Sony Corp.

Sony Frustrated with Slow Xperia Android 2.1 Rollout Too

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 15, 2010 | 1 comment

I’ve made it known that Sony has been extremely slow at rolling out Android 2.1 for the Xperia X10 and its little brother, Xperia X8, being months behind other handset manufacturers. Well guess what, Sony is frustrated with the process as well. On their Facebook page, the company points towards AT&T, stating that “the technical requirements that must be met” over which Sony Ericsson has “no control” are far more rigorous than elsewhere. Sony goes on to say that it takes months for these updates to get approved, indicating that they have had Android 2.1 in the pipeline for some time and we can only assume that Android 2.3 is sitting in the pipes as well. Of course, Sony is not the only manufacturer of Android, but is one of the few which relies on AT&T to provides the platform. They can have different requirements than Verizon which is the big Android carrier. Part of this is also tied down to the fact that AT&T networks handle both Voice and Data at the same time while Verizon does not, which points to additional tweaks and checks required from AT&T to make sure all is running adequately. Hit the jump for the full Facebook post.

[Via Sony Ericsson Facebook]

Don't Expect a Tablet from Sony Anytime Soon, Thank God

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 14, 2010 | 1 comment

While Sony Ericsson France CEO Pierre Perron was in talks about Sony Ericsson’s stand on Windows Phone 7 with French newspaper Les Echos, he briefly touched on the subject of tablet computers and Sony’s stance on the subject matter. Many had assumed that with Sony’s many new partnerships with Google and the tablet fever that most companies have, an Android-based tablet from Sony was in the cards for the near future. “Not so fast,” said Perron, stating that they don’t want to be the “24th” tablet maker out there. I can’t believe that some of the best Sony news of this month isn’t what Sony is making, but instead what Sony isn’t. I don’t say this with a sinister tone, but the opposite. One mark of a good company is not what they make, but what they choose not to make. Apple can make cameras and digital frame, with the iPhone 4’s exceptional camera and display but Apple dosen’t want to compete in those markets. Sony usually has trouble with this concept, instead attempting to compete in every market it can, and a lot of the time this ends up with lackluster results because they can’t be nimble enough compared to the likes of a company that is just dedicated to that sector. This can be especially true in the tablet market where Apple is heavily leveraging their now extremely mature iTunes platform and App store, married with their software heritage to gives users a through-and-through experience. Companies much larger than Sony (HP) tried to take on the iPad by offering 2GB of ram versus the iPad 256mb and USB ports and dual camera’s and the list goes, but they still managed to sell only 9,000 on launch while Apple is expected to finish 2010 with 10 million units sold, with nearly 700,000 sold on launch date alone. I don’t doubt that eventually, Sony will make a tablet, because that is after all where computing is headed, but I don’t believe right now is the time. Sony instead needs to take its time and build up its cloud services like the PlayStation Network and Qriocity and then leverage those to lure people into their product.

[Via Les Echos]

PlayStation Home, by the Numbers

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 14, 2010 | 6 comments

Think Sony’s PlayStation Home is a barren wasteland? Time to think again. Sony has released a new chart, showing the growth of the PlayStation Home community and offerings on the eve of its second anniversary. Launched back in 2008, PlayStation Home has been a social networking frontier of sorts, tied directly into the PlayStation 3 and many of its games. Offering users the capability to create virtual characters and homes, players can chat with each other, listen to music via a dance floor, and view trailers and shows like Sony’s own The Tester. PlayStation Home also offers gamers both private and social lounges, based around particular games where the entire “space” is designed and centered around that game. Here users can hang out, talk strategy and discuss their favorite games, and even jump into it together. More on that in a second. Many times, these dedicated game spaces also host related mini games, as well as virtual items and other goodies that the player can collect and use in PlayStation Home. Another feature that is sure to attract gamers is game launching. This allows you to create a group in Home and have users join that group and launch into a particular game together. It’s perfect for when the need arises to organize a group and head into a Socom or Warhawk match. Home not also supports game launching, but also now boasts 236 unique games, all which are free. This can range from mini games for Resistance 2 where users shoot down an oncoming alien fleet to a fully robust MMO experience like Sodium, all which again are free, no matter if you own the original game like Resistance 2 or not. So if you haven’t checked out Home in a while, it’s time for a second look. Also, hit the jump for a much more detailed look at some of the new games, coming to PlayStation Home next year.

[Via PlayStation Blog]

Box Office: Narnia and The Tourist Fail to Draw Big Attendance

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 13, 2010 | 7 comments

Over the weekend, new release The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Tourist failed to draw big numbers from the audience while the box office itself was down nearly five percent from the year prior when Disney’s The Princess and the Frog lead. Still audiences had plenty of holdover movies to choose from like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Tangled, and Unstoppable.

Windows Phone 7 From Sony Ericsson? Not Likely Says CEO

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 13, 2010 | 15 comments

Although Sony Ericsson isn’t yet a standard name for those outside of the tech world in the US, with the likes of Apple’s iPhone and Motorola’s Android dominating the news, Sony has still made big strides. The once-sinking division of Sony has now made profit for three consecutive quarters and all of this was really prior to their big Android push with the Xperia X10 and X8 models. So it would only make sense for them to expand into new platforms like Windows Phone 7, right? “Not so fast,” says Sony Ericsson France CEO Pierre Perron. During a recent interview with French newspaper Les Echos, Perron did confirm earlier rumors that Sony had indeed been in talks with Microsoft, but decided against the idea because it would “run the risk of standardizing our smartphones,” adding that (roughly translated), “we would be obliged to fight only on design and price, which we want to avoid.” Although this might be sad news for a Windows Phone 7 fan, the strategy makes sense and I’m not even touching on the so-called “standardizing” effect that Perron noted. Instead, if we look back at Sony’s history, the company has a tendency to stretch itself too thin, offering a barrage of products at every price point and every taste and thus not being able to adjust and adapt to new trends fast. Instead, if Sony takes the Apple approach and focuses on fewer products, yet more solid build and software, they can stand to achieve a much bigger flowing and thus sales which is what it’s all about at the end of the day.

[Via Les Echos]

VGA – World Premiere Trailers and A Peek Into 2011.

by Jenni Petot | Dec 12, 2010 | 66 comments

In case you missed the Spike TV’s Video Game Awards last night, we have for you two world premiere trailers for two huge PS3 exclusive titles. The first is RESISTANCE 3 – coming to stores 9/6/2011. From what I’ve read, Resistance 3 will add two-player co-op to the game’s campaign in online and offline modes. And Insomniac says it’s planning a “progression-based” multiplayer mode too.

Sony VP of Everything, Kevin Butler and Best Buy Team Up in a New Ad

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 10, 2010 | 4 comments

This Holiday season, Best Buy and Sony are teaming up again to offer you an exclusive Bravia TV and PlayStation 3 bundle with huge savings. Don’t believe me? Take it away KB!

Sony Pictures 'The Tourist' Opens Nationwide

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 10, 2010 | 1 comment

Sony Pictures, The Tourist travels to your local theater for its nation wide release, starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. The film marks a return for Sony Pictures to the cinema (other then Burlesque) sense they finished the summer with Resident Evil: After Life and the much praised, The Social Network. Sony Pictures will be back again next week to finish out its year with romantic comedy ‘How Do You Know’, starring Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and the ever great, Jack Nicholson. I do however feel bad for that movie as it will have to go up against Tron: Legacy and I think we both know what movie ill be going with…

Anyways, hit the jump for a trailer for The Tourist which is one I’m excited to see. Should be especially great for the 25+ crowd, so take your boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband on a nice date this week and catch a more adult film.

American tourist Frank (Johnny Depp) meets a mysterious beauty who drags him into a dangerous world of intrigue and espionage while traveling through Europe in director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s paranoid thriller. When Frank met Elise (Angelina Jolie) on the train, he thought it was a chance encounter. Little did Frank realize it was all part of a much bigger plan, one that would soon find him dodging bullets through both the historic streets of Paris and the winding canals of Venice. Now, the faster Frank and Elise run, the more intense their romance grows.

Sony Looks for New President, Eventually to Succeed Howard Stringer

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 10, 2010 | 4 comments

Though Sony won’t commend on the matter, many insider sources are reporting that Sony is starting to look internally for a new President. Currently, Sir Howard Stringer acts as both President and CEO witch as it turns out to be is a lot of work for a company who has some form of presence in every electronic and digital medium. Stringer, who took over as CEO in June 2005 and later President in April 2009 will be turning 69 February and currently travels frequently between his main office in New York, Sony’s Tokyo headquarters, the movie division in Los Angeles and London where his family lives. With a new President on hand, Stringer can lighten his load and continue to over see the restructuring, until Sony completes its business plan ending in March 2013.

“Stringer should be credited for carrying out structural reforms to stop the company from bleeding,” said Kohi Toda, Tokyo-based chief fund manager at Resona Bank Ltd., which oversees about $55 billion in assets.

Breaking: First Uncharted 3 News and Details. We Have Pictures and a Trailer

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 9, 2010 | 15 comments

Sony has finally gone on record about the 3rd installment of their award winning series UNCHARTED – named UNCHARTED3: Drake’s Deception. Uncharted 3 again will follow the story of Nathan Drake and his adventures, this time set in the deserts of the world.

UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception features the return of famed fortune hunter Nathan Drake and follows him through a gripping, action-packed storyline that will take you all over the world. In his search for the fabled “Atlantis of the Sands,” Nathan Drake and longtime friend and mentor Victor Sullivan set off on a daring trek into the heart of the Arabian Desert. But when terrible secrets of this lost city are uncovered, their journey becomes a desperate bid for survival that will force Drake to confront his deepest fears.

UNCHARTED has been one of the key franchises for PlayStation 3 that has shown what the real power of the system can achieve. Providing an unparalleled story telling, with breathtaking visuals and game physics, UNCHARTED as a franchise has gone to sell nearly 8 million games and has won countless awards, including the covenant, Game of the Year. With UNCHARTED 3, you can again expect the same single player, cinematic experience but the creators want to further develop the mechanics and gameplay of competitive and co-op multiplayer that is hopefully set to tie in with the single player experience. UNCHARTED 3 will also support full 3D gameplay, though no Move functionality has yet to be announced. Check back here for more details as we get them and hit the jump for some more pictures and first trailer.

Netflixes Different UI for the PS3, Explained

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 9, 2010 | 16 comments

From the time the native Netflix App launched for the PlayStation 3, there have been numerous account of two to three different types of interfaces appearing for users. When a PS3 owners would scroll to the movie section of the XMB (Cross Media Bar) on their PlayStation 3 console and launch the Netflix App, they could never actually be sure what version of Netflix would appear. Some speculated that old versions were still in the Sony servers and this was caused by them while others thought this might be a glitch from Netflix. Now, we have the answers, straight from Netflix and it’s neither of those scenarios.

Example

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 8, 2010 | 0 comments

Last week, we introduced you to the Sony MDR-1a Premium Hi-Res Stereo Headphones which, as the name suggests, offer support for Hi-Res audio. This week, we’d like to turn your attention towards the Sony MDR-XB950BT. While the name/model might be a mouthful, these latest headphones offer quite a bit of features that will likely resonate with more casual listeners at a more affordable price. As you’ve likely guessed, the Sony MDX-XB950BT are wireless headphones, thanks to the built in Bluetooth which allows for wireless music streaming and a handsfree phone experience thanks to the built-in mic.

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First Look at Emma Stone aka Gwen Stacy as a Blond for Upcoming Spider-man Reboot

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 8, 2010 | 5 comments

Emma Stone, star of recent hits such as Superbad, The House Bunny, and Zombieland will be playing Gwen Stacy, Peter Parkers love interest in the upcoming Marc Web “peter-parker-told-differently”/”> Spider-man reboot. Though many of Stone’s fan know her and have seen her as a red her in her movies and outings, Stone says that she is actually a natural blond and is now back to her original color as she prepares for her up coming roll. Recently photographed at the red carpet at Trevor Live at the Hollywood Palladium on Sunday, we can start to get a feel for her character, though this is far from the final look of “Gwen Stacy”.

Sony, Sandisk, and Nikon Want to Make 2TB Memory Card with 500MBps Speeds

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 8, 2010 | 1 comment

Currently, the leading standard and speed from the CompactFlash association is set at a maximum transfer rate of 167MB per second, something that Sony, Sandisk and Nikon are not happy with. With Sony and Nikon making top DSRL camera’s and Sandisk making every from of Memory Card out there, the trio are looking for bigger memory cards and faster transfer speeds. Currently, all memory cards use the PATA serial interface to transfer information around. Under the new proposal, companies would shift to the newer, PCI Express serial interface which would give them speeds up to 500MPs for transferring and up to 2TB storage space, which blows away the current 32GB and 64GB sizes that are still hard to find and afford. This will not only benefit DSLR users who want to transfer their RAW files faster to the computer, but will help out the on going Megapixel war and allow users to go on full trips without needing a new card. If this new standard is also approved, this can help Camcorder manufactures like Sony as well, who currently offer plenty of hard drive based camcorders. Now a user can just buy the storage space they want, much like they would with a digital camera. According to Engadget, The CompactFlash Association has already announced a new workgroup to study the proposal. Canon’s Shigeto Kanda, CFA chairman of the board, had this to say about the proposal:

Future professional photography and video applications will require memory cards with faster read/write speeds. The development of a new high-performance card standard with a serial interface will meet the needs of the professional imaging industry for years to come and open the door for exciting new applications.

As always, hit the jump for a full press release.

Best Buy Offers Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Free During the Month of December

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 7, 2010 | 2 comments

If you’ve been eyeing the recently updated Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 lately and are in a bit of a budget crunch, does Best Buy have one hell of a deal for you. During the month of December, customers who sign a new 2 year contract (which is pretty much how everybody buys a phone now a days) will receive the Xperia X10 for free.

“We were excited by the amount of consumer interest we received around our ‘Free Phone Fridays’ promotion in October, so we wanted to do it again only bigger,” said Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile. “People want smart phones and we couldn’t think of a better way to end the year for our customers than to offer free devices every day in December.”

Hit the jump as always for the official press release.