Christopher

The Sony Ericsson Satio, announced last May, is can now be purchased at SonyStyle USA for $650. If you don’t remember, the Satio is a S60 5th edition Symbian OS cell phone with 12.1 megapixel camera (and xenon flash), and has full 3G and Wi-Fi support. The touchscreen on the phone is a 3.5 inch, 16:9 display that has 16.9 million colors, which is nothing short of wonderful. We also loved how the phone comes with a 8GB MicroSD card, and has thoughtful features such as FM radio, GPS, A2DP stereo Bluetooth, and a Webkit browser. The Satio has been moderately successful since its debut and is available on several carriers around the world on a subsidized plan for quite a while now. Sadly, this is yet another highly advanced handset from SE that is arriving in the USA far after it was announced, and at a heavy price as its unlocked. It’s pretty crazy how the XPERIA X1, XPERIA X2, Aino and now the Satio have all sold here in the US without being available in a low cost, packaged plan from a major wireless carrier. The Satio faired pretty well in our “Sony Ericsson ?Satio? vs. Apple ?iPhone 3G S? Specs Comparison” post. View the full article

It is said that timeless philosophy sparks innovation. Home entertainment products have been welcome presence in our living room for years, and that’s why they must embody something essential and not look outdated as new trends emerge. Enduring qualities help these products blend in well and constantly satisfy us. But designers must also capture something new, something that makes us want to update our living room, and even our entertainment habits themselves. Sony’s quest to save the world from aesthetically boring products created by competitors has resulted in a new vision called Monolithic Design. In this interview courtesy of Sony Design, we learn from the members of Sony’s Creative Center about the meaning of this concept. Matsuoka: From the beginning, Sony has stood for doing the unprecedented and staying one step ahead. These principles motivate us to strive for originality, inspire new consumer lifestyles, show the beauty of functionality, and emphasize usability—our design philosophy. All of this is fundamental to our work as designers, and they remain constant goals of ours. Before designing home entertainment products for 2010, I wanted us to rethink design and take a fresh look at these elements of our philosophy. Our goal was design surpassing traditional trends and techniques, and design that can shape consumer values and lifestyles. In other words, design that can realign people’s values. With this in mind, we set to work. In creative work, we draw on our own experiences and sensibilities to express ourselves. But groundbreaking inspiration rarely strikes if we face the same routine every day. That’s why our first step was to send some designers to other locations around the world to collect ideas for exploration. I knew that their inspirations, aesthetic discoveries, and exciting experiences there would expand their creative repertoire and prove indispensable in design development. As soon as they returned, we discussed product qualities they felt people should appreciate. What design themes should be reflected in new Sony home entertainment products? We discussed many potential directions to take, many ideas for textures, colors, and so on. Yuki’s proposal in particular struck a chord with me—the concept of a single panel. In its purest form, a panel or monolith has no extraneous elements at all. It’s primitive and directly conveys its inherent nature. For this reason, upright panels look attractive and powerful. As timeless, fundamental forms, panels don’t bend to fashion, so to speak. They can stimulate people, enticing us to update our d

It is said that timeless philosophy sparks innovation. Home entertainment products have been welcome presence in our living room for years, and that’s why they must embody something essential and not look outdated as new trends emerge. Enduring qualities help these products blend in well and constantly satisfy us. But designers must also capture something new, something that makes us want to update our living room, and even our entertainment habits themselves. Sony’s quest to save the world from aesthetically boring products created by competitors has resulted in a new vision called Monolithic Design. In this interview courtesy of Sony Design, we learn from the members of Sony’s Creative Center about the meaning of this concept. Matsuoka: From the beginning, Sony has stood for doing the unprecedented and staying one step ahead. These principles motivate us to strive for originality, inspire new consumer lifestyles, show the beauty of functionality, and emphasize usability—our design philosophy. All of this is fundamental to our work as designers, and they remain constant goals of ours. Before designing home entertainment products for 2010, I wanted us to rethink design and take a fresh look at these elements of our philosophy. Our goal was design surpassing traditional trends and techniques, and design that can shape consumer values and lifestyles. In other words, design that can realign people’s values. With this in mind, we set to work. In creative work, we draw on our own experiences and sensibilities to express ourselves. But groundbreaking inspiration rarely strikes if we face the same routine every day. That’s why our first step was to send some designers to other locations around the world to collect ideas for exploration. I knew that their inspirations, aesthetic discoveries, and exciting experiences there would expand their creative repertoire and prove indispensable in design development. As soon as they returned, we discussed product qualities they felt people should appreciate. What design themes should be reflected in new Sony home entertainment products? We discussed many potential directions to take, many ideas for textures, colors, and so on. Yuki’s proposal in particular struck a chord with me—the concept of a single panel. In its purest form, a panel or monolith has no extraneous elements at all. It’s primitive and directly conveys its inherent nature. For this reason, upright panels look attractive and powerful. As timeless, fundamental forms, panels don’t bend to fashion, so to speak. They can stimulate people, enticing us to update our d

Sony Ericsson recently announced that William ‘Bill’ A Glaser, Jr, former Sony Corporation Vice President and Head of Sony Group Risk Office, has joined Sony Ericsson and is appointed Chief Financial Officer effective today. In his new role Bill Glaser will succeed Ulf Lilja, who will return to Ericsson on 31 July. Bill Glaser will report to Sony Ericsson President Bert Nordberg, and he will be based at the company’s global corporate offices in London as well as its offices in Lund, Sweden. Bill Glaser has over twenty years of experience working in Sony’s diverse electronics, game and entertainment businesses in the US, UK and Japan. In the last ten years he has held senior positions at Sony in Japan and in the US. As Vice President and Head of the Sony Group Risk Office for Sony Corporation since 2006, Bill Glaser was responsible for developing and introducing Sony’s global enterprise risk management programme. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller for Sony Electronics, Sony’s US subsidiary responsible for electronics and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. He began his career at Price Waterhouse in the US, where he became a Certified Public Accountant. Bert Nordberg, President, Sony Ericsson, said, “Ulf Lilja joined Sony Ericsson as Chief Financial Officer in 2005 and has witnessed many changes to both the industry and our company over the five years. I wish to thank Ulf for his longstanding contribution to Sony Ericsson and wish him well in the future.” He added, “Bill Glaser joins Sony Ericsson at an important time in our industry. The convergence of technologies across home and mobile devices, coupled with the increasing importance of understanding consumer insight, is something that he has already experienced across Sony’s diverse businesses. We look forward to welcoming him to Sony Ericsson.” Commenting on today’s announcement, Bill Glaser said, “I am very pleased to be joining Sony Ericsson during these very exciting times for both the mobile handset industry and the company itself. Over the past few months Sony Ericsson has announced one of its strongest product portfolios ever, which has created buzz in the industry. I look forward to applying the experience I have gained at Sony and contributing to Sony Ericsson’s next phase of growth.” A native of the US, Bill Glaser has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business and Economics and a Masters of Science Degree in Management Sciences from Lehigh University, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In addition to postings in the US, UK and Japan, he has lived in Brazil and Belgium. Bill Glaser is 47 years old. View the full article

The Sony DSC-TX7 could possibly be one of the greatest point and shoot ultra slim cameras ever created. It truly is a pinnacle of Sony’s commitment to quality in its twenty five years of making Cyber-shot cameras. At $399, it also surprisingly faces stiff competition in the ultra slim category from giants such as Samsung, Canon, Nikon, and others. What Sony brings to the table with the TX7 makes it a real player in comparison to anything else out there. Lets go over some of the basic features before we start our review – the TX7 has a 3.5″ touch screen, “Exmor R” sensor, iSweep Panorama Mode, 10fps at full 10.2 megapixels, Anti-Motion Blur / Hand-held Twilight, AVCHD Movie mode, Optical SteadyShot, and 4x optical zoom. And while that list may seem exhausting, that’s not even everything available on the TX7 – it’s merely the beginning. " />" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"> When you first hold the TX7 you can most certainly sense that this isn’t some flimsy camera. It’s very well-built, and is very slim. The design of the camera is nearly unmatched in this category; only what I’ve seen from Nikon’s Coolpix line of cameras could even come close. It is available in three colors, ranging from Red, Silver, and Dark Blue. Turning on this T series Cyber-shot is as easy as its predecessors – you simply slide down the lens cover and away you go. The TX7 turns on very quickly, in a mere matter of seconds. SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC Unlike traditional auto mode, the included Intelligent Auto (iAuto) mode thinks for you, recognizing scenes, lighting conditions, and faces, and adjusts settings resulting in clearer images, faces with more natural skin tone, and less blur. This is achieved by incorporating advanced features such as Intelligent Scene Recognition, Face Detection technology, and Optical SteadyShot image stabilization. Whether you’re shooting landscapes, capturing a beautiful flower, or taking pictures at an in-door birthday party or wedding shower, iAuto mode will optimize your camera’s settings to help ensure you come away with a great shot. On top of iAuto, the TX7 also has Intelligent Scene Recognition (iSCN) Mode, which automatically detects nine different types of scenes and, within just 1/30th of a second, selects the appropriate camera settings: Backlight, Backlight Portrait, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Twilight using a tripod, Portrait, Landscape, Macro, and Close Focus. iSCN has two modes: Auto and Advanced. In Auto Mode, the camera takes a single shot using the optimal settings. In Advanced Mode, the camera takes a photo with the optimal settings and, if in difficult lighting (low light or back light) immediately takes a second photo with another optimized setting so you can choose which to keep. The DSC-TX7 features 12 convenient scene modes: High Sensitivity / Twilight / Twilight Portrait / Portrait / Landscape / Beach / Snow / Fireworks / High Speed Shutter / Underwater / Gourmet / Pet. They also upgraded the popular Sweep Panorama mode this year to Intelligent Sweep Panorama Mode, which now shoots 258 degrees. Press shutter and sweep and the camera does the rest, continuously, shooting images and in one second stitching them together. In the picture above, captured with the TX7, you can see the technology is almost bulletproof. This model even detects faces and moving subjects to stitch intelligently different widths to help avoid subject distortion. However, in our further tests, we found that it couldn’t fix everything, as there was some object distortion in some of the products captured with our panoramic shot below within SonyStyle at Atlanta, GA. A feature I’m hesitant to really gush on but felt the need to include was the expansion of some creative painting tools, which allows you to decorate photos with words, drawings, etc. This feature was truly popularized in the minds of some US consumers by Nikon’s commercials with Ashton Kutcher. Aside from a paint pen (your finger is the brush), there are more than 30 stamps and 15 types of picture frames you can color your picture with, but unfortunately it will downgrade the image quality to a maximum of five megapixels. Lastly, the movie mode is very appealing – you can record movies in 1080i AVCHD at 60i (MTS files), or 720p MP4 movie mode where the camera shoots 1280 x 720 high definition movies at 30 fps. Just be warned however, those AVCHD MTS files are quite a burden on non dual core machines and you will fare much better with a newer generation computer. Movie recording is somewhat limited (29min segments for MP4 up to 12Mbps 1440×1080/30p) (and) (10 minute segments for AVCHD up to 16mbps 1920×1080/60i.) Pretty amazing it can do that type of AVCHD in a ultra slim point and shoot – its almost similar in specifications to their Handycam camcorders from two or three years ago. You can check out a AVCHD 17M FH / 1,920

The name may not sound familiar, but it’s legendary none the same. Mathieu Hervais or Math has been around the gaming scene for quite sometime and worked closely with Dark_Alex of PSP fame and more recently with GeoHot. In a recent interview with MaxConsole via Threedog, he sheds light on quite a few things. Initially it focused just on the PSP, the state of the scene, and how all the original members are no longer working in that arena. Later however, it branched off into a discussion of the state of affairs with the PS3, with some extremely interesting details being brought to light. Below is a direct copy of the interview portion pertaining to the PS3 and it’s worth a careful read. The link is included, but as some avatars may be NSFW (not safe for work),the full interview is below: 1: Members have seen you interacting with Geohot, Do you have any personal interest in the PS3 and if so can you tell us anything about your plans? Are you working with Geohot? I’ve interacted with a lot of individuals in the past; Geohot is one of them, though one of the most interesting I encountered so far. Although he tends to work alone, we have been exchanging ideas, I helped him with a couple of things, he helped me with a couple of others and so on. He is someone that’s really skilled and I appreciate exchanging thoughts with people like that. 2: It has taken quite some time to find a way into the PS3, What do you think of Sonys achievements in security? Anything else you want to say about the PS3? The playstation 3 security was more the work of IBM than sony’s the idea of using isolated spus as crypto engines in order to hide keys was brilliant, I do not think sony implemented such an idea properly though, as such their current architecture has a few security design flaws on its own that I noticed. I believe it has pretty much been security through obfuscation all along. 3: What do you think of Sonys removal of Other OS as a preventative measure, Do you feel it is right to blame ‘hackers’ or ‘pirates’ for its removal? I believe sony wanted a pretext to remove otheros and found one in Geohot’s hack. I do not believe this is the right approach, it would have paid off to talk with hackers and homebrew developers in the first place and give them compromises, in fact the playstation 3 remained unhacked until sony chose to release ps3 slim systems without the otheros feature in. 4: Assuming you choose to answer the above, Do you have a counter argument for Sonys statements? and do you think Sony could have fixed this without removing the feature? Yes of course they could have, there are several existing ways to close this exploit effectively without removing the otheros feature, they wanted it removed and used it as another pretext to do so, pretty much like the phony one they used for the slim console pretexting that they would have to implement support for it on the new hardware (while it actually would have worked just fine on it, should they had enabled option to do it in the first place). The otheros feature did cause a few security concerns regarding the fact that you could pretty much cold boot the console and use otheros to dump lv2, this could easily be fixed by ensuring that the selected os option is only applied upon proper shutdown though. 5: How far along is development with the PS3? How much control do we really have? How much work is left for a system that is as ‘open’ as the PSP currently is? If you were to compare the PS3’s current development status to another device such as the PSP which stage would you compare it to? We already have a lot, and that’s in a sense the problem because we have too much to work with, too much to reverse… These things take time. A huge amount of work is required before we get to a level comparable to the one we have with the psp right now. I would say months at least, if not years of work may still be required. 6: Are you personally working on the PS3 and if so can you tell us what you are up to? Can you tell us of any personal objectives? I am working on the ps3, so are countless of other skilled developers out there, as for my objective, that would be unrestricted homebrews on the device, either on top of lv2 or by the mean of a RTOS. 7: Member Milkyjoe asks, Why doesn’t Mathieulh release his lvl 1,2 and 3 dumps of the PS3 firmware. Because that’s copyrighted data (there is no such thing as lv3 by the way) and I am certainly not putting that in the wild. The people that have a need for these either already have those dumps or the capacities to dump them. There is a certain site (which I wont name) that has been literally whining to various developers (including me) so that we “share” (read leak) the dumps in our possession. They claimed they would do wonders so long as they had the dumps in the first place. When someone finally dumped lv1 and released it in the wild, what did this site ever did with the dump ? Nothing. This is what happens when all the “devs” you have can’t use ida or reverse engineer and that the only thing they could ever do is look at strings with an hex editor. On that note I will leave you to think about this. 8: Member Breakdown has asked multiple questions. 1. Now that you have dumps of the HV etc.. is there any reverse engineering going on and Is it possible to execute homebrew code on a retail machine if so are there any plans to give the public that ability? Yes there are a few people reversing these dumps as we speak, things take time, when there is any development, you shall be kept posted. 2. If developers are capable of creating custom PUP’s would it be possible to patch future official firmwares to retain the Other OS feature for members that have already updated to 3.21? No, because of the coreos revocation checks (among other things) this is for now not a possibility. 9: Will the Other OS/Playstation 3 hardware still be open to the same attacks when Geohot releases his planned method of upgrade? Yes it will. 10: Do you have a rough ETA for when end-users will have something to play with for example homebrew such as a Quake 1 port? No idea. You can already play Quake 1 on otheros using linux I believe. View the full article

Sony is set to release a firmware upgrade this June that will enable 3D capabilities on the PS3. According to Techradar, this will include 3D game support for titles on the PSN only, and not for Blu-ray movies. A second firmware update later this year is set to add support for 3D movies. Customers who purchase Sony’s HX803 will have access, free of charge to 4 remastered PSN Titles: Wipeout HD Motorstorm Pacific Rift PAIN Stardust HD So while the PS3 continues to live up to it’s promise of being future proof, it looks like the future is going to be delayed just slightly for movies. Honestly, as long as it’s half as good as The Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future interactive game, I will be a happy man. View the full article

The Other Guys is an upcoming action-comedy film directed and co-written by Adam McKay and distributed by Sony’s Columbia Pictures. The film stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, and co-stars Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Anne Heche and Derek Jeter. The film is expected to be released August 6, 2010. Set in New York City, The Other Guys follows Detective Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell), a forensic accountant who’s more interested in paperwork than hitting the streets, and Detective Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), a tough guy who has been stuck with Allen as his partner ever since an unfortunate run—in with Derek Jeter. Allen and Terry idolize the city’s top cops, Danson and Highsmith (Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson), but when an opportunity arises for the Other Guys to step up, things don’t quite go as planned. " />" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"> Related Posts:Sony Ericsson To Reveal Android XPERIA Phone On November 3rdThe Hottest Sony Playstation 3 Games Of E3 2009Sony At CEDIA 2009 Round UpPhone Arena Shows Off Sony Ericsson’s SatioCloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs #1 During Weekend Theater Sales With $30M Draw View the full article

Today we have been getting reports from the Internet universe that a new division within VAIO will be taking place and Sony calls it “division two” which pretty much means that third party brands will be cranking out VAIO notebooks. Supposedly this move will allow VAIO notebooks become less expensive. Sony will still be designing and making VAIOs in its Japanese and Chinese factories. In an exclusive interview with PC Pro, the deputy president of Sony VAIO’s Business Group announced a two-tier strategy for the company’s laptop division, with “division one” for the VAIO laptops designed and built by Sony, and a “division two” for VAIO models built by its partners. I have checked out a number of comments and a lot of them were not happy with Sony’s move and a concern for quality and design would be at risk. We are pretty much used to Sony’s awesome design in its VAIO line and Akahane insisted the new products would be of the same quality as existing VAIOs. “The quality criteria itself is no different between division number one and division number two.” Instead the difference will be in the technology. “We will include new technology [such as the latest processors] in division number one first, and then we can learn and we can get the know-how, then we can transfer [the technology] to the products coming from division two.” I am not too happy about this move either and do not support this idea, but we shall see what the market does and how consumers react after all. Related Posts:VAIO NewsSony Australia Improves Consumer Marketing TeamVAIO CommunityVAIO Z Series UnearthedVAIO Summer Parade View the full article

It’s been interesting to watch a fun ride of PlayStation 2 since its conception and it has been a fun one! For Sony it has been one of the best selling products and with its price adjustments as years passed by, it became a very affordable console. However, we have been getting a vibe that pretty soon PlayStation 2 may be disappearing from the shelves of the stores. If you shop around for it now you may notice a slight price adjustment which comes to $99.97 which for pretty much means stores will not be ordering anymore from Sony. It may very well signal the end of the beloved PS2. To stay on the news of the PlayStation world, here is another interesting insider piece of information for you. Remember Sony mentioned that there would be a shortage of PlayStation 3 this time around? Apparently the reason for this is due to the limited availability of Blu-ray drives for the past few months. Hopefully the supply of those parts is being taken care of and PlayStation 3 units will be populating store shelves as usual. Related Posts:PS3 Sales up 300%Sony Rolly is Discontinued?Sony Cuts Price of PlayStation 3 by 20%80GB Playstation 3 Gets $100 Price CutPlayStation Sub-controller Officially Titled “Navigation” View the full article

The simple Sony Ericsson Spiro is aimed at someone who wants a simple phone with above average features. It’s a slider cell phone with a 2.2 inch screen (240×320, 262k colors), 2 megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom and video recording. Fancy colors such as Contrast Black, Sunset Pink, Spring Green and Stealth Black will be available. Other notable additions include FM radio, Stereo Bluetooth, TrackID, PlayNow, Facebook, and Twitter integration. MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAc+ audio formats are supported. I can’t imagine this phone being very excuse at launch and will most likely land on AT&T eventually later this year. The Spiro uses a MicroUSB connector and it can double as a mass storage device. You’ll also enjoy the 3.5mm headphone jack which enables you to use just about any headphone or earphone. The Spiro is compatible with MicroSD. " />" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"> Related Posts:Sony Ericsson To Reveal Android XPERIA Phone On November 3rdPhone Arena Shows Off Sony Ericsson’s SatioSony Ericsson Reveals Vivaz Cell Phone With 720P HD Video RecordingSony Ericsson’s Zylo Walkman Phone Plays FLAC And Tricks Your FriendsSony At CEDIA 2009 Round Up View the full article

Sony Ericsson has refreshed its compact Walkman phone line with two new models, and within this post I will be covering the Zylo. This is a basic slider cell phone but has some interesting tricks up its sleeve that make it quite dapper. It’s quite amusing, actually. Sony Ericsson has once again chosen psychadelic color names for this piece of kit, including Jazz Black, Chacha Silver and Swing Pink colors. The Zylo truly is odd. It does have an average 2.6 inch screen (240×320, 262k colors, scratch resistant). However, as I continue on with stating that it has a 3.2 megapixel camera, 2x digital zoom, geo tagging, video recording for the camera, you probably start to wander off. However, simply remember that this is pretty excellent

Hey all Sony followers, fans and just those who enjoy Sony quality and design. Sony is offering a very interesting and exciting opportunity to become a Sony blogger at SonyStyle and snatch a couple of amazing prizes (like Sony’s XPERIA X10, woot!?) as well as travel to South Africa to attend the FIFA 2010 World Cup ™ soccer games. Sounds like a fun opportunity for you? Here is what you need to do: You’ll want to tell us in 200 words or less why you should be the Sony Style X10 Blogger (deadline to apply is 11:59 PT on May 7, 2010) Ten (10) finalists will be selected to receive a Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10 phone, PSPgo and FIFA Soccer 10 game Beginning May 17, 2010 the ten (10) finalists will then duke it out by blogging for a week on topics such as Sony/Sony Ericsson, soccer and travel to South Africa Not too bad, huh? Thanks Gina at SonyStyle for an amazing opportunity. Way to jump start a new beginning in a new Sony blog. Check out more details here and don’t miss the opportunity. Read the fine print as well as it is only open for the US residents. Related Posts:Aino Debuts To US Market On SonyStyle At $600 UnlockedSony Ericsson Launches Extra Man Campaign For 2010 FIFA World CupSE becomes Official Mobile Handset of 2010 FIFA World CupSony’s Random $5,399 Dream Setup At CEDIA Expo 2009PSPgo Arriving Early at SonyStyle Stores View the full article

The HDR-CX550V Handycam camcorder announced back at CES 2010 is outfitted with a professional-quality wide angle Sony G Lens and an “Exmor R” CMOS image sensor for superior low-light performance. Sony has realized many enthusiasts are using these camcorders in the field, and are set to offer a cool bundle called the HXR-MC50J this July that give it greater flexibility for aspiring filmmakers. Items in this add-on kit include a lens hood, external microphone, and a NP-FV70 high capacity battery. Other key specifications of the hardware itself include 1080i HD video recording, 12-megapixel images, 64GB embedded Flash memory, 10X optical zoom, Optical SteadyShot, and built-in GPS receiver. There’s also an incredible 3.5 inch LCD screen that is capable of 921k colors. Not too shabby. Picture courtesy of AV Watch. Related Posts:Sony Refreshes Flash Memory Handycam Family Of HD Camcorders With 24Mbps AVCHDSony Refreshes HDD Handycam Family Of HD Camcorders With 24Mbps AVCHDNAB: Sony To Offer Professional 3D Monitors This FallSony’s Random $5,399 Dream Setup At CEDIA Expo 2009SonyStyle Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month View the full article

Recently I had the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 in my possession for about three weeks. The phone is truly outstanding as SE’s first Android device, and has some features that really shine in comparison to the competition. The design is also just so stunning, and reminds me of the Monolithic Design concept we’ve seen with Sony’s other products. However, after using the phone daily, it became obvious that there was a big problem – the battery life. The battery was draining way too quickly, even in standby mode. I tried some application management programs, and so forth, but it still seemed less than what I’d hoped for. After reading the topic “X10 Power Usage” (16 pages and counting) at XDA Developer forums I quickly realized I wasn’t alone. The discussion within is very interesting and many culprits are identified, such as the obvious like Wi-Fi, but other oddities such as the pre-installed Moxier loading by itself. I’d noticed that too on my test version of the XPERIA X10. There was also the matter of Data Sync within the Settings – it seems that having it update often for things such as Mail (or GMail) is making a big impact; try turning it off from Auto update. Try changing the Update frequency (Settings > Online Service Accounts > {ServiceName} > Update Automatically) of all services to Every Hour. And of course, Android programs like JuiceDefender, JuicePlotter, and Advanced Task Manager help out greatly. I also read this helpful comment: Using an application that stops several services on startup. I use startup auditor and disable moxier services, Timescape, face recognition…etc. Using an application that disables the APN while the screen is off and therefore sincyng in the meanwhile. There are lots of such applications, data on demand works for me and is free. Cycling the battery a few times from discharge to full charge. This has made truly a difference. Using 2G most of the time rather than 3G. (I don’t have to do much, at work I’m in a dark spot with 2G coverage only). All these measures combined, give me more than 20-30 hours of operation while at the beggining I could hadly get 8. We also hear from twitter user RMMaurice that TaskPanel is a better alternative to Startup Auditor. There was hope that the latest firmware version, R1FA016, that has slipped out to some around the world and pre-installed for others, would fix this, but it merely improves keyboard accuracy and other issues that were present. I found changing the keyboard style to the Android one was also helpful. Please leave your tips in the comments. Related Posts:Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Battery Life RevealedSony Ericsson XPERIA X5 ConceptVodafone UK/Germany Customers Can Now Pre-Order Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10Sony Ericsson Releases Great Software Update For XPERIA X2 SmartphoneSony Ericsson ?XPERIA X10? vs. Apple ?iPhone 3G S? Specs Comparison View the full article

Well after a recent FCC filing and then confirmation from Sony themselves, the sub-controller as it has been known so far was given a new name: Navigation Controller. Hopefully as E3 is right around the corner, Sony has a few tricks up their sleeve to showcase some new tech alongside the PlayStation Move ensemble.

The expanding family of Sony’s XDCAM EX video products now includes two shoulder-mount camcorders that deliver new levels of creativity and flexibility for solid-state digital production. The previously announced Sony PMW-350 2/3-inch CMOS memory camcorder is now available in a

Sony is unveiling the newest addition to its CineAlta line of high-end acquisition systems: the SRW-9000PL camcorder. The new model expands the capabilities of Sony’s previously announced SRW-9000, adding a 35mm imager and PL mount to increase its flexibility and offer shooters more image creation options. “Demand for digital shooting with a 35mm size sensor is rising for both motion picture and prime-time TV drama productions, two areas where our F35 has had great success,” said Chris Marchitelli, senior manager of CineAlta and Production Systems at Sony Electronics. “This new model’s S35mm one-chip CCD sensor and PL lens mount are similar to the F35, so it combines the SR portability of the 9000 with the high-end optics of the F35, giving DPs an incredibly powerful and versatile tool for creating any ‘look’ they need.” The SRW-9000PL offers full RGB image capturing (without color sub-sampling), ultra-wide dynamic range (over 12 T-stops), variable speed (SR Motion) with speed ramp capability, S-Log and HyperGamma capability. The camcorder is capable of 4:2:2 10-bit recording at 1080/23.98PsF, 24PsF, 25PsF, 29.97PsF, and 1080/50i, 59.94i. It can also record 4:2:2 1080/50P as standard configuration. The range of option boards developed for the SRW-9000 (2/3-inch version) can also be used with the SRW-9000PL (S35mm version) for additional performance and functionality. The HKSR-9001 HD-SDI expansion board adds dual-link HD-SDI outputs and an extra AUX input port, which works as an HD-SDI audio input for providing connectivity to an external audio multiplexing device. This allows users to multiplex up to 12 channels of audio to the HD-SDI input. The latest firmware version of the HKSR-9001 also provides 3G HD-SDI output capability. The HKSR-9002 picture cache board enables the camcorder to capture and record images with variable speed (SR Motion capability) from 1 to 50 fps. With this board, the camcorder can continuously record up to three seconds of images while the camcorder is in stand-by mode. When the record button is pushed, the stored images are recorded to HDCAM SR tape and the camcorder can continue recording in real time. With the HKSR-9003 RGB 4:4:4 processing board, the camcorder offers full-bandwidth digital 4:4:4 high-definition RGB recording and output capability. The option also offers S-LOG Gamma, essentially a “digital negative,” allowing users to tailor their images during post-production in the same way they would in a film-based work flow. Both the SRW-9000 and the SRW-9000PL will be available with an upgrade path to Sony’s next-generation high-speed memory recording system. In addition, Sony will also offer a 35mm upgrade kit (HKSR-90PL) for the SRW-9000 2/3 inch imaging system. The SRW-9000PL camcorder and the HKSR-90PL are planned to be available in the fall, with suggested list pricing of approximately $125,000 and approximately $60,000 respectively. (press release, pdf) Related Posts:Sony Offers Two XDCAM Camcorders With DVCAM Recording, 32GB SxS-1 Memory CardSony Expands HD Video Production OptionsNAB: Sony Updates HD Production SwitchersSony Refreshes HDD Handycam Family Of HD Camcorders With 24Mbps AVCHDNew HDR-CX12 Memory Stick Handycam With Smile-Shutter Technology View the full article

Sony has refreshed its B-Series of Walkman portable music players with the new NWZ-B150 series. 2GB (NWZ-B152) and 4GB (NWZ-B153) models will be available in black, blue, pink and red and around early June 2010. Despite the tiny size at three inches long, Sony notes that “its presence is felt with full, rich sound” and is compatible with WP3, WMA files. A 3-line LCD shows track and artist information amongst other settings. Apparently these also have a “Bass boost button” with flashing red LEDs, obviously intended for youths who like to feel the beat. For the rest of us, an EQ is available to fine tune your favored sound. The built-in USB connection links the B150 directly to your computer with no cables or extra software needed: just drag and drop to load up your favorite tracks. I’ve always admired Sony’s simplicity in the last few years with this drag n’ drop method of transferring. Returning once again in this series, ZAPPIN technology scans through stored tracks, playing a short sample from each song to help you pinpoint the right track. There is also a FM tuner (with 30 presets) and you can ever store voice notes or radio broadcasts with the on-board recorder. Neat. Optional accessories for the NWZ-B150 series include the CKA-NWU10 sports armband – an ideal addition for keeping Walkman secure while you’re exercising or just hanging out. Related Posts:Sony Walkman B Series Gets ZappedNew Sony WALKMAN NWZ-W250Sony Europe Shows Off New Entry-Level E Series Video Walkman2GB + 1GB NWD-E020 Series ReleasedContent Transfer Software for Walkman View the full article

Now we are talking business! Sony Europe announced today a new and improved Sony Wearable and Water Resistant Walkman in their W series. Yup, you heard it Sony NWZ-W250 is actually water resistant, something that its cousin W202 has had issues with. You also get a new look, a new stand and of course Sony acclaimed superb sound. NWZ-W252 will also have 4 Gigs to store your techno or whatever music you like to work out to. Sony W Walkman Key technical specifications NWZ-W250 series Capacity NWZ-W252: 2GB NWZ-W253: 4GB Supported file format MP3/WMA/AAC/Linear PCM. (NB: iTunes DRM files not supported) Headphone type 13.5mm EX (in-ear) Playback functions ZAPPIN™ song search, Playlists, Folder Skip, Shuffle Other functions Water resistant (IPx5 rated) – see footnote *1 above Charging time Quick charge: 3 minutes charge gives 90 minutes playback Battery life Up to 11 hours music playback (MP3@128kbps) – see footnote *3 above Available colours Black, White, Pink, Lime Green Weight (approx.) 43g Supplied accessories Charging and Transfer Stand with USB cable, Holder, Ear buds (S,L), Operation Guide, Content Transfer software (in main unit) Check out the full press release below: 12 April 2010 • Stylish, wire-free WALKMAN

Sony Japan has announced a cosmetic and totally droolworthy addition to the NW-A840 series OLED Walkman. The new color added is obviously white, and has blue Walkman symbol on the front and back of the device. Sony will sell this new version on May 1st, and will offer 16GB (NW-A845) and 32GB (NW-A856) versions. I want this so badly. If you have forgotten, this simply is the most brilliant Walkman offering from Sony to date – it has all of the features people have been asking for in previous Walkmans while shedding what it needed to. In my opinion, this is the most stylish appearance I’ve seen in a personal media player – and it has a jaw-dropping 2.8 inch WQVGA OLED screen. This is also the thinnest Walkman ever created at only 7.2mm. It also has a TV-out function, that can output at 720

Following the initial joint announcement to make the world’s first FIFA World Cup available in 3D, FIFA and Sony unveiled insights into what the football fans around the globe can expect from this innovative undertaking to add a third dimension to the football viewing experience. Coinciding with the rapidly growing consumer interest in 3D fueled by the release of blockbuster movie titles in 3D and impending launch of 3D TV sets for the home, the first ever FIFA World Cup in 3D will further capture the excitement for millions of football fans around the globe. Check out this great Reuters video covering the FIFA/Sony 3D World Cup story. With a total of seven pairs of Sony’s professional HDC cameras on rigs at every match (model: HDC-1500, above), the action on the pitch will be captured in a stunning 3D quality enabled through its proprietary multi-image processor (model: MPE-200, below) and 3D Outside Broadcast truck. Sony’s cutting-edge processor, the only one in the market to date, makes an end-to-end workflow possible in the production process and automatically adjusts the depth-of-field to ensure an unprecedented and optimal 3D viewing experience around the world. Starting from the FIFA Confederations Cup last year in South Africa, Sony has been working on enhancing the 3D capturing of fast-moving football action and has since conducted a number of 3D filming trials in Europe. 3D filming will be conducted at five out of the 10 FIFA World Cup stadiums: Soccer City and Ellis Park in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town (above) and Port Elizabeth. 25 matches in total will be filmed and broadcast in 3D, which will include a carefully chosen selection of those games expected to attract most public attention, including the opening game on June 11 at Soccer City (South Africa vs Mexico) and the crowning final game on July 11 also in Johannesburg. Other games to be captured in 3D are: June 11 16:00h RSA v MEX June 12 16:00h ARG v NGA June 13 20:30h GER v AUS June 14 13:30h NED v DEN June 15 20:30h BRA v PRK June 16 16:00h ESP v SUI June 17 13:30h ARG v KOR June 18 16:00h SVN v USA June 19 13:30h NED v JPN June 20 20:30h BRA v CIV June 21 20:30h ESP v HON June 22 20:30h NGA v KOR June 23 20:30h GHA v GER June 24 16:00h SVK v ITA June 25 16:00h POR v BRA June 27 20:30h 1st B v 2nd A June 28 16:00h 1st E v 2nd F June 28 20:30h 1st G v 2nd H July 2 20:30h Quarter finals July 3 16:00h Quarter finals July 3 20:30h Quarter finals July 6 20:30h Semi finals July 7 20:30h Semi finals July 10 20:30h 3rd place match July 11 20:30h Final “The 3D feed from these 25 matches will be made available for broadcast on 3D channels, which can be enjoyed by consumers on their 3D-compatible TV sets in the comfort of their home, almost as if they were in the football stadium themselves,” said Niclas Ericson, Director of FIFA TV. “Whilst discussions with major broadcasters are ongoing, I am very pleased to announce the first confirmed partners for the 3D live broadcast, who are ESPN in the US and Sogecable in Spain. We expect further announcements to be made shortly,” he added. In line with FIFA’s and Sony’s endeavor to make this new exciting 3D viewing experience available to as many football fans as possible, a dedicated global 3D public viewing project will debut at this year’s FIFA World Cup. Eight matches will be fed live to digital cinemas and selected venues in 3D HD quality around the globe. To this end, FIFA has appointed Swiss-based Aruna Media AG to manage the exclusive 3D cinema and entertainment venue rights for live games in 3D. Aruna plans to broadcast live 3D coverage of matches to around 26 countries and is in advanced discussions with several major markets. Reaffirming its leading position at the forefront of the emerging 3D market, Sony is the key technological enabler of this new viewing experience and enhances the excitement of football fans, either watching a football match live in the stadium or enjoying a new 3D experience through 3D TV channels or at the public viewing events around the world. “Sony has long standing credentials in the creation of professional 3D technology and content for theatrical use,” said Hiroko Saito, Deputy General Manager of Global Sponsorships, Sony Corporation. “True to our strategy

Another WM-Port enabled speaker dock comes from Sony Japan this week with the RDP-NW1, which is very similarly styled to their iPod/iPhone type speaker docks. Available in black or white, the NW1 has a WM-Port, stereo audio input, AM/FM, and alarm/snooze functionality. Enjoy the simple 3W + 3W speakers with MEGA Xpand to color your audio. You can also wake up using music from your Walkman, and control the device from a distance with a remote control. RDP-NW1 <amanaDigitalLockerPhoto><downloadInfo><downloader><id>1271</id><loginId>CORESUGI</loginId></downloader><time>Fri Mar 05 10:31:25 JST 2010</time></downloadInfo></amanaDigitalLockerPhoto> <amanaDigitalLockerPhoto><downloadInfo><downloader><id>1271</id><loginId>CORESUGI</loginId></downloader><time>Fri Mar 05 10:31:21 JST 2010</time></downloadInfo></amanaDigitalLockerPhoto> Real life photos of the RDP-NW1 courtesy of AV Watch. Related Posts:Sony Japan’s RDP-NWV500 WM-Port Audio Accessory Is Truly One Of A KindSony Details Several New iPod/iPhone DocksSony Quietly Launches ICF-CS10iP iPod + iPhone Speaker Dock/ClockSony’s NAS-V7M And NAS-V5 Speaker Docks Have MP3 CD, USB, And WM-PortSony Adds Another iPhone/iPod Dock, This Time With A Subwoofer and USB View the full article

Sony Japan recently showed off a new RDP-NWV500 audio accessory, and is probably the strangest Sony product I have seen in recent memory. The NWV500 is basically a tumbler-shaped audio speaker that has WM-Port capability. Apparently the device has a digital amplifier, heavy bass and a 360-degree speaker integrated at the top. They prescribe it for the car as it should fit perfectly in your drink holder. Sony says that this is also a better alternative than FM transmitters which often are a nuisance more than anything. ">" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"> However, its clear this device can’t match a dedicated media port or AUX input in a car, which many newer vehicles have these days. The NWV500, available on April 24th for Y20,000, will be available in orange or black and is scratch resistant with UV coating. We were surprised to see a 16W output, which is not bad for a device of this size. Apparently it also has 2-way bass reflex, and a 56mm woofer and 20mm tweeter. A remote control is included, and it can run either from the car’s 12V accessory socket (aka cigarette lighter). RDP-NWV500 <amanaDigitalLockerPhoto><downloadInfo><downloader><id>1271</id><loginId>CORESUGI</loginId></downloader><time>Mon Mar 15 11:44:42 JST 2010</time></downloadInfo></amanaDigitalLockerPhoto> <amanaDigitalLockerPhoto><downloadInfo><downloader><id>1271</id><loginId>CORESUGI</loginId></downloader><time>Mon Mar 15 11:44:39 JST 2010</time></downloadInfo></amanaDigitalLockerPhoto> Real life photos of the RDP-NWV500 courtesy of AV Watch. Related Posts:Sony At CEDIA 2009 Round UpThe Hottest Sony Playstation 3 Games Of E3 2009Sony’s NAS-V7M And NAS-V5 Speaker Docks Have MP3 CD, USB, And WM-PortPS3’s New Ad Campaign – “It Does Everything”How To Properly And Improperly Demonstrate The Sony VAIO L Touchscreen PC View the full article

Sony Japan has released information on the eclectic NAS-V7M and NAS-V5 speaker docks with WM-Port, USB, and MP3 CD capability. They are quite stylish in design, and also quite large. Due for release on June 26th, the latest in the NAS home audio series has several unique features. The V7M to transfer music from a CD straight to your Walkman with the touch of one button. And with a wired LAN and Wi-Fi integration, you can enjoy access to Internet radio services such as vTuner and SHOUTcast. 20 programmable stations for the Internet radio allow you to quickly hit your favorite genres without having to search. CD’s that are inserted also automatically have CD/title information pulled and displayed from the ‘net. ">" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"> It’s important to state that the NAS-V7M is a bit more advanced than the V5, as it has 16GB of built-in storage, 2x CD to HDD recording capability (128/256kbps mp3), and MP3/WMA/AAC/ATRAC and PCM. Great to see ATRAC still lives on in Japan. Output is fairly good at 7.5W +7.5 W, with a full range speaker size of 65mm. NAS IB_S_BASIC_COPYRIGHT = IB_S_BASIC_COPYRIGHT = IB_S_BASIC_COPYRIGHT = IB_S_BASIC_COPYRIGHT = “Real life” series photos are from AV Watch. Sony has also noted that both devices has a 32-bit digital amplifier with DSP, rich bass and excellent treble. Both also have a USB port, and headphone jack. The Y50,000 NASV7M will be available in silver and gold, while the Y40,000 NAS-V5 will be available in black and pink. Related Posts:Sony Japan’s RDP-NWV500 WM-Port Audio Accessory Is Truly One Of A KindSony At CEDIA 2009 Round UpThe Hottest Sony Playstation 3 Games Of E3 2009How To Properly And Improperly Demonstrate The Sony VAIO L Touchscreen PCPS3’s New Ad Campaign – “It Does Everything” View the full article