sony

Sony's PlayStation 3 has received approval from Chinese regulators on safety standards, leading to suggestions China may soon lift a ban on home gaming consoles.

According to Reuters, the China Quality Certification Center gave two models of the PlayStation 3 approval this July, with all electronic devices needing to pass the body's safety standards before they can be launched on the Chinese market.

The safety approval doesn't mean the console is coming to the country any time soon, however.

"This does not mean that we have officially decided to enter Chinese market," a Sony spokesperson … Read more

When Americans think of mobile phone brands, two maybe three names spring immediately to mind: Apple, Samsung, and perhaps Motorola or even HTC. I bet Sony isn't on the tip of your tongue, despite the company's marketing efforts. … Read more

It was always a great mystery why Sony never had an iOS app so its Reader customers could read their Sony e-books on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.

Amazon has its Kindle app. Barnes & Noble the Nook app. And Kobo has a Kobo app. But somehow Sony's Reader app remained conspicuously absent from the Apple App Store (a free Reader app for Android devices has been available for months).

Not anymore. I got an e-mail today from the Sony Reader Store Team announcing that it had launched "Reader for your iPhone, iPad and iPod."

No … Read more

Fiscal second-quarter earnings for Sony show a less-bleak picture than expected. After losing $5.7 billion last year and $312 million in the first quarter, the Tokyo-based technology giant is starting to slowly recover. 

Sony recorded an operating profit of $388 million, compared to a $20 million loss in the same quarter a year ago. On the whole, it's an improvement but Sony still has a long way to go before it reaches anything close to "healthy" status.

Net income before taxes stood at $252 million, with an operating profit of $388 million. However, Sony lost $… Read more

The first wave of Windows 8 PCs is already on sale, and our collection of reviews continues to grow.

We've been benchmarking and field-testing new Windows 8 systems, including all-in-one desktops, traditional clamshell laptops, hybrid PCs with detachable screens, and convertible laptops with displays that flip or twist around to form tabletlike devices. The latest additions include Lenovo's ThinkPad Twist convertible laptop and Acer's high-end Aspire S7.

Some of what we found surprised us, such as how well nontransforming laptops worked with added touch screens, or how important a decent touch pad still was for navigation. The … Read more

Sony just confirmed U.S. pricing and availability for its latest handset, the Xperia TL. You can expect the handset, official smartphone of the 'Skyfall" James Bond film, to cost $99.99 on November 2. … Read more

Hackers have found a way to break down one of the toughest defensive walls in Sony's PlayStation 3 software security, ensuring that those who use custom firmware can run homebrew software and pirated games forever.

A group calling itself "The Three Musketeers" on Monday released a secret set of LV0 codes that can decrypt the PlayStation 3's Level 0 (LV0) security layer used by the primary boot loader. This means that hackers should always have the ability to release custom firmware for the device any time Sony updates the console's software. Custom firmware gives PS3 owners the ability to run pirated games, homebrew software (such as retro game emulators), and even Linux. … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Peeved? Apple will exchange your third-gen iPad for the newer model.

- Counterfeit ketchup scheme busted!

- PlayStation 'Master' key leaked online.

- 'Jesus,' 'welcome' join list of worst passwords.

- Apple user claims iMacs ruined his eyesight.… Read more

A California district judge has dismissed a handful of charges that plaintiffs brought against Sony, including negligence, restitution, and unjust enrichment in its handling of a PlayStation Network data breach last year.

Several lawsuits were filed against Sony PlayStation Network in the wake of a major security breach of the personal data of more than 75 million customers in April 2011.

On Friday, Judge Anthony Battaglia of the U.S. District Court in Southern California ruled that one of those class action suits is invalid, according to Courthouse News.

When the attack happened in 2011, more than 75 million customer … Read more