Sony Makes a Splash

Literally. In April, Sony officials launched Xperia Z, billed as the first waterproof phone, by dropping it into a bowl of water and asking audience members to call in and watch it ring. The live demonstration at Cairo’s JW Marriott also included banging the sleek, LE 6,000 phone on the side of a table to prove the endurance of the phone’s tempered glass. Protected by an anti-shatter film and rubber flaps over the ports, the Xperia Z can remain fully functional at a depth of one meter for up to 30 minutes. The slightly bigger and much faster Xperia Z1, released in October, works at a depth of 1.5 meters — you won’t be taking selfies while scuba diving, but you can call Grandma to laugh about how Mommy’s little darling dropped the phone in the pool.