Many times when we see patents for a particular product or technology, it’s meant to be something that may or may not happen and can be years down the line. For Sony, this new design is right around the corner. Inside of most handsets, especially the flip and split screens, runs about 22 cables that connect power, control signals, audio, video and other functions of the phone. With this new single wire interface technology, Sony will be replacing all of them with a single cable that is capable of doing speeds of 940Mbps. This means that not only is Sony able to clear the clutter inside of the phone and give their engineers more space for other components or help reduce weight and size, but they will also give the design team a lot more freedom to create. Sony has stated that it plans to “swiftly” use this new creation.
We’ve told you before about the upcoming Sony SXRD 3D Projector with the mind blowing 150,000:1 contrast ratio. With the projector out now, you can expect a $9,999 price tag on this unit. For the home theater enthusiasts, this will be your first real taste of 3D via a projector in the household. Remember, while the price might seem high to those who traditionally only purchase LCDs, this price is normal for those with higher-end systems and projectors. Sony is also doing another first and that is to include all of the custom install materials needed in which they are labeling as part of their “Elevated Standard” brand. Just as a reminder, here are some specs:
1080p
3D Ready (no 3D transmitter bar required)
Two 3D Glasses
240hz
150,000:1 contrast ratio
1,000 ANSI lumens brightness
22db0 fan noise (insanely low)
Sony also took this time to introduce the VPL-VWPRO1 SXRD which is part of their new 2D projector lineup. With a higher brightness than its 3D brother (1,300 ANSI lumens) the new VWPRO1 does carry a lower contract ratio of 85,000:1 and obviously lacks 3D. Look for an early October release with a $3,400 price tag.
During CES we had the wonderful opportunity to float around freely and really lose ourselves in technology heaven. Having been there for the first time both personally and professionally for this site, it was really something that’s hard to describe. Between the sheer amount of new products, old products, lights, music and sounds from different presentations, you would at times need just a few minutes to just refocus on what it is that you were trying to do. In our case, that meant covering Sony and offering you news and information on their current and up coming products. The following are some of the pictures that we captured along the way.
‘Tis a new year in the tech industry and what better way for it to start then a legal showdown between Sony and LG in the court system? Sony Electronics is filing a ITC patent infringement suit against Korean giant LG to block all future shipments of phones coming to the US while also seeking monetary damages in Civil Court. The suit targets LG phones including the Lotus Elite, Neon, Remarq, Rumor 2 and Xenon which Sony claims are infringements on their intellectual property. In particular, Sony is claiming that these devices transmit variable-bandwidth audio streams, live-preview camera snapshots and hands-off cellular calls, something that Sony believes it has the rights to.
“Sony has been keen to protect its patents,” said Yuji Fujimori, a Tokyo-based analyst at Barclays Capital. “U.S. is an important market for Sony as its mobile phone venture with Ericsson is trying to win a bigger share.”
The lawsuit is also said to target LG Blu-ray players as well though no current copy of the ITC complaint is currently available to list specifics.
Here is our un-boxing of the Sony Internet Blu-ray Player (NSZ-GT1) in glorious 720p! Expect a full video review as soon as I finish importing, editing and uploading it.
For anybody who is a regular on this site, you will know that we have problems with Sony and their advertising agency. They seem to have things down finally on the Playstation side but when it comes to their other divisions, between the lack of advertisement and confusing advertisement, Sony stands to lose a lot. Before, you read any further though, I recommend you watch the following ad.
Ok, now that you’ve done that, lets discuss some things. On this site, we reported about the Sony Internet TV and the Sony Internet TV Blu-ray player. I would like to think that this means that I know a few things about that product. But after watching that ad, I’m not interested in the product, nor do I have any idea what that product does and that’s not good. All I know is that it brings Internet and TV together. But then the average person will say, I have a laptop/iPhone/iPad etc. and will move right a long and never care about this new product launch. Sure the concept is cool, people gathering around a giant screen (is the Internet TV coming to movie theaters?) but the ad does nothing to explain to people what it does.
Instead, the entire ads hopes that people will be hooked on the idea that a bunch of people in the middle of NYC are interested on this giant TV and remote and therefor, they will want to know more about it or better yet, are ready to purchase this mythical device. As always, the problem with Sony ads is that they take style over substance. It’s too busy being an artistic and meaningful ad, instead of telling me what it does and why I need. We only need to look at Apple ads. They are simple, show off the product and make it compelling to own one. Too easy? Lets look at Nikon ads where Ashton Kutcher tells us why he loves his Nikon (because it has good zoom and he can draw on the screen etc.) and boom, your like “ok, I get what this product does”. Sony completely missed that boat and this isn’t their first ad to do it. Again, another example is Samsung ads. “Buy our TV, it looks like you are there! The 3D is amazing, it’s thin!”. Simple and to the point. Again, Sony brings me in a lab with Payton Manning and Justin Timberlake (and I’m a big fan of both of them) where they are creating stuff and you should trust Sony because they make other 3D stuff. Ummm, ok?
Here is what the internet TV ad should have been. A camera pointed at the screen, watching TV, It’s showing Community, you bring up the IMDB page and search for it, you find the actor you wanted, you switch to Twitter and post about watching it, you see a post from your friend who is watching the NFL game. You do a quick search, it tells you the channel the game is on you click on it and it takes you to that game. The whole idea is to give you a quick experience and everyday use out of why you need the product. Simple, to the point and the consumer gets what the product is.
I truly believe that Sony makes some of the best products out there yet nobody is ever aware of these products because of Sonys lack of advertisement and when they do, it’s too confusing with what it’s trying to tell you.
Last week, we talked about the Sony Ericsson Xpera X10 coming to Best Buy on October 24th and the possibility of it being an exclusive product over there. We now have confirmation that indeed, Best Buy will be the only store, outside of Sonys on Sony Style stores to carry the Xperia X10. This AT&T only phone will be offered for $99 with a two year contract which is not bad at all, considering all other similar phones retail for around $149 or $199. Sony is also be pre-loading in the Xperia X10 what it called the “The Essential Taylor Swift Experience,” which is meant to promote the new Tayler Swift album that will be released on October 25th by none other than Sony/BMG. Including will be two albums, a new single, ringtone and video content, and access to her new album. And interesting promotion at a very intriguing price.
NEX owners, it’s time to rejoice with this new firmware update from Sony. Currently,those who used the different lenses that are made for the NEX have the capability to use Autofocus or Manual focus. But those who wanted more flexibility and decided to get an A-mount lens from Sony, noticed that the camera could only do manuel focus. Via this new firmware, all A-mount lenses will now give you the capability to use Manual or Autofocus, giving you access to now 14 different lenses for your NEX.
Those who own an old beast from Sony, the A717 will remember this new feature as well, via the firmware, you camera on screen will give you an extra zoomed in picture in the corner, so you can focus on exactly the point you want to focus upon while zooming in. Other tidbits are a more streamlined UI (user interface) as well as manual focus made a little easier. Checkout the previous firmware upgrade as well.
Hit the jump for a press release from Sony, as well as the link for the firmware download.
For those are still wondering about the Sony Internet TV, please read our previous coverage on this and more details about just the Blu-ray Player can be found here. This following is a gallery of the much talked about unit, meant to give you a feel for it from all angles. Hit the jump to take a view.
A lot of websites the last few days have been reporting on the fact that Sony has notified publishers out there that pst November 15th, they will no be able to purchase a developer kit.
SCEE will no longer be selling the PSP Development Tool (DTP-T2000A) or Testing Tool (DTP-H2500A) past November 15th. Please order in advance if you require these development units.
We will advise you when a new model becomes available.
Now many people assumed that this had to due with the fact that there has been many rumors about the inevitable PSP2. While this sounds good and I’m not denying that there is a PSP2 in the works, why would Sony stop all support on the current PSP? Last I checked, there is over 50 million of them out there. Remember for how long the PS2 continued to sell and outsell current generation units? Anyways, the real reason, straight from Sony:
“Due to the certification on the current development and test tools expiring, we will be stopping selling them on the 15th November. However, we will continue to provide loan stock for registered and new developers, until a new certified model is available.”
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 was released yesterday on the PSN and available for $14.99. To say I’ve been excited for this game is an understatement. Sonic 1, 2 and 3 for Sega Genesis were among the first video games I’ve ever played, period. I loved the series and it became the base for my love of video games today. Episode 1 has four main zones; Splash Hill, Casino Street, Lost Labyrinth, and Mad Gear. Each of these has three acts followed by a boss battle, which is the same formula as the previous classic games. Of course Sonic upgraded to 1080p graphics but has the classic side scrolling game play we all know and love.
While playing the game last night, I noticed there have been quite a few changes in the game. You start out playing Act 1 of Splash Hill but after you beat that, you are brought to the main menu where you can choose between all four stages (as shown below). When you click on a stage, a menu pops up, giving you the option to play Act 1, 2, 3 and the boss stage, of course you have to beat the acts within a stage in order. I really like this new feature for the game and having the option to switch between Stages and going back for a higher score or finding a new path to beat the Act. As far as the gameplay, I think this new Sonic is a bit easier to play. They added a locking-on/homing feature to all enemies and item boxes, making it super easy to destroy them. When there is a string of enemies, just press X a few times and Sonic jumps from one to the next in one continuous move. If you touch an enemy, you lose your rings (like in the originals) and you don’t have to take them out using the lock on feature. To stick with the original game play and a little challenge, I only use the locking-on feature when it is really needed.
Various websites are pointing out that the recently-launched Sony A55 and A33 are having sensor overheating issues while recording video. That is to say, if you are recording with Image Stabilization on for a continuous 11 minutes, with temperatures higher than 70F (20C), you will notice the heat from your unit and it will probably shut down on you. This is actually caused by the new translucent mirror technology that Sony is using which has a hard time in high usage. Nikon has the same exact issue, so their solution is to just limit your video shooting to 5 minutes clips. The solution for Sony users? There are a few, actually. First, there is no video recording limit, so feel free to record as long as you feel like it until you actually notice a heat issue, and remember, this is for continuous video recording only. Shooting in few minute bursts is not an issue at all. Second, if you turn off Image Stabilization, your camera can achieve 30 minutes of continuous video recording with no problem.
The Playstation 3 has been a milestone in gaming and home theater. Helping drive Blu-ray and now giving users the option of 3D movies and games, the PS3 is the most powerful game console to date. However, with all of this might behind it, the PS3 needed to compete with everyday gaming systems that didn’t offer HD or came with only DVD players and this meant pricing it at a level that would sell. What Sony considered a low launch price, one of $600, was still higher then what gamers wanted to pay Therefore, with each console sold, Sony was losing hundreds of dollars. Finally, 4 years into the cycle and now with a starting price of $299, depending on who you talk with, Sony is either breaking even or make a few dollars on each console. During the years, as Sony tried to balance its supply and demand and lower its production costs on the PS3, the company’s gaming division would go deeper into the red, losing billions of dollars. With each quarterly loss and movement further into the red, this made it harder for Sony to put money into advertising and other areas that would need funding in order to sell more PS3s and help the company lessen its gap with Microsoft and Sony. Thus, the catch 22 had started.
Finally, 4 years into the cycle, Sony is looking at the PS3 and Playstation Move to make a profit from. When the Sony Worldwide Studios boss, Shuhei Yoshida, went on record about the Playstation Move, he said “We are pricing Move as if we are launching a new platform.” He went on, “So because the install base of Move will help third party studios create games for it, we benefit by helping those third-parties. But we are not losing money with each one we sell.”
This shift in Sony’s capability to launch the Move and make money on it will hopefully be the halo effect that the company needs. With each PS3 and Move unit now sold, Sony can bring in a higher profit level to their game division, thus allowing them to invest more into future R&D and current system features like the recently added native Hulu app for the Playstation 3. But the positives are not only for Sony; they are for the consumer as well. The more Sony can invest in their product and give users more compelling content and bring them under the Playstation umbrella, the more units they can sell. With a higher sales volume, Sony can make a shift in their supply and demand strategy and offer the Playstation 3 at a lower price, thus bringing in even more users in. That is a cycle that Sony is looking to Move towards. I love puns…
For those who want a nice 5.1 surround sound and Blu-ray but arent home theater geeks (like me) who don’t need a separate receiver, amp, speakers and all the other requirements, Sony is introducing the BDV-F7, part of their Sound Bar category. This unit is the big brother of the CECH-ZVS1, their lower end sound bar. Designed around Sony’s new Home Theater Monolithic Design, the BDV-F7 comes in 3 pieces. There is a sound bar that will sit in front or on top of your TV (can be wall mounted) where the simulated 5.1 surround will be broadcasted from. Then, there will be a subwoofer to give your films the depth they need. Finally, there’s the all-in-one Blu-ray disc player that is also the receiver, capable of playing 3D blu-rays, as well as Netflix, YouTube and Pandora, to name a few, via its built in Wi-Fi.
Hit the jump for full specs, additional shots, price and release date.
In its efforts to further unify the brand and help them build and compliment off of each other, Sony is now giving US Vaio owners the capability of Remote Play, a feature we wrote about a long time ago that Japan had received. Some of the capabilities include using your laptop as the bluetooth keyboard and streaming content like music, video and pictures to your PS3. News is still a little sketchy on exactly which Vaio units are gaining this new update, but the EA series seems to be a sure bet. Keep in mind that if you own a Vaio that this wont be under your Windows Update section. You will have to use your Sony Updater or jump on Sonys eSupport section to see if it’s available for your model.
As we conclude our week of Playstation Move coverage, we bring you one last piece. What actually makes the Playstation Move…move? The guys at iFixit took the Move apart and found some rather interesting things. Like many of today’s smartphones, the Move includes a processor, accelerometer, gyroscope, Bluetooth transmitter, vibrating motor, and even a MEMS compass. Another piece that really stands out is the LED light that sits inside the sphere end of the Move, which allows the controller to turn any color of the spectrum, thus letting developers get as creative as they wish with the colors. This is not just a visual feedback for the sake of things, but something that plays into games. For example, during games like Socom 4 and Killzone 3, if your health starts to deplete, your Move controller will begin to flash red and in the upcoming Move game, Sorcery, when you open your green potion, your Move will also turn green. Jump to minute 1:45 to see this awesome interaction or just watch the whole demo.
Hit the jump for some highlights from the iFixit tear down or feel free to follow to jump over and read the article in its entirety.
Part of Sonys new Optiarc lineup, the BDX-S500u is their new external USB Blu-ray burner and player that’s both Mac and PC compatible. This new burner gives you a speed of 6x for single layer BD discs and 4x for duel layer BD discs. This means that you can burn a 25GB BD in about 20 minutes although that can vary depending on your motherboard and the USB chipset. Another wonderful feature of this is 3D playback as well so for anybody who has a 3D TV or monitor, all you need to do is hook up the computer and voila, you can now play back 3D.
As I mentioned, this is both Mac and PC compatible but with a small caveat. For PC owners, all you need to do is install the given software and Windows XP and above (Vista & Windows 7) will gain all the features I talked about. For Mac users, this works with Leopard and Snow Leopard to the extend that you will need to purchase Toast 10 (9 had this feature as well) to actually be able to burn files a blu-ray disc. This is great for those of us who have large iPhoto/iTunes libraries and would like to have a physical copy as well. The sad news is that there is no playback support. To be fair to Sony, this is not their fault, but there is a lack of BD playback in the Max OS. Look for a release by the end of this month with a low $200 price tag (various anywhere from $214 to $240 from different retailers I’ve seen). Consider me sold; my Mac has been needing some nice physical backups and my iPhoto library is around 90GB so DVDs for backups are out of the question.
Hit the jump as always for the full press release.
Just in time for fall, although probably too late for all those back in school, Sony is updating the Vaio F, E and L series. Starting off with the Vaio F, the 16.4-inch laptop is packing in a new NVIDIA GeForce GT 425M graphics card with 1GB of video RAM and duel USB 3.0 ports, targeting the gamers and pro users out there. Next up, the Vaio E series is again getting the color of “Passion Purple” and gaining accessing to the Intel Ci5-580 and Ci5-460M. For those looking for a viasual push, an upgrade option is available for trading up the default 1366 x 768 displays for 1920 x 1080 full HD which will be free till October 9th and a $50 fee after that. Last, the Vaio L Touchscreen all-in-one desktops is gaining access to an upgradable 2TB hard drive, Blu-ray burner and Intel Core 2 Quad processor and of course is touchscreen.
Hit the jump for shots of the Vaio F and E series.
Over the last year, Sony has slowly tickled out new technology prototypes, based around the concept of displaying a high quality image on a flexible screen. So far, we have seen the Sony OLED screen which is has thin as a piece of hair. Now in Japan, during its annual Dealer Convention, Sony has shown another step in this technology. Currently, all eReaders from the Kindle, to the Nook and Sonys own Reader all use a glass or plastic based e-paper. While the quality of them might be great, what isn’t is the flexibility. Thats why we tend to see them all in the same shape and size format. With this new flexible e-paper, Sony could then develop many different versions of eReaders, heck one that you can probably roll and fold up. Of course we have to note that this is still indeed prototype so don’t expect to see an announcement from Sony at this years CES.
Via a software update, Bravia owners with internet capability can gain access to a new widget/app from the BBC, the iPlayer. The iPlayer will the be located in the XMB, along any other app you might have.
“The service will give users the option to watch their favourite television programmes from the last seven days, at a time that suits them from the comfort of their living room,” says Sony.
Sony went on to say:
“We are delighted to be able to offer BRAVIA customers this added entertainment functionality giving users the ability to watch and manage their favourite programmes at the click of a button,” says Christian Brown, senior category marketing manager. “We are really excited to be partnering with the BBC to bring it’s fantastic service to the 2010 BRAVIA television range.”
So there you have it folks, just check your software update section on your Bravias XMB and you will be promopted to download this. Best of all, prior to this, you needed to have a dedicated device plugged in like the PS3 or the Bravia Internet link but this update will be built right in.
This is one of those ads that of course Sony won’t cough up to but it’s part of their viral campaign to promote the Playstation Move. It’s kind of epic.
SonyRumors.net SRN (Sony News, Rumor, Talk and Review) (Playstation, Playstation Network, Playstation Move, PSN, PS3, PSP, PSPgo, PSP2, Blu-ray, Bravia, 3D, Internet TV, Sony Ericsson, Xperia, Vaio Notebooks, Vaio Laptops, Vaio Desktops, eReader, Cybershot, Alpha, NEX, Handycam, Walkman) 
