"α" CLOCK for Mobile is a free Android smartphone application available on Google Play™, which enables users to enjoy high quality "World Heritage" fixed-point photos captured with "α" Interchangeable lens digital cameras. "α" CLOCK for Mobile incorporates Sony’s own "Time-shift UI". Sony deliver the unexpected through the "Time-shift" UI experience.

* Available for Android 2.2 and greater devices with screen resolution of 480 x 854 or 720 x 1280, as well as Walkman Z series. Excludes tablet devices. Contents may not correctly display on devices which do not meet the above conditions and specifications.

* As this application handles large-volume World Heritage images, your smartphone's main memory needs free space of more than 70 MB. Before downloading the program, please check the free space in main memory on the application's management screen. To make the application operate properly after installation, keep free space of more than 70 MB for main memory. Otherwise, the application start, wallpaper setting, and Time shift UI may not operate properly.

■ New "Time-shift UI"

"Time-shift UI" is Sony’s own user interface technology which allows users to enjoy photos captured at different times of the day by vertically sliding the time display.
Associating slide travel distance with time changes has actualized a more intuitive time operation.

■ "α" CLOCK photo contents for an immersive?"Time-shift UI" experience

"α" CLOCK content includes "World Heritage" photos captured through fix point shooting with "α" Interchangeable lens digital cameras, so that users can experience and enjoy "Time-shift UI".

Users can activate Time-shift mode by vertically sliding the time display to marvel at "World Heritage" photos captured at different time of the day. Users can also take in panoramic views by horizontally sliding the photos.

■ More than 40 "World Heritage" photo contents will be available

A photo of ‘Mont Saint-Michel’ in France is preinstalled with this application so users can immediately experience "Time-shift UI". In addition, photos from the following four World Heritage sites are available for download (historical area in Istanbul, Turkey; Mount Huangshan in China; Ha Long Bay in Vietnam; Ogasawara Islands in Japan). New content will be added about every two weeks to offer a total of more than 40 photos, so it features a function with which if a device has external storage, including an SD card slot, you can download wallpapers to the storage and can delete wallpapers individually by pressing and pausing on the specific wallpaper that you want to delete on the World Heritage photo selection screen.

* If a device includes large-volume memory as Android™ specifications, such as Xperia™ S, data may be stored on internal storage even though you have selected storing on external storage.

In addition, to respond to an environment where external storage is automatically connected to a computer while charging, the selected wallpaper is automatically stored on the device's internal storage, enabling you to keep enjoying the application while charging.

■ Automatically Switch Home Screen Wallpaper

By activating the wallpaper switching function in the application setup menu, users can automatically set the displayed content as their wallpaper on their Android™ device. Fixed-point photos of "World Heritage" sites change 12 times throughout the day.

* Time of day when change occurs depends on the contents.

When using this application, the times to switch wallpapers changes between process speeds of devices because it is designed to prioritize other programs operating on the device. We are inventing different ways so that it can be used on as many devices as possible with less inconvenience.

"World Heritage" content can be displayed in high resolution on devices with HD screens such as Xperia™ S which is offered by Sony Mobile Communications. If you have such a device, please try it.

■ Access Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook

Users can check relevant information on Wikipedia™ and more, or post comments on Twitter™ and Facebook™ directly through the option menu in the application. Furthermore, users can unlock special content through the "collection album" feature by posting comments on Twitter™ and Facebook™. Special content includes photos of "World Heritage" sites taken from different angles which can also be set as wallpaper for the home screen, offering users incentives to enrich their "collection album".

* "Time-shift UI" is not applicable for special content.

■ Application available in 12 languages

To let more people around the world enjoy this application, Names of "World Heritage" sites, countries and setup menu are available in Japanese, English, Korean, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch.

The application can be downloaded here.