If you’ve been wanting some more KB spice in your life, then here is the man himself, this time out to promote the PlayStation 3 exclusive, inFamous 2.
Somebody didn’t get the memo that superheroes don’t need capes and tights anymore.
Sony Corp.
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As you will hear me say, whether it’s for Fathers Day, Mothers Day, an anniversary, or your girlfriends birthday, the Sony DPF-D1020 digital photo frame can be a great gift. From a guy’s perspective, we might be tempted not to get an electronic gift for our mother or girlfriend with the fear of rejection for it being techie. For our fathers and friends, we might want to buy a wonderful gift, but might be hard-strapped for cash. That’s where my previous interactions with the digital photo frame began and once again on this Fathers Day, I’ve gone down that same route.
Currently, I’m the owner of a Sony 7-inch digital photo frame and this time for Father’s Day, I reached for the Sony DPF-D1020, which comes with a 10.2-inch Backlight LCD screen. Capable of playing JPEG, BMP, TIFF and yes, even RAW files (though with a resolution of 800 x 480, which would be a bit pointless), this gorgeous little big digital photo frame is a perfect gift for any occasion or even a great addition to your room or office. One of my favorite features of the Sony digital photo frame is the ability to set specific times for the unit to turn on and off; perfect for the bedroom where my unit currently turns off at 12:15am and back on again at 9:21am (and yes, I have a thing for numbers so those times are real). With 2GB of internal storage, the DPF-D1020 can handle roughly 4,000 photos and if that’s not enough, you can still expand the memory with a Memory Stick Duo or SD card. What truly makes this gift perfect for anybody is that once you’ve placed the photos and videos of your liking, it becomes a very personal gift and not just cold raw tech equipment.
As I mentioned, price is another wonderful thing about these units. Sony’s digital photo frames start at $99 which is fairly achievable for any occasion. This particular version runs for $149 MSRP. After the jump, you can view our unboxing and find a link to Amazon which has the DPF-D1020 for $125 instead. While you’re there, let us know about your experience with digital frames and occasions like Father’s and Mother’s Day. Did you buy them an electronic piece? If so, how was that as a gift?
If you’re going to be firing up your TiVo, PlayStation 3, or iPad today to watch a film like Ghostbusters, Resident Evil, or The Social Network via Netflix, don’t be surprised when you don’t find any trace of them. That is to say, all Sony Picture films have currently been pulled off from Netflix, due to a contractual issue.
The immediate reasoning behind this actually has nothing to do with Netflix and Sony or the relationship between the two companies. Instead, Netflix is given access to the catalogue of Sony Picture films from a contract between them and Starz, the pay television channel that is owned by Liberty Media. The contract currently between Starz and Sony allows Starz to play those films on their own television station, while holding streaming rights to them as well which they allow Netflix to utilize.
The wrench in all this comes from the original agreement between Sony Pictures and Starz in which there exists a subscriber cap. Netflix, which currently enjoys more then 23.5 million subscribers, has gone over the cap which was allowed in the contract. In reaction, Starz decided to pull all Sony Pictures films from Netflix in order to not violate their original contract with Sony Pictures.
Starz has gone on record and stated:
“all parties are working diligently to resolve the issue and return the films to Netflix members.”
While Netflix was not available for comments, instead just displaying on their website that “a temporary contract issue between Sony and Starz” is the cause of the problem.
All in all, this seems like a minor issue and not some ideological move on Sony’s part. As we speak, I’m sure that there are lawyers from both sides raking up a massive hundred thousand dollar fee and will have the films up and running for your viewing pleasure in a short time.
[Via LA Times]
A new video from Sony, mixes a little inspiration from LittleBigPlanet and your bordem from when you were 6 years old to show off their Honeycomb (Android 3.0) S1 and S2 tablets. As entertaining of a watch that the video is and it truly is beautiful in terms, there is really absolutely nothing new revealed here. Still, a recommended watch while we can hope that future videos from Sony will help set the tablet apart from other Android tablets. Because at the end of the day, what makes an iPad is the software that Apple has created, not fancy videos and what makes the Blackberry Playbook stand out is again the difference in the OS.
What do you think. Do you enjoy creative and artful teaser videos or would you prefer for Sony to get down to business and reveal the OS?
(Thanks to our tipster Chrisdian)
If you have about 6 spare minutes, like a cute co-host, have a habit of taking things apart, and are interested in the 3D Bloggie, then you will like the following video. Sony’s internal video division, SGNL, along with iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens, decided to take the 3D Bloggie apart in order to show you just what goes into making a 3D pocket-sized camera while also sneaking in some specs about the 3D Bloggie. So although you might not find any new pieces of information, it’s still an interesting video to look at for your inner Tony Stark. Hit the jump for the video.
Just in time for the Summer and the slow beginning of back-to-school shopping, Sony has updated their VAIO E series with new colors and the ever powerful and efficient Sandy Bridge processor. The E series which is available in 14-, 15.5-, and 17.3-inch will give buyers the option between the latest Core i3 and i5s processors. Those who prefer the AMD round will also be given the option to select the AMD Fusion as a processor on the 15.5-inch model. Both the 14-inch and 15-inch variation will be available in midnight blue, glacier white, charcoal black and blush pink – while the 17.3-inch model comes in charcoal black and glacier white. The VAIO E series will be available on June 19th with a starting price of $550. Hit the jump for some more noteworthy specs, as well as additional pictures and an official press release.
Being a current and happy owner of the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX5V, I was curious as to what the updated version, the HX9V, would bring to the table. Judging from reviews, it seems to be a heck of a whole lot. The respected camera site the “Photography Blog” has now reviewed the HX9V and calls the camera “the best travel-zoom camera that we’ve reviewed to date.” That’s because Sony gives you a ton of features while still making sure that the camera fits in your pocket or purse, like:
- 16 Megapixels
- 1080p AVCHD Video Recording
- 3-inch LCD
- 16X Optical Zoom
- Super Steady shot
- 2D/3D Panorama Mode
- 10 FPS Full-res Burst Mode
- Full Manual Control
- f/3.3 Wide-angle Aperture.
- GPS for Geotagging
- SD/Memory Stick
Hit the jump for the full story.
If recent rumors are to believed, then Sony is looking to release the S1 and S2 Android 3.0 Tablets in September for Europe with a an August pre-order date. During the initial announcement of these PlayStation Suite certified devices, which means they can run PlayStation and potentially PS2 games, Sony had indicated that they were aiming for a Summer release date, and with the recent tragedies in Japan, we are damn impressed that they are so close to their initial timeline. With the S1 Honycomb Tablet recently hitting the FCC, we know that, as far as Sony is concerned, these devices are ready for public release, hence them being turned in for Federal regularity checks. After that, it’s a matter of turning on the factories and building an inventory, which is what the next few months will more than likely be dedicated to. The FCC finding revealed that the S1 (and more than likely S2) comes with a WCDMA bands II, indicating a compatibility with AT&T and T-Mobile for the US, which is the same standard that Europe and many other countries use (sorry Verizon and Sprint fans).
Although we have yet to see what the UI on these tablets will be like, from what you’ve seen so far, what do you think? Do you like the different design approach that Sony is taking? Especially with the S2?
[Via Engadget]
Today, Sony is releasing Qriocity, their Music Unlimited streaming service, to Android-enabled devices. The service, which launched nearly 8 months ago, gives users the ability to sync their music to the cloud and access the over 7 million songs that are available. Till now, the service has only been available on Sony devices like the PlayStation 3, PSP, and select Sony Blu-ray players and Bravia TVs.
With today’s announcement, any user with an Android device running Android 2.1 or higher will be able to download the free application from the Android market, though the service itself has a monthly cost. Keep in mind that this is in addition to Sony Ericsson’s own lineup of phones which includes Xperia arc, Xperia PLAY, Xperia X10, Xperia X8, Xperia neo.
As we’ve previously covered, Qriocity comes in two paid tiers. The $3.99 monthly subscription plan is much more like Pandora, providing access to the 7 million available tracks from labels like Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and EMI Music. In addition to that, you can also transfer your personal music and playlists from your PC into your Music Unlimited Library using Music Sync which gives you access to your music from any Qriocity enabled device or web browser. The $9.99 monthly subscription, on top of the previously mentioned features available on the lower tier, gives you access to premium channels like ‘Top 100’ and ‘Local 100.’ Users can also create playlists and have them synced across all enabled devices and find artists and albums and play through their entire album or discography.
This also marks the first real offering of music streaming on Android, outside of Google’s own music service which is still in the early stages as all Google products are during their first two years, where users have the ability to sync music from their own collection and play it back via their Android phone. It’s also worth noting that this will be the first chance that Qriocity will receive to truly expand into the consumer market, seeing how previously it was limited to Sony machines only. Even though there are nearly 50 million PlayStaiton 3s in the world, 70 million PSP units, and countless millions of Sony Bravia televisions and Blu-ray players, the target audience was never proper, given that those users were probably busy gaming or might not have always had access to Wi-Fi like on the PSP to actually stream the music. Now, with the millions of Android phones, all with some form of web access, Sony can get a real judge of Qriocity and properly challenge other services out there.
You can currently try Qriocity free for 30 days
Though the Sony Alpha A77 is still a product in deep development, that doesn’t mean that there are not a lucky few out there who’ve had a chance to play with the device or whatever version of it that happens to exist at the time. One of the more interesting tidbits that we have learned is that the A77 will be USB 3.0 compatible. If this is true, this will be the first of any camera or camcorder that I’ve heard of that has a next generation cable option and it really makes sense. Seeing how USB 3.0 is about 10 times faster than USB 2.0 and the A77 is set to be a 24-megapixel camera, it would be nice to be able to transfer the gigabytes upon gigabytes of pictures at a faster pace so we can spend more time editing and less time waiting. Now if they will only offer Thunderbolt as well and I’d be a happy camper.
Now, lets talk Alpha A77 specs and details. In addition to what is being described as an “insanely fast” automatic focus, even in “Tracking Mode,” users will be presented with a gorgeous OLED screen which should make taking and viewing photos that much more enjoyable.
What do you guys and gals think? Do you welcome a transition to USB 3.0 or would you prefer Thunderbolt?
[Via SonyAlphaRumors]
Sony, Panasonic and other Japanese electronics makers have announced today a partnership for cross platform e-Book service. It’s no secret that many of the electronics giants in Japan, including Sony, were a little late to the digital revolution. As American companies like Apple and Amazon beefed up their online channels with services like iTunes and the Kindle Book Store, Japan continued to pump out great hardware that lacked a cohesive strategy, thus making their products less valuable.
Now these companies are hoping to provide a service where users can purchase and read contents, no matter the given platform they originally bought from. Other value is brought through a new centralized web-based marketplace which allows users to manage downloads, and view new books and best sellers.
[Via Nikkei]
Another Tuesday and another PlayStation Store update for all you PS3 and PSP owners out there. This time, some noteworthy titles include the Outland demo and full game for $9.99, as well as 10 new Dissidia: Final Fantasy avatars and 3 new ModNation Racer Add-ons.
As always, hit the jump for the full list.
If you didn’t get a chance to attend this year’s E3 press conference or show, check out our Flickr Feed which boasts over 150 photos, highlighting and showing off Sony’s presence during the 4-day event.
[Via Flickr]
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