From time to time, via the Watch Faces for Smartwatch 3 app, Sony updates and releases new watch faces for their smartwatch. When launched, three unique faces could be downloaded
With the most recent update, Sony is adding two new watch faces and some widgets to go along with them in order to bring more functionality to your wrist.
Long before the Xperia Z5 family was unveiled, there were rumors of the next flagship Sony smartphone appearing in Spectre, the upcoming James Bond film. With the phones having now been unveiled, Sony Mobile is running an advertisement campaign with the slogan “Made for Bond.”
After the jump, let’s talk about the 1 minute ad which can also be found there.
Not a ton of information to go by but according to a little birdie, Sony will be closing its online retail presence in Europe as well. Earlier in the summer, Sony made the surprising announcement that they’d be bringing their online retail store to a close by August’s end. Though unfortunate, the news made sense, seeing how Sony has lost most of its electronics clout (PlayStation not withstanding) in North America.
More after the jump.
Google hasn’t made it a secret that they have ambitions for the car. While it remains unclear what exactly Google will do with their car projects, the search giant has already shown off their self-driving vehicles on more than one occasion. On the other end of the spectrum, while mum is the word from the Cupertino-based company, a lot of speculation has pointed towards Apple also swarming around the car sector with high profile meetings at BMW and higher from Tesla and Mercedes-Benz. Even if no cars come from the two tech giants, the car market is already set to change thanks to their involvement with improving the in-dash experience via CarPlay and Android Auto.
Now comes word that Sony, another electronic company who’s no stranger to cars, might also be entertaining the idea of building their own vehicle. So meet me after the jump to discuss the possibilities of a Sony car.
The official PS4 firmware 3.0 feature list has been announced by Sony. Just last week, a screenshot from the beta program revealed some great new features coming to PS4 like direct YouTube streaming. Now thanks to the official list which Sony says is not final, we have a lot more details to talk about like PlayStation Plus cloud storage raising from 1GB to 10GB. Seeing how a free Dropbox account gives you more, it’s about time Sony raises this cap.
Details after the jump.
We’ve already covered the topic in great detail but just as a quick reminder, today is the final day to make purchases from Sony’s online retail portal. According to the electronic giant,
Sony Store Online will stop taking orders at 1pm (PST)
It remains unclear what Sony will do with its online portal as it will not disappear. Instead, I believe that it will serve as a domain for product information with all purchasing options being redirected towards authorized dealers. Earlier this month, Sony began directing people to shop at Amazon. While you’ll still be able to purchase every Sony product from other retailers like Amazon and to a lesser extent Best Buy, there is something to be said when a large corporation doesn’t find it in their best interest to sell products directly to consumers. A few more thoughts after the jump.
In early August, some rumors suggested that Sony would be incorporating a 4K display in their upcoming flagship smartphone. Come September 2nd, Sony will take center stage at IFA 2015 where it’s all but confirmed that the Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Compact will be announced. At the time, the news seemed sketchy as it made little sense for Sony to place such a high resolution screen in the two phones, especially the Xperia Z5 Compact which will have a smaller screen size.
However with the possibility of an Xperia Z5+ which could boast a 6-inch display and some new leaks, a 4K display may not be so preposterous. Those details after the jump.
Just over a month ago, we reported on Sony entering in a new product category; drones. Teaming up with Japanese robotics firm ZMP to create Aerosens, this new drone subsidiary will come online sometime in 2016 with a focus on
automated driving and robotics technologies.
While odd at first, besides the ever-growing landscape of drones which have practical uses ranging for commercial, military, and hobbyist, I speculated that Sony is really entering this product category to boost another of its divisions. Image sensors for the past few years have been the saving grace for the company. Powering multimillion selling devices from Apple and Samsung, Sony’s image sensors can be found in a wide array of products that have helped the company’s bottom line tremendously.
More details, including the two drones first flights are after the jump.
Here is a fun one for you. If you’re the proud owner of the Sony A7r II or the Sony PXW-FS7 then listen up. Sony Professional and SmallHD (known for their on-camera monitors) are throwing together an event in NYC. Besides fun activities and chatting with like-minded owners, you’ll get the opportunity to give feedback to SmallHD on their lineup of products.
More details on the event which takes place on August 27th.
After winning the EISA 2015-2016 ‘European Multimedia Smartphone Award’ for the Xperia Z3+, Sony has announced an additional 5 devices that have won an award. From Sony
Sony celebrates as six products across its portfolio have been acknowledged by EISA (European Imaging and Sound Association) – the largest editorial multimedia organisation in Europe. A trusted organisation, EISA is renowned for using expertise to analyse and assess a range of products, and therefore Sony’s six awards are indicative of its continued commitment to creating truly innovative products that deliver both style and substance.
After the jump, the products that brought in the awards for Sony.
Sure consumers may just be on the cusp of transitioning to 4K, but that doesn’t mean manufacturers like Sony aren’t already thinking beyond that. We’ve already seen some companies show off 8K sets at CES but they provide little value as there’s barely any 4K content, let alone 8K. However, the format has some practical uses on the professional end.
With twice the resolution of 4K, recordings can be easily cropped, perfect for sports where specific plays are zoomed in on and analyzed. We’ve already seen Sony incorporate 4K cameras during the World Cup which were broadcasted in 1080p. With that extra resolution at hand, Sony and broadcasters were instead able to zoom in and highlight specific parts of the field without any loss of quality.
As we start to move towards 4K, it’s only natural for professional gear to be able to do the same thing so the 4K content we consume has the same flexibility. After the jump, supposed Sony 8K FZ mount camera specs.
Earlier in the month, Sony dropped a bombshell on us in that they would be closing their online retail portal alongside all but one of their physical locations by month’s end. Sony promised something new for consumers, which, as we’ve gathered, will be an online portal with buying options from authorized Sony dealers. This would allow Sony to simply maintain a website with product information while washing their hands clean of inventory control and other logistics associated with e-commerce.
Now, prior to their mandated August 28th deadline, the company is already started to direct traffic towards others.
I’ve discussed to death the lack of marketing from Sony and have always said that “Sony is one good marketing campaign away from success,” something that I still stand by. Though Sony software continues to linger behind its competitors in mobile and electronics, its hardware continues to be one of the best. This is especially apparent in their 2015 fleet of 4K televisions, receivers, and sound bars.
With mobile, Sony is once again dipping its toes in mass marketing by partnering with UEFA through their 2017/2018 season. Depending on the success, Sony can extend their partnership with the mega soccer football league even further. While not popular in the States, the UEFA championship outside of the World Cup is one of the most watched sporting events with millions tuning in and Sony is taking advantage of that by plastering their name and the Xperia brand all over it.
This is a welcome change and a good move for Sony. Popular throughout the world, UEFA is most popular in Europe (where its held) which also happens to be Sony Mobiles strongest territory. This makes for a great match but perhaps Sony is missing the point.
In the past week, Sony has bowed out of the US market in a pretty big way. While the company was never able to have a major retail presence like Apple, it also never had the proper marketing and money to at least try and push its retail stores in the same way Microsoft is now doing. With a declining consumer electronic business, Sony has opted to close all but one of its retail stores in the US.
This comes on the heels of Sony planning to shut down their online retail portal later this month. After the jump, I want to hear from you.
As you’ve likely heard by now, Sony is shutting down its online retail store in the US and Canada. Our 25 things to know piece breaks down the nuances of this decision but Sony. Luckily, Sony has an extensive list of authorized dealers that will continue to sell their products.
However, there seems to be one more casualty from all this; Sony retail stores.
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