Christopher

Congratulations to idexa, who entered our Sony Vaio P contest sponsored by Vaio Community with her entry, “My Sony Vaio: Reflections On A Four-Year Anniversary.” We narrowed down the entries to three people (LT11, cherihaner) and we determined that this was the best overall submission. I know some of you who entered might be disappointed that you didn’t win, but we are very thankful for your efforts and your stories really touched our hearts. It was very inspiring to read how Sony has really changed some of your lives. Here is her winning entry: My Sony Vaio: Reflections On A Four-Year Anniversary July 2005: Summer heat oppresses the residents of Tucson, Arizona. The heart of my ancient no-brand desktop, too often taxed by soaring temperatures, lets out a final whir of distress and gives up the ghost. Freshly computerless and short on funds, I’m at a loss: instantly out of touch with most of my friends and family who correspond via e-mail; cut off from online business; unable even to covet the latest technology without driving to the store for a look. After an uncomfortable week of Internet withdrawal, fortune smiles on me. A close friend, having learned of my plight, accompanies me to a nearby retailer and instructs me to pick out a laptop. I scamper through the computer section like a kid in a candy store until my gaze settles on a sleek 13.1″ Sony Vaio — impossibly lightweight, beautifully appointed, with an LCD screen whose flatness seems worlds away from the cumbersome CRT monitors hooked up to clunky towers one aisle over. I stare at the price tag and bite my lip. Is this an unjustifiable splurge? No; I know right away that it’s the one I want, and my friend, in his ineffable generosity, ponies up the cash. I enthusiastically promise him prompt repayment and a share of my eternal soul as I, my new Vaio, and my ear-to-ear grin emerge from the store into blazing midday sunlight. March 2006: I’ve been in LA for just over seven months, and it’s been a wild ride. My Vaio is my most valued possession and most useful guide to life in a new place — it’s connected me with an apartment, a pet cat, restaurant reviews, you name it. In a metropolis this size, the local phone book simply doesn’t cut it. The Vaio makes for an eye-catching accessory at my favorite coffee shop, and when I’m not there, you’ll find me out on the balcony at night, laptop cradled on my knees, wirelessly exploring the vastness of the city. As for my generous friend, the respectable salary of the job I found online has helped me pay off my debt to him well ahead of schedule. January 2007: Another minor relocation, another strategic career move, another relationship under the bridge. The trusty Vaio is starting to show faint signs of wear. I recently spilled half a glass of iced tea into its keyboard and promptly succumbed to panic… but its construction was sound, and once I emptied out the liquid and let it dry, it was completely fine. Incredible. In fact, the slim little laptop’s workload has been significantly increased lately. I’m using it for my job now, reviewing files on the weekends, even burning mix CDs for my boss as a “special project”. (Well, it’s a personal computer, so I suppose he isn’t misusing company resources…) Call me crazy, but whenever I sleep under an unfamiliar roof, I find I drift off most easily when I can hear the whisper of the laptop’s fan and see the glow of the monitor reflected on a wall. July 2007: Today, my Vaio proved to be the best car salesman I’ve ever met. It provided me with specs, pricing, and availability on the exact make and model I wanted, then tracked down the single car in southern California that met my criteria and told me where to buy it. I showed up on the lot with printouts in hand, completed the entire transaction before lunchtime, and drove home a happy customer. February 2008: My oldest, dearest friend has passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. The shock and devastation rip through me again and again until all I can do is cry. When I open my eyes, when I can see through the tears, it’s to update the music playlist on my Vaio, which obediently fills the corner of the room with sublime chorales and beloved melodies from my childhood. I am alone, but I am comforted. June 2008: Ah, how times have changed. I just had a baby! Voracious research — courtesy of the good old Vaio — has made me possibly the most well-informed mother west of the Rockies. The desktop is cluttered with spreadsheets tracking my diet and health, lists of the pages of baby names my husband and I wistfully vetoed, even an application that timed my contractions as I went into labor. Stretched out in the narrow hospital bed, my body is exhausted, but my mind is pulsing with energy. There’s television, magazines, newspapers galore if I want them. No need, though: wireless Internet access is free throughout the building, and as my beautiful newborn daughter dozes peacefully in the crook of my arm, my Vaio stands guard on the bedside table, sending out her minutes-old picture with the birth announcements and filling my brain with the child-rearing wisdom of the ages. July 2009: After four years of exemplary service, I wonder whether my once-formidable Sony Vaio laptop is ready to retire. Now that I’ve seen the P series, the undeniable allure of shiny new technology weighs against a peculiar sense of attachment to this computer — sure, others could have done for me what this one has, but this one is MINE, and however strange it may sound, it’s been one of the few constants in my life over the last couple of years. Friends each contribute their two cents, trying to steer me toward chintzy netbooks and stodgy business models. My sense of loyalty remains uncompromised. I feel a little guilty as I appraise the aging Vaio, tracing a finger over the tiny scuffs on the outer casing, the solid but smooth-worn keys, the still-gleaming trackpad buttons, and contemplate the faint irony of turning the capabilities of this machine toward the task of selecting and acquiring its replacement. Maybe I’ll keep it for emergencies? Better yet, offer it to a student at a bargain price. It has, as they say, a lot of life left in it… I admit it. I want a new laptop. I want utility, reliability, and incomparable style. I want a P series. View the full article

The highly praised and pricey LED XBR8 series with Triluminos technology first introduced in my beloved QUALIA 005 KDX-46Q005 are about to be replaced with another generation of LED TVs. The new models will be introduced at CEDIA in Atlanta and IFA (Berlin) in September. So what’s new and exciting about these models? According to the FlatpanelsHD site the new LED models will be using more cost effective white LED instead of RGB LEDs used in the current XBR8 (X4500 series in Europe). Also Bravia Engine Pro (BE3) will be incorporated. The Pro version incorporates a principle known as Black Frame Insertion (BFI). BFI utilizes the basic principle that the human eye needs to be “reset” regularly. The human eye does not forget a picture right away because it stays on the cornea for a short period of time. You might recognize this from a very quick light flash that “hangs” for a while on your cornea. But by inserting very short black frames between the original frames, Sony can constantly reset the eye, so you perceive the image on the TV as smoother and without motion trailing. Other expected features of the sets are: DLNA (client Photo, Music, Video) Motion Flow 240 Hz BRAVIA

Sony’s business activities affect the environment in various ways. This overview looks at Sony’s environmental footprint from the perspective of product life cycles. Sony is undertaking numerous activities to lower environmental impact, and recognizes the importance of preserving the natural environment that sustains life on earth for future generations and helps humanity to attain the dream of a healthy and happy life. Sony is committed to achieving this goal by seeking to combine ongoing innovation in environmental technology with environmentally sound business practices. Some of these numbers are beyond my imagination – such as the 1.458 million tons of resources used from suppliers, which translates into 1.266 million tons of products shipped. What about the 36,000 terajoules of energy used by all Sony sites? That’s way beyond the simple lightning strike Doc

In a regulatory filing following Sony Pictures’ recently struck deal with Redbox, the DVD kiosk company’s owner, Coinstar, said Tuesday that the studio will reap $460 million under terms of its multiyear pact. Sony on Monday announced a deal to provide new releases directly to Redbox through September 2014. It’s the first such agreement for the rental giant, which charges $1 per film and has had to secure studio titles through wholesalers. In exchange, Redbox agreed not to resell Sony discs, a practice that’s part of its arrangement with wholesalers Ingram and VPD and effectively dumps recent releases into discount bins more quickly than might otherwise be true — much to the annoyance of studio executives. Meanwhile, if Universal prevails in its current court battle with Redbox — the studio has banned wholesalers of its titles from dealing with the discount rental company during the first 45 days of a title’s release — it appears that Sony would be able to impose such a ban as well, despite its agreement with the kiosk company. Coinstar’s 8-K filing notes that “at Sony’s discretion, the agreement may expire earlier” than its defined term. View the full article

Picture removed by Sony, but google around and you'll find it. Like here at engadget. <p>The S-Series Sony Walkman has been a good seller for Sony – super-thin, music and video capabilities, long lasting battery, FM tuner, and so forth. It resides in a good price range and has probably been one of Sony’s best selling Walkmans. We recieved this picture from one of our most credible sources of a never before seen Walkman and we are guessing this will be the successor to the S series. Pictured in red, blue, pink and black, what is most curious about this device is the inclusion of what seems to be speakers on the front of the device. This could be great for those who like to use their music players without headphones, like at the beach. The design is really fresh looking and the screen also seems to be bigger. This product isn’t set to arrive for a while, but we are hoping that Sony brings it to the market with higher than 8GB capacities, noise canceling, and even better battery life.</p> View the full article

Sony Japan took the wrapper off a new navigation unit named NV-U3DV – or what we would like to call the Bravia Nav. Why do I call it that? Well, the new update to the nav-u series offers a 4GB of internal storage, and a 6.1 inch WQVGA LCD screen at 480×272, currently larger than most on the market. A larger screen means more map space, and also bigger buttons. Apparently Sony has refreshed most of the user interface for the NV-U3DV and has included gesture control. Japanese versions of this product will have an antenna for television broadcasts, and users can also play their own movies, music, and pictures (MPEG-4/AVC+H.264 with restrictions, MP3/AAC up to 320kbps, JPEG). Another new feature that Sony is touting is the addition of Position+ G, which detects changes in the direction of the vehicle using an accelerometer, gyro-sensor, and pressure sensors that will more easily detect changes in position in questionable environments such as an underpass, tunnels, and high inclines. Other interesting offerings include the ability to get live traffic updates via a (NVA-VB7) beacon unit that you can observe and plan around. Sony has also thrown in guides for food, golf, hot springs, parks, and access to PetaMap: Sony is reporting that it has 2.5 times the data compared to its predecessor, and offers a robust database that also includes phone number search. It saddens me to write about this device as Sony doesn’t sell navigation/GPS devices in the United States anymore. The NV-U3DV is to arrive on August 11th for Y65,000. Here are some more pictures courtesy of AV Watch: NV-U3DV, NV-U3V, NV-U3C (television image blurred by original photographer) View the full article

Sony is expanding its line of portable professional audio recorders with the new PCM-M10, a palm-sized compact unit. The new recorder is designed to be the perfect musician’s tool for composing music or recording practice sessions and performances – even for use as a personal music player. The recorder joins Sony’s PCM-D1 and PCM-D50 models to form a comprehensive family of flexible and rugged portable field recorders for every professional sound application, including live sound, house of worship, theatrical and broadcast journalism. However, some have criticized the product because it lacks XLR inputs, a decision probably made to keep costs down and have consumers favor their higher-end equipment. This thing sure makes me miss my Minidisc recorder(s). “The PCM-M10 is ideal for budget-conscious professionals who still need high quality sound capabilities,” said Karl Kussmaul, senior product manager for professional audio at Sony Electronics. “Musicians will especially love its range of user-friendly features that can help inspire them to new levels of creativity.” The PCM-M10 is designed to faithfully capture even the most subtle nuances of live performances and events with full linear PCM. It shares several features and design elements with the PCM-D1 and PCM-D50, including the same rugged construction and cool design. The new recorder is 96 kHz/24-bit capable with electret condenser stereo microphones, 4 GB of internal flash memory and a microSD/Memory Stick Micro (M2) Slot. Key features of the PCM-M10 recorder include a built-in speaker, cross-memory recording, digital pitch control, digital limiter, low-cut filter, track mark functions, a 5second pre-recording buffer and A-B repeat capability. The PCM-M10 comes supplied with Sound Forge Audio Studio Recorder Edition software. The new recorder includes a USB high-speed port for simple uploading and downloading of native .WAV or .MP3 format recorded files to and from Windows PC or Macintosh computers. The M10 offers durable metal construction and long battery life using conventional AA alkaline batteries. The PCM-M10 portable recorder is planned to be available in October, at a suggested list price of $399. Nice price! View the full article

Sony Pictures has bid $50 million to acquire the worldwide distribution rights to a film based on rehearsal footage for Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” comeback concert series, according to a person familiar with the bid. The person said Monday that the bid came after several studios, including Paramount, Universal, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros., were shown footage starting early last week. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the bidding had not been completed. The winning studio would produce the film with Jackson’s concert promoter, AEG Live, and his estate. It would go a long way to helping AEG Live recoup some of the $30 million to $32 million it spent producing the concert before Jackson died June 25. Sony Pictures has a leg up on other bidders because Sony Music distributes Jackson’s music and is in a 50-50 partnership with his estate in Sony/ATV Music Publishing. The bidding was reported earlier by the Los Angeles Times and industry blogger Nikki Finke. The estate and AEG Live are also negotiating with several television networks and pay-per-view outlets on a TV special that would be a stage show featuring Jackson’s music and dancing. It would be directed by “This Is It” director Kenny Ortega. The selling price being discussed for the rights to show the TV special is also in the tens of millions of dollars. General Electric Co.’s NBC has been in talks on the TV show, but the concept, air date and cost for the rights has not been finalized, said NBC spokeswoman Rebecca Marks. “We have no deal for the rights to the Michael Jackson special,” Marks said. The special administrators of Jackson’s estate, attorney John Branca and former music executive John McClain, have been moving quickly to secure Jackson’s assets and cut deals to capitalize on the surge in interest in the pop star since he died. Last week, Branca and McClain received signed court papers authorizing them to act on his estate’s behalf until another hearing Aug. 3. McClain has been sorting through unreleased Jackson recordings, while Sony Music is interested in releasing a commemorative album. Music sales have soared. Jackson’s 2002 will named Branca and McClain as executors and directs all of his assets be placed in a trust that will benefit his mother Katherine Jackson, his three children, and unnamed children’s charities. The estate is estimated to be worth more than $500 million. But Katherine Jackson’s lawyers on Friday sought a judge’s ruling on whether she can challenge the authority of the men without triggering a “no contest” clause in the trust that would cause her to be disinherited. View the full article

Sony Corporation is continuously working to increase energy efficiency in order to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As part of this effort, Sony is actively promoting the use of renewable energy. By implementing initiatives such as the Green Power Certification System and the introduction of solar power generation systems, Sony reduced its global CO2 emissions by approximately 100,000 tons in fiscal year 2008. Sony Europe has achieved independent certification that every facility with over 100 employees is powered by 100% renewable energy amounting to 190 million kWh or approximately 55,000 tons worth of CO2 emissions. Through continuous energy efficiency efforts, Sony’s European operations have reduced CO2 emissions by approximately 90% between fiscal years 2000 and 2008. Sony Group companies in the U.S. purchased 42 million kWh of renewable energy in fiscal year 2008. This equates to a 25,000 ton reduction in CO2 from renewable energy usage. In April 2009, Sony DADC, a leading producer of optical disc media, announced that it is purchasing more than 83 million kilowatt-hours of green power in the U.S. annually – enough to meet 44% of the organization’s purchased electricity use. Also in the U.S., continuous enhancements are being made to Sony Pictures Entertainment’s facilities and operations to increase efficiency and utilize renewable energy sources. For example, Sony Pictures is using 100% renewable energy for its Arizona data center and has installed solar photovoltaic cells on the roof of an existing building at its Culver City, California headquarters as part of a pilot solar energy program. The studio is also experimenting with renewable energy sources, such as biodiesel, in film production. According to researchers from Cornell University, the use of biodiesel fuel in production generators on the set of Columbia Pictures’ recent film, “The Taking of Pelham 123,” demonstrated the potential for a substantial decrease in carbon monoxide emissions, an element that makes up smog. While renewable energy is less accessible in Japan, Sony today purchased Green Power Certificates equivalent to approximately 50% of the electricity to be used at Sony City (Sony’s Headquarters building in Tokyo) beginning October 1, 2009. This represents the entire daytime electricity usage at the building, and is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 4,400 households. This is the first time that green energy has been introduced at Sony City, and is expected to result in an annual GHG emission reduction of approximately 6,800 tons. In fiscal year 2008, the Sony Group in Japan purchased a total of 55.49 million kWh in renewable energy through the Green Power Certificate System. With today’s additional purchase taking this total to 70.94 million kWh, Sony continues to be the largest purchaser of green energy in Japan. Sony will continue to promote the use of renewable energy and implement various measures across its sites and operations to ensure ongoing energy conservation and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. All of these initiatives are part of Sony Corporation’s broader commitment to the environment, which extends from research and development of energy-efficient products, to responsible materials re-use and recycling. View the full article

The Sony Vaio W is Sony’s first official netbook. While the Vaio P was ultraportable, it was also a sub-notebook, or what Sony deems a “lifestyle” PC. The launch of this tiny laptop was met with some skepticism, but it sure is nice to see that Sony is actually offering a Vaio for $499. The W is definitely one of the better looking netbooks out there, but will Sony be able to catch up to Acer, Dell, and other manufacturers who have already gained strong leads in this product category? It’s hard to tell. Let’s look at the specifications of the Vaio W vs. Dell Inspiron Mini, Acer Aspire One, Samsung Netbook, and the HP Mini: The Sony does relatively well against its competition in terms of specifications; prices are based from Best Buy as of late July, 2009. The Vaio W has the fastest processor, best screen, fastest system bus, 802.11n, and has bluetooth (only the Samsung has this as well). The price of the Vaio P is also the highest. We feel that the Vaio W will be a strong seller for Sony and will probably fare well if it can obtain widespread availability before the start of the school season here in the USA. Alot of people are gearing up for high school and college so its important that Sony has to available ASAP. If not, then Holiday sales will be excellent but who knows what could be announced by then from other companies. It’s a shame that the Vaio W attract potential consumers from the Vaio P, who may prefer the larger screen and lower price. I’ve also read reports that typing on the Vaio W is much better than the Vaio P. Here are some more pictures of the Vaio W courtesy of AV Watch: Vaio P and Vaio W. Keyboard is obviously the Japanese model, and does not reflect the North American/European/etc product. View the full article

Sony Ericsson said Thursday it booked another loss in the second quarter as the global economic crisis continued to weigh on mobile phone sales. The joint venture recorded a loss of 213 million Euro ($299 million), which isn’t as big as the loss last quarter but is still far from the profit of 6 million Euro a year ago. The result was the fourth consecutive quarterly loss for Sony Ericsson. The company shipped 13.8 million units in the quarter, down 43 percent year-on-year. Sales for the period fell by 39 percent to 1.7 billion Euro from 2.8 billion in the second quarter of 2008. Sony Ericsson estimates its market share was over 5 percent in the second quarter compared with about 6 percent in the first quarter. It also reiterated its outlook for the global handset market to fall at a rate of around 10 percent in 2009. “As expected, the second quarter was challenging and we still believe the remainder of the year will be difficult for Sony Ericsson,” President Dick Komiyama said in a statement. “Our focus remains on bringing the company back to profitability and growth as quickly as possible, and our performance is starting to improve due to our cost reduction activities.” During the quarter Sony Ericsson expanded on its strategy of transforming into the Communication Entertainment brand with the announcement of three new mobile phones; Aino, Satio and Yari. These phones integrate communications features with entertainment content and social media applications. In addition, Sony Ericsson announced the expansion of its content delivery platform, PlayNow arena, to include an application store and downloadable movies via PC. This new hardware and software ambition is a radical move from the usual Sony Ericsson we’ve observed for the last several years, and may be the driving factor to resuscitate the company. View the full article

Want to win a VAIO? All you have to do is write about your favorite Sony product/experience. How easy is that? A VAIO P could be yours if we choose your entry, and time is running out! Chances are very good you could win if you write something good. View the full article

In a rather confusing move, Sony Ericsson and AT&T brought the 8.1 megapixel C905 Cyber-Shot along with the W518a Walkman to its already very full line-up of cell phones. The reason why this move is confusing to me along with other tech writers and avid consumers is the fact that the C905 debuted more than a year ago. Sony Ericsson a year ago is a completely different Sony Ericsson than the one that exists today. You must remember that the company just came out with the delicious Satio and Aino phones, which make the C905 seem like ancient history. Even the memory card in each phone tells the tale – the C905 has Sony’s proprietary Memory Stick Micro (M2), while newer Sony Ericsson phones are arriving with MicroSD slots. Don’t let me come off as negative here, though; it’s good to see another Ericsson that has some real features in AT&T’s lineup. The 8.1 megapixel C905 is the highest resolution camera phone that the carrier provides. It looks sharp, has an acccelerometer, WiFi (802.11b/g), and camera features such as xenon flash, Geo-tagging, face and smile detection, and image stabilization. Consumers will enjoy the FM radio and GPS as well, and the 9 hour (2G) / Up to 4 hour (3G) talk time is pretty decent. Standby time is up to 380 hours (2G) / Up to 360 hours (3G). Here is an awesome video of the silver C905 by MobileBurn: " />" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"> Both the C905a Cyber-shot will be available in AT&T stores or at www.wireless.att.com beginning July 19. The Sony Ericsson C905a will be available for $179.99, after mail-in rebate with a two-year service agreement. (For the C905a, pay $ 229.99 and after mail-in rebate receive $50 AT&T Promotion Card.) You can read more about the C905 at AT&T’s press release, or Sony Ericsson’s blurb. View the full article

Sony Europe undid the wrapper on a new 9.3mm thin E-Series Walkman today that is an interesting update to the line of low-cost drag and drop MP3/video/photo players – especially since it is going to be available in 4GB NWZ-E443), 8GB (NWZ-E444), and now 16GB (NWZ-E445) flavors. The slim, lightweight E-Series will be available in black or red and offer a 2 inch QVGA screen with up to 30 hours of battery life (listening to music at 128kbps) for audio, and 6 hours (watching movies at 384kbps) video. That’s a little strange since last year’s E-Series Walkman touted 8 hours video and 45 hours of audio at the same bitrates. A 5-band equalizer, FM radio (recording abilities and up to 30 presets), dynamic normalizer compliment the audio experience. Clear Stereo and Clear Bass are being introduced in this generation as well – a feature usually found in S-series and higher models. Unfortunately, this unit also has a WM-Port, which is fine as it provides compatibility with numerous Walkman accessories, but I long for Mini-USB. In a Walkman first, there’s now support for video file format conversion via the supplied Content Transfer software, which should be a big help for consumers who have had difficulties in the past converting videos. Codec support includes MP3, AAC, WMA (DRM) and L-PCM for music, and H264/AVC, MP4, WMV (DRM) for video. View the full article

This summer, experience 14 new interactive exhibits at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab (SWTL), a state-of-the-art technology and entertainment museum open free to the public. The new exhibits are the result of extensive collaboration between Sony’s electronics and entertainment companies and more than a year of development and construction. SWTL is located at Sony’s U.S. headquarters in downtown Manhattan at 550 Madison Avenue in New York City. The multi-million dollar renovation features two floors and 6,200 square feet of innovative new exhibits designed to inspire young visitors to think about how technology enables them to create, communicate and collaborate with one another. Many of the exhibits also provide historical context for the technological evolution that is rapidly transforming today’s society. “The multi-million dollar investment we’ve made in this facility reflects Sony’s ongoing commitment to education and the communities we serve,” said Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO and President of Sony Corporation. “The Sony Wonder Technology Lab is a manifestation of ‘Sony United’ in every sense. Bringing our content and technology together in this educational environment has enabled us to create a compelling and engaging experience for visitors of all ages.” Visitors can design a unique digital profile at Log In; and explore the inner workings of digital devices at How Devices Work. They can learn tricks of the trade, create an animated character or design a computer-generated world in the Animation Studio. They can see their very own dance moves performed by their favorite Sony-animated characters in Dance Motion Capture. They can program a robot in the Robot Zone. And they can use haptic technology to “feel” what it is like to perform open heart surgery in the Lab’s Virtual Surgery experience. They can even become a part of a broadcast production team at WSWL, the Lab’s HDTV Production Studio, and learn about digital signals, nanotechnology and much, much more. All of the interactive exhibits are activated using Sony’s FeliCa contactless IC (integrated circuit) cards provided to visitors at the entrance to the Lab. As part of Sony Corporation’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, the Sony Wonder Technology Lab is pursuing LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Buildings Council. In addition to taking an environmentally conscious approach to construction, Sony has also worked hard to incorporate content into its exhibits that helps raise awareness of global environmental concerns while providing a glimpse of how technology is being used to help solve global challenges. The Sony Wonder Technology Lab occupies 14,000 square feet and is fully funded by Sony Corporation of America. Its exhibits are targeted primarily to visitors aged 8 to 14. The renovated third and fourth floor exhibits are a result of a multi-year collaboration between Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership/Big Show Construction Management Joint Venture, Unified Field, and the following Sony companies and joint ventures: Sony Corporation; Sony Computer Entertainment America; Sony Electronics Inc.; Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications; Sony Music Entertainment; Sony Online Entertainment; and Sony Pictures Entertainment (including Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks). Media hardware systems were designed and implemented in conjunction with Scharff-Weisberg, Inc. and Three Byte Intermedia, and lighting was developed in consultation with Available Light. Over 200,000 people visit the Sony Wonder Technology Lab each year, and nearly 3 million have visited the space since it first opened in May 1994. Additionally, the Lab offers various educational programs consistent with New York City and State learning standards, as well as community-based events for diverse audiences to complement its permanent exhibits. All exhibits are ADA compliant, and SWTL accommodates those with special needs, offering sign language tours and wheelchair accessibility. View the full article

In 1964, a team led by Nobutoshi Kihara developed the CV-2000, the world’s first Videocorder intended for home use. The CV in the model number stood for “Consumer Video” and would be a proprietary Sony standard format for half a decade. This was the first step toward realizing Masaru Ibuka’s dream of creating a video player that would be suitable for home use in terms of both size and price. The CV-2000 was roughly the same size as an audio tape recorder of that time, and cost way less than professional alternatives. This VCR, which had two rotary heads, was a reel-to-reel type unit and it reproduced fantastic black and white images. The machine’s key feature was the use of rotary heads, which cost more than static heads. This disproved the commonly held view of many in the industry that rotary heads employed for broadcast and institutional-use models could not be adapted for a home-use VCR. The world gasped in wonder at the picture quality of the new machine, and Kihara could proudly answer previous skeptics by saying, “Technology does not abide by common sense. Our goal is to break down ideas people have come to accept as common sense.” I’d love to see Sony start saying things like that again. The CV-2000 was preceded in the market place by the TCV-2010 (pictured above) and TCV-2020 which was introduced in September of 1965. The CV format was based upon 1/2″ tape on a two head, alpha wrap helical scan system using the skip field method. The linear tape speed was 7.5 IPS, giving a respectable 1 hour running time with 2400′ tapes on 7″ reels. A specially modified video monitor was usually required to view the playback of the CV VTR’s. The monitor was designed to tolerate the distortions introduced into the vertical sync interval by the skip field recording process. Some models included this monitor as a built in feature. In total, there were 10 models in the CV series. They were: CV-2000, TCV-2010, TCV-2020, CV-2100, TCV-2110, TCV-2120, CV-2200, DV-2400, CV-2600 and the CV-5100. The TCV’s were chest models with a built in 9″ TV receiver / video monitor, weighing in around 75 pounds. You can learn alot more about the CV series at the Southwest Museum, LabGuy’s World, and Video History Project. The above pictures are courtesy of Life. Here are some incredible advertisements we came across for the various CV units. Click for full size: Here’s a cool ready reference card that was included with early models: For View the full article

Got it. Sorry about that.

Wow….Memory Stick has reached 32 GB! There was some sarcasm in that statement, mind you. Somehow Memory Stick capacity growth has been stalled, as one would imagine by this time people would have higher capacity storage. But again judging by 8 Mb concealed in a violet Memory Stick they started with and threw it in with their early Cybershots cameras, it is some progress! We have seen an interesting naming scheme with MS as well. By the time we will see MS with 128GB, it will be called Memory Stick Pro Duo HG HiDef 4K Super HQ Xtreme. But we digress, the new MS that was announced in Europe and also mentioned in one of our posts, will not be a super fast beast as you would expect with transfer rates and it is marketed for the use with Cybershot, Handycam and DSLR cameras. No mentioning of VAIO for some reason….or PSP and PS3? Maybe a new family of Memory Stick will be hosting terabytes of storage as it has been stated by the company before, that would be some quantum leap! If you are still interested in learning more, read the full press release: Highest available capacity 32GB comes to Memory Stick HX familySuper-fast 20MB/second data transfer significantly shortens the waitPerfect for High Definition camcorders or anyone handling large volumes of images Sony has launched the largest-ever capacity Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX, crowning the range with a massive 32GB model. Memory Stick HX already delivers impressive speed, so the introduction of a 32GB version makes it the perfect choice for handling the very large files created when filming in High Definition video. The huge amount of space is also ideal for still photography, whether you are using a sophisticated DSLR like the Sony, or a compact, go-anywhere Cybershot. Camcorder users can shoot in Full HD mode (1920 x 1080) for an impressive 225 minutes using a single 32GB Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX, virtually eliminating the nagging worry about how much space is left. Freedom to concentrate on creating outstanding HD video is matched by trademark Memory Stick HX performance. Using the included USB adaptor, read speeds of 20MB/s and write speeds of 15MB/s are achievable, so you spend a lot less time waiting for your video to transfer to your PC. This potent combination of size and speed is equally good news for owners of technically advanced DSLRs like the Sony with its continuous shooting capability. Alternatively, anyone with a compact digital camera who simply never wants to worry about filling up the memory now has the ideal solution. The Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX range also includes 4GB, 8GB and 16GB models, and all versions are supplied with the free USB adaptor for optimum performance and easy connection to a huge range of hardware. *This speed is based on tests with optimised host compliant devices. Actual data transfer speed is dependent on host hardware. Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX achieves 20*MB/s in reading mode, 15MB/s in writing mode in combination with supplied USB adaptor MSAC-UAH1. View the full article

The glorious mouse we reported a few weeks ago popped up on SonyStyle.com for your pre-orders back orders. Boasting an ultra-modern design and Bluetooth

Sony Japan released information on new piano black speakers coming in this Fall called the “7700 series.” In the accompanying picture, you can see (from left) the SS-SR7700 and SS-B7700 two-way surround speakers, the SS-F7700 three-way speakers, the SA-W7700 subwoofer, and the SS-CN7700 center speaker. Sony is promoting the high design quality of these products (Kevlar fiber is used in F7700 and SR7700), along with an improved midrange with great S/N ratio. Together, these components produce the perfect 5.1 sound. The SS-F7700 is a 3-way speaker system (front and surround) with a stylish piano black appearance and are W265

Allen & Company is a boutique investment bank based in New York, NY. Founded in 1922 by Charles Allen, the firm is generally regarded as the premier investment house in the media and entertainment sector despite having only a small staff (estimated at 170 employees). The Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference is an exclusive annual conference hosted in Sun Valley, Idaho for one week each July. The conference typically features major players – including business leaders, political figures, and major figures in the philanthropic and cultural spheres all coming together to network. Previous guests have included Bill Gates, Larry Page and Sergey Brin of Google, Warren and Susan Buffett, Tony Blair, and so forth. Sir Howard Stringer, CEO and President of Sony, was in attendance this year and we have some exclusive pictures. It’s pretty neat to see Stringer in such a casual setting speaking to such important people. Howard Stringer walking outside the Sun Valley Inn. Guests at this year’s Sun Valley media conference are grappling with questions about technology and the Web that could determine their survival, though some are putting a braver face on it than others. The conference will feature morning panel discussions, and executives will roam the grounds and potentially discuss doing big deals and acquisitions that has made Sun Valley famous as a “summer camp” for the media world. Rupert Murdoch, News Corp CEO talks with Sir Howard Stringer during lunch. Sir Howard Stringer and Sony America CFO Robert Wiesenthal walk together, probably talking about how awesome it is we’re giving away a Vaio P. Sir Howard Stringer (L, back to camera), Jeffery Katzenberg of Dreamworks Animation and Paramount CEO Brad Grey. View the full article

Sony is finally taking little steps to adopting Netflix into its array of AV electronics and Bravia Television sets are the first ones that will let you stream your flicks through the above service provider. As you can imagine, new TV sets will soon be unveiled at the upcoming IFA and CEDIA gatherings and its integrated internet video capability will be featuring a new spot for Netflix. Of course if you are stuck with Bravia Internet Link (DMX-NV1), Sony has not forgotten you as well, and streaming movies will be an option there as well. “Sony has been a world leader in consumer electronics for decades,” said Netflix Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings. “We are proud to include Sony Electronics among our CE partners who continue to provide new and exciting ways for Netflix members to instantly watch movies and TV episodes in their living rooms on their TVs”. Some of you could be wondering when Netflix may come to your PS3 and my guess is it may happen (judging by some surveys that asked the users if they were interested in it) and it may not, and the reason behind it is Sony’s own video library available at PSN Video Store. Perhaps Sony Blu-ray players may get a piece of Netflx in the near future too? View the full article

The Smurfs (originally called Les Schtroumpfs) are a popular fictional group of small sky blue creatures who live in Smurf Village somewhere in the woods. The Belgian cartoonist Peyo introduced Smurfs to the world in a series of comic strips, making their first appearance in the Belgian comics magazine Le Journal de Spirou on October 23, 1958. The English-speaking world perhaps knows them best through the popular 1980s animated television series from Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Smurfs. The cartoon had a successful run for nine seasons on NBC Saturday morning cartoons between 1981-1990. Now the Smurfs is coming to theaters. Raja Gosnell has been tapped to direct Sony’s live-action/animated “Smurfs.” The film will be released in 3-D and 2-D formats on Dec. 17, 2010. The original term “schtroumpf” and the accompanying language came during a meal Peyo was having with his colleague and friend Andr

Yesterday, Stan wrote about a new phone coming from Sony Ericsson (codename “Rachael”) that will be the first mobile device from the company to run Google’s Android operating system. Today, Boy Genius Report has posted a new picture that shows virtually every angle of the highly anticipated SE Android phone. However, many were left wondering what the actual Sony Ericsson Android experience would look like, and the Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog has delivered a stunning video demo of the general SE Android experience. Enjoy. " />" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"> Courtesy of engadget. View the full article

The unpopular Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, a member of Japan's tiny Roman Catholic minority, met with Pope Benedict on Tuesday. As his first stop during a trip to attend July 8-10 summit of G8 leaders in Italy, Taro went to the Vatican, gave the pope a Sony digital video camera (looks like the HDR-XR500V) and discussed various topics such as Africa, Christianity in Japan, and the global economic crisis with him. Taro is the first Japanese Prime Minister to visit the Vatican in 10 years. I sure hope the Pope has at least a dual core PC or better for HD video rendering. Story courtesy Reuters via Gizmodo. View the full article