Skip to Main Content

Sony Unveils Xperia Sola With 'Floating Touch' Technology

Sony Mobile Communications on Tuesday unveiled its latest Android smartphone, the Xperia Sola, which will feature new Kinect-like technology.

March 13, 2012

Sony Mobile Communications on Tuesday unveiled its latest Android smartphone, the Xperia Sola, which will feature new, Kinect-like technology.

The latest addition to Sony's Android-powered Xperia line of smartphones includes so-called "floating touch" technology that lets users browse the Web without actually touching the screen, Sony said.

"All you have to do is hover your finger above the screen, as if moving a cursor," Sony said in a blog post. "Once positioned over the intended link or selection, it becomes highlighted and all you have to do is tap to select."

The Xperia Sola features a 3.7-inch display, 1-GHz dual-core processor, and Android 2.3. Sony promised to upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich this summer. Other features include a 5-megapixel HD camera and 3D surround sound audio technology.

The device will come with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, and ship with two NFC-enabled SmartTags, which allow users to quickly load apps and change their device's settings. Touching one of the tags with an NFC-enabled Android smartphone will launch a pre-configured profile on the device. The SmartTags included with the Xperia Sola can be personalized to activate up to 10 different commands.

"Out of the box they are ready for the living room to turn on Wi-Fi and launches Google news and weather apps, or for the bedroom, which turns on the alarm and switches to silent mode," Sony said in a statement.

Sony did not provide a specific release date, but said the Xperia Sola will launch globally in the second quarter. It will be available in black, white, or red.

U.S. consumers shouldn't get their hopes up about the Xperia Sola too soon, however. PCMag's lead analyst for mobile, Sascha Segan, said the phone may not be coming to the states. As announced, the phone is compatible with AT&T's 3G network, but the carrier hasn't made any announcements yet.

"While Sony could certainly bring it to the U.S. unlocked — something they've done several times before through their Sony Style store — a vanishingly small number of phones are sold unlocked here because they're much more expensive than carrier-subsidized phones," Segan said.

At Mobile World Congress last month, Sony to its Xperia lineup - the Xperia P and Xperia U. For more see and the slideshow below.