BERLIN – Sony marked a “watershed moment” in its history yesterday (Sept 4), according to CEO Kazuo Hirai, when they unveiled a lens attachment capable of taking premium digital camera quality pictures on iOS and Android smartphones along with their new Xperia Z1 smartphone.

Mr Hirai made the remarks at a press conference in Berlin as part of Sony’s programme for the IFA consumer technology convention, where he also showed off the company’s latest laptops and efforts in the field of digital imaging.

The biggest announcement of the night was without a doubt the two camera lenses which could be attached to almost any Apple or Android smartphone — a move that drew applause from the audience.

The Cybershot QX100 and QX10 — which will be available in Singapore from next month — will fit smartphones that are between 54 and 75mm wide and no more than 13mm thick.

The QX10 weighs just 105g and comes with an 18.2-megapixel Exmore R CMOS sensor while the QX100 features a large 1.0type Exmore R CMOS sensor with 20.2 megapixels. Connecting either lens to your smartphone can be done either via Wi-Fi, Near Field Communications (NFC), and Sony’s PlayMemories mobile application.

THE NEXT Z

Sony also announced the successor to its highly popular Xperia Z smartphone — the Xperia Z1.

The device will be launched this month and will feature a 5-inch Full HD Triluminous display and was hailed by Mr Hirai as a product that “can only come from Sony”.

The Xperia Z1 will also have a longer battery life and faster processor than its predecessor and will be completely waterproof but the biggest change comes in the camera department.

The sensor has been improved from 13 megapixels to 20.7 megapixels and boasts a 3X clear image zoom, which claims to function without contributing to any loss in picture clarity.

New features have also been introduced to let users take full advantage of the improved camera.

The Social Live feature will allow users to broadcast special moments such as marriage proposals live on Facebook while the Info Eye function will feed information about what the camera is currently being aimed at. For example, pointing the camera at a landmark will allow to user to access information about what restaurants are nearby as well as the history behind the landmark. Those looking to spice up their photos with special effects can also make use of the new AR Effect feature.

TAP ON THESE VAIOS

Sony also launched two new laptops during the press conference.

The Vaio Tap 11 — which will be available in Singapore later this month in both 15-inch and 13-inch models — is the world’s thinnest Windows Tablet PC at just 9mm thin (without keyboard).

It includes a magnetic keyboard that can be connected to the tablet via a wireless connection, giving users the power of a laptop and the portability of a tablet.

It will also come with Sony’s very own digitiser stylus and the Inspiration Suite programme that includes a host of apps to allow users the ability to save notes and memos in all formats on the go.

The second new range of laptops available was the latest version of the Vaio Fit laptops, also known as the Vaio Fit multi-flip series.

The laptop will features a multi-flip hinge which makes it capable of flipping and converting between laptop, tablet and viewer modes by flipping the display over the hinge in a similar fashion to the Lenovo Yoga.

Both 15-inch and 13-inch versions of the Vaio Fit will be available in Singapore from November this year.