Sony Tablet Z: waterproof tablet on humanized Android
Before we talk about the main character of this post, you need to make a small introduction. Because it appeared not from nowhere, but after the joint efforts of Sony Mobile (nee Sony Ericsson) and the "big" Sony. And it all began not with the tablet.
In January of this year, Sony showed up at CES, the Xperia Z smartphone. A wave of delight swept through the Internet. “The best device on Android in the entire history of the platform,” “The way the iPhone 5 was supposed to be,” “The triumph of design and hardware capabilities,” as soon as gadget writers called it. I was also at that presentation in Vegas and, holding the device in my hands, I decided to postpone the enthusiasm until a thoughtful acquaintance with the final version. And then all these first glances at the preliminary reviews, to be honest, pulled everyone apart a little, except for the young SMM experts.
After the Xperia Z went on sale, the same authors began to scold him. Mainly for insufficient viewing angles of the screen. To me personally, such a claim seems a bit strange. With the current diagonals of the screens at the top smartphones (5 inches!), The text and pictures from them are perfectly visible from a distance of a couple of meters. If you go in the car - do not worry. If you move in public transport, and even at rush hour, the neighbors are happy to read with you a book, mail, Twitter, Facebook and look at the pictures. The viewing angles of the Xperia Z are much wider than they are told in the forums. But, really, just from the side, looking at the information on the screen is not very easy. And this makes the smartphone, the personal computer of the beginning of the XXI century, really personal. Although, perhaps, some of the network exhibitionists and this annoying.
')
I myself have been using Xperia Z for several months as a second smartphone and consider it the best of everything that has ever happened with Android. This is a very solid apparatus, the developers of which have good taste and common sense. It is practical, elegant, stable - and in addition it takes good photos. Do not forget about moisture resistance. Indeed, it is very convenient when you can get under the rain without fear, let alone more ... intimate situations. A quickly running battery caused a certain disharmony, but, first, all the flagships were wrong with this, and, second, the Android 4.2.2 firmware released the other day significantly corrected the situation. I got the feeling that the Xperia Z grabbed the banner that fell from the hands of the Samsung Galaxy S III. It was this Korean device that at one time was very pleased with its accuracy and forethought, however, in S4, the developers were too much carried away by effectiveness at the expense of efficiency. Whistle and rattles a lot, but in everyday life, they fit sluggishly. Xperia Z is almost devoid of decorations, but all the developers' fervor has gone into finishing and reflecting on the functionality of the platform. And the Android, which I see in Xperia Z, is very different from the haughty badger freemen bare Android. It may not look as impressive as the HTC One shell, but you don’t need to hang a ryushechek on a googlofon. But the procedure to restore ...
At MWC, they showed the Tablet Z Tablet, made in the same aesthetics as the Xperia Z. They are really very similar, as if the smartphone was stretched to a 10-inch diagonal of the screen, incidentally slightly changing the proportions. Yes, and the filling is very large. Colleagues in the shop began to praise him, but again I preferred to wait for the final version. The fact is that I have a rather complicated relationship with Android tablets. There is no doubt that in terms of functionality, the Google platform is on par with iOS, and in some cases has overtaken it. But by the degree of ease of use on the tablets until the last moment everything was pretty sad. No matter how archaic the iPad interface may seem, it is very convenient to use. And Android ... Small spaces, up to 5 inches, the platform serves well. But it is necessary to exceed this threshold, as the telephone interface begins to look ridiculous. This infinite segmentation of devices on Android affects, which does not allow to make widgets, applications and icons once and for all. And, of course, do well. So, such high-tech Christmas-tree toys are obtained at the output: you can use it, but there is no joy.
I have been using the Sony Tablet Z for about a month now, and I must say that this is a very big step towards the user for an Android tablet. Perhaps even too big. But let's get everything in order.
About iron
As I wrote above, from a hardware point of view, the Tablet Z is very similar to the Xperia Z. It works all on a Qualcomm quad-core processor with exactly the same frequency as in a smartphone (1512 MHz). In the official specifications in the first case, it is called S4 Pro, and in the second, telephone, APQ8064 + MDM9215M, but I dare to suggest that it is generally the same chip. It is hinted at by the same graphics core and almost identical results in the benchmarks (the study of the detailed description confirmed the correctness of the assumptions - in Tablet Z there is the same Qualcomm APQ8064 + MDM9215M). The amount of RAM is also the same, 2 GB each.
If you look closely, in the background you can see the protruding corners of the tablet Dell Latitude 10 on Intel Atom and Windows 8. With the same dimensions and a somewhat thicker case, it runs on battery one and a half times longer ...
The resolution of a 10.1-inch TFT screen is 1920x1200 pixels. Additional strip of pixels is designed for service band. As in the Xperia Z, there are no hardware buttons, and, in order not to eat away the space from FullHD, we took this step (the Xperia Z still eats some of the screen). I liked the matrix very much: the colors are natural, the viewing angles are sufficient to watch a movie at least five of us, the stock of brightness is optimal. You can, of course, be sad that is not IPS and AMOLED. And you can just watch and have fun. Somewhat puzzling is the wide frame around the screen, making the Tablet Z more bulky than we would like. Honestly, I don’t really understand - why is this done? Certainly the problem is not the lack of space for e-filling: as we remember, it is almost identical to the telephone, and therefore there must be a dime a dozen free space. According to the results of the opening of the tablet produced by Chipworks, we can assume that Sony either did not have time or could not seal the location of the internal elements, which is why there are so many voids in the case. The late Jobs would probably bring tears to that and let him down the stairs (you can watch a video of the disassembly process of the Tablet Z here ).
This is especially strange combined with the desire of designers to make the case one of the thinnest in the world. It is really surprisingly thin - only 6.9 mm versus 7.9 for the Xperia Z. It produces an excellent impression, but the trouble is that you cannot bear such beauty without a cover, these thinnest millimeters are not very noticeable in it ... In general, a strange impression. Such a feeling that just did not have time to bring to mind. If only for the next incarnation. At the same time, you can add a mirror substrate, but now the screen fades noticeably in the sun, although the tablet asks for the beach.
All important holes are hidden under the plugs. In the new Xperia Z Ultra, they managed to do without plugging in the headphone jack, but here the plug is still in place.
After all, the body of his body is dustproof and moisture resistant. The level of protection is the same as that of the Xperia Z: it is better not to swim in the sea, but short-term immersion in fresh water and work indoors with high humidity (in the bathroom, for example), the tablet withstands without consequences. The main thing to remember to close the cap tightly. They cover all openings, except for speakers and a microphone, so for charging, perhaps, it is better not to be greedy and buy a docking station, otherwise jerking the plug back and forth quickly begins to annoy. And in a fit of irritation, you can tear it off once. In general, I have already bought a docking station for a smartphone, since the issue price is about 900 rubles. It will be necessary for the tablet to see if we get along.
Speaking of speakers. They are two pieces, and they are quite loud. So much so that without choking able to cover a 10-meter room. But, unfortunately, only a small part of the mid-frequency spectrum is available to us, in which you can make out the voice of singers or actors, but the nuances of music or other sound is very unlikely. Therefore, connoisseurs of high-quality sound will have to wear headphones, since the sound path is very decent and well pumps even 64-ohm models. In general, the sound subsystem in mobile devices, Sony is very happy. When I don’t take the iRiver Astell & Kern player with me, I listen to music exclusively on the Xperia Z, where it sounds somewhat more analog and lamp than on the iPhone 5. By the way, the most advanced guys can connect trendy speakers with NFC support. The mating process looks very impressive.
Tablet Z as if taking part in the competition for the most concise design of the back ...
Cameras, as expected, two pieces. The front produces a picture up to 1920x1080 pixels inclusive. In Skype, Hangouts and other video chat applications behaves with dignity. Fans of shooting duckfeys will also be happy, their lips are large and convincing. The main camera is 8-megapixel, with a mobile version of the Exmor R sensor. Mobility is achieved at a considerable price, and in fact only the name remains from the original Exmor R. No, except for jokes. The sensor of the same name is used, for example, in the Sony DSC-RX100 compact camera, and the picture quality is higher by an order of magnitude. Therefore, we deny the marketing husk and let's just say: the camera is at the level of the flagship smartphones of the past generation or slightly lower. You can shoot not without pleasure, but in smartphones you can already find significantly more interesting options (at the last moment I found out that the same camera module was used in the LG Nexus 4, which was not flashing, however, with photographic abilities).
There is a camera, there is no flash. However, in the tablets, it occurs infrequently.
There are two versions of the Tablet Z - only with WiFi or with LTE / 3G in the appendage. I was given a second for the experiments. There is nothing special to say here: everything works without incident. WiFi, however, is rather pessimistic, and gives only one division where the iPad mini shows the maximum signal level. However, this does not affect the speed of operation and the stability of the connection. If the router supports a 5 GHz range, you can switch to HD movies (for example, from a home NAS) to it for greater stability. Unfortunately, the number of 2.4-gigahertz networks in large cities has already exceeded all reasonable limits, and they strongly interfere with each other.
The amount of onboard flash memory available to the user is about 10 GB. For applications and music, this is likely to be enough, but for films you will have to add a microSD card. The tablet easily digests even 64-gigabyte copies, so there should not be any problems with lack of space.
The capacity of the battery is at least 6000 mAh (that's exactly the “minimum” - it is written in the detailed description. It is possible that an increase in the capacity is planned in new revisions). The manufacturer promises up to 9.5 hours of video playback, but I advise you not to flatter yourself. It is possible that to achieve such an indicator is possible, but only with the screen and network interfaces turned off. If the screen is still not turned off, the battery will last for about 6 hours of continuous work under load. And even a little less. IPad owners giggle maliciously and, in general, do the right thing. No, seriously - why couldn't the tablet be made a millimeter thicker? Taking into account the area, this would allow to increase the battery capacity by a good third, and then the Tablet Z would confidently compete with the same iPad. I asked Sony Mobile Chief Marketing Officer about this, and he said that de people crave a thin body and are ready for this to meet any restrictions. Marketers, of course, know better. But I, having bought a Sony branded case (not cheap, by the way, 3,000 rubles), I do not see and do not feel the vaunted subtlety. But I notice very low battery discharge. Moreover, it charges about the same as it works. Under normal conditions, it is not scary - put on the night and forgotten sleep. But on trips sometimes sad.
It is easy to see that the tablet (below) is really a bit thinner than the Xperia Z smartphone (above)
At the same time, continuous work is a rather rare thing. You usually watch a non-stop movie on a train or plane, and the rest of the time they use raids. He turned on, poked for half an hour, put it on the table. In this mode, Tablet Z, on the subjective feeling, lives no less than the iPad. To save battery life, you can turn on the Stamina mode, which disables all synchronization when the screen is off. And then - with a typical home use model - the tablet can be charged almost once a week.
Summing up the intermediate result on the iron part, we can say that it is ... reasonable, although not ideally balanced. There are no frills here that can hit a young lover of buying miracle gadgets for daddy’s money. But in general, the hardware is decent, the performance of the tablet pleases the eye. That would be even frame around the screen already, but the battery is more powerful - then it would be very good. But how much do you know of moisture resistant tablets with such characteristics? This is it.
About software
When you turn on the Tablet Z for the first time, it creates the full feeling that you have an enlarged Sony smartphone in front of you. This feeling almost does not weaken over time. Indeed - a set of applications, colors, everything is exactly the same. This, in general, is not bad, because Sony has everything in order with taste, but branded applications are well-made and do not feel like replacing them (except, perhaps, for a video player, because the built-in shows excessive capriciousness to formats). Again, do not forget about the weather widget, which fans of Sony smartphones terribly love (deservedly!) And some even do not switch to alternative firmware because of it (the cunning widget does not start there).
In the upright position, the resemblance to a giant phone is only increasing.
The tablet works on Android 4.1.2. Version 4.2.2 is expected in the near future, and judging by the fact that it has already started to distribute it to the phones, it is not long to wait. There is hope in a slight increase in battery life. If it worked on a smartphone, what if a small miracle happened here?
Corporate launcher is simple, neat, and allows you to place on one screen up to 48 application icons, interspersed with widgets. In total, five screens, so that you can settle down thoroughly. The mini-applications that Sony has been experimenting with since the previous generation of smartphones came in very handy. This is a cross between a full-fledged application and a widget. So, with one click you can call a calculator, window browser, timer, remote control, and if the pre-set is not enough, you can download about 50 additional software on Google Play. On the phone, they would look pretty strange, but here is just right. A nice example of "thinking out" Android.
Gadget Launcher
Mini-browser works on the background of maps
With the help of another mini-application, you can check whether everything is in order with the face
This is only part of a set of additional mini-applications in Google Play.
Separately, I want to mention the corporate application with the unmistakable name “Dist. control". It is not difficult to guess, universal remote control. On the top of the Tablet Z, the infrared port is hidden, and it allows you to control almost any technology. The base of devices in the database is simply huge, and there are not only TVs, but also players, receivers, speakers, etc. etc. If something suddenly does not appear, you can train the application manually, feeding it commands from the device’s own remote control. It seems to be nonsense, but very comfortable. You used to lie on the sofa, do research, and suddenly you want to watch the Russia channel. Well, to be saturated with optimism. I’m too lazy to get up at the console, but here I’m included in two clicks. Good!
Of course, there are other cute things like the Playstation certification, the connection to the Dualshock 3 game controller, the duplication of screen content on the TV, etc. But for me personally, they are not very clear and necessary. Although, perhaps, there will be lovers.
So everything is fine, iOS is defeated by convenience? Unfortunately, not to the end. When Sony's improvements end, the phone essence of Android starts to climb from all angles. Most applications and widgets do not know how to properly maintain the FullHD-screen, and something looks too small, but something, on the contrary, is senselessly gigantic. The alert system, logical for the phone, looks at least strange on a huge screen. The Sony keyboard, extremely comfortable on the phone, migrated to the tablet without changes, and there is no solid sign on the layout. It is clear that on the phone screen it simply had nowhere to shove, but then?
Some applications stretch quite harmoniously.
But, for example, the official Twitter client looks just stupid.
Obviously, in most disharmonies, Sony is not to blame at all, but rewriting Android from scratch is another problem. And yet the user on the problems of manufacturers of hardware and software, forgive, do not care. If the user experience limps, the transfer of banknotes simply does not take place, that's all. Or take place, but in another pocket. With phones of Google, with the support of device manufacturers, somehow managed to use them conveniently. But when will the queue reach the tablets? Or does Google’s management honor Jobs’s covenant to focus on one thing and switch only after a complete victory? Well, we learn after the announcement of Android 5.0.
About personal
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PS LTE 26 . LTE — 22 . 22.5 19.5 .
In January of this year, Sony showed up at CES, the Xperia Z smartphone. A wave of delight swept through the Internet. “The best device on Android in the entire history of the platform,” “The way the iPhone 5 was supposed to be,” “The triumph of design and hardware capabilities,” as soon as gadget writers called it. I was also at that presentation in Vegas and, holding the device in my hands, I decided to postpone the enthusiasm until a thoughtful acquaintance with the final version. And then all these first glances at the preliminary reviews, to be honest, pulled everyone apart a little, except for the young SMM experts.
After the Xperia Z went on sale, the same authors began to scold him. Mainly for insufficient viewing angles of the screen. To me personally, such a claim seems a bit strange. With the current diagonals of the screens at the top smartphones (5 inches!), The text and pictures from them are perfectly visible from a distance of a couple of meters. If you go in the car - do not worry. If you move in public transport, and even at rush hour, the neighbors are happy to read with you a book, mail, Twitter, Facebook and look at the pictures. The viewing angles of the Xperia Z are much wider than they are told in the forums. But, really, just from the side, looking at the information on the screen is not very easy. And this makes the smartphone, the personal computer of the beginning of the XXI century, really personal. Although, perhaps, some of the network exhibitionists and this annoying.
')
I myself have been using Xperia Z for several months as a second smartphone and consider it the best of everything that has ever happened with Android. This is a very solid apparatus, the developers of which have good taste and common sense. It is practical, elegant, stable - and in addition it takes good photos. Do not forget about moisture resistance. Indeed, it is very convenient when you can get under the rain without fear, let alone more ... intimate situations. A quickly running battery caused a certain disharmony, but, first, all the flagships were wrong with this, and, second, the Android 4.2.2 firmware released the other day significantly corrected the situation. I got the feeling that the Xperia Z grabbed the banner that fell from the hands of the Samsung Galaxy S III. It was this Korean device that at one time was very pleased with its accuracy and forethought, however, in S4, the developers were too much carried away by effectiveness at the expense of efficiency. Whistle and rattles a lot, but in everyday life, they fit sluggishly. Xperia Z is almost devoid of decorations, but all the developers' fervor has gone into finishing and reflecting on the functionality of the platform. And the Android, which I see in Xperia Z, is very different from the haughty badger freemen bare Android. It may not look as impressive as the HTC One shell, but you don’t need to hang a ryushechek on a googlofon. But the procedure to restore ...
At MWC, they showed the Tablet Z Tablet, made in the same aesthetics as the Xperia Z. They are really very similar, as if the smartphone was stretched to a 10-inch diagonal of the screen, incidentally slightly changing the proportions. Yes, and the filling is very large. Colleagues in the shop began to praise him, but again I preferred to wait for the final version. The fact is that I have a rather complicated relationship with Android tablets. There is no doubt that in terms of functionality, the Google platform is on par with iOS, and in some cases has overtaken it. But by the degree of ease of use on the tablets until the last moment everything was pretty sad. No matter how archaic the iPad interface may seem, it is very convenient to use. And Android ... Small spaces, up to 5 inches, the platform serves well. But it is necessary to exceed this threshold, as the telephone interface begins to look ridiculous. This infinite segmentation of devices on Android affects, which does not allow to make widgets, applications and icons once and for all. And, of course, do well. So, such high-tech Christmas-tree toys are obtained at the output: you can use it, but there is no joy.
I have been using the Sony Tablet Z for about a month now, and I must say that this is a very big step towards the user for an Android tablet. Perhaps even too big. But let's get everything in order.
About iron
As I wrote above, from a hardware point of view, the Tablet Z is very similar to the Xperia Z. It works all on a Qualcomm quad-core processor with exactly the same frequency as in a smartphone (1512 MHz). In the official specifications in the first case, it is called S4 Pro, and in the second, telephone, APQ8064 + MDM9215M, but I dare to suggest that it is generally the same chip. It is hinted at by the same graphics core and almost identical results in the benchmarks (the study of the detailed description confirmed the correctness of the assumptions - in Tablet Z there is the same Qualcomm APQ8064 + MDM9215M). The amount of RAM is also the same, 2 GB each.
If you look closely, in the background you can see the protruding corners of the tablet Dell Latitude 10 on Intel Atom and Windows 8. With the same dimensions and a somewhat thicker case, it runs on battery one and a half times longer ...
The resolution of a 10.1-inch TFT screen is 1920x1200 pixels. Additional strip of pixels is designed for service band. As in the Xperia Z, there are no hardware buttons, and, in order not to eat away the space from FullHD, we took this step (the Xperia Z still eats some of the screen). I liked the matrix very much: the colors are natural, the viewing angles are sufficient to watch a movie at least five of us, the stock of brightness is optimal. You can, of course, be sad that is not IPS and AMOLED. And you can just watch and have fun. Somewhat puzzling is the wide frame around the screen, making the Tablet Z more bulky than we would like. Honestly, I don’t really understand - why is this done? Certainly the problem is not the lack of space for e-filling: as we remember, it is almost identical to the telephone, and therefore there must be a dime a dozen free space. According to the results of the opening of the tablet produced by Chipworks, we can assume that Sony either did not have time or could not seal the location of the internal elements, which is why there are so many voids in the case. The late Jobs would probably bring tears to that and let him down the stairs (you can watch a video of the disassembly process of the Tablet Z here ).
This is especially strange combined with the desire of designers to make the case one of the thinnest in the world. It is really surprisingly thin - only 6.9 mm versus 7.9 for the Xperia Z. It produces an excellent impression, but the trouble is that you cannot bear such beauty without a cover, these thinnest millimeters are not very noticeable in it ... In general, a strange impression. Such a feeling that just did not have time to bring to mind. If only for the next incarnation. At the same time, you can add a mirror substrate, but now the screen fades noticeably in the sun, although the tablet asks for the beach.
All important holes are hidden under the plugs. In the new Xperia Z Ultra, they managed to do without plugging in the headphone jack, but here the plug is still in place.
After all, the body of his body is dustproof and moisture resistant. The level of protection is the same as that of the Xperia Z: it is better not to swim in the sea, but short-term immersion in fresh water and work indoors with high humidity (in the bathroom, for example), the tablet withstands without consequences. The main thing to remember to close the cap tightly. They cover all openings, except for speakers and a microphone, so for charging, perhaps, it is better not to be greedy and buy a docking station, otherwise jerking the plug back and forth quickly begins to annoy. And in a fit of irritation, you can tear it off once. In general, I have already bought a docking station for a smartphone, since the issue price is about 900 rubles. It will be necessary for the tablet to see if we get along.
Speaking of speakers. They are two pieces, and they are quite loud. So much so that without choking able to cover a 10-meter room. But, unfortunately, only a small part of the mid-frequency spectrum is available to us, in which you can make out the voice of singers or actors, but the nuances of music or other sound is very unlikely. Therefore, connoisseurs of high-quality sound will have to wear headphones, since the sound path is very decent and well pumps even 64-ohm models. In general, the sound subsystem in mobile devices, Sony is very happy. When I don’t take the iRiver Astell & Kern player with me, I listen to music exclusively on the Xperia Z, where it sounds somewhat more analog and lamp than on the iPhone 5. By the way, the most advanced guys can connect trendy speakers with NFC support. The mating process looks very impressive.
Tablet Z as if taking part in the competition for the most concise design of the back ...
Cameras, as expected, two pieces. The front produces a picture up to 1920x1080 pixels inclusive. In Skype, Hangouts and other video chat applications behaves with dignity. Fans of shooting duckfeys will also be happy, their lips are large and convincing. The main camera is 8-megapixel, with a mobile version of the Exmor R sensor. Mobility is achieved at a considerable price, and in fact only the name remains from the original Exmor R. No, except for jokes. The sensor of the same name is used, for example, in the Sony DSC-RX100 compact camera, and the picture quality is higher by an order of magnitude. Therefore, we deny the marketing husk and let's just say: the camera is at the level of the flagship smartphones of the past generation or slightly lower. You can shoot not without pleasure, but in smartphones you can already find significantly more interesting options (at the last moment I found out that the same camera module was used in the LG Nexus 4, which was not flashing, however, with photographic abilities).
There is a camera, there is no flash. However, in the tablets, it occurs infrequently.
There are two versions of the Tablet Z - only with WiFi or with LTE / 3G in the appendage. I was given a second for the experiments. There is nothing special to say here: everything works without incident. WiFi, however, is rather pessimistic, and gives only one division where the iPad mini shows the maximum signal level. However, this does not affect the speed of operation and the stability of the connection. If the router supports a 5 GHz range, you can switch to HD movies (for example, from a home NAS) to it for greater stability. Unfortunately, the number of 2.4-gigahertz networks in large cities has already exceeded all reasonable limits, and they strongly interfere with each other.
The amount of onboard flash memory available to the user is about 10 GB. For applications and music, this is likely to be enough, but for films you will have to add a microSD card. The tablet easily digests even 64-gigabyte copies, so there should not be any problems with lack of space.
The capacity of the battery is at least 6000 mAh (that's exactly the “minimum” - it is written in the detailed description. It is possible that an increase in the capacity is planned in new revisions). The manufacturer promises up to 9.5 hours of video playback, but I advise you not to flatter yourself. It is possible that to achieve such an indicator is possible, but only with the screen and network interfaces turned off. If the screen is still not turned off, the battery will last for about 6 hours of continuous work under load. And even a little less. IPad owners giggle maliciously and, in general, do the right thing. No, seriously - why couldn't the tablet be made a millimeter thicker? Taking into account the area, this would allow to increase the battery capacity by a good third, and then the Tablet Z would confidently compete with the same iPad. I asked Sony Mobile Chief Marketing Officer about this, and he said that de people crave a thin body and are ready for this to meet any restrictions. Marketers, of course, know better. But I, having bought a Sony branded case (not cheap, by the way, 3,000 rubles), I do not see and do not feel the vaunted subtlety. But I notice very low battery discharge. Moreover, it charges about the same as it works. Under normal conditions, it is not scary - put on the night and forgotten sleep. But on trips sometimes sad.
It is easy to see that the tablet (below) is really a bit thinner than the Xperia Z smartphone (above)
At the same time, continuous work is a rather rare thing. You usually watch a non-stop movie on a train or plane, and the rest of the time they use raids. He turned on, poked for half an hour, put it on the table. In this mode, Tablet Z, on the subjective feeling, lives no less than the iPad. To save battery life, you can turn on the Stamina mode, which disables all synchronization when the screen is off. And then - with a typical home use model - the tablet can be charged almost once a week.
Summing up the intermediate result on the iron part, we can say that it is ... reasonable, although not ideally balanced. There are no frills here that can hit a young lover of buying miracle gadgets for daddy’s money. But in general, the hardware is decent, the performance of the tablet pleases the eye. That would be even frame around the screen already, but the battery is more powerful - then it would be very good. But how much do you know of moisture resistant tablets with such characteristics? This is it.
About software
When you turn on the Tablet Z for the first time, it creates the full feeling that you have an enlarged Sony smartphone in front of you. This feeling almost does not weaken over time. Indeed - a set of applications, colors, everything is exactly the same. This, in general, is not bad, because Sony has everything in order with taste, but branded applications are well-made and do not feel like replacing them (except, perhaps, for a video player, because the built-in shows excessive capriciousness to formats). Again, do not forget about the weather widget, which fans of Sony smartphones terribly love (deservedly!) And some even do not switch to alternative firmware because of it (the cunning widget does not start there).
In the upright position, the resemblance to a giant phone is only increasing.
The tablet works on Android 4.1.2. Version 4.2.2 is expected in the near future, and judging by the fact that it has already started to distribute it to the phones, it is not long to wait. There is hope in a slight increase in battery life. If it worked on a smartphone, what if a small miracle happened here?
Corporate launcher is simple, neat, and allows you to place on one screen up to 48 application icons, interspersed with widgets. In total, five screens, so that you can settle down thoroughly. The mini-applications that Sony has been experimenting with since the previous generation of smartphones came in very handy. This is a cross between a full-fledged application and a widget. So, with one click you can call a calculator, window browser, timer, remote control, and if the pre-set is not enough, you can download about 50 additional software on Google Play. On the phone, they would look pretty strange, but here is just right. A nice example of "thinking out" Android.
Gadget Launcher
Mini-browser works on the background of maps
With the help of another mini-application, you can check whether everything is in order with the face
This is only part of a set of additional mini-applications in Google Play.
Separately, I want to mention the corporate application with the unmistakable name “Dist. control". It is not difficult to guess, universal remote control. On the top of the Tablet Z, the infrared port is hidden, and it allows you to control almost any technology. The base of devices in the database is simply huge, and there are not only TVs, but also players, receivers, speakers, etc. etc. If something suddenly does not appear, you can train the application manually, feeding it commands from the device’s own remote control. It seems to be nonsense, but very comfortable. You used to lie on the sofa, do research, and suddenly you want to watch the Russia channel. Well, to be saturated with optimism. I’m too lazy to get up at the console, but here I’m included in two clicks. Good!
Of course, there are other cute things like the Playstation certification, the connection to the Dualshock 3 game controller, the duplication of screen content on the TV, etc. But for me personally, they are not very clear and necessary. Although, perhaps, there will be lovers.
So everything is fine, iOS is defeated by convenience? Unfortunately, not to the end. When Sony's improvements end, the phone essence of Android starts to climb from all angles. Most applications and widgets do not know how to properly maintain the FullHD-screen, and something looks too small, but something, on the contrary, is senselessly gigantic. The alert system, logical for the phone, looks at least strange on a huge screen. The Sony keyboard, extremely comfortable on the phone, migrated to the tablet without changes, and there is no solid sign on the layout. It is clear that on the phone screen it simply had nowhere to shove, but then?
Some applications stretch quite harmoniously.
But, for example, the official Twitter client looks just stupid.
Obviously, in most disharmonies, Sony is not to blame at all, but rewriting Android from scratch is another problem. And yet the user on the problems of manufacturers of hardware and software, forgive, do not care. If the user experience limps, the transfer of banknotes simply does not take place, that's all. Or take place, but in another pocket. With phones of Google, with the support of device manufacturers, somehow managed to use them conveniently. But when will the queue reach the tablets? Or does Google’s management honor Jobs’s covenant to focus on one thing and switch only after a complete victory? Well, we learn after the announcement of Android 5.0.
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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/185544/
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