Sony and PlayStation Coachella 2011 Wrap Up (Videos and Pictures)

During Coachella 2011, attendees were treated to two different presences from Sony, one of which was a PlayStation Loft which housed the brand new Mortal Kombat, SOCOM 4 and Motorstorm Apocalypse, all in 3D. If that wasn’t your thing, you could also play Sport Champions, Killzone 3 and MLB: The Show 2011 with the PlayStation Move. And if that wasn’t enough (surely you are just being picky now), you could listen to  music via Qriocity, stream movies from Netflix and chill with some adorable Sackboys and Sackgirls by playing LittleBigPlanet 2.

Now lets say PlayStation just isn’t your thing, but new technology is. That’s where the Sony Loft comes into play. Smaller than the PlayStation destination, the Sony Loft housed Bravia televisions with Sony’s 3D Handycams, VAIO laptops and touchscreen desktops. But free WiFi and 3D wasn’t the only thing Sony had to offer. Coachella attendees could borrow a Sony Bloggie Touch for the day and return to the loft to upload their videos and pictures to Facebook and other social networking sites.

So why was Sony here with some of the latest technologies? It wasn’t to simply offer the only two air conditioned tents, though that didn’t hurt one bit. The crowd who attends Coachella is the demograph that Sony seeks.  They’re young, hip, iPhone-equipped and social networking aware. For the generation who attended, technology is not just a tool but a way of life that is interwoven into their everyday routine. But they don’t simply equal another sold product. Instead, when we use our products, we are proud of them and show them to others when we attend a party, head to Disneyland or are simply asked what we took our pictures on. We are an advertising machine and will be loyal to a brand. So when we use our tech, it’s not just in our own dark compound but instead at a social event where we share our experience and hopefully, the brand of product that we use. This social experience, if captured properly, can turn into a great advertising method for Sony, something that no commercial can replicate: a referral or recommendation from a friend.

In the end, for the techies, those looking to escape the sun, and anybody lucky enough to check out a Bloggie Touch to share their experience with online, courtesy of Sony, the experience provided by the electronic giant was a pleasant one. With a helpful staff on hand and both lofts and plenty of products on display to play with, Sony provided a rich experience to the attending crowd while displayed their products in a none intrusive and modern way.

After the jump, you will find videos and pictures from our time spent at Coachella. All videos and pictures were taken on the Sony Bloggie Touch.

Why I Love the Sony NEX-5 Commercial

I haven’t been shy on my feelings for Sony and their handling of their advertisements. Although they have done a lot to improve that over the last year, I believe the company still has a long way to go. However, this new ad for the NEX-5 gives me much renewed hope and excitement for what Sony’s advertising can achieve and how it can resonate with the viewers. The idea of the ad is so simple and yet it achieves everything it should. It not only shows off the product for almost the entire time, instead of having people talk vaguely about how Sony products are great, it also shows off the features that differentiate it from the other companies while not being a powerpoint presentation.

I cannot stress enough that Sony has some fantastic and unique products but it does them nothing if the average consumer has no idea they exist. With an ad like this, not only is the product shown, but there is also a reason why you would want it. Also, as we have seen in the States, Sony has plenty of celebrity power. Make the same ad and insert one of the many stars that Sony has, and voila!—people will not forget the product.

Watch Your Backs, Puppies!

I’ve been thinking of replacing my girlfriend’s puppy for some time now since he doesn’t do much except sit around. I think I have the perfect weapon now. Thanks, KB.

Move Week continues here at SRN.

Playstation Move Men Want to Party

What do you guys think? I’d hit it, I mean party with them if they dropped by.

Sony Ericsson Xperia and Bike Have Sex

During the IFA conference last week, in celebration of the launch of the new Xperia X10, Sony had a cool concept bike out. Ever wondered what a bike would look like if Sony Ericsson made one? Well wonder no more! There you have it. You can now finally sleep at night, not having to wonder about the possibility and outcome.

[Pic Via Engadget]

Sony Takes a Shot at Samsung, Tells You Why Their 3D TV is Better

Sony products tend to be more expensive then their counterpart, Samsung and many assume it’s because it’s Sony. Think of it like a Sony tax. However, that usually tends to not be the case and because of actually superior parts and technology that get missed in the blog world and don’t think for a second the 17 year old kid at Best Buy is going to tell you. In this new ad, Sony tells you why you should stick with their 3D TV and it makes great sense.

Sony Tape Deck from 1973 Ad

I would love to see a new take on this ad for the 30th…40th… (I can add?) anniversary of this product.

Sony Blasts Mobile Phone Gaming, Winks at Apple

This new commercial from Sony pretty much says all it needs to say. Sony is no longer just concerned with Nintendo in the handheld gaming market but is very well aware of the fact that Apple has taken a big leap with the App Store and the cheap games it offers. The message here is simple: on the PSP, you can get high quality games starting at $9.99. Sony also offers the Mini games as well which have a starting price of $2, but those are more like the content and sometimes straight ports of games on the App Store. Being a lover of my iPhone, I have to say that although the games on the Apple platform are fun for a few minutes, they are nowhere near the quality of a game designed for the PSP, especially AAA titles like God of War, Final Fantasy and LittleBigPlanet which offer far superior graphics, depth, and storyline. Of course, price plays into all of this as well and I think Sony is on the right track. It needs to further increase the presence of the PSP and let gamers know of the variety of titles it has, including Minis. From there, Sony needs to reach to the small time publishers of the App Store and let them know that the content they create is welcomed on the Playstation platform and then formulate a delivery method so they can actually pass those games to Sony.

Click Me For Video Because I Can't Embed Flash On Here...

Kevin Butlers E3 Speech, Dissected and Analyzed

Ok, not really. It’s slow news week and I’m sitting here importing videos on my PS3 so figured why not, post this video. For the record, the I have a 60″ Sony  in a 2! bedroom place. Yeesh.

Sony’s World Cup Rating: C+

As we finish week 3 of the World Cup, I thought that this would be the opportune moment to look back and see how Sony has done during these matches in regards to its advertising. Although the World Cup is still something strange to many in the US, make no mistake that football soccer is the world largest sport by a huge margin with over 93 million live views and nearly 6 billion views in total. Of course, all of these stats might seem worthless to Sony until you think of the audience they have access to. This also marks a shifting point for Sony. The Playstation 3 has had a year of momentum going for it. Sony and the entertainment industry are on the verge of bringing 3D to homes and it’s now been about 4 years since Blu-ray launched. So how has Sony done during this time? Hit the jump to read our take on it.

First, we have to note that Sony is the official sponsor of the World Cup 2010. That means that most of the time, their ads are on the walls surrounding the soccer fields, as well as on top of the screen next to the score board. Look at the following pictures to get a better sense:

Being an official sponsor of a particular event usually translates to better ad spots during commercial break and it means that the company (Sony) has invested some serious cash to become the official sponsor. We must also note that the World Cup is different than other sports. Its not like basketball or football where there are plenty of commercial interruptions. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. There are commercials before the game, commercials during half time (which is only 15 minutes), and commercials after the game has ended. This means that when you air an ad, it better damn count because you don’t get to show them over and over.

With this, it baffled me that during week one, Sony was showing its Taylor Sift Cybershot TX7 ads. It seems like there are higher profile products that Sony needs to be showcasing than its Cybershots; maybe the Playstation or its eReader as the battle with the iPad, Kindle and Nook rages on. For whatever reason, the Cybershot was it. It’s not even an Alpha camera to say, “hey, it’s great for sporting events.” Over all, it’s not what I expected, but it’s not to say that the Taylor Swift ads are bad. In fact, Nikon airs commercials with Ashton Kutcher all the time and one thing I like about the Taylor Swift ads is that they shows off a feature of a camera that is unique and can draw people in, not just her taking pictures. However, for such a high profile event, I expected more.

Towards the end of week two and well into week three, the Taylor Swift ads are gone, replaced by Sony’s new 3D TV ads. This time, it’s staring Payton Manning and Justin Timberlake. As stars, I’m a big fan of both but I’m not sure their presence really adds much to the ad. See below:

Really, that could have been anybody walking in and being “blown away” by 3D and not being able to view things the same. So was the price paid for those actors worth it? Or better yet, were they used appropriately? Probably not. Something more compelling would be showing Payton in a football game and saying instead of being on the sidelines, you can experience what he is experiencing or be in his shoes while sitting in the comfort of  your home, because thats how real 3D is. Use the same concept for Justin, instead of being at a concert or because you missed a concert, you can experience the same in 3D at home. Something along those lines. However, the one thing I did like from the ad is that it tells viewers that Sony is the only company creating 3D movies, games and now the equipment, but I’m not sure the average viewer cares. Instead, they need be told why 3D is different and how it can change their TV viewing and gaming experience.

To wrap things up, the reason I gave Sony a C+  is that they automatically get a D for just airing some commercials. It’s better than nothing and it is nice to see some presence from this company on air. What then bumps them up from their D to a C+ is the fact that the Taylor Swift ads do give a reason to get the TX7 Cybershot by displaying a reason that the panorama feature can be useful to the owner. Plus, at least Sony is telling the world that they now have 3D televisions as well. Having said that, the ads weren’t enough (I saw more AT&T commercials than Sony) and I feel like the ads could have compelled you more for the particular product being advertised.

New Sony 3D Commercial

What do you guys think? New 3D commercial from Sony. The idea is a 2D set versus the new 3D set.

Playstation 4 Teaser Trailer

I already know what this is so let’s have some fun with it. What do you guys think?

Sony Pictures iPad App

Hey, did you know I can write short reviews? Yikes. I couldn’t get term papers out like that when I wanted to. So, I just received my iPad 3G in the mail today, and while I was browsing the App Store, I found that Sony Pictures has an iPad app. It’s a very simple and clean app. You see a reel of posters from upcoming Sony movies (Columbia Pictures) and you click on them and it plays it in the top right. You can also go full screen if you would like. On the top left, there is info about the movie and you can Tweet, Facebook or email that page to other people. My only recommendation is an update that would make the app a little smoother. When you scroll through it, it tends to be a tad slow. Also another annoying thing is that any poster you do scroll on, it auto starts the trailer, which might even be fine if there was a 10 second pause. However, when you’re scrolling around and every time you land on something, it wants to play itself, it can also be a tad annoying; but I’m nitpicking now. Other than that, I like the app.

[Via iTunes]

Sony Shows Its Heart (pt2)

Even more hearts to go around from the people of Sony. Check out this second add from them. For Europe of course only.

Sony Shows Its Heart

For fans of Football (soccer), Sony has a new add just for you. For fans of the human heart, Sony also has something for you. And for us tech junkies, Sony wanted us to know that it took parts from its Bravias, Walkmen and VAIO to create this.