<div>There's an immed-iate“Oh!” from anyone to whom I hand over the Sony Z3 Compact for a look. It’s very premium looking, with its all-glass front and back look, but it isn’t just that: the handset is a very nice size that allows for a good grip. It’s large enough for its display to look large, and small enough to use one-handed, which is a happy medium for those who still can’t get used to the idea of the really large phones that make up the top-tier category these days. I can see people thinking, ‘Yep, I could use that’, as they check it out.</div><div> </div><div>Sony has stuck to a design they call Omnibalance for its recent Xperia phones. Everyone else just calls it a rectangle, which it particularly is because of very straight lines and sharp cut edges. But with the Z3 and Z3 Compact, Sony has put in some effort into making the phone much more comfortable to hold and use. The edges have been rounded off, using a high quality synthetic material, making it feel ever so much better without taking away from the signature look. The Z3 Compact has all the rest — round power button, a dedicated camera button, and flaps covering the ports and SIM tray, etc. The flaps spell water resistant and dust proof. It’s also scratch proof. The Z3 Compact doesn’t look like it should be dropped, but luckily it’s tougher than it looks. I’d recommend a case, to be on the safe side.</div><div> </div><div>The phablet-sized Z3 and Z3 Compact were launched at the same time. You’d think the Compact would be the scaled down budget version, the wannabe that the rest of us have to settle for because we can’t afford the flagship offering. That’s not so. There’s very little price difference between the two. The Z3 is at an MRP of Rs 47,799 and the Compact is Rs 44,990. This is because the Compact is almost identical to the Z3 except for a few specs such as the amount of RAM and the screen resolution. What seems to be cutting back on software, however, actually helps the phone. The display looks every bit as nice, with its natural vibrant colours and its brightness, and it takes up less power. The Z3 Compact actually ends up doing better on some benchmark tests and is considered the better value of the two phones.</div><div> </div><div>The Z3 Compact is super snappy fast and smooth. Sony’s interface doesn’t interfere very much with Android and you’re unlikely to see lag and slowness on this phone as you use it over the months. It would help if Sony didn’t put a lot of apps on it that you can’t remove, but I don’t know when companies will get that users would rather choose their own and use their onboard storage as they please.</div><div> </div><div>Two exceptional aspects on this smartphone are its battery life, and the camera. The battery really lasts. Whatever they’ve done to prolong usage is working and you can easily go through with it for two days on average use. Its standby life is also great. Connected to Wi-Fi but not in active use, it would barely lose a couple of percentage points of battery juice even after days. There are different levels of power management to make this happen, but it’s clear Sony’s got it right on this count.</div><div> </div><div>The camera, which quickly comes up with its own two-stage button on the side, is fast and one of the best. There’s an occasional burning out of colours though. The software is packed with features and should have been a bit more intuitive to use, but despite that its great at both images and video, which is 4k. Another plus for gamers is that it connects to the PS4 and can be used as its screen.</div><div> </div><div>The Z3 Compact is a well-rounded smartphone and good value for money. Check out all its nice colour options. </div><div> </div><table cellspacing="6" cellpadding="6" width="600" border="2"><tbody><tr><td>Bose Soundlink On-Ear Headphones</td></tr><tr><td><img width="200" height="200" align="right" src="/image/image_gallery?uuid=e7adeaa1-80f5-48e6-85a5-f2b436a27a6f&groupId=222861&t=1414497780824" alt="" />You know how a great pair of headphones can sit on your head like a rock, making your ears sweat inside giant tight earcups? Well, the Bose SoundLink On-ear headphones do nothing of the sort. Instead, I find them just the right weight — not so light as to feel tiring but weighty enough to be well-built. The heabband is softened on the inner side so you don't feel it digging into your skull and the articulating ear cups are cotton-soft. I don't like wearing headphones for very long, but with these I didn't mind as they are really comfortable. At the same time, they're minimalistic with not much effort having been put into making them look like a fashion statement. Clearly, the focus is on shutting the world out for some quality time with music you love. The headset is light and easy to carry because the cups fold inward, making the footprint smaller. Smaller heads should test them out for fit though. On mine, they slip off if I look down.<br /><br />The SoundLink headphones are Bluetooth wireless and pair instantly with devices, even switching easily if you decide to use another paired playback source. On the headphones you can control play/pause, track selection, power, and call answering from the buttons on the earcup. There's a great pouch to protect the set when you're not using it.<br /><br />Getting down to the meat and potatoes, the sound on these headphones is full, clear, and loud. It's entirely balanced as well. Thankfully, you should not be able to damage your God given auditory apparatus with this amount of base. It's music, full-on, though. You can also take calls and there's optimisation of ambient noise for that.<br />It has a good long playing battery and for a quick burst, charges enough in fifteen minutes.</td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div><div>(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 17-11-2014)</div>
BW Reporters
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.