Meet The Black Crocodile Skin VAIO P

At the dawn of a new decade, Sony has once again pushed the bar for design and innovation. If you really think about it, Sony does create some of the most uniquely styled devices that truly differentiate it from the rest. That may sound totally pompous, but I’ve seen what else is out there and when something like a Crocodile Skin VAIO P pops up I laugh to myself. The guys at Sony Design are like “Hey HP/Apple/Dell/Samsung/Asus/etc, this is where we are at now – a black crocodile skin textured lifestyle PC.” And the others respond “Hey, we don’t really make those fancy lifestyle things you are talking about there, we make netbooks, notebooks, and laptops.” Sony Japan counters, “Well, our P can fit in a pants rear pocket.” And runs away.

Maybe that didn’t happen, but the new black crocodile skin VAIO P is pretty cool looking. We just wish they would offer these kind of luxury editions in an appropriate luxury retail space, such as Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman and other similar institutions of high fashion. Take this VAIO P, run a super limited in number in the USA, and place it next to the purses at these aforementioned stores. That way when the couple is purse shopping and the lady is taking her time, the hubby can get check this out.

Notable features in this year’s version of the VAIO P vary from region to region. This Crocodile skin VAIO P is (for now) an exclusive in Japan, and can be customized to include hardware such as the Atom Z560 with Intel US15X Chipset (266MHz GPU), 256GB SSD, and the optional 12.5 hour extended battery. This is pretty nice on top of the one touch resolution button (changes it from 120dpi to 96dpi), GPS with compass, location search for finding necessities (google maps), instant-on web browser (no OS needed), and more. They also made it an audiophile’s dream by incorporating noise canceling headphones once again this year. And one of the newest additions, two buttons are on the left side of the screen (for left and right click) and to the right there is an optical sensor that allows you to control the mouse (there is a mouse controller in the keyboard as well).

There is also a built-in gyroscope, also known as an accelerometer that can detect the direction you are holding the notebook and change screen orientation making it easy to read long lines of text on the 8 inch (1600×768) screen. Other notables include 2 USB ports, 802.11a/b/g/n, bluetooth, and the fantastic Windows 7.

It also has compatibility with Remote Play so you can view video or play games from your PS3 at home.

Sony President/COO Stan Glasgow To Give Keynote At SID DisplaySearch Conference

The Society for Information Display (SID), the leading global organization dedicated to the advancement of electronic-display technology, and DisplaySearch, the worldwide leader in display market research, has noted that Sony Electronics’ President and Chief Operating Officer Stan Glasgow will deliver the keynote address during the SID DisplaySearch Business Conference, which will be held during Display Week 2010 (May 23-28) in Seattle. Glasgow will describe Sony’s vision of the future, with 3D emerging as the next great platform for home entertainment. Drawing upon Sony’s work on implementing 3D capabilities in its professional cameras, digital cinema 4K projection systems and other equipment, as well as consumer products including TVs, Blu-ray disc players, and gaming consoles, Glasgow will provide a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities in the 3D platform.

Because in 3D, ‘seeing is believing,’ Sony will be creating a 3D cinema experience within the SID DisplaySearch Business Conference using their 3D equipment. Specifically, they will use a Sony SRXR320 3D Projector and a Silver Screen to show the 3D images and distribute 3D glasses for attendees. Attendees will be treated to a mixture of content from Sony and other content providers, including movies, live sporting events, gaming and other entertainment.

The release of numerous 3D movies has created a tremendous amount of interest in 3D beyond the cinema. But in moving from the cinema to the home, there are additional challenges. In his presentation, Glasgow will describe Sony’s concept of the “lens-to-living room” ecosystem for 3D, encompassing content creation, processing, delivery and viewing in the home.

“We are thrilled to have Mr. Glasgow serve as the keynote for the SID DisplaySearch Business Conference,” noted Paul Semenza, DisplaySearch Senior Vice President. “Sony is a pioneer in 3D, in regards to both TV and content, and Glasgow’s presentation will be beneficial to all those in the 3D display supply chain.”

Update: Sony Working On HD Camcorder With Interchangeable Lens (More Pics)

Sony is developing a new type of AVCHD high definition camcorder, set for the market this Fall, which features key technologies powering the newly announced interchangeable lens digital camera, NEX-5 and NEX-3. The new camcorder will be equipped with the same “Exmor” APS HD CMOS sensor to be used in NEX series. In addition, the camcorder will be compatible with “E Mount” interchangeable lenses developed for NEX, and also the wealth of “A Mount” interchangeable lenses from the existing “α” DSLR camera lineup via a mount adapter. By combining these features, Sony aims to market a camcorder capable of generating a variety of creative expressions in HD quality.

We have now obtained a gallery of these camcorder prototypes from a presentation in Japan, courtesy of AV Watch:

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From Sony Blog:

Sony Sells 10 Million Books On Reader Store

Sony announced earlier this month that book lovers and eBookworms have downloaded more than 10 million books from the Reader Store*. In celebration, all accounts with an eBook purchase from the Reader Store on May 5, 2010 will receive a $10 credit for future purchases on the store. The 10 millionth book downloaded was Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown.

In addition, Sony is marking the 10 millionth book milestone by announcing the 10 most purchased books of all time on the Reader Store:

1. The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown
2. I, Alex Cross, by James Patterson
3. Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer
4. Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer
5. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
6. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
7. New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer
8. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
10. The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks

Judging by the top ten, one would be surprised that the 10 millionth book wasn’t by Stephenie Meyer!

* – This does not include the millions of books downloaded from other sources such Google Books and public libraries, or through other ebookstores in the U.S. or Sony affiliated bookstores in Europe.

Sony’s NEX-3 And NEX-5 APS-C Cameras Shoot HD Video And 3D Panoramic Pictures

At long last, Sony has revealed to the world two of the most fascinating cameras they have created in recent memory. The new NEX-3 and NEX-5, destined for the market in July (pre-order at SonyStyle), are DSLR-quality cameras that feature an APS-C image sensor in a shockingly small form factor. These aren’t DSLR’s, though – they are Mirror-Less Interchangeable Lens Cameras that have a sensor as good as a DSLR. As you can see, the polycarbonate casing of the NEX-3 and magnesium alloy NEX-5 look vastly different than mostly anything else out there, but most certainly don’t sacrifice on features. In fact, these 14.2 megapixel cameras have a CMOS that is undoubtedly larger than Micro Four Thirds, and can shoot at a maximum of 4592×3056 resolution. The large sensor creates a more narrow depth of field, which some have said is closer than that of a 35mm SLR.

Many of you who have been following this camera closely know some or all of this information already based on the accidental postings of the NEX specifications earlier. However, what you have not read yet is that this camera is able to shoot panoramic pictures in 3D. That’s right – 3D panoramic pictures in a firmware update that will come later. It won’t be able to shoot regular pictures in 3D, however. The NEX series can also shoot regular 226-degree horizontal or 151-degree vertical panoramic shots.

We truly love that the NEX-5 can shoot 1920x1080i AVCHD video (at 17 Mbps) and the NEX-3 can shoot 720p MPEG-4, which should look quite stunning through the variety of advanced lens that will be available. Plus, the NEX cameras have HDMI out to share those photos, videos, and 3D panoramic shots. They also have built-in stereo microphones for high-quality audio recording for those HD videos. And another great aspect of the small NEX series is the super crisp fold out 3 inch LCD screen, which is home to a vastly improved menu that enables you to quickly take the perfect photo and manipulate a variety of settings. Both should support Memory Stick Duo and SD(XC) memory cards.

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The NEX-5A and NEX-3A cameras, which are supplied with SEL16F28 lens, will cost about $650 and $550 respectively. NEX-5K and NEX-3K cameras, supplied with SEL1855 lens will cost about $700 and $600 respectively. The NEX-3 will be available in silver, black and red, and the NEX-5 in silver and black. CNET already has a nice review of the NEX-5. Check out the NEX pre-order page on SonyStyle, which can really educate you about this product. SonyStyle is really raising the bar in product presentation on their site these days.

Several accessories will be available, including an optional optical viewfinder (FDA-SV1) and an included flash add-on. Here’s some photos that were accidentally released earlier by Digital Photography school of the LCD in action:

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Key technical specifications

LittleBigPlanet 2 For PS3 Looks Truly Fun

LittleBigPlanet 2, commonly abbreviated LBP2, is an upcoming puzzle platformer video game for the Playstation 3, centered around user-generated content. The game is developed by Media Molecule and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for the PlayStation 3 console and is expected to be released at the end of 2010. Unlike the first game which was marketed as a platformer, LBP2 is being marketed as a “Platform for Games”. The game will be backwards compatible with all of the 2 million user created levels from the first game.

Players continue Sackboy’s journey after the events of the first game and the portable version. An inter-dimensional vacuum cleaner appears over the skies of LittleBigPlanet and begins to suck up its inhabitants including Sackboy. Larry Da Vinci, the leader of a secret organization known as “The Alliance”, comes to Sackboy’s rescue saving him from what they call The Sucker. The organization is dedicated to battling with The Sucker and defeating it before it destroys the whole Cosmos.

While still retaining the three-layer, 2.5D nature of the original title, with the player controlling their Sackboy characters, players are not restricted solely to platforming levels, and can now choose to create many types of levels including racing, and puzzle and role-playing games. The player may also chose to create and customize their own heads-up display to accommodate their game type. New animation recording options are available and players will be able to create full-motion cut-scenes to go with their level design, as well as record their own sound effects for use in the level. Multiple levels can also be linked together, so that finishing one level immediately takes them to the next in the series.

A new tool to assist in gameplay creation is the “direct control seat”. This allows players to assign specific actions, such as button presses or Sixaxis motion control, to specific aspects of their gameplay design. Players are not restricted to using the direct control seat on level elements, however, and they may use it to direct the actions of the player’s Sackboy character, allowing greater freedom of movement; Media Molecule made this design choice in response to the large number of homages to early platforming games, in which players had to “hide” and manipulate the Sackboy character in specific ways to replicate the style of gameplay. In addition to this tool, more gameplay items, similar to the Metal Gear Solid paintball gun released as downloadable content, will be available, beginning with a grappling hook; Media Molecule plans to regularly update the game with further items.

Enemy creation has also been improved. Players can now create “Sackbots”, which are non-player characters whose AI can be controlled by the level creator. Options include determining weak points on the Sackbots, as well as programming routines for the AI to follow. Sackbots can be customised using costumes and decorations in the same way that the player character is and the AI for may be copied and pasted between mulitple Sackbots. Sackbots may also be controlled by the aforementioned direct control seats.

As stated previously, all downloadable content from the first game will be usable in this sequel, including all user-made levels from LittleBigPlanet. Players will be able to use a keyboard and mouse to edit levels. Sony has also confirmed the title will be compatible with Playstation Move.

Sony Vaio P Series to Support Remote Play

Sony’s ultra-mobile P series is set to be the first Vaio to support Remote Play. The small VPCP119KJ (245 × 120 × 19.8mm), is set for a May 22 Japanese release, and will come in five colors ranging from orange to black.

Basic specifications are Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit,  a 1.60 Ghz Atom Z530, 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM, SSD 64 GB SSD, UWXGA 1600×768 Display, 2 USB 2.0 slots, WiMAX, 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, 3.1 Megapixel camera, memory stick duo pro support and an optional gigabit ethernet adapter.

No word yet on price or exact availability in the US however those details should not be far behind.

Last Minute Mother’s Day Gift: The Sony Dash

Catapult your mother into the 21st century with the Sony Dash ($199), an all in one personal internet viewer and futuristic replacement for the traditional alarm clock. It is the perfect Mother’s Day gift, and has a 7 inch color touch screen which your Mom can use to browse information or listen to music in her room, kitchen, or living room. The Dash is positioned as a personal internet viewer which can act as an alarm clock, internet radio, digital photo frame and many other uses. Examples of other apps include news, recipes, calendars, weather, sports, and social networking. Through BRAVIA Internet Video, Dash can bring you TV episodes, films and additional video content and music from providers such as CBS, Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, Slacker and more. That’s pretty amazing.

It has access to more than a thousand applications which can be downloaded onto the device. These are the same “apps” as those supported by the Chumby device.

Sony Stores Coming to the USA

Yea, you heard it, SonyStyle retail stores that you may have come across in the US, conveniently located in the shopping malls will be renamed to Sony stores, that simple! I am a bit surprised by this move to rename its retail stores, but I guess Sony as a whole is being unified in many ways and Sony style will remain within its retail idea. Let’s see what other new things will be happening within the stores. No word on renaming Sony Centres in Europe yet, but the trend has been set in Nagoya Japan with its new Sony store that just recently opened its doors.

Ghost Rider Sequel May Proceed Without Cage

The Ghost Rider sequel is moving forward, but it may not be with Nicolas Cage. New York Magazine’s Vulture section states that to retain the rights to Ghost Rider, Columbia  may need to be in production by November 14, 2010. If Columbia can gain an extension from Marvel, then Cage could still be involved. If not, it’s possible that the upcoming National Treasure 3 could conflict with his ability to accept Ghost Rider as the release date for that film is set for 2011.

In a recent interview at WonderCon 2010, when asked about the sequel’s status, he shared not only his positive feelings about the first film, but also gave some ideas about where he thought they were heading with story wise. He didn’t rule out his involvement, and given the fact that he is a big comic fan (his stage name alone gives him geek cred), I would conjecture that if he can be involved he will be.

The flip side is that National Treasure is a big franchise. The last two films made close to $804,876,918 on foreign and domestic  box office receipts, and Ghost Rider only made in the neighborhood of $228,738,393. If it comes down to a bidding war he could conceivably make a better pay day from National Treasure if he is forced to choose based upon the timing of shooting either film. Given how hot comic properties are right now, a delay could mean we either see another Johnny Blaze, or another version entirely with perhaps Danny Ketch. Time will tell.

Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Imageworks