitter account has been ablaze with cryptic tweets about its existing SmartWatch (which is the successor to its LiveView), demand for smart devices and the company's portable tech heritage. Just within the last hour, the company tweeted "Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock" while linking to a render of a new SmartWatch with a blue strap (shown below).
"Wearable tech is in our DNA. Remember WALKMAN, now…?" reads one tweet using #itstime and #MAE13 hashtags. "We launched the world’s first ‘smart’ watch in 2007. The only wearable device with 200 #firstgen apps on @GooglePlay and growing."
As Sony points out, this won't be the first smartwatch produced by the company, but with a growing number of competitors producing their own solutions, there's a good chance Sony went back to the drawing board to create something that tries to top anything Apple and Samsung will supply. However given it's Android based, it will be interesting to see how the wearable gadget competes with Google's own Glass-style solution.
Sony's current SmartWatch is selling for $100, and connects to a short list of Android smartphones via Bluetooth 3.0 including the Motorola RAZR, the Samsung Galaxy S II, the HTC Desire C and more – "perfect partners" are naturally all Xperia devices. It can display Twitter and Facebook feeds, and read texts, email and calendar reminders on a 1.42 inch screen.
To use a SmartWatch, owners must install the free SmartWatch app on their Android phone listed on Google Play. This app is used to edit settings, enable and disable apps, select a watch interface and find apps specifically designed for the wearable tech on Google Play.
