sony

Gaze at amazing art drawn on a touch-screen tablet

LAS VEGAS--We may never be able to replace the splendor of painting on a real canvas with store-bought pigments, but the supreme accuracy of a modern touch-screen computer can offer an artistic experience that would even make Dali's head spin.

Deep within the maze-like setup of Sony's booth at CES 2013, I sat down with artist April Wong as she painted a woman using the ArtRage drawing program on a Sony Vaio Duo 11 hybrid tablet. Stroke by stroke, a realistic image emerged from Wong's stylus, and I couldn't help but find myself surprised that the visage appearing on the tablet looked as good, if not better, than a real painting. No mess, either!… Read more

Sony eyes $1 billion building sale in Japan

Sony is trying to sell a Tokyo building in an effort to raise some cash for its ailing operation.

The Sony City Osaki building in Tokyo is on sale for between $1 billion and $1.5 billion, the Wall Street Journal is reporting today, citing sources with knowledge of the plans. The move follows a corporate decree passed down by CEO Kazuo Hirai to offload any nonessential assets as Sony attempts to regain its financial footing.

Sony has watched its financials slip over the last several years. In the year ended March 31, 2012, Sony lost about $5 billion as … Read more

The 404 at CES 2013: Where we change out $100 (podcast)

We've seen plenty of innovative gadgets at this year's show, but Jeff wants to talk about a few things we'd be thankful to never see again.

We'll also talk about the trend of indestructibility with regard to smartphone cases and screen protectors, alternative computer displays, and more.

Finally, we'll check out a local bar called Insert Coin(s) that dispels the myth of video game stereotypes. It's a unique take on nightlife that lets patrons choose from a selection of 60 vintage cabinets and modern games that you can play on 44 HDTVs plastered … Read more

Sony chats up future of Music Unlimited, PlayStation Store

LAS VEGAS--Nearly three years after the formation of Sony Network Entertainment, the company still struggles to capture consumer attention with its Music Unlimited media-streaming service, but things look better than ever for the PlayStation Store.

Sony Network Entertainment COO Shawn Layden remains upbeat despite his company living in the shadow of Pandora, Xbox Live, and other competitors. In a conversation with CNET, Layden relayed the primary goals for Sony's entertainment services: bring content to more regions, expand the number of compatible devices, and design a common user interface across device categories.… Read more

Sony's Hirai to Nvidia: Handheld gaming is 'not an easy business'

Sony Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai has a warning for Nvidia as that company eyes the gaming space.

"It's not an easy business to get into," Hirai told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published yesterday. He went on to say that it's too early to tell if Nvidia can succeed in the hotly contested mobile-gaming space, adding that the industry is littered with the remains of companies that have tried and failed.

Nvidia earlier this week announced a new portable-gaming device, named "Shield," that runs on Android and its new quad-core Tegra 4 … Read more

Console sales set for rebound, courtesy of next-gen

Console sales are set to make a rebound in the next couple of years, thanks to the next generation of hardware.

According to research firm IDC, worldwide console sales hit 34 million units last year, representing a 24.4 percent declined compared with 2011. However, IDC believes that the Wii U and the launch of a next-generation Xbox at the end of this year will push console sales up 10.1 percent to 37.4 million this year. In 2014, console sales could rise 19.1 percent to 44.6 million units.

"2011 and 2012 were tough for many … Read more

Nvidia's CEO talks Shield with CNET: Yes, there will be future models

LAS VEGAS--Nvidia Chief Executive Jen-Hsun Huang seems almost like a kid in a candy shop when showing off his new gaming device, codenamed Project Shield.

He couldn't contain his excitement during an interview with CNET today over the product's future -- including subsequent versions of the device -- and he was downright giddy when describing the features.

"I've been dreaming about this toy for a long time, and it's a toy that only a gamer could love," Huang said in the interview with CNET here at the Consumer Electronics Show. "It's not … Read more

Sony CES press conference: Heavy on 4K TVs, OLED, plus an actual phone!

LAS VEGAS--Today Sony announced one of the broadest and most compelling product and service lineups at CES 2013, including 4K and OLED TVs, the first way to get 4K content into the home, and yes, an actual smartphone.

Leading the charge was the company's new flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z. With quad-core processing, a massive 5-inch screen, and a 13-megapixel camera, it has the specs to compete with the best phones on the market. And one of the only ones that's water-resistant.

Next the company talked up NFC, or near-field communication, saying it had integrated "One Touch" communication among devices to ease media transfer and streaming among phones, tablets, TVs, and audio devices. The idea is that the link can be established just by touching the devices to one another.… Read more

How Sony can regain its cool factor in smartphones

LAS VEGAS -- Sony hopes its Xperia smartphone brand will ultimately reach the same heights as its vaunted Trinitron and Walkman lines.

It'll be lucky if it can get a consumer to even remember the Xperia name.

"Sony needs people to know that we make phones," said Calum MacDougal, director of Xperia marketing for the company.

That's the uphill climb that Sony faces in the ultra-competitive smartphone business. The truth is the company is so far behind -- particularly in the U.S. -- that it will take a monumental leap this year just to get … Read more