Sony Smartwatch SDK update adds open source music player and puzzle game extensions

Still wishing for some more functionality on Sony's touch-friendly watch? Well there's good news if you're into slider puzzles and music playing apps, as both of these have arrived open source in the SmartWatch's latest SDK. The music extension will allow devs to start work on their own music player, already including support for Android's generic music player. The 8 Game extension doesn't elaborate on what you'll be able to extend from the original image shifting puzzler, but we'll leave that up to developers' imaginations. You can get the full rub and all downloads at the source, just dial down that enthusiasm a little -- the wait for a few more features continues.

Sony Smartwatch SDK update adds open source music player and puzzle game extensions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 08:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony SmartWatch torn down and dissected, wishes it were a Pebble

sony smartwatch innards

Wondering how the innards of Sony's SmartWatch compared to the Motorola's MotoACTV? Wonder no more. One cmw has dissected the aforesaid timepiece, noting that most of what's inside doesn't live up to the superior hardware found in Moto's unit. Aside from finding a 110mAh battery (compared to 258mAh in the MotoACTV), there's also a Micrium uC/OS-II. For those just here for the eye candy, there's a bit of that down in the source link, too. When asked for comment, Pebble simply quipped: "Everyday I'm Shufflin'."

[Thanks, John]

Sony SmartWatch torn down and dissected, wishes it were a Pebble originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony SmartWatch now available in the US for $150

What's the most useful smartwatch of them all? If you guessed Sony's, you've got reason to smile: we just got word that it's finally available here in the US of A. As expected, the SmartWatch costs $150, while those colorful (read: not black) wrist bands are priced at $20 a pop. To recap, the watch pairs with Android phones over Bluetooth, using a free app available in Google Play (if you happen to own a Sony handset, you should find that application pre-installed). Like any smartwatch worth its salt, this one lets you read emails, texts and social updates on the device. Meanwhile, the list of mini apps is approaching 60, as of this writing, and already includes biggies like Facebook and Google Maps.

After getting hands-on not once but twice, we can say the rubber strap is comfortable and the 1.3-inch OLED display responsive, though the apps are a mixed bag in terms of usefulness. Tap-to-like on Facebook? Genius. A remote for your phone's camera? Unabashed gimmickry, if you ask us. Using the watch to call someone in your contacts list? You'll need a Bluetooth headset for that feature to be truly handy. Other favorites of ours include the ability to find your lost phone (even if it's set to quiet mode), as well as stream photos and other media from your phone. You can even respond to incoming text messages with a preset reply (e.g., "I'm busy. What's up?"), though good luck using that canned response a second time when your friend gets back to you 10 seconds later. In any case, is all that worth the $150? That's a conversation you best have with your wallet -- in read-only format, naturally.

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Sony SmartWatch now available in the US for $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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