CES is almost at its end, but there's still much more news to watch. Throughout the week, we have brought you wrap-ups of the best products from ASUS, Samsung, and Lenovo. Phones, tablets, TVs, and hybrid computers are some of the biggest stars of CES 2014. Here are our favorites from Sony.
Mobile
Xperia Z1 Compact
Most Android phones are very, very big. 4.5-5 inch displays are the norm know, and they are getting even bigger. Millions of people buy even bigger phones, dare we say "phablets", that can range from 5.5 inches to 6.8 inches. This makes Android manufacturers think that everyone wants a larger phone, and that smaller phones should be reserved for the low-end spectrum of the market. Many people have turned to the iPhone for a high-end small smartphone, because there are no smaller-screened high-end Android phones. Despite what most companies think, there is a large group of people that want a smaller Android phone that still has high-end specs. Sony has listened to these people and unveiled their Xperia Z1 Compact. It is a 4.3 inch Android 4.3 Jelly Bean handset with a powerful 2.2GHZ quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 1/2.3-inch 20.7 megapixel camera, NFC, and it's all wrapped up in a shrunken down Xperia Z1 shell. The 4.3 inch display is 720p instead of 1080p, but it is a great improvement over the Xperia Z1's screen. The Z1 has contrast and viewing angle issues, but the Z1 Compact has an IPS panel which fixes both of those issues. At such a small 4.3 inch size, pixel density is also great at a fantastic 340 PPI. Instead of a cheap plastic construction like most small smartphones, the Z1 Compact has a beautiful and premium glass and aluminum construction. Sony also makes lime green, pink, black, and white versions of the phone. This adds a much welcomed serving of fun color. The Z1 Compact feels much like a slightly larger iPhone 4 or 4s in hand, so it will be even more familiar to iPhone converts. If you are a long-time iPhone user and have been waiting to switch to Android or an Android user looking for a comfortable high-end phone, the Z1 Compact will make you incredibly happy.
Engadget: Sony Xperia Z1 Compact , The Verge: Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
Xperia Z1S
The Xperia Z1S is not a very new device. It is T-Mobile's special version of the international Z1S. It has the same five inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, f/2.0 20.7 megapixel camera, and Sony's special skin on top of Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. T-Mobile will continue to sell the Xperia Z alongside its Z1S successor. The glass and aluminum sandwich design is similar to the original Xperia Z's, but the Z1S has a greatly improved chassis. The aluminum sides are more rounded, thinner, and feel more comfortable in hand. It is also water proof instead of being just water resistant, so you can keep it in four feet of water for up to 30 minutes. We don't know why you would keep it in four feet of water for thirty minutes, but it's still an option. There are of course practical ways you can use your waterproof phone; you can use it in the rain, in the shower, rinse it off if you spill something sticky or dirty on it, and you can drop it in a fountain without worrying. The Z1S is a great flagship smartphone with a powerful processor, speedy performance, great camera, and a pleasant, premium design. There are still the contrast, saturation, and viewing angles issue as before, so you should wait for the Z1 Compact to hopefully come to T-Mobile. If you absolutely need a big Sony handset, then the Sony Xperia Z1S is pretty much your only choice in the United States. It will be available at T-Mobile on January 13th for $603 unlocked.
Engadget: Sony Xperia Z1S, The Verge: Sony Xperia Z1S
Computer
Sony VAIO Flip 11A
Sony's VAIO Flip line of laptops have a very innovative design. They do not fold all the way back, they do not have screens that unhinge to become tablets, nor do they swivel around. The Flip laptops, well, flip over to become tablets. The bottom half is not a part of the screen, so you just push the top of the screen out so it faces outwards from the keyboard and then shut it like a laptop. You get to have your attached keyboard, and you do not have to feel any buttons. It is a little heavy because of the attached keyboard, but having a better keyboard because of it is worth it. The Flip 11A also comes with a VAIO Active Pen, which should come in handy with the copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements 12 that Sony throws in. Spec wise, the VAIO Flip 11A has an eleven inch 1080p display, a quad-core Intel Pentium Bay Trail processor, or up to a more powerful Core i7, and it weighs 2.82 pounds. At a starting price of $799, the Flip 11A is cheaper than the 1,129 13 inch model. For that $799 you only get the quad-core Pentium processor, so you should definitely pay the extra to get a Core processor. The VAIO Flip 11A is not a particularly great tablet or laptop, but it is a great choice if you are the artistic professional that needs pen input in a small computer.
Engadget: Sony VAIO Flip 11A, The Verge: Sony VAIO Flip 11A
Camera
Sony A5000
Sadly, Sony's NEX brand is gone. Sony is putting all of their E-mount mirrorless cameras under the Alpha brand. Their A5000 unveiled at CES is just like the previous NEX cameras. It is a small and light camera that manages to take great pictures and video. Some say that their image quality is extremely competitive against DSLR's. The A5000 comes with a 20 megapixel sensor, NFC, WiFi, a tilting screen, and just enough buttons to navigate through the menus. Pricing and release date are still TBA, but we think that it should cost very similar to the NEX cameras with similar specs. If you have a old NEX camera and are looking to replace it or if you are looking for a good mirrorless camera, then the A5000 will be worth the wait.
The Verge: Sony A5000
Future
Life Space UX projector
We don't usually point out future technologies, but Sony has a practical vision here. Most companies are just making interesting things that don't work to show off, but Sony has their future here today. Sony's Life Space UX projector is a $30,000-$40,000 short-throw 4k projector that can project up to 147-inch image or video on a wall. That is new and interesting, but Sony has much better plans for the projector. Sony envisions projectors all over your house, or really any other building. These projectors will project interactive images onto your normal every day surfaces. You could have a projector that can display a recipe on your counter, so you will not have to get one of your devices dirty and messy. Instead of reading the morning newspaper at your table, you could have the online version projected on the table and it could even interact with you. You could have the newspaper article right next to a CNN video on it. A giant TV will not have to fit in your living room; you could just have your projector on the floor and the empty wall for it. The Life Space UX projector itself looks like a really short and long radiator, which is not the most recent design, but it fits well in a living room setting. It is a very expensive and not quite finished concept right now, but we can't wait for Sony's projection-based future.
Engadget: Sony Life Space UX Projector, The Verge: Sony Life Space UX Projector
Those are some of our favorite Sony products of CES. Sony also announced that they sold 4.2 million PS4's, and their Playstation Now streaming service. Playstation Now is kind of like YouTube, because a server in some other place is running the game instead of your hardware. This could potentially make backwards compatibility easier, and for games to run even smoother. There are a few bugs with it now, but those will be fixed in time. Other companies release iterative and unimaginative products at CES, but we felt that Sony was different from all of them. Sony is listening to the people, thinking towards the future, and putting heart into their devices. The Z1 Compact is easily our favorite phone of CES, and the Life Space UX projector is a great vision of the future. Playstation Now will completely change the future of gaming, if Sony can execute it right. Weird Sony is back, and we can't wait to see what they have next. Stay tuned for our last few pieces of CES 2014.
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