Next generation Sony smartphone could wirelessly charge in just one hour

We're an impatient bunch, and waiting around for hours to charge our phones while they are tethered to an outlet with a cord is way too long for most of us.
And while there are already wireless chargers on the market that can do the same job, there's still the matter of it taking several hours to do so. But a new wireless charger promises to be able to recharge our smartphone battery in just one hour.
Sony's coming wireless charger, which meets the Qi wireless platform standards, is said to put out between 10 and 15 watts of electricity, effectively cutting charging times in half. The new fast charging system, which is expected to be rolled out to the Sony Xperia smartphone sometime in 2014, will also need capable control chips to be able to handle the increased wattage without overheating, and those microchips, from Rohm, are also expected to be incorporated into the new devices.
Until supercapacitor technology gets advanced to the point of being able to be successfully integrated into our mobile devices (which may cut charge times down to just a few minutes), the new fast-charging wireless platform from Sony may be the gadget of choice for the impatient and the early adopters as early as next year.

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Sony launches smartphone protection app

Image via CrunchBase

Good news for Sony smatphone owners and in particular anyone with a 2012/2013 Xperia handset. Sony has launched an app to help owners track down their missing phones and even shut them down completely in the case of theft.
One of the biggest unfortunate side effects of the smartphone boom has been a huge spike in mobile device thefts.
However, even if a consumer simply misplaces a phone, being able to find it again is vitally important, especially considering the amount of personal data they carry -- everything from family photos to banking details. Even with frequent backups, it's still possible to lose a lot more besides the device itself if it were to be taken or lost.
Sony's app, called My Xperia, starts rolling out globally this week and should be in every world region by the end of 2013. Very similar (in a good way) to Apple's Find My Phone service, it can locate a device and show it on a map, sound the device's alert function to attract passersby or, in the case of theft, the owner can remotely lock the phone and erase its contents (including the SD card).

To start using the app, activate it in the smartphone's settings menu then go to https://myxperia.sonymobile.com/ and log in using a Google ID. From there users can access MY Xperia's remote functions.

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