Sony Mobile currently offers a new available feature for the Sony Xperia ZR smartphone called Touch Block. The XperiaBlog Web site reveals the Touch Block feature will put a stop to accidental touches on the Sony Xperia ZR screen display most especially in wet state, but users can still answer incoming phone calls even when the feature is active.

Photo credit: Tumblr/ruthbergr73

The Sony Xperia ZR Touch Block feature is currently in beta mode with its latest version number identified as 0.1.A.1.0. Additionally, there is an available Small App for the Touch Block that can facilitate the smartphone feature in just a moment.


Photo credit: XperiaBlog

Sony will most likely make the new feature available as well in other water-resistant handsets like the Sony Xperia ZL or Sony Xperia SP. However, the Japanese company has not yet released any statement to confirm the feature's availability on the mentioned devices.

The Sony Xperia ZR has a close resemblance to the Sony Xperia Z and ZL smartphones with its round lock button at the side and the volume controller as well as the camera button just below. The Xperia ZR has a 4.6-inch capacitive screen display with 1280x720p resolution, powered with the Mobile Bravia Engine 2, 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS.

Other features include the 13MP auto-focus rear-facing camera with 16x digital zoom, 8GB internal storage capacity that can be expanded up to 32GB through the microSD card slot, 3G, NFC, GPS and Bluetooth 4.0 support.

The Sony Xperia ZR appears to be a more affordable smartphone compared to the Sony Xperia Z. Price estimation on the Xperia ZR is approximately £350 (US$527) while the Xperia Z currently has a price of over £400 (US$602).

With regard to the release date, there is no official announcement yet for the U.K. or the U.S. However, The Netherlands is reportedly set to release the Sony Xperia ZR this July.

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