After a hectic week, we’re certainly glad that it’s Friday. But before you head off to enjoy a well -deserved weekend, make sure you check out what’s been happening in the busy worlds of Sony and Android.
First up, we couldn’t wait to share this huge piece of Google news with you. Just this week, it was announced that a developer start-up facility would be opening in San Francisco as early as next month. According to Android Authority, the facility will cover 14,000 square feet and will not only be used to host a number of future events, but will also function as a boot camp intending to bring promising young developers up to speed as quickly as possible.
What do you think of Google’s new tech-boosting facility? Let us know by commenting below.
An exciting piece of Sony news up next, as this week it was announced that Sony Pictures Entertainment would be the first ever brand to use Snapchat’s all new 360-degree ad format, providing users with what it describes as ‘snackable’ 10-second content.
This Snapchat campaign will promote the new ‘Don’t Breathe’ movie, set to hit UK cinemas at the start of September. The idea is that the 360 video will give audiences a digital and immersive experience of the film – a horror-cum-thriller in which five carnival workers are kidnapped by a blind man and held hostage. Not only will viewers be able to rotate their view 360 degrees, but they will also be able to move forward. There will also be an attachment feature, allowing users to read a synopsis or view extra images. The ad is rolling out in the United States first, and will also be served to users in the UK and Australia in the coming weeks.
We can’t wait to see it!
Continuing the great news, this week Sony came out tops at the EISA Awards, taking away 5 awards for its trophy cabinet. The European Imaging and Sound Association, that prides itself on recognising true quality and innovation, handed out awards to Sony
’s RX1R II, one of the world’s smallest full-frame cameras, Sony’s α7S II, the α6300, alongside the SEL85F14GM telephoto prime lens and RSX-GS9, an in-car HD player. To find out more about the award winning products, check out the full press release here.
Sony’s achievements don’t stop there, as a new report this week revealed that Sony Xperia smartphones have the overall lowest crash rates in the Android ecosystem. The report, created by Apteligent, revealed thatSony Xperia devices had an average crash rate of 0.08%, which was better than all other Android devices ! Whilst we celebrate our success, you can check out the full report online.
Finally this week, you’ve probably seen Google’s brand new app Duo, dominating your news feeds. But what exactly is it? Unveiled at this year’s Google I/O developer conference, Duo is a free to use video app and has cool little features like ‘Knock Knock’, which allows you to see live video of your caller before you answer. The app is also optimized for poor networks, capable of even switching to audio calling if connectivity is weak, which makes it stand out from its competitors. Just days after it started rolling out, the app has become the top free Android app in the US. Have you given it a go yet? If not we really recommend doing so! Let us know your thoughts below.
Unfortunately that’s all we have time for this week, but be sure to head back soon for even more Sony and Android news. In the meantime, check out @SonyMobileNews for our latest updates.
[Source: Blogs.sonymobile]
