The official Sony blog published an update today, detailing the progress on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) upgrades on Xperia smartphones. As noted yesterday, the Xperia Play has been removed from the upgrade list. All other upgrades are proceeding as previously announced.
Taiwanese display giant AU Optronics is set to ship its first AMOLED mobile display panels to Sony and HTC in June, according to Digitimes. Currently, Samsung display division dominates the manufacture of AMOLED panels. However, AU Optronics yield rates are only at 20 percent on average at this early stage in its implementation of the technology, meaning that it will still be some time before it poses a serious competitive threat to Samsung.
Sony has released its promised Music Unlimited client for iOS devices. Although the app is not yet in the US App Store, it should already be available in countries like Canada and New Zealand. The Music Unlimited service itself is accessible in 14 countries so far; other examples include Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the UK. Other supported platforms include Android, Sony Blu-ray players, and the PlayStation 3.
Sony has confirmed to CNet that Sony tablet owners in all regions will receive an over-the-air update to Android 4.0 by the end of May. Sony had previously announced the coming availability of Android 4.0 for all of its tablet models, though the company had not announced a specific timeline until now.
Sony has just revealed it will allow PlayStation Network (PSN) users to buy and download games before they're released, but they won't be able to play them until their on-sale date. The move mimics the way Steam distributes its game titles. The option should appeal to hard-core gamers who don't want to wait for the download on the release date.
In more new Alpha camera news from Sony, the company has added the Alpha SLT-A37 to its line-up, which is also joined by a new telephoto lens. The camera uses Sony’s proprietary translucent mirror technology to deliver faster shooting, non-stop phase detection auto-focus and continuous live image preview even when shooting in 1080p video. To help keep action shots focused, it uses a precision 3-cross 15-point autofocus system.
Following a series of leaks, Sony has made the NEX-F3 official. As with the NEX-7 the NEX-F3 includes an in-built pop-up flash, while retaining the option to attach a professional quality flash. In a first for the NEX line, it includes a 180-swivel LCD display allowing for easy self-portrait taking.
Aaron Sorkin -- a writer for The West Wing, Sports Night, and HBO's upcoming The Newsroom -- has officially signed on to script Sony Pictures' forthcoming biopic about the late Steve Jobs. The film will be based on Walter Isaacson's bestselling biography on the Apple co-founder.
Sony and Panasonic are rumored to be in talks on teaming up to produce OLED panels for HDTVs, the Wall Street Journal revealed on Tuesday. This will help the two companies share the hefty production costs related to the manufacturing of the advanced panels. The negotiations are still in the early stage, the unnamed sources said, and may end up falling apart altogether or see other potential partners jump onboard the partnership.
Sony has rolled out revamped VAIO S and Z models with revised internals and external tweaks. The VAIO S is available in two models, a 13- and 15-inch variants. The 15-inch VAIO S is the powerhouse of the two and incorporates an 3rd generation Intel Core i7-3612QM quad-core processor clocked at 2.1GHz matched with 8GB of RAM. The notebook also includes Nvidia’s latest discrete GeForce GT 640M LE GPU that will work in conjunction with the integrated Intel HD 4000 GPU to either boost performance or save power depending on use.
Sony will be releasing two new Walkman docks in Japan on June 9. The CMT-V70B and CMT-V50 will dock with the Sony Walkman range of personal media players, with the V07B variant allowing Bluetooth streaming. Both docks are 5.4 inches thick, have FM/AM radio tuners, and will be available in five different colors. Price is not currently known.
Sony Mobile has announced its first LTE handsets powered by Qualcomm’s fast Krait-based Snapdragon S4 dual-core processors. Capable of download speeds up to 75mbps, the Xperia GX and SX will also be the first Sony Xperia handsets to launch with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) out of the box. Sony also claims that the smaller of the two phones, the Xperia SX is also the world’s lightest LTE smartphone at just 95 grams.
After what seems like nothing but job cuts and execs leaving, Canadian smartphone maker Research In Motion (RIM) on Tuesday announced it is naming two new executives to its team. The new Chief Operating Officer is Kristian Tear, while Frank Boulben has become the Chief Marketing Officer. Both are said to bring an abundant amount of mobile computing experience to the table. RIM President and CEO Thorsten Heins said the two have a strong understanding of the emerging trends in mobile communications and computing.
Sony has invited the press to a conference before the E3 gaming show on its dedicated website. At the show, it plans to reveal 20 new game titles and what it calls the "future of gameplay and innovation." Exactly what that involves remains to be seen, but it could have something to do with its next-generation home console, the Orbis. That console will not be unveiled at the show, however, the company said earlier.
Two extensions for the Sony SmartWatch have been released as open source in an attempt to foster app development for the device. The 8 Game extension, a simple game based on sliding tiles to reorganize a picture, shows potential developers how they could create their own titles that can run on the timepiece. The Music extension permits the accessory to control music playback on the linked phone through supported media players, letting existing programming teams add SmartWatch functionality to their software.
Parties interested in developing for the $150 SmartWatch can download the SDK from Sony, with a further request from the electronics giant to suggest other extensions to release as open source.
Sony has officially released the ultrabook concepts that it first revealed at CES 2012 in January as a prototypes. Now known as the Sony Vaio T11 and T13, the 11-inch and 13-inch (1366x768) ultrabooks will initially arrive powered by Intel’s 2nd-gen Core processors as Intel’s ultra-low voltage 3rd-gen Ivy Bridge processors are not scheduled to arrive until later in the spring. Both models arrive with in a slim magnesium and aluminum chassis with the option of a hybrid 320GB hard drive/32GB SSD combination or full SSD.
Sony is reportedly stalling its plans to develop a streaming television service, amid fears over potential net-neutrality conflicts. The company's vice president and general manager of global video, Michael Aragon, has finally confirmed rumors surrounding the service, however he told attendees at Variety's Entertainment & Technology Summit that the plans have been put on hold due to the conflict between Netflix and Comcast.
An earlier NEX-F3 leak was joined later on Saturday by two more giving large clues as to imminent plans. Yang Canggih has leaked the previously unseen Alpha A37, an entry counterpart to the A57. It now has a tilting screen like the NEX series, and has a more ergonomic grip than the A35.
More details, including a newly spied photo, have emerged about two forthcoming Sony Xperia smartphones originally listed on the leaked Sony 2012 smartphone roadmap. The LT29i Hayabusa, pictured, will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 and will center on a 4.55-inch HD Reality display. The LT29i will is also expected to be just 7mm thin, yet still pack a high capacity 2200mAh battery.
Google's Android Open Source Project (AOSP) engineer Jean-Baptiste Queru drew flak late Thursday after comments that many have interpreted as giving a pass on slow Android upgrade intervals. He saw Sony's Android 4.0 upgrades having rolled out in a "very reasonable time," five months after 4.0 was available, given the nature of the OS. Sony had even had a head start, since its AOSP code contributions gave it an idea of what to expect for its own upgrades, he said.
Images anonymously sent to Greek site Techblog have revealed an as yet unannounced addition to Sony's Xperia lineup. Codenamed Tapioca, the Android 4.0 device appears to be a budget-level addition to Sony's handset offerings.
What may be the sequel to Sony’s entry-level mirrorless NEX-C3 has surfaced ahead of any announcement from Sony about its existence. The new camera is pictured with a white body and clearly shows that it is sporting a 16.1-megapixel camera and a typical NEX-style 180-degree tilting display. Little else can be discerned from the photo at this time, although it does have a new physical flash control button.
Amazon's Kindle Fire now makes up the absolute majority of the Android tablet platform in the US, comScore found in a fresh study. The e-reader and tablet crossover represented 54.4 percent of all Android tablets sold in the country. At second place, the entire Samsung Galaxy Tab lineup comprised just 15.4 percent of Android slates.
Sony has outed a water- and dust-proof Handycam in Japan, similar to another video camera bound for Europe soon. The company suggests the HDR-GW77V can be left underwater for up to an hour at a depth of 16 feet, resists dust, and can survive up to a five-foot drop.
An update has been released for the Sony Tablet S. The previously promised upgrade installs Android 4.0 onto the tablet and offers an updated interface as well as other extras such as Face Unlock.
A Wired interview with Sundar Pichai revealed that an upcoming update to Google's Chrome OS will see tighter integration between the netbook OS and Google's new cloud storage offering, Google Drive. The update is expected to greatly improve the file system functionality of Chrome OS.
Sony announced Tuesday that all owners of its Digital Cinema 4K products will be able to apply a software upgrade to their projectors that will improve the frame rate for video playback. The upgrade will improve image quality both in 2D and 3D content, raising the maximum frame rate from the standard 24 frames per second (FPS) to 48FPS for 2D content and 60FPS for 3D content.
PlayStation Vita owners got a major feature update Tuesday with the imminent release of Skype for PS Vita. The app lets the Sony console participate in both voice and video calls using either the front or back cameras. The app not only works both on 3G and Wi-Fi but truly runs in the background, making sure that gamers will catch an incoming call.
Sony might jump to its one-time partner Samsung to leap into OLED TVs. Purported insiders claimed Tuesday to Digitimes that Sony, having unsuccessfully tried a partnership with AU Optronics on large-size OLEDs, was going with Samsung-made OLED panels for some Bravia TVs due in 2013. AUO wouldn't have large-enough organic displays until late 2012, or too late for Sony to use them, according to the tip.
ST-Ericsson on Monday backed out of core app processors in an attempt to streamline its work. Research and development, and the matching staff, would be transferred to STMicro. In turn, STMicro would license back the technology it develops so that ST-Ericsson could implement it in modem-equipped processors for smartphones and tablets.
Smartphones have broken the reign of the traditional Japanese cellphone for the first time, comScore found late Monday. As of February, smartphones were overall more popular than keitais, the often feature-heavy but complicated basic phones that have dominated Japanese use for more than a decade. Local brands like Sharp still led at 23.5 percent, but they were either flat or down slightly as frequently foreign smartphone brands took hold.
Sony has removed Super Collapse 3 from the Playstation Store after the title was found to be vulnerable to a PS Vita exploit. The company removed the game from the store 24 hours after the exploit was noted on the Wololo.net blog, weeks after the same vulnerability was discovered in Motorstorm and Everybody's Tennis.
Sony has introduced two new compact speaker systems with magnetic fluid speakers and Apple device docking. The CMT-V75BTiP and the CMT-V50iP are both DAB receivers with a dock connector for iPhone, iPad, and iPod.
Sony's split with Ericsson is as much a cultural break as a corporate one, and the Xperia S on the surface reflects that. It's a showcase for the company's design and technology. But with the split just months old, has Sony's mobile team learned its lesson? Our Sony Xperia S review will decide whether Sony can hold its own, or if pressure from HTC, Samsung, and Apple is still fierce.
Sony on Sunday said it was on the verge of shipping its most advanced Blu-ray player for the year, the BDP-S790. The networked movie hub is due to reach stores May 6. Pre-orders are starting now for the player, which costs $250.
Sony will bring its PlayMemories Online cloud storage service to PlayStation users next week, the company revealed on Friday. Unveiled at CES, the service will offer 5GB of online storage space to PlayStation Network members in six countries, including the US, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, and the UK. Users will have the ability to upload their photos taken by Sony cameras using PlayMemories Home software for Windows and OS X platforms as well as their smartphones.
Sony has returned MotorStorm Arctic Edge and Everybody's Tennis to the PlayStation Store, following the firmware update for the PS Vita. The games allowed hackers to exploit vulnerabilities in the PSP emulator, enabling them to run their own software on Sony's handheld game console.
In 2010, Sony filed patent application 20120095302, describing a device that attaches to the wrist and transmits personal health data to a set-top box connected to your television and the Internet. Said data can be monitored real time by the viewer, and potentially transmitted on command or automatically to a health provider. No patent has been awarded as of yet.
Chumby's Duane Maxwell has confirmed suspicions among prospective buyers that the company had stopped selling hardware. He told community members that the company had stopped selling its own-branded products, having stopped production in 2011. Chumby had run out of stock, he said.
Sony has made good on its promise made last month and launched the PlayStation Suite SDK beta for developers. Any interested party can download the software, letting them create software for all PlayStation-certified hardware. This includes the PS Vita console and the Xperia line of phones and tablets.
Sony and American theater chain Regal Entertainment are rolling out a new glasses technology aimed at improving the theater experience for hearing impaired moviegoers. The new Access Glasses use wireless technology to stream closed captions, making for easier watching.
A group led by Sony on Thursday won its side of a joint bid on EMI assets. The alliance, which includes the Blackstone Group, David Geffen, Mubadala Development, and Raine Group, was cleared by the European Commission to buy EMI's publishing wing for $2.2 billion. The deal is contingent on Sony's group selling off catalog rights for Virgin's European, UK, and US divisions, along with Famous Music UK.
Sony has revealed a next-generation optical disc archive storage system aimed toward companies that require long-term protected data storage, particularly video. The corporation will also organize an Optical Disc Archive Advisory Group to promote the new format. Initial versions should range from 300GB to 1.5TB and use USB 3.0 to keep the storage running at full speed.
Sony is said to be in talks with AU Optronics for a partnership to deliver OLED TVs, according to Reuters. The rumor is consistent with Kaz Hirai’s ‘One Sony’ strategy which was detailed last week. In it, Hirai outlined his plans to turn around the TV divisions fortunes by focusing on the development of OLED televisions and moving away from traditional LCD panels.
Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has announced the Nasne, a sophisticated network attached PVR that ties together a number of its frontline consumer electronics products. The device combines a multi-channel tuner that can receive digital and satellite TV signals with 500GB of storage. Recordings can then be viewed using an owner's PS3, Vaio PC, PS Vita, Tablet S/P, or Xperia handsets.
Pro videographer Larry Jordan published a preview on Sunday of Final Cut Pro X updates that Apple had promised him would come later in 2012. The current editing app should soon get RED camera support, letting it handle Redcode-capable 4K and 5K cameras like the Scarlet-X without transcoding first. Multichannel audio editing will be added to the pro video tool as well, although how this would work wasn't explained.
Sony triggered an upset among gamers on Sunday with notice that it would be taking down the PlayStation Network for maintenance during 13 hours on Monday. From 9AM Eastern until 10PM, gamers won't have the option of playing any games online, checking their accounts, or using services like PlayStation Home and the PlayStation Store. Websites that need PSN, even including the official PlayStation blog, would also be switched off.
The first Steve Jobs biographical movie has had some of its initial details revealed in an interview with the producing company Five Star Institute's Mark Hulme. Tentatively titled Jobs: Get Inspired, the movie outlined to Neowin won't cover the entirety of his life, instead starting from when he began edging towards technology in 1971 and ending in 2000, just a few years after his return to Apple. Hulme characterized these as the "up and down years," before the iPod arrived and Apple's growth exploded.
Sony has quietly updated the PlayStation Vita's Facebook app to support photo uploads. At least on Wi-Fi, gamers can now post photos from the console's cameras directly to the news feed or to the Wall. Accordingly, the social app now recognizes photo tags.
Previously limited to Japan, Sony's red PlayStation 3 has made a rare leap to the UK. The Scarlet Red model comes in its namesake deep hue with a DualShock 3 gamepad to match. It sits at the high end of Sony's lineup with not just a 320GB hard drive but a second gamepad to get users started on two-player games.
