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If you’re keen to know the latest from Sony Mobile at this year’s MWC show this is the place for you. We’ll be live reporting through out the week and sharing our favourite stories, reviews, tweets and pics below…

You may have seen that earlier this morning an exciting new partnership was announced with Virgin Atlantic. Sony’s SmartWear devices, including our SmartWatch 3 and SmartEyeglass Developer Edition SED-E1 will be working with Virgin Atlantic’s plane engineers over the next couple of months to test how wearable tech can help businesses literally take off the ground.

Starting next week Virgin Atlantic’s plane engineers at London’s Heathrow airport will be kitted out with our latest SmartWatch 3 and SmartEyeglass Developer Edition SED-E1 devices, alongside a smartphone or tablet, to help streamline communications and speed up technical assistance.

Our SmartEyeglass Developer Edition SED-E1 will enable Virgin Atlantic to deliver rapid technical assistance by streaming real-time video directly from onsite engineers over to the technicians in the control room where they can view the content directly from the dedicated app. This will be supplemented by SmartWatch 3 acting as a non-stop activity log, providing runway bound engineers with on-the-go job allocations and detail changes whilst simultaneously providing managers with instant feedback on how they’re getting on.

Not only will the technical process and logistics be enhanced, but streamlining communications with the latest tech will also help cut down on waste.

Phil Maher, Director of Operations at Virgin Atlantic, said of the partnership:

“We are proud of our recent innovation work to provide the best possible experience for our customer facing roles and we’re pleased to now be exploring how new technology can contribute towards our essential operations procedures. It’s a great way to empower our people by providing instant access to the information they need to be more effective in their roles.”

Here at Sony Mobile we believe that innovative tech on its own is not enough, innovation has to have application that means something to the people using it. Innovation has to be an agent of change in whatever guise it takes whether that’s enriching consumers’ lives, acting on pain-points or streamlining enterprise.

Our partnership with Virgin Atlantic is a great demonstration of not just of our Xperia in Business initiative, but of our whole innovation ethos showing how streamlined communications and industry leading technology can help individuals and business every day. And we couldn’t be prouder.

Ever since we launched the first of our new smart wearable devices (SmartBand SWR10) back in 2014 we’ve been using data to help us understand how people are using them.

The data gives us fantastic insight into the features our customers like to use and what they might want to see brought into new / future products. It also give us some pretty cool stats – check out the infographic below to see just how mind-bendingly “big” big data actually is.

We’re now three days into another fantastic MWC and the action on the booth has been non-stop. For an organisation like Sony, one of the best things about events like this is the exposure we get to the views and thoughts of so many customers in such short period. It allows us to get amazing feedback and understand the kinds of questions our customers want to know more about.

So… with that in mind we’ve collated some of the most common questions asked at the booth and gone straight to the experts to get the answers.

1. Obviously a lot of people have been asking about the Z-series-wide Android Lollipop update, its timings and rollout plans.

Jun Makino, Product Marketing Manager for the Xperia Z Series – “The over-riding priority at the moment is to deliver a strong, stable update. We’re in the last stages of testing that, working with Google and operator partners and we’ll begin rolling out soon. Stay tuned to the blog and @SonyMobileNews for the latest info when that starts.”

2. What difference does the 2K screen make on Xperia Z4 Tablet compared to the Full HD resolution on Xperia Z2 Tablet?

Jun Makino - “The main difference is the upgrade in the resolution – making the screen much better at handling really high-res content. The brightness of the screen is another noticeable improvement, allowing you to get a really clear viewing experience in any environment, including bright outdoor sunlight. At the same time we’ve had to do all of this within the constraints of maintaining and improving a category-leading battery performance.”

3. What are the differences between Xperia Z3 and Xperia M4 Aqua?

Sharath Muddaiah, Product Marketing Manager for Xperia M4Aqua - “Xperia M4 Aqua is a product that is designed to re-define what people can expect from a mid-range device so yes, at first glance the specs read like a premium tier smartphone. However, through a combination of some really smart engineering and a lot of customer research we’ve managed to bring the price point down to a mid-tier point, we call it the super mid range. At the same time we’ve preserved some of the premium experiences, such as the metal and glass casing, High-Res Audio, PlayStation Remote Play and top of the range camera specs, for the Z Series.”

4. Will Xperia Z4 Tablet ship with Microsoft Office Suite pre-installed?

Ashley Davies, Xperia in Business - “There aren’t currently any plans to do this –however the Microsoft Office Suite is available to download via the Google Play Store.

Xperia Z4 Tablet has been designed to enhance the portable office experience, and in conjunction with our new BKB50 Bluetooth Keyboard we feel we’ve created a perfect business companion, giving a true laptop experience.”

5. Security has been a big theme for discussion at this year’s conference – particularly re: Android and enterprise applications, what is Sony’s take on this?

Ashley Davies, Xperia in Business - “As we ramp up our enterprise offering around the new products, enterprise security has become a real focus for us. It’s partly linked to trends around BYOD but it is just as relevant for enterprise buyers who need to know that their sensitive information is safe and secure.

We work with both operators and partners to ensure we are compatible and compliant with enterprise requirements.  By keeping that constant communication we feel that businesses are able to confidently use Sony devices and the Android platform”

You may remember back in August we sent award-winning WPO photographer Myriam Meloni to capture some of the scenes at Spain’s renowned food festival, La Tomatina.

Well, seeing as we’re at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Myriam’s adopted hometown since she moved from Italy, we thought we’d catch up with her again to see how she’s been getting on shooting with our Xperia Z3 Compact. She was nice enough to pop by our booth at the Fira Gran Via and share with us some of her favourite shots from her ‘Everyday Extraordinary’ project and what went in to capturing them…

Barcelona is a beautiful city; one of the things that make it unique is the sea, and it’s this relationship I wanted to explore with this project. .

I first went for an early morning stroll around Barcelona’s old fishing port to capture the day at its lightest. Thanks to the brightness of the lens on the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and its aperture of F2.0, I was able to catch sharp and bright images before the sun had even risen.

I like this shot as it captures the birds in flight – frozen thanks to a good combination of the shutter speed, aperture and ISO, all automatically synced by the Superior Auto Mode.

The Port was a great place to test one of the most attractive camera’s features: the macro scene. This function activates when you get really close to the object you want to shoot, allowing you to shoot photos that really explore the full spectrum of colours.

After wandering through the Port, I went to visit the seafront: a group of teenagers were playing in front of the sea, with the sun shining behind them. It was a backlit scene, a very challenging moment to shoot. Despite that, I was able to capture the moment perfectly, thanks to Xperia Z3 Compact’s Backlight Mode. You can really see how the sunbeams and the silhouettes are highlighted here.

After breakfast, I headed over to the Cathedral del mar and some of the older buildings in the city where I got to test out Xperia Z3 Compact’s camera in low light. Even though the shadows of the Cathedral were playing havoc with the light I was still able to capture extraordinary detail, like the faces of those nearby.

In a bustling city like Barcelona the opportunity for a decent shot is everywhere, but sometimes you don’t have time to capture that perfect moment. Thanks to the sleep to snap and Sport Mode features of the phone I was able to capture these skaters whizzing around, illuminated by the afternoon sun.

I was having a coffee with some friends later in the evening and I noticed an unusual reflection in my mug; it was gorgeous and to surprise my Xperia responded perfectly, allowing me to really capture the moment perfectly. 

At sunset, when the lights start to dim, Xperia Z3 Compact really comes in to its own thanks to the ISO rating of 12,800. This shot of the balloons down the famous Rambla del Mar came out brilliantly. 

I hope you can enjoy Barcelona the way I did, with the company of a phone that’s as attractive, elegant, dynamic, compact and capable of satisfying even the most demanding users (like me).

Thanks the World Photography Organisation and Sony Mobile for inviting me to be part of this project. 

Check out a full collection of Myriam’s photos below…

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Over the last few months our SmartEyeglass prototype has been one of the most talked about smart eyewear concepts – today the project takes a major step forward, as we announce both commercialisation and launch from March 2015.

The SmartEyeglass Developer Edition SED-E1 will give developers access to both the physical sample and official supporting software developer kit – as we continue to grow the ecosystem of transparent binocular lens experiences and superimposed augmented reality content.

Pre-order starts from today in United Kingdom and Germany, with SmartEyeglass Developer Edition available from our Sony Developer World portal from early March* for around €670. It will sit alongside the updated SDK, with regularly updated information and support for developers to get going and unleash their creativity on this new platform.

Check out Sony Developer World for the full scoop on our Android smartphone-extending eye-wear concept – and stay tuned for more, as we head towards the launch and beyond.

*At launch SmartEyeglass Developer Edition will also be available for purchase in the United States and Japan. It will also be available only for enterprise customers in France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands and Sweden.

The Oscars mark the height of cinematic achievement during 2014 With 18 nominations under Sony Pictures’ belt at this year’s ceremony; including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Costume Design and many more, it’s been a great year for film at Sony. So win, lose or draw (not that you can technically draw in an awards ceremony), congratulations to everyone involved!

From Oscars to offers now as this week also marked the third birthday of your favourite (we presume) hand held game console PS Vita.

To celebrate, we’re offering a raft of savings across some of the consoles best games, as well as the chance to download two exclusive new themes for your device from the PlayStation store!

PS3 and PS4 aren’t going to be left out either, as there are truckloads of offers for traditional console gamers too. From Battlefield 4 to Samurai Warriors 4, there’s something for everyone – but be warned the sale ends on the 4^th March so get gaming!

You may remember last year when we showcased just what is possible from Sony’s Action Cam when we collaborated with FREEDOM and filmed the world’s first recorded white-tailed-eagle flight, as Victor (that’s the eagle) was let loose across London and Paris.

Now urban skyline views may be something special but this time we’re back capturing all the action on ground level with BMX rider Brett Rheeder. Brett showcases the amazing capabilities of Sony’s Action Cam as he completes #Groundwaves, the second installation within his Dream Capture series as he rides, flips and tricks around Malaga, Spain

Catch all the action in the video below:

Inspired to make some of your own home videos? Well, now more of you can stream them live from your Xperia device using the new Live On YouTube app.

The app is now supported across a range of Xperia devices including our Xperia Z3, Z2 and Z3 Compact – meaning no matter where you are, you can broadcast your videos live to the world (and even in HD!). To start sharing your live streams simply download the app now from the Google Play Store.

That’s it from us, have a great weekend!

Back in January we introduced you to Folding@Home, a protein folding simulation programme set up by Dr Vijay Pande and his team at Stanford University.

Initially launching in a beta version exclusively on select Xperia devices, Folding@Home set out to crowdsource processing power from people’s smartphones. The aim was to use lots (and we mean LOTS) of smaller processors to help contribute to the enormous computing power needed to simulate the folding and unfolding of proteins that contribute to the creation of many of the world’s most prevalent diseases (like Alzheimer’s and breast cancer) in order to learn more about them.

Since it’s launch less than two months ago the current Folding@Home app, has hit over 150,00 downloads from around the world, with highs of over 50,000 users donating their processing power per day. To put that in to perspective, the 1.5 PetaFlops of processing power created at its peak is already 50% more than the 2007 world record set by the team using PlayStation 3 consoles.

 Today, together with the team in Stanford, we’re making this application available to even more people by releasing a new update to the beta version of the Folding@Home Android application, a beta 2.0 if you like. The latest update will allow anyone, on most devices running Android 4.4 or higher (including Android 5.0; Lollipop), to download the app and start contributing power to the folding process. That means more processors, more proteins and more data for Dr Pande and his team to investigate.

“With the update to support the latest versions of Android and the opportunity for a wider range of smartphones and tablets to get folding, our aim is to really pick up the pace in tackling some of the world’s most challenging, and as yet, incurable diseases facing humanity today. The beauty with Folding@Home is that we’re now able to process, understand and interpret huge amounts of data capitalising on crowdsourced technology” – Jonas Gustavsson, Folding@Home Experience Plannner

 So what have Dr Pande and his team been doing with all of these folded proteins? Well, they’ve been using the data made available to simulate several different configurations of what are known as the ‘kinase’ proteins that are involved in the makeup of breast cancer in order to find out why certain patients respond favourably to certain treatments and others do not.

Dr. Pande hopes that simulating a dozen or so possible configurations of the kinase, and then testing how these fit with a suite of drugs, could help identify better courses of treatment;

“We’re going to learn a lot about the basic biophysics of kinases and their mutations, but we’re hoping we can help doctors use genomic sequencing of tumors to say which drug should be given first, we want to help them pick a better Drug-A” – Dr Vijay Pande, Stanford University

According to Dr. Pande, the kinase takes about 300,000 nanoseconds to fold, and a smartphone can simulate about one nanosecond per day, so if 10,000 phones work eight hours a day, the project could be complete in less than three months!

If you’re yet to start participating in the Folding@Home project, you can download the latest version of the app at The Google Play Store.

In the meantime, we thought we’d take this opportunity to answer a few of the questions we’ve seen crop up across the various channels. Do get in touch with the Folding@Home team at Stanford if you have any more questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this latest update to Folding@Home bring?

This update to the Folding@Home Beta application brings compatibility and support to many more Android devices running 4.4 or higher (Including Android 5.0; Lollipop) beyond the Xperia range, as well as general performance enhancements and bug fixes.

Can you set up Folding@Home so your contribution time is longer than 6 hours?

Currently the contribution time is limited to 6 hours. The team is looking into greater levels of configuration for upcoming releases. 

My phone is rarely at 100% charge, is there any way you can alter the application so I contribute to the Folding@Home when my phone is at over a certain battery percentage – say 80%?

Unfortunately not – this is done to ensure that users of Folding@Home get fully charged as fast as possible when they charge their phone via the power outlet.

Doesn’t having my phone at 100% battery charge whilst attached to a power source, have a negative impact on smartphone battery’s long-term health?

Modern batteries in smartphones have a built-in circuit that allows the battery to be bypassed completely when fully charged at 100%, such that the device instead runs on external power. It’s this bypass that Folding@Home utilises when the programme is running and it’s why processing only starts when your smartphone battery reaches 100% charge.

Can I contribute to Folding@Home at any time?

The current version of Folding@Home allows you to set any contribution start time. Future versions may allow contribution anytime and for any time period, provided that phone is connected to the charger, but we’re not quite there yet.

Can I use my Stanford ID in the application and contribute to my team’s effort?

Not in the current iteration of Folding@Home, no. Future releases may include this possibility, together with the possibility to consolidating contributions from different devices.

Can I turn notifications off?

The contribution finished notification can be turned off in Settings. The notification shown while the contribution is run cannot be turned off as it is an Android requirement for continuously-running services.

I have unlimited mobile data from my provider, is it possible to run Folding@Home through my 3G or 4G mobile data plan rather than Wi-Fi?

Currently not, but it’s something we’re considering for future updates as the potential for such a constant stream of processing power could be huge.

Where can I find more info on the research?

Please visit Stanford’s web page to learn more about the team, research methodologies and progress made so far: http://folding.stanford.edu/home/the-science/

Tego rodzaju wpisy pokazują Wam część tego, czego nie widać w reklamach – ciężką pracę zespołu odpowiedzialnego za ich powstanie. Zobaczcie, jak powstały spoty z naszymi najnowszymi gwiazdami

Ewa Farna

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sebastian Karpiel-Bułecka i Zakopower

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tego rodzaju wpisy pokazują Wam część tego, czego nie widać w reklamach – ciężką pracę zespołu odpowiedzialnego za ich powstanie. Zobaczcie, jak powstały spoty z naszymi najnowszymi gwiazdami

Ewa Farna

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sebastian Karpiel-Bułecka i Zakopower

Click here to view the embedded video.