Takers With T.I., Chris Brown, Many Others Coming To Theaters In Early 2010

Takers, directed by John Luessenhop (distributed by Sony/Screen Gems), revolves around a notorious group of criminals (Idris Elba, Paul Walker, T.I., Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen and Michael Ealy) who continue to baffle police by pulling off perfectly executed bank robberies. They are in and out like clockwork, leaving no evidence behind and laying low in between heists. But when they attempt to pull off one last job with more money at stake than ever before, the crew may find their plans interrupted by a hardened detective (Matt Dillon) who is hell-bent on solving the case.

What an unusual but curious mixture of people to put together for a cast, eh? It’s great to see T.I. in a movie while he’s in jail. Now that’s swagger. On another note, I think people are so tired of thinking about Chris Brown as well so that won’t dent the movie too much. Who knows, though. I also can’t remember the last time I saw Hayden Christensen in a movie since Star Wars Episode III. I’ll just be thinking about him melting away in Mustafar after pissing off Obi wan.

After watching the trailer I think that I could see Takers appealing to many people, and has the visuals to shine on Blu-ray. This kind of movie would perhaps obtain (a low-ball estimate) $50-75 million revenue over time. Not bad for a $20 million dollar film.

Sony Brings New Streaming Movie to Networked Bravias

Some of you may remember introduction of the movie Hancock to those with Bravia Internet Video Links last year, where Sony offered the release of the movie exclusively to owners of the above device (DMX-NV1) before it officially hit the DVD and Blu-ray release. This year Sony is throwing another hit – animated cartoon Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs that generated a good revenue in box office sales. If you are about to buy Bravia Network TV, like W5100, Z5100, XBR9 (32″ model excluded) and XBR10 series, or pick up a Blu-ray player that also features BIVL like BDP-N460 – you will be one of the lucky ones to view this cartoon for free ($24.99 value)starting December 8th through January 4th, 2010. Current owners of those products will have to pay unfortunately…(come on Sony, hook us up half-price or something!). Last year success with Hancock generated more sales, so Sony is hoping for similar results and will be glad to stream 720p HD cartoon to your homes.

Check out for more details, press release below:

Sony Electronics today announced that owners of Sony networked BRAVIA® HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc™ players will be able to enjoy an exclusive in-home opportunity to rent the Sony Pictures animated hit, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” four weeks before it is available at retail.

Starting today, customers who purchase a networked BRAVIA HDTV or Blu-ray Disc player and register the device between Nov. 9, 2009 and Jan. 4, 2010, will receive a free 24-hour rental of the movie in high definition (a value of $24.95).

From Dec. 8, 2009 through Jan. 4, 2010, the movie will be offered for rent at a cost of $24.95 on all current networked BRAVIA HDTVs, including the W5100, Z5100, XBR9* and XBR10 series as well as the company’s new BDP-N460 Network Blu-ray Disc player.

Customers who already own networked BRAVIA HDTVs or have earlier BRAVIA models equipped with the BRAVIA Internet Video Link can rent the movie during this exclusive time period. Televisions and Blu-ray Disc players must be connected to the internet to receive the movie.

“Given our breadth of content and strength in networked products, Sony is the first company to utilize its internet enabled TVs and other networked devices to stream feature films directly to consumers’ televisions prior to availability on DVD or Blu-ray,” said Hiro Kawano, senior vice president for Sony Electronics’ Home Division business. “We hope that consumers who own networked Sony BRAVIA and Blu-ray Disc players take the opportunity to bring family and friends together during the holiday season to enjoy this warmhearted movie.”

The initiative will be supported by a special broadcast advertisement featuring “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” animated characters Sam (Anna Ferris) and Flint (Bill Hader). The ad will beginning Nov. 9, 2009.

About “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”

Inspired by the beloved children’s book by the same name, Columbia Pictures’ and Sony Pictures Animation’s “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is a family film that focuses on a town where food falls from the sky like rain. It has earned more than $170 million in box office receipts to date worldwide and will be available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc at retail beginning Jan. 5, 2010.

Bill Hader, star of “Saturday Night Live” and “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” voiced Flint Lockwood, a young inventor who dreams of creating something that will improve everyone’s life. Anna Faris, who recently turned heads as the star of the comedy hit “The House Bunny,” takes on the role of Sam Sparks, a weathergirl covering the phenomenon, who hides her intelligence behind a perky exterior. James Caan plays Tim Lockwood, Flint’s technophobic father. Andy Samberg plays Brent, the town bully who has plagued Flint since childhood. Bruce Campbell plays Mayor Shelbourne, who figures out that Flint’s invention can put the town, and more importantly himself, on the map. Mr. T plays the by-the-rules town cop Earl Devereaux. Neil Patrick Harris rounds out the cast as the voice of Steve, Flint’s monkey.

“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is written for the screen and directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, based upon the bestselling children’s book written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. The film is produced by Pam Marsden.

*excluding Sony BRAVIA KDL-32XBR9

Sony VAIO Signature Collection VGN-FW590FFD Review/Video

Sony has pimped its VAIO FW with a new Signature Collection model – VGN-FW590FFD – and wants you to consider it as your gaming rig. I have been privileged to play some with this pretty cool notebook for a few days and here are a few deets for you to ponder up if you in the market for a notebook that can pretty much do it all from heavy program multi-tasking to gaming. Let’s take a look at the specs first, as it pretty much determines its flexing muscle:

• 16.4″ LED-Backlit Screen
• 1600 x 900 Resolution
• Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 (2.53GHz)
• 500GB HDD, 7200 rpm
• 4GB DDR2 Memory DDR2/800Mhz can be maxed out to 8GB!!!

·  ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4650 Graphics

Max. External Resolution via VGA : 2048 x 1536 Max. External Display Resolution via HDMI: 1920 x 1080

Processor : ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4650 with Total Available Graphics Memory of 2799MB (max.)

Video RAM : 1GB dedicated Video RAM

• Built-in Motion Eye Webcam & Microphone
• Card Slots: Memory Stick Duo, SD Media, Expresscard/34
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, 802.11a/b/g/n, Gigabit Ethernet
• Inputs/Outputs: 1 x Headphone, 1 x DC, 3 x USB, 1 x Microphone, 1 x HDMI, 1 x Firewire, 1 x VGA
• Weight: 6.9 lbs.
• Battery Life: 3.5 hours
• Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium

First of all, this notebook was a joy to work with in my review. It comes preloaded with Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit OS. After initial set up of Windows 7, it finally booted to the desktop and to my surprise I saw no bloatware loaded! It was so nice not to think about of uninstalling dozens of unwanted programs and jump right into exploring this baby. The design as you see in the pictures is definitely aimed at guys. The lid has an interesting design to reflect its gaming capabilities; however I think I would have added some striking graphic to gain more attention. FW is a direct descendant of VAIO FS (if I can so say) and its design has been improved significantly. I could even notice some curves and the glowing power button that first showed up on VAIO Z series.

Notebook is preloaded with standard VAIO software if you are into movie creation or editing with VAIO Movie Story, Click to Disc/Editor – easy to use software pieces and with 4 gigs of RAM (can be doubled if you wish), the notebook swiftly handles and renders heavy video files. You won’t run out of space either, as its roomy 500 GB hard drive (7200 Rpm) can store enough HD goodness. One thing this notebook was missing was a Blu-ray player/burner, however since it is aimed at gaming, there are other FW configurations that offer Blu-ray option. The LED-Blacklit screen really shined at 16.4”. College dudes should really dig into this notebook, I found it to be pretty slim and not very heavy (at about 7 pounds) to carry around, it is not your VAIO AW that you want to keep on your desk.

Bluetooth with stereo A2DP comes as standard on many VAIO models and I believe seems to be overlooked some. If you have not experienced wireless music streaming via Bluetooth, you are missing out. I have paired this notebook with a pair of Sony DR-BT21G easily, fired up Slacker Radio and worked on some reports. Other wireless capabilities pretty much include the alphabet of Wi-Fi – 802.11a/b/g/n is present for your use. It’s nice to see 802.11a protocol still present as it is less congested and usually free of any other interference. I use it widely at home with my VAIO routers (did you know Sony made routers, or used to): PCWA-AR820 and PCWA-A500; even my Locationfree LF-X11 streams seamlessly via 802.11a…but I digress.

Motion Eye camera is sweet too and works like a champ with Skype.

Since this VAIO has 1 GB of dedicated Video RAM, you get a pretty decent frame rate while playing games. I just think it is crazy to think that nowadays a notebook comes with 1 GB of VRAM, I remember times when 256 MB of it was more than enough and was considered top of the line in a desktop! To compliment this fat VRAM feature you get an HDMI output too. In the video below you will get to see how easy it works with an HDTV and OLED TV. So if you are not happy playing your games on this crisp 16.4 LED screen, connect it to your 30” Sony Bravia or whatever you have with an HDMI cable and start your shooter games. Resolution on an HDTV looks great and gaming is pleasant.

I think the frosting on the cake for all of the above is the price tag. I am happy that Sony priced it right at just a grand and 70 dollars. If this notebook was sold a few years ago, we’d see it MSRP scream $2000. But thank goodness we live in different times with tons of competition around.

Overall, notebook performed well, ran pretty quiet and did not get hot underneath at all, which is nice. Check out some pics below and hit the video for more. Thanks to Sony and Ana for sending this notebook for a review.

Sony And JICA Team Up To Combat HIV/AIDS

Earlier this year from June 24 to July 3 2009, The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Sony Corporation jointly implemented “JICA and Sony For the Next Generation in Ghana 2009,” a Public Private Partnership project aiming to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS issues that form an integral part of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. As part of this project, Sony brought its latest high resolution projection system (a Blu-Ray player, a 200-inch giant screen, a projector, an audio mixer and an audio amplifier) to the Project for HIV and AIDS Prevention through Education (HAPE project) sites. The JICA-supported HAPE project aims to reduce HIV prevalence among young people by focusing on prevention through reduction of high-risk behavior. It is being implemented in collaboration with organizations such as the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) from October 2005 to September 2009 in 181 communities across seven cities in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions of Ghana.

At the project sites, Sony conducted public viewing events for the people of the local communities. The screenings were of football matches, including live coverage of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 and matches featuring Ghana from the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Through the duration of this project, approximately 9,000 people gathered in the seven cities across the Eastern and Ashanti regions to watch Sony’s high-definition broadcasts of football matches (compared to usual attendance of approximately 3,000). Furthermore, approximately 1,100 youths and adults visited HIV/AIDS testing sites and took the HIV test, roughly three-times the usual turnout. In addition, football is considered to be the most popular sports in Ghana; however, TV diffusion rate is still low at 21% that most people cannot watch football matches and support their national team.

Check Out The New VAIO Fall/Winter Signature Collection At Sony Style

Sony Style has updated their Signature Collection VAIO PC line. Information courtesy of SonyStyle Blog.

Weighing an unbelievable 1.6 pounds and as slim as most mobile phones, the Sony Style exclusive black (VPCX115KX/B) and gold (VPCX115KX/N) VAIO Signature Collection X Series notebook with Windows 7 also features a 128GB solid state drive (SSD). Check out our hands-on HD video and 24.6 megapixel pictorial of the VAIO X here. Stay unplugged longer and enjoy on-the-go freedom thanks to the included standard capacity battery and large capacity battery. An Intel Atom Z550 (2GHz) processor, durable carbon-fiber casing and scratch-resistant 11.1″ LED backlit LCD widescreen display make the VAIO X perfect for both work and play. In addition to integrated GPS and Bluetooth technology, your search for wireless hotspots is over thanks to Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Built-in. SonyStyle blog also mentions that the “..black Signature Collection model is also the first time the Pink-Gold VAIO emblem is used.”

The FW series also got two new Signature Collection models.

Take your gaming to the next level with the limited edition VAIO VGN-FW590FFD notebook. Designed specifically for gamers, this FW features a unique and futuristic design with a 16.4 inch screen. On the inside, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard disk drive (HDD), Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 @ 2.53GHZ processor and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 graphics deliver mind-blowing visuals, blistering game play and breathtaking mobile performance. Equipped with HDMI out, you can game on a larger screen, such as a compatible HDTV or monitor. Additionally, the integrated MOTION EYE webcam and microphone is perfect for real-time video chatting with friends and fellow gamers.

The other Signature Collection VAIO FW color, Nebula, has been covered extensively in technology blogs lately. It is available as a part of the configure-to-order option in Sony Style and apparently carries no extra charge. You can customize the VAIO FW with such options as:

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (up to 3.06GHz) with Intel Centrino 2 technology available
• Genuine Windows 7 Professional, Home Premium or Ultimate available
• 16.4″ extra widescreen HD Display, 6.7 pounds
• ATI HD Graphics card with up to 1GB VRAM
• Up to 8GB of configurable RAM
• Available Blu-ray Disc playback/recording, Blu-ray Disc playback or CD/DVD burning drive
• Up to 5.5 hours of standard battery life
• Up to 500GB hard drive or 256GB Solid State Drive
• HDMI output
• Built-in Bluetooth technology and camera and microphone

Here is the VAIO Signature Collection Dot Matrix Z notebook. Sporting 6GB of DDR3 memory, a cutting-edge 128GB solid state drive (SSD), and an Intel Core 2 Duo P9700 processor at 2.8GHz, the limited edition VGN-Z890GNE was made for the working professional. Perfect for frequent travel, this notebook weighs only 3.3 pounds and features long battery life and a scratch-resistant 13.1″ backlit LED display. You can even select your graphics performance on the fly without rebooting thanks to the integrated hybrid graphics system. Wireless freedom is yours with Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Built-in while GPS functionality provides turn-by-turn navigation. Preinstalled with Windows 7 Professional, the Z also includes an HDMI output, webcam and microphone, and a Windows XP Professional downgrade disc.

And finally, we have the VAIO Signature Collection VGN-CW1FFX notebook. Designed for gaming and multimedia enthusiasts, this limited edition PC comes with an NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M graphics card. Fashionable on the outside and powerful on the inside, the Royal Indigo CW notebook weighs only 5.3 pounds and has a roomy 320GB hard drive with 4GB of DDR3 memory for storing your photos, videos and music. Watch movies on the built-in DVD/CD burner or showcase your content to a compatible big screen TV or monitor via the HDMI output. You can also video chat with friends thanks to the integrated webcam and microphone.

Check out the entire Signature Collection VAIO PC line at Sony Style. Information courtesy of SonyStyle Blog.

Firmware Update For Various Sony Walkman Music Players

Dear owners of the Sony Walkman “NW-A828/A829″, “NW-S615F/S616F” and “NW-S715F/S716F/S718F” – there is a firmware update out there for you. It’s a minor update, but apparently fixes volume issues when using those Walkman devices with the CMT-V3, CPF-NW001, SRS-NWGU50, SRS-NWGM30, SRS-NWZ10 stereos, and WLA-NWB1 Bluetooth adapter. However, the only catch is that its being offered by Sony Japan and I’m not really sure if it will work on your model if you live outside of that country. Hopefully someone can figure it out.

• NW-A828/A829 firmware update 1.03 here
• NW-S615F/S616F firmware update 1.03 here
• NW-S715F/S716F/S718F firmware update 1.03 here

Sony Style Japan And Japanese Designer BEAMS Dress Up With Sequined VAIO X Case And Pouch

For a limited time to celebrate the VAIO X and Japan’s BEAMS (clothing store) Women’s line 25th anniversary, both companies have collaborated to offer a fancy Y12,000 “CC-BMS/X/C” case and pouch available today specifically fit for the Sony VAIO X and its accessories. The case is made of leather, and is laced all over with sequins on the bow/ribbon. The clutch-like case offers a unique alternative to the standard laptop cases, catering to stylish Japanese women (and perhaps men) out there who want something different for their VAIO X. This case is now available through Sony Style Japan, and will most likely be limited to that country. I would hope that SonyStyle USA would go with Coach if they ever chose to offer something similar. Sony has offered exquisite cases in the past, but nothing like this. Will we see more electronic companies and major designers team up for fashionable cases?

Perhaps this would work well with a little black dress.

The accessory pouch allows you to store your portable mouse, AC Adapter, or other items.

Dassault Falcon 900EX N550TH – The Life Of A Sony Corporate Jet

UPDATE November 5th: Looks like Sony has been flying all over the place in 2009, scroll down for more pictures of its travels. Please contact us if you see it.

This is pretty random, but I was searching around flickr for a picture to use with a story and came across this gem. Apparently, there are publicly accessible websites out there that have pictures of interesting commercially/private-owned planes. The picture above is of a 2001 Dassault Falcon 900EX, labeled N550TH, and the accompanying text states “Sony Corporate Services.” So it looks like Sony executives fly around in a plane that can do 4,500 nautical miles nonstop, the farthest in its class. Three fuel efficient Honeywell TFE731-60 turbofan engines deliver 5000 lb of thrust. How fuel efficient is that? The manufacturer’s website states that it “..is capable of flying eight passengers from Stockholm to Amsterdam, then on to Paris, Rome, Istanbul, and finally, Moscow without refueling.”

The cabin length measures 33 feet 2 inches from the cockpit divider to the aft pressure bulkhead, devoting 25 feet to passenger seating. It is a broad 7 feet 8 inches wide and 6 feet 2 inches high so you move about easily with your head held high. The typical Falcon 900EX has seating for 13 passengers includes six Erda 20″ electric seats, two sets of 20″ mechanical double seats, one three-place divan with berthing capability. Configuration consists of forward four-place club, mid-cabin four-place conference/dining group opposite two-place settee, and aft three-place divan opposite two-place club, forward galley, aft lavatory.

Fully equipped for multiple meals, the galley houses all the essentials for a fine dining experience, 45,000 feet in the air. Two-dozen panoramic windows drench the cabin with natural light. There are several options for customizing the interior (these are not actual N550TH pictures), such as this:

However, if you search around you will see that the interior has unlimited potential, but since this is Sony it could seriously be something equal to the brain-stem hookups from The Matrix for all we know. Regardless, Sony folks love globetrotting, because when you start Googling, you see the N550TH been around the block. I was able to find a few pictures, so now I’m basically making a scrapbook and not a blog post at this point. The first picture used in this story was taken in Philadelphia, but this plane has been all over the world.

Here’s a picture of Sony’s Falcon 900EX at London Luton Airport in 2007.

I found another picture on airliners.net and jetphotos.net of the N550TH in Salzburg, Austria also in 2007.

It just keeps going and going. Here is the N550TH again about to land at Tokyo National Airport, also in 2007. This thing was seriously busy. Strangely enough I can’t find any pictures of the N550TH after 2007 – anyone know of its fate? Is it still being used heavily with Sony? How has the recent downturn in the economy changed that? If anyone knows, please leave a comment. UPDATE November 5th: Sony has been pictured numerous times since this post originally appeared in March 2009. Here’s what I’ve found:

Another amazing high resolution picture by pauls planes on flickr of the N550TH with protective covers on, resting at Zürich Airport (ZRH / LSZH), located in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland sometime in 2008.

Here’s a spectacular image of the N550TH at Stockholm – Bromma (BMA / ESSB) airport in Sweden, July 15th, 2009. Photo by Niklas Åhman.

The N550TH was also spotted on April 9th 2009 by Doug MacDonald at Luton Airport in London.

The N550TH also returned most recently to Luton Airport in London on September 2nd, 2009 – photo by Alan Sills.

Here is the N550TH taking off from the same Luton Airport in London just a few days later on September 5th.

One last thing – the cockpit of the Falcon 900EX is pretty cool. I am pretty sure that it looks something like this, and yes, apparently Wookiee fur seating is common on this plane, as other cockpit images from post 2001 models that I’ve seen also have it. Weird.

A Look At The Sony Walkman CMT-V3 Stereo System

Sony Japan has been offering the CMT-V3 Walkman stereo system for several months now under our radar. I felt this was worth looking at again though, and how its a great companion for the X-Series, both of the latest S-Series, and Japan only (at this time) A Series Walkman. The CMT-V3 is your general WM-Port equipped dock – useful for charging, rich alarm clock functionality, and so forth. The CMT-V3 also has a build-in CD player that has one touch record CD to Walkman and FM/AM Radio. Of course, a remote is included for added convenience. It’s available in black and white and costs about Y20,756 on Amazon Japan.

I haven’t seen this product outside of Japan. Have you? I haven’t seen anything to indicate this could be a preview of a future product for other territories.

Here is a HD video of the product in Japanese courtesy of Sony Japan:

Sony Brings New PSP Value Packs To Japan

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has released a new PSP-3000 Value Pack series that will become available on December 3rd. This will be a limited time offer for the holiday season at a retail price point of 19,800 yen (including tax). This PSP Value Pack includes four sharp looking color choices such as Piano Black, Pearl White, Vibrant Blue or Radiant Red. A 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo (Mark2), a pouch and a cloth are included as well to ensure a successful experience.

This package will of course have access to a vast UMD library, the Playstation Network, and Playstation Store, where you can purchase games, videos, digital comics and so much more. SCEJ ends their press release by boasting an impressive listing of upcoming titles:

For the holiday season and beyond, more and more exciting software titles are scheduled for release from third party developers and publishers as well as from SCE Worldwide Studios including WORLD SOCCER Winning Eleven 2010 from Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd., PHANTASY STAR PORTABLE 2 from SEGA CORPORATION, KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep from SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD., MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM Gundam VS. Gundam NEXT PLUS from NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc., BLEACH Soul Carnival 2, Everybody’s Tennis Portable and Little Big Planet Portable from SCE.

Here are some more pictures (click to enlarge), starting with the Piano Black PSPJ-30008:

Radiant Red PSPJ-30010:

Pearl White PSPJ-30009

“PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) Value Pack”