Sony announces Smartwatch 2, a water resistant, NFC capable companion to your Android smartphone

Its raining Sony announcements today, and now the company has announced a new version of their Android companion watch, SmartWatch 2. You might not be the only one who hasn't heard that there was a SmartWatch 1 too, as it utterly failed due to its more than $100 price tag and lack of developer support as the API's were locked. Now it seems Sony has learnt from its mistake and this time, the watch is less bulky, has standalone functionality and is water resistant which is a great addition to wrist watches. 

Here are some of the things you can do with your Sony SmartWatch 2 on your Android smartphone:

• Handle your calls by a simple touch of your wrist
• Take a photo remotely from your SmartWatch, using a smart camera app
• Control your presentations remotely using Presentation Pal
• Taking a run or on the bike? Select a mapping app on SmartWatch to check your route with a quick glance at your wrist
• Read previously downloaded e-mails when not connected to your phone
• Use lifestyle apps like Runtastic to map and instantly track your fitness activities on the go
• Change Music tracks or volume directly from the Watch rather than taking your smartphone out of your pocket.

I do believe that with the increasing size of our smartphones, a companion device may become necessary in the near future. I mean why would you want to take out your humongous smartphone just for seeing a message from your carrier saying you have used up all your minutes. Plus, the the SmartWatch 2 also acts as a remote control to several features of your smartphone. Although at present the technology is pretty limited, but in the future it would be be a more viable alternative than say, something like Google Glass.

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