Sony

Say what you will about PS3 sales, but it seems clear that the game console is having an impact on the next-gen DVD war. This week the Blu-ray version of Casino Royale broke into the Amazon top 10 for DVD sales and four other Blu-ray titles sit in the top 100. On the other hand, the top title on HD DVD, Happy Feet, is currently ranked at No. 117.

In a recent column, I suggested to readers that they should keep an eye on The Departed--it's a Warner release and therefore available on both HD DVD and Blu-ray--to get … Read more

The phone may not be terribly new but, if you live in the U.K., you can certainly get it with a colorful new look.

Sony Ericsson's K510i has the same specs as always, but its exterior has gotten a major makeover from hot British designer Julien Macdonald that looks downright psychedelic compared with the original in basic black. And if you get one of these from Orange, you'll be right on time.

MacDonald himself was quoted on Tech Digest thusly: "The print was inspired by exotic flowers, orchids in particular, so thought it would be perfect … Read more

We can't remember the number of times we've come across an old photo and couldn't remember where it was taken. (Sometimes a new photo, even.) That's why we, and our deteriorating brain cells, appreciate Sony's development of a GPS unit for the camera.

The elegantly named GPS-CS1KA saves the location, time and date of photos taken in all areas that have satellite coverage, according to Tech Digest. The device stores about a month's worth of tracking data for the photos, which can be tagged on a Google map as well.

The unit weighs under … Read more

With the video game market credited for racking up $7 billion in annual sales, even trade shows about the industry are big news for legions of loyal gamers. With the demise (or at least downsizing) of the Electronic Entertainment Exposition--the gigantic video game show held in LA each spring--smaller events, such as the Game Developers Conference are picking up the slack.

The show floor is bigger than last year's, and companies such as Sony and Nintendo have set up large E3-style multimedia booths, making the event's higher public profile one of the biggest stories coming out of GDC … Read more

Sony finally unveiled its big PlayStation 3 surprise at GDC 2007. After its short but intense pre-GDC rumor war with Kotaku, Sony announced Home, the new online service for the PS3.

Underneath the marketing hype that Gamespot and News.com both already covered, Home is essentially a cross between Second Life and Nintendo's Mii avatars. PS3 users will get their own customizable avatars and virtual homes with which they can go online, chat with and host friends, find players for online gaming, buy and show off clothing and decorations, accumulate game trophies, and other social gaming activities. The service … Read more

Wi-Fi? Pffft. Sony's late to the wireless photography party, but it bypasses the hot spot in favor of the connected home. Its Cyber-shot DSC-G1 integrates DLNA--Digital Living Network Alliance--wireless connectivity, a superset of Wi-Fi that adds interdevice recognition. So far, though, there aren't many DLNA-enabled devices.

Besides, with its 921,000-pixel, 3.5-inch LCD screen, the G1 is practically a TV (in contrast, the usual camera LCD has about 220,000 pixels). Two gigabytes of internal memory make it possible to carry your whole photo library around with you for display on that huge LCD.

The G1 … Read more

Last Friday we reported on a quote from TV Week that Sony President and COO Stan Glasgow said Sony had plans to cut prices on its Blu-ray players to $299 by the end of the year. Well, don't update your Christmas list just yet. According to a Sony representative, Glasgow was misquoted. What Glasgow said, apparently, was that he felt the $299 price would be the tipping point where the average consumer would start to consider buying a Blu-ray player. Indeed, the Sony spokesman went on to specify that the company has no plans to roll out a Blu-ray … Read more

The TV Week story upon which this blog entry is based was in error, according to a Sony representative. Read the updated blog for the complete story.

It was already pretty big news that Sony would be releasing a $600 Blu-ray player this summer, but it's possible we could see that price drop by half again before the year is over. According to a report by TV Week, Sony President and COO Stan Glasgow said on Monday that Sony might cut the prices on its Blu-ray players to as low as $299. If true, that would be the first … Read more

With the Game Developer's Conference coming up next week in San Francisco, rumors are flying fast and furious about what big announcements will be made by the guys who make those little plastic boxes that sit under your TV.

One rumor making the rounds is about a new feature for the PlayStation 3 called PlayStation Home, which would combine elements of the Nintendo Wii's Mii avatars with the Xbox 360's achievement points, creating an appealing social-networking tool. According to popular game blog Kotaku, this will be part of Sony Computer Entertainment President Phil Harrison's keynote address. … Read more