Sony Corp.

Sony Rolls Out 3D Experience On Demand Streaming Service with Free 3D Content

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 13, 2011 | 38 comments

Having all the 3D equipment in the world can be a tad useless if there isn’t any media to back up the format and Sony knows this. Previously, we ran two separate stories highlighting the current 3D games available on the PlayStation 3 and available 3D Blu-ray movies. With Sony’s new “3D Experience” on Demand Streaming Service announcement today, we can place another notch in the company’s 3D offering.

The service which is set to launch on July 13th for owners of 3D capable Sony Bravia LCD TVs (which includes any Bravia Internet Video capable 3D set sold since 2010) will be receiving this new and free 3D widget which will give you access to content like:

Highlights of “Wimbledon 2011”
Movie trailers from movies such as “Green Hornet™” and “Monster House” in
3D music promotional video clips

Going forward, Sony is will continue to add more free 3D content to the service, for instance, the World Cup, which Sony previously sponsored and helped show in 3D. Of course, if you don’t own a 3D Bravia TV, Sony is looking to have you covered as well. The electronic giant and firm supporter of 3D is looking to expand the “3D Experience” On Demand Streaming Service to Blu-ray Disc Players and Blu-ray Disc Home Theater systems as well. The service is currently launching in the U.K., Germany, France, the U.S. and Canada.

[Via Sony Europe]

Sony’s S2 Android Honeycomb Tablet Headed to AT&T

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 13, 2011 | 8 comments

Although there is a debate to be had about AT&T and their network, it goes without much challenge that they sure know how to have exclusive items for long periods of time before other companies like Verizon and Sprint. The company, who famously had the iPhone for 4 years prior to anybody else, also holds to the key to the upcoming PlayStation Vita, Kindle 3G, and now Sony’s S2 Android Honeycomb tablet. As a refresher, the S2 tablet, which is still a code name and will change, much like the NGP is now called the PS Vita, is Sony’s dual 5.5-inch clamshell designed tablet. This HSPA+ 4G tablet (yes, it’s been confirmed) will be offer WiFi as well though we imagine there might be some kind of potential deal with AT&T as an exclusive partner. However, beyond the exclusivity agreement, which fails to mention the S1, pointing to a potential multi-carrier support, we still don’t have an official release date or price.

On a personal note, with my iPhone 4, iPad and my plans to pick up a 3G PS Vita, I do hope there eventually are deals for people who have multiple devices that run on one network, in this case AT&T for me.

Hit the jump for an exciting-as-ever press release from Sony.

PlayStation Store Update (07-12-11)

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 12, 2011 | 6 comments

With Megatron still kicking butt in theaters two weeks after the 3rd Transformers film was released, and the final Harry Potter movie set to be launched at midnight on Thursday, movie fans have plenty of great options to choose from when it goes to their outside entertainment. In keeping with that theme, the new PlayStation Store Update (07-12-11) is giving users plenty of content too, just in case going out isn’t your thing. Some noteworthy highlights include:

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Free and exclusive to Plus) (Game Trial)
LittleBigPlanet 2 Killzone 3 Minipack ($2.99)
L.A. Noire: “Reefer Madness” Vice Case ($3.99)
PixelJunk Shooter 2 Online Battle Demo
Dead Nation Demo
Pulse 7/12 Edition

Hit the jump for the full store update.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Coming to AT&T

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 12, 2011 | 6 comments

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, which was previously mistaken as the infamous PlayStation Phone, made its debut a few months back, exclusively for Verizon. The Android Gingerbread (2.3) phone, which is capable of being turned into a portable gaming console, was met with much fanfare and then was quickly lost in the glut of Android phones. Now, hoping to garner a wider spread audience, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is coming to AT&T, breaking news which was revealed during the carrier’s holiday preview event in New York City. The specs are nearly the same as the Verizon Xperia Play with a few noticeable changes. First, this will be the second Android 2.3 phone for AT&T while Verizon currently holds a few and users will be given the option of the traditional silver/black design along with a new blue/black palette. Being a newer phone, the Xperia Play will also be able to tap into AT&T’s newly-improved 21MBps-capable HSPA+ network. We still don’t have an exact release date or price for this gaming-enabled Android handset, but we can’t imagine that information staying hidden for too long.

[Via Engadget]

Sony Brings Two New Entry Level Handycams to Europe (DCR-SX21E and DCR-SR21E). We Have Specs and Pictures

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 12, 2011 | 8 comments

With tons of options to record a video with these days, ranging from your cell phone, to a pocket-sized device like the Bloggie, to more-higher-end camcorders, the market is pretty well-covered with all sorts of devices to meet your needs. In order to further penetrate the market and not solely target higher-end consumers as Sony traditionally does, the company is releasing two new entry level Handycams for the European market. The DCR-SX21E and the DCR-SR21E are being targeted as those who simply want HD without a lot of bells and whistles. Both camcorders have dropped all SD functionality, instead providing only HD video capture. Other noteworth specs for both Handycams include:

57x Optical Zoom and 67x Extended Zoom
Intelligent AUTO Mode with 18 different scene combinations
Steady Shot
Face Detection
2.7” Clear Photo LCD Monitor
Built-in LED Video Light
Direct Copy compatibility (allowing you to export your footage to an external hard drive or DVD burner)

It’s also really worth noting that the 57x is indeed optical zoom and not digital zoom, which allows for nearly distort free zooming. The only differentiating feature between these two models is the capability of the SX21E to to record on Memory Stick while the SR21E is capable of recording on both Memory Stick and an internal 80GB hard drive. No price point has been announced yet but expect that to change shortly, seeing how the pair are to be released during summer.

Hit the jump for the official press release and gallery.

Sony to Announce New Cybershots on July 20th?

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 12, 2011 | 55 comments

If our friends’ sources are to be believed, Sony Electronics is setting July 20th aside in order to launch a few new compact cameras. This should naturally indicate a few new models coming to their Cybershot lineup while it will still be a while longer before we see something new to the Alpha and NEX series. With the recently-announced NEX-C3 just hitting store shelves and the leaked Alpha A65 and A77, it’s not much of a surprise to not see something from those series. However, with Sony’s camera business growing with the likes of the HX9V, which has recently earned rave reviews, we are eager to see what the company brings next to the Cybershot family.

[Via SonyAlphaRumors]

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray Headed to AT&T

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 11, 2011 | 26 comments

When it comes to the US market, a cell phone’s success lies squarely on carrier support. No matter how great of a device you have, for instance the Xperia Arc, if you don’t have carrier support (which means selling the phone at a subsidized price with a two year contract), you won’t have sales success either. Sure, buying a phone at $600 with no contract sounds like fun, but even Google found that only a few were willing to pay that for the Nexus when it launched, a phone that was to be a flagship and prime example of what Android could do. If the following is any indication, it can be good news for Sony Ericsson, where the FCC has just green-lighted the Xperia Ray for the US. Thanks to their documentation, we can also report that the Xperia Ray supports quadband HSPA, priming it up for AT&T and worldwide networks while it lacks AWS, meaning that T-Mobile customers will not be seeing their lady in pink pitching them one. Hopefully as Sony Ericsson increases their brand presence in the United States, they will also elevate their partnerships with different US carriers or risk selling but a few handsets only.

Hit the jump for a revealing breakdown of the Xperia Arc by the FCC.

Rumors Surfacing About a PS4 Development

by Jesse Fogarty | Jul 11, 2011 | 26 comments

With Sony’s PlayStation 3 turning 5 this year it seems only inevitable that Sony has a successor (ps4) in development. Well, faithful PlayStation gamers’ rumors have recently surfaced, detailing what to expect in Sony’s upcoming successor to their PlayStation 3.

Sources which surfaced these rumors stated the same assembly companies (foxconn and tele) would be selected to take on the assembly of the projected 20 million+ systems for the 2012 launch. The same sources hinted that the system would contain motion sensors like that in the Xbox Kinect.

This all sounds amazing, but we must warn all of those ready and willing to hold off for the PS4 to consider that Sony is planning to launch their PSP successor, the Vita. We apologize for bursting your recently-filled balloon of hopes but realistically launching both would cast a shadow over one of them and let’s face it—no ones wants that to happen— neither faithful gamers nor Sony.

Keep checking back for the latest updates/rumors on Sony’s PlayStation 4 and PS Vita.

Sony’s S1 and S2 Android Honeycomb Tablet Picture Gallery

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 8, 2011 | 141 comments

If after this week’s teaser video, featuring the upcoming Sony Android Honeycomb (3.0) tablets, left you wanting more, then our picture gallery will only deepen your desire for these two devices. Each tablet, unique to its own design form factor, especially the S2 with dual 5.5-inch touch LCD screens, has been caught in a pose, showing you just enough to hold your interest while still not revealing any more than Sony wants. It’s clear that Sony has taken the time to make sure each device is geared towards a specific market segment, with the S1 featuring smooth curves and large 9.4-inch screen with a curved back, aimed at spreading out the weight in order to reduce strain on your hands and wrists. Media junkies will surely appreciate Sony’s efforts as both units with be deeply integrated with Sony’s Qriocity system, offering music and video streaming. The S2, on the other hand, comes off as the perfect device for those on the go who would like a large screen when computing, but something with a small footprint when traveling. Featuring a unique dual 5.5-inch touch screen, this device might turn into a multitasker’s heaven, allowing you to write an email on one screen while keeping your browser open on the other.

Hit the jump for a gallery of photos from the Sony S1 and S2 Tablets.

Sony Ends Digital Comics Store for PSP. Readies for PS Vita?

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 8, 2011 | 8 comments

Sony and the PlayStation team have given the Digital Comics Store one last update. The store, which allows you to download over 4,000 comics for your PSP and PSPgo systems, has received its last-ever update this week and is going out with a bang with titles like Batman: Arkham City, Stark Trek, and Transformers, to name a few. After this week, the store will continue to exist and all of your comics will be safe on your device but Sony will cease updating the store with new content. Grace Chen from the PlayStation Blog said,

The Digital Comics Team will continue to work on bringing the comic service to other Sony devices.

Though that statement itself is vague, it’s not hard to imagine where Sony is going with this. With the PS Vita readying for a holiday season launch date, what better Sony device to ready the store for than the Vita? This is especially true if you consider that the Vita has both front and back touchscreen, allowing you to easily navigate the comics with a much more natural feel while the 3G version will give users access anywhere to downloading new content. Of course, with Sony’s S1 and S2 tablets being PlayStation Suite Certified, it would be interesting to have Sony expand the store into a greater number of products. In doing so, the company both adds further value to their own products while allowing consumers to more easily purchase the given contents, knowing that they will work on a larger device base.

[Via PlayStation Blog]

Sony Ericsson Releases Unlocked Xperia Arc for US Markets

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 8, 2011 | 12 comments

If the idea of having an Android Gingerbread (2.3) smartphone geared towards your media consuming habits is something that delights you, but you can’t stand having a contract, then Sony has just the right deal for you. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, which Engadget calls “one of the best handsets we’ve seen from Sony Ericsson,” is being sold in Sony stores, unlocked for $599. With a gorgeous 4.2-inch Reality Display powered by Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, an 8.3 mexapixel Sony Exmor R camera with LED flash, wireless N, and HDMI out, you’re surely destined to stand out from the Android crowd, which is something that’s very hard to do with what seems like is a new handset released with software from the guys at Mountain View.

[Via Sony]

3D Blu-ray Films List, Including PlayStation Video Store’s 3D Selections

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 8, 2011 | 171 comments

Our story, highlighting the list of PlayStation 3 games which are available in 3D, proved to be a popular one with many of you asking for a follow-up to it. We know that finding solid information on 3D can sometimes be hard, especially when it comes to a list that shows you currently what is out in the market. Fear not however as this article, like our previous one, will give you the 3D Blu-ray films list that many of you have been wanting.

After the jump, you can see all 3D Blu-ray films that you can currently purchase or presumably rent on Blu-ray and a list of the PlayStation Video Store 3D selection.

Neil Burger to Direct Sony’s Game Adaptation ‘Uncharted’. Bradley Cooper to Star?

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 7, 2011 | 24 comments

Over a year ago, Sony Pictures announced their intentions of turning the popular and exclusive PlayStation 3 game, Uncharted, into a movie. The game, which itself played like a modern day Indiana Jones movie, has been well received by fans and critics, earning countless awards and Game of the Year honors. Though movies based on games have had a hit or miss at the box office, with many being completely different from the source material, with lower budgets and B-class directors, there have been bright spots as well, for instance with Disney’s Prince of Persia adaptation, as well as the continued success of the Resident Evil franchise (again Sony Pictures). Naturally, fans were pleased when they originally heard that Academy Award Nominated director David O. Russell was on board to write and direct the Uncharted movie.

Shortly after Mr. Russell came on board, the director’s long time friend and partner, actor Mark Wahlberg, came onboard to play the hero, Nathan Drake, which was met with mixed results from fans. As if that wasn’t enough, it was then reported that Mr. Russell’s script included a family heist story, which was then to take place over the mythology of the game series by having Nathan Drake and Sully related. It seemed like after all the changes, the only resemblance to the game might be the title and the fans grew tired quickly of Mr. Russell’s lack of respect for the source material. With many vocal fans and petitions online, David O. Russell finally left the project in late May. With a 3rd Uncharted game on the way and a series that continues to better the previous title, it came as no surprise that Sony Pictures had no intentions of letting the project die.

Now Sony Pictures has announced a new director and writer for the project. Neil Burger, writer and director the The Illusionist and Limitless, has officially come on board to write and direct the Uncharted movie. With a new director onboard, Sony Pictures is set to throw out the old script, involving the family heist angle in favor of something new, potentially something closer to the source material, which is already so rich. Mark Wahlberg’s involvement remains to be seen.

Mark Wahlberg‘s future with the project is uncertain; the actor was brought on by David O. Russell when he was still writing and directing the film. That casting did not much please fans of the property, and when Mr. Russell walked, there was a vocal fan contingent hoping for a recasting of the lead role, too.

The only question now remains is if in fact, Mark Wahlberg leaves the project, who will take the lead role of Nathan Drake. Some speculation points towards Bradley Cooper (Hangover, A-Team) who worked with Neil Burger on Limitless though there is hardly anything to prove anything is set in stone and we doubt there would be since the project is in such early stages. However, with a fresh take on the game, this could also prove to be a good time for fan favorite Nathan Fillion to make a return and potentially star as our hero, Nathan Drake

Discuss:

How do you feel about Neil Burger as a replacement for David O. Russell? Would you also like to see Bradley Cooper star as Nathan Drake?

[Via Slashfilm]

Sony Bloggie Software Update 1.3 Available for Mac OS X

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 7, 2011 | 16 comments

Though the Mac is able to virtually play nice with any camera and camcorder, simply by plugging it in, it didn’t stop Sony from releasing a software especially designed for Mac users. The software, which allows users to plug in their Bloggie, import photos and videos to Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube to name a few, is now getting some more attention from Sony with a new update. The Sony Bloggie Software Update 1.3 brings the following changes for Mac OS X users:

Full keyboard controls
Multiple select with mouse dragging
Improved sharing queue pages
Guided tour overview
Bug fixes

If you already own the free software, simply fire it up and you will be prompted for an automatic download. If you don’t, you can go ahead and visit Sony’s support website which still indicates the availability of version 1.2. After you’ve downloaded that, you will be notified of the new update. For those looking for some more information, we’d previously put together a video review of the Sony Bloggie Software for Mac OS X.

[Via Sony eSupport]

Nikon D4 DSLR Uses New Sony Sensor

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 6, 2011 | 10 comments

When conversations tend to go down towards brand royalty, they tend to turn humorous as fans of particular companies will line up in the crosshairs and defend one company while completely destroying the opposing company with no regards to the actual dealing behind the scenes. What many don’t realize though is that outside of competition, many of these companies in part work with each other in different aspects and divisions. Sure Apple and Samsung are in a bitter patent battle but Samsung also provides many of the parts for the iPhone and iPad. In the gaming world, the PS3 and Xbox 360 tend to be a case of water and oil yet Sony and Microsoft have recently worked on a new DRAM format together and Sony computers use Windows and Microsoft Office which is where Microsoft makes its majority of its income.

The camera world tends to be no different as Sony, Nikon and Canon continue to battle each other out. So although there are plenty of reports praising Sony and their DSLR strategy and studies showing that Sony currently holds the second highest camera market share and is closing in on the number one spot, fans of other brands will still find some way to skew the reality of the situation and form a narrative that best feeds their mindset. Because of this, it’s always refreshing to find reports where a company is actually using parts from their competitor. In this case, the current Nikon D3X uses a Sony 24 megapixel sensor, a part that can be found in the Sony Alpha A900. Nikon also plans on using Sony sensors in their upcoming D4 DSLR which is rumored to be the same 36 megapixel camera sensors that will be making their way into Sony 2012 FF translucent cameras. So the next time that you want to completely lay waste to a company that you might not be fond of, it might do you well to do some research and see what parts are in your own product and even better to remember that there are people on the other end of that product, not just corporate bricks.

[via SonyAlphaRumors]