Sony VAIO DUO 13-inch Leaked?

by Sohrab Osati | May 13, 2013 | 0 comments
Sohrab Osati

Sony VAIO Duo 13

Think what you may of Windows 8 but the VAIO Duo 11 is one mean machine. The hybrid laptop/slate combination is designed to give you what you want from a notebook in a post-PC era with flash memory, Intel Core i7 Processor, and full touchscreen compatibility. Slide the screen down and your notebook gets transformed to a Windows 8 tablet, all be it a thicker one. Now thanks a leaked video and press image, it seems that Sony is set to followup the VAIO Duo 11 (with an 11.6-inch screen) with a 13-inch variation.

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Second ‘The Last of Us’ TV Ad Airs

by Sohrab Osati | May 10, 2013 | 0 comments
Sohrab Osati

The Last Of Us TV Ad 2

In just about a month’s time, Sony’s latest AAA title, The Last of Us, from the creators of Uncharted, is set to ship. To help kick things off, a second television ad has just hit the airwaves during the NBA playoffs, resulting in millions of people catching a glimpse of the Naughty Dog title. Fans will note that the latest PS3 exclusive title was delayed by a few months in order to allow for more polish and development on the game, something I highly value and appreciate. This also means that The Last of Us will hit store shelves on June 14th, traditionally when game droughts take place. Hopefully this delay will also pay off for Sony and Naughty as games released in fall and spring face much more competition which can hurt sales. This also means that gamers will now have one more title to play during summer, instead of just replaying through old games. After the jump, the latest 30 second TV spot awaits you.

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As Predicted, Sony’s 2012 Profit Doubles to $428 Million

by Sohrab Osati | May 9, 2013 | 2 comments
Sohrab Osati

Sony 2013 CES Stage

2008 is an important year for Sony investors as it was the last year the electronic giant made a profit.  As predicted, Thanks to sales of its NYC HQ for $1.1 billion and Sony City Osaki building for $1.2 billon, in conjunction with a weakening yen, the company has been able to double its net profit. For the 2012 calendar year, Sony managed a net profit of 43 billion yen – $458 million. While encouraging news, a big portion of the profits are credited towards the mentioned sales, making 2013 Sony’s first year to profit from products they actually sell. Due to that, Sony expects its operating income to remain flat with a net profit of 50 billion yen – $506 million. Revealing to investors at a conference call, the PlayStation 4 is expected to play a large part in Sony’s continued recovery.

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PS3 Manufacturing Moves to Brazil, Is a Price Drop Around the Corner?

by Sohrab Osati | May 9, 2013 | 0 comments
Sohrab Osati

Sony PS3 Brazil

On the PlayStation Blog, Sony has announced that production of the PlayStation 3 will soon begin in Brazil. For some time now, the PS3 has been produced in Japan, China, and Taiwan, resulting in the units being shipped to Western countries. The consoles will be manufactured in Manaus by Sony Brasil Ltda., with the 250 GB version costing $1,099 Reals ($549.36). Despite a seemingly high price for US consumers, this does mark a price drop for the console through official sales channel though many have pointed out that you can get the console by other means in the country for 899 Reals. 

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Should You See ‘Iron Man 3?’

by Joel Dale | May 9, 2013 | 3 comments
Joel Dale

Iron Man 3 Review FB Featured

With a movie as iconic as Iron Man 3, it seems that this review is best meant for the people who wouldn’t see it opening weekend because I’m not sure any words I use would influence any decision in the first three days. I’m not even sure the casting would influence anyone in those first three days. In a seemingly increasing trend in big films, only the biggest names show up.

Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Tony Stark (aka Iron Man). Gwyneth Paltrow is the plucky Pepper Potts, Stark’s “girlfriend Friday”. Don Cheadle keeps the role of Colonel James Rhodes, who mans War Machine, an Iron Man clone of sorts. But let’s add two more huge names. Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian, jilted scientist who doesn’t take kindly to Tony Stark, and Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin, super villain of the world. Oh, and William Sadler, who people might remember as that guy from Shawshank Redemption. But I always think of him as that guy from Die Hard 2 or even better as the hero of Demon Knight. All of which are better films than Iron Man 3. But don’t take this the wrong way; I quite liked the latest outing for our metal hero.

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Will May 15th Bring New Sony Xperia Smartphones?

by Sohrab Osati | May 9, 2013 | 1 comment
Sohrab Osati

Sony Xperia Smartphones

If Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo countdown on May 15th is any indication, Sony is set to announce new Xperia smartphones for one of Japans biggest telecom providers. Just last year around the same time, Sony announced the Xperia GX and Xperia SX which stayed exclusive to DoCoMo and never made their way West. According to the Xperia Blog, rumors peg the Sony Xperia A (SO-04E) launching on DoCoMo and the Xperia UL (SOL22) on AU. It remains to be seen if true, how these models will fit in Sony’s already extensive smartphone lineup though it remains highly unlikely that these devices will make it to European and US carriers.

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Sony Closed Captioning Glasses Come to 6,000 Regal Theaters

by Sohrab Osati | May 8, 2013 | 0 comments
Sohrab Osati

Sony Closed Captioning Glasses

Nearly two years ago, Sony announced the development of digital glasses, capable of projecting subtitles only for those who wear them. The idea then was to give those with special needs like hard of hearing an enjoyable experience at movie theaters. Sony’s Tim Potter, who is part of this project in UK, explained it like this:

  What we do is put the closed captions or the subtitles onto the screen of the glasses so it’s super-imposed on the cinema screen, [making it look] like the actual subtitles are on the cinema screen. 

Despite being a bit behind schedule, the glasses are now a thing of reality and Regal has committed to providing them in 6,000 theaters.

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Sony Xperia ZL Gets Price Drop: Good Business or Troubling Sign?

by Sohrab Osati | May 8, 2013 | 2 comments
Sohrab Osati

Sony Xperia ZL Beach

If you’ve been thinking about getting the Sony Xperia ZL (not to be mistaken with the waterproof Xperia Z), then you’re in luck. On the official Sony website, the company has just price dropped the Android smartphones to $629.99, down from $759.99. If the price still seems high, that’s because till we hear otherwise, Cincinnati Bell will be the exclusive US carrier that will offer the phone for $250 with a two year contracts. The $629.99 instead nabs you unlocked model, compatible with AT&T 2G/3G, T-Mobile 2G/3G, Rogers, and Fido. While a win for consumers, it begs the question, why did the Xperia ZL get a price drop after only a month on store shelves?

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