Futuristic Sony Xperia Z launches at Victoria House Basement

Last night London was treated to the release of Sony’s new smartphone the Xperia Z, with its media capabilities, wide angle camera, mini HDMI port and waterproofing. The chinwagging crowd were treated to luminous cocktails, an array of flamboyant amuse-bouche and hands-on experience with the Xperia Z.

Unfortunately, the phone was uncomfortably thin for its weight, excessively wide and long, requiring two hands to get the most out of it. The operating system is a proprietary build of the Android Jelly Bean OS with additional bells and whistles, like (complex) multitasking and widget capabilities.

Spaced across the 22,000 square foot room were seven Sony representatives showing off the HD screen (which, for the size of the screen, was a waste of battery) and the ability to display the phone’s screen on any television via cable – a feature all smartphones have. The tour ended with the representative attempting to load a Spider-Man game, which took several minutes – people walked away to get more glow in the dark drinks and the show was over.

According to the press release, the main selling point of the phone is its ability to remain waterproof for up to a meter; an amazing feat of engineering. Disappointingly, this was not on show, and the representative was less than helpful when asked about the phone’s waterproof nature.

The rest of the evening was unrelated; the main event was a pair of construction robots slowly pouring paint on white block pyramids to dance music. A set by the talented, young French DJ Madeon followed, though he was unfortunately plagued by technical problems, causing him to restart his set twice.

The music was OK, the drinks vibrant and the performances interesting (if a little anti-climactic). The phone, however, was quickly forgotten about – a prophetic sign, perhaps.

Verdict: ••

Andrew Collins

Photos: Filippo L’Astorina 

The Xperia Z is due for release in April, for further information visit here.