The Sony Ericsson LiveView is a tiny accessory that pairs with your Android phone (via Bluetooth) or Sony Walkman which keeps you up to date with your calls, messages and social networking updates on your wrist or document. Sony sent us one to review, and as I love gadgets that make me feel like a spy was delighted to give it a test.
Design
The Sony Ericcson LiveView measures at 25x35x11mm. Though it is very small, it is still big enough to have a 1.3-inch OLED touchscreen and at 128×128 resolution, the texts are readable but not particularly sharp. The watch is pretty robust and isn’t prone to scratching, a bonus if you are wearing it in a working environment.
LiveView can be clipped on your clothing and it can also be worn as a watch or clipped to a document. Putting it in your pocket is not advisable because it will be no more accessible than your smartphone, it’s also likely to become entangled in pocket change and guff. We found the best way to wear it is as a watch so you can easily look at it without exerting too much effort, the strap isn’t the best looking but it is functional and can be easily adjusted.
The Sony Ericsson LiveView’s battery life is okay, but not amazing. It is good for one day, but will not live up to the two days quoted in the official blurb. So you have to charge it daily, thankfully Sony supplies a dedicated wall charger or you can plug it via a micro USB cable to your PC.
Performance
The LiveView can do quite a lot of things, you can check incoming messages and take a look at tweets from your friends. You can also control music using this device without looking at your
phone, so if you want convenience or to feel like James Bond, you should get one.
It also has a ‘Find Phone’ function that is really helpful if you forgot where you placed your phone. You can also download plugins from the Android Market, which include the Gmail plugin, Tasker, and many more.
Some minor glitches can affect the LiveView, sometimes the screen freezes and though not very often, you’ll experience some connection issues. The device disconnects when your phone is out of range, which is not an issue at all and can work in your favour as you’ll know if you have forgotten it.
The support of LiveView is comprehensive, Sony Ericsson Xperia phones that have been updated to Android 2.0 are supported, along with other models of HTC, Motorola and Samsung.
Gallery
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Conclusion
The Sony Ericsson LiveView W800 is a treat for users of the Android platform, you’ll just need to check the list of supported phones to make sure it will play nice. The convenience of not having to pull out your phone from your pocket is useful for people who are always on the go, or sneaky people who want to covertly stay connected.
If you gave up wearing a wristwatch long ago, buying the LiveView is worth it even if you just want to change tracks without the hassle of taking your phone out. At the time of writing Amazon were selling the LiveView for £44.
