Sony Steel Edition SmartWatch 3, Walkman NWZ-ZX2 Launched at CES 2015

Sony at CES 2015 on Monday has announced a new stainless steel edition of the SmartWatch 3, apart from the Walkman NWZ-ZX2.

The pricing of the new stainless steel edition SmartWatch 3 will be announced in February alongside the global market release. The company has also unveiled a new SmartWatch 3 holder accessory that will be available from the early part of 2015. It is unclear if the holder accessory will only fit the new stainless steel SmartWatch 3 or to other previous variants as well. The accessory will allow customisation of strap with any standard 24mm watch strap.

The company says that it is working on the standalone (no smartphone required) capabilities of the SmartWatch 3 as well. The two developers namely - Golfshot and iFit - are creating Android Wear experiences with SmartWatch 3's standalone capability, for both performance on the course and track, respectively. Users will have exclusive access to the premium Golfshot and iFit apps out-of-the-box from this month, says Sony.

Additionally, users can now access Lifelog through the browser at lifelog.sonymobile.com, apart from the Lifelog app downloaded via Google Play. Sony says the service has got a new Web interface that uses the open API functionality and latest HTML5 technologies, for a more visual experience.

Sony has also announced a new collaboration with Virgin Atlantic - to develop unique solutions using Sony's SmartWear products to support operational activities and enhance the customer service experience for Virgin Atlantic customers.

The Japanese electronics giant also launched the new Walkman NWZ-ZX2, which will go on sale this spring at $1,200 (roughly Rs. 76,000). Sony's also calling it the 128GB Walkman Hi-Res Digital Music Player, and it comes with a microSD card slot - but no bundled headphones.

The Sony Walkman NWZ-ZX2 features a 4.0-inch FWVGA (480x854 pixels) Triluminos display and is based on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean platform with access to Google Play. The compact music player measures 131.2x65.1x18.5mm and weighs 235 grams.

Connectivity options on the Walkman NWZ-ZX2 include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC and Micro-USB. While the device can play almost all popular formats, the company has detailed mp3 (128kbps) playback time for up to 60 hours and flac (192kHz/ 24bit) playback up to 33 hours. Other hi-res audio formats supported include Apple Lossless and aiff. Other features include ClearAudio+, Clear Bass, DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), S-Master HX digital amplifier and VPT.