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Sony Decides Its Waterproof Xperia Phones Are Not Actually Waterproof
Mark Wilson writes: Sony seems determined on confusing its customers by giving very conflicting advice about its Xperia smartphones. If you're familiar with the range, you'll no doubt be aware of the advertising material that appears to show users taking photos in the rain and even (seemingly) underwater at the pool. Take a look at the picture above and you'd probably assume that a) it depicts someone shooting a video or taking a photo in a swimming pool, and b) you can do the same with your phone. But you'd be wrong (at least on b) because Sony has changed its mind about what waterproof means. Or it doesn't know. It really depends on where you look on the Sony website.
I know because I've used it underwater multiple times without the slightest ill effect. This is warranty semantics, nothing more or less.
you need to root the phone to make it waterproof.
lucm, indeed.
"Fluff" and "Puffery" are one thing. Explicitly showing people doing things the device can not do is plain false advertising.
A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
Just because advertisers have always been depraved abhuman shitweasels, why should we tolerate them being so now? If anything, the fact that a given sector has always been rotten seems like a better argument for extirpating it than for putting up with it.
Look, we all know that marketing materials are fluff, and should not be relied upon when buying or using a piece of equipment. It seems fairly obvious to me that by "water proof" they mean "water resistant" and they make it clear that it is not designed for dedicated underwater use such as a GoPro-like device. But you can probably still drop it in your toilet and it will work after being fished out.
They make it clear that the phone can be taken underwater up to 1.5m deep and up to 30 minutes. Why would someone read this and assume that the phone is only waterproof enough for use in the rain?
http://www.sonymobile.com/in/p...
The Xperia Z3 is waterproof and protected against dust as long as you follow a few simple instructions: all ports and attached covers are firmly closed; you can’t take the phone deeper than 1.5 m of water and for longer than 30 minutes; and the water should be fresh water. Casual use in chlorinated pools is permitted provided the phone is rinsed in fresh water afterwards. No seawater and no salt water pools.
You can. If you make sure every plug is in place.
The kicker is that water inside is used as evidence that you had a plug out.
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Maybe it's like one of those commercials where beer doesn't taste like piss and void the warranty on your liver, and instead is a delicious and refreshing beverage that causes hot chix to like you.
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
Quite, we shouldn't expect anything shown in an ad to be accurate. If we buy a so-called "phone" for $600, and it cannot make phone calls, take pictures, or store music, then that's our fault for just assuming it could on the basis that the ads show it doing all those things. We're the idiots, while the advertisers are find upstanding capitalists that are beyond all criticism and whose integrity must not be besmirched by the likes of us.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
The really funny commercials are for cars. It shows a car driving calmly down the road, and the small print says: "Professional driver on a closed course. Do not attempt."
Don't attempt what? Driving down the road? Isn't that what the car is for?
Maybe the Sony phone thing is the same level of CYA boilerplate from lawyers.
If you think I voted for Trump because of this post, you're wrong. I voted for Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party. Again.
Do you know what false advertising is in fact? "A reasonable person must believe it." Catch 22; no reasonable person would believe any advertising so it is hard to get a conviction. Here it might be more cut and dry because they claim an IP68 standard which does mean something. Either way I'd rather have a phone that tries to IP68 than one that doesn't. I've had a S3 Active and I took a lot of underwater video with it but I seated my cover correctly every time. The new Sony have a open USB port that is IP68 or was obviously until a rational engineer told the marketing folks that that they cannot claim X. I honestly have NO IDEA why we need any ports on any phone at all. Sure I love me some 2 batteries but with Qi, NFC, Wifi, Cloud Sync, Chromecast et al. I would be happy having all those things like USB, SIM, SD, and whatever under screw down o-ring bezels.
IP68 is...
6 Dust tight No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust tight)
8 Immersion beyond 1 m The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that it produces no harmful effects.
No mention of salt so fuck snorkling. If it is not made out of a sealed portless glass block. marine grade stainless or brass it is not going in the ocean. But i've dropped more than one phone out of a chest pocket into a stream pong or river. It if makes it through that it is better than the alternative.
The kicker is that water inside is used as evidence that you had a plug out.
Indeed. My experience with the equally waterproof-but-oh-not-actually Galaxy S6 Active:
...
Me: I've had it underwater for a few minutes total, to a depth of a foot at most. It flipped its shit, the screen bugs out and it thinks a Galaxy Gear is plugged into it.
Customer Service Rep: OK. Take the SIM tray out. Is the ring white or red?
Me: Red.
CSR: Well that's proof that water has gotten into the phone, so unfortunately there's nothing we can do for you.
Me: The red ring is proof you've sold me a defective product. You advertise it as able to withstand water under the conditions in which I've used it. Your own commercial has this device getting doused in ketchup, dropped hard, and then dunked into a bowl of milk. Water getting in means it didn't function as advertised.
CSR: You must've used it wrong.
Me: Everything was perfectly secured and I used it in a way supported by the manual and your advertising materials. You even have an "Aqua Mode" explicitly for taking pictures underwater.
CSR:
Me: If you don't make this right, I'm just going to dispute the charge on this defective product.
CSR: Unfortunately there's nothing I can do.
They ended up with their defective phone back and I ended up with my money back. PITA, though.
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I don't want a phone I can use underwater. I want a phone that will be fine if I accidentally drop it in water, get pushed into a swimming pool or get drenched in a rainstorm. As long as the common accidents are survivable, I'll be happy.