With all the hoo-ha surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Gear, we've take another close look at the other smartwatch - and one with a more obvious name too.
The Sony Smartwatch 2 doesn't attempt to do as much as the recently-announced Galaxy Gear, but it's a sleeker and more focused beast as a result.
Shorn of the need to speak to your wrist, the Smartwatch 2 instead becomes a companion to smartphones running Android 4.0 and above, offering more basic functionality.

Sony's first SmartWatch didn't quite live up to our expectations. However, with the introduction of the SmartWatch 2, Sony has made plenty of improvements. These include a refreshed water-resistant design, easy setup with NFC technology, and yes a brighter screen so you can actually view it outdoors.

With the Xperia Z Ultra, Sony is finally turning its attention towards a market segment it has avoided so far. The market headstart of their flagship Xperia Z along with the subsequent releases in the upper midrange has set quite a serious foundation for Sony's mobile phone business creating an excellent possibility for experimenting in a niche that has been invented and so far dominated by Samsung's Note series...

What we're about to describe is the same kind of phenomenon we experienced with 5-inch phones in 2010. If you recall, that year marked the debut of the Dell Streak 5, an absolutely massive smartphone / tablet hybrid for that time. 

The Xperia Z Ultra is Sony's first foray in the so-called “phablet” realm, and it comes with a bang, confirming everything we hoped for since the first Sony Togari rumors broke out. The goalposts are always moving in this category, but in general it constitutes of phones with really, and we mean really, big displays. Sony Xperia Z Ultra undoubtedly delivers in that respect, as it's the phone with the largest screen ever concocted, while still being called a handset... of sorts. 

Sony's been explaining the design story behind its new Xperia range at a UK briefing, how it's trying to balance both the dematerialization of tech (touchscreens, gesture interfaces) and a design that's both desirable and beautiful -- and Sony's certainly got the latter down on its new smartphone...