Sony Smart watch 2 technologies reviews

Sony Smart watch 2

Manufacturers appear to be falling over themselves at the moment as they try and get a smartwatch to market, and the Sony SmartWatch 2 is one of the first of the current batch to make it out the door.

There are a handful of competitors out there, most notably the Samsung Galaxy Gear and Pebble, but the market it still very much there for the taking with no clear leader just yet.

No one is quite sure what a smartwatch should offer, and what it shouldn't, so we find the current crop floating in no-mans land when it comes to the features they offer. Samsung has gone all out with the Galaxy Gear, while Sony has been a little more refined in its implementation.

And with refinement comes a more affordable price - the Sony SmartWatch 2 starts at £149 (around $200, AU$210) - that's half the price of its Samsung branded rival and while it may still seem a little on the steep side it's certainly easier to deal with.

One of the big trump cards for the SmartWatch 2 is the fact it's compatible with any Android smartphone running version 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and above, meaning you don't have to fork out for a specific Sony phone for it to work.

It feels solid and there is a certain premium appeal about the SmartWatch, plus it's waterproof (sort of) so you won't need to take it off when you wash your hands, or cover it up when the rain comes down.

The SmartWatch 2 carries an IP57 certificate, meaning it will happily last up to 30 minutes in fresh water up to a depth of 1 metre - plus it also means it's dustproof too. Although we've heard reports that this might not be the case, so don't go jumping into the swimming pool just yet.

weight

It also doesn't weigh a great deal - only 122.5g in fact - which actually made it lighter than our day to day watch, and after a while you won't even notice it's on your wrist.

display

Sony has popped a relatively mediocre 1.6-inch, 220 x 176 TFT LCD display in the SmartWatch 2, 

• The Transflective (transmissive + reflective) display means the screen is always on, displaying the time, while making it really easy to see in direct sunlight and reducing battery drain.
• You also get a trio of touch sensitive keys below the 1.6-inch "Transflective" LCD display, and if you're an Android user you'll instantly recognise these as the back, home and menu keys.
• If you've got some nails then it's relatively easy to flick open, although those lacking any length may find it a little trickier. The slender rubber connection between flap and watch doesn't exactly fill us with any great hope - we can see this is something which could break off pretty easily
• Measuring 42 x 41 x 9mm the Sony SmartWatch 2 isn't particularly overbearing and while it may be a tad bigger than your current time piece, your wrist won't feel swamped.

The good: The Sony SmartWatch 2 screens phone alerts, Gmail, and call info in real time. The device also has a modern, water-resistant design that's compatible with standard watch bands.

The bad: The Sony SmartWatch 2 is tricky to set up on non-Sony phones. The watch has a small clock face selection, short battery life, and a quirky music player app. There's no iOS support.

The bottom line: With its ability to push Android notifications to your wrist, the Sony SmartWatch 2 is more useful than Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, but the Pebble is still the best smartwatch deal around.