The Karate Kid Is A Huge Success

The combination of Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson and Harold Zwart proves to be a winner for Sony. With the The Karate Kid having made it’s way through the theaters, initial estimates show the film doing exceptionally well at the box office. According to reports the overall production budget for the film was in the neighborhood of $40 million dollars. Compare that to the total gross for the film, combining both foreign and domestic receipts, and the grand total is a little over $188 million dollars. Not bad considering additional revenue will still arrive from disc sales, and various digital distribution channels.

Given those numbers, it’s no wonder that thoughts of a sequel are already floating around. MTV talked with Harold Zwart about the possibility of a sequel and where he saw things going and he had this to say:

I personally think it’s now so much on its own two feet, given the success, that it would be interesting to see where we could take it without ever thinking about the old ones

He also commented on his dealings with Sony, thoughts on Will Smith’s production company Overbrook, and his desire to return:

I think Sony has been fantastic for me. They’re the best studio to work for. They’re such a filmmaker-friendly studio. And] Overbrook, in my opinion, is by far the coolest company. So, yes, I would love to work with them again

He may be busy with his next film Rollercoaster Tycoon in the coming months, but let’s hope he can indeed return for another film.

Sony Japan Shows Off New Unique Portable Audio Speaker For iPod, iPhone

Sony Japan has revealed the SRS-V500IP portable audio speaker accessory for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It is probably the strangest Sony product I have seen in recent memory. The V500IP is identical to the previously released RDP-NWV500 (full specifications, pictures and video) – but the real question, what is it? It’s basically a portable tumbler-shaped audio speaker that has the 30-pin iPod cable compatibility, and plays powerful sound despite its small size. Apparently the device has a digital amplifier, heavy bass and a 360-degree speaker integrated at the top. They prescribe it for the car as it should fit perfectly in your drink holder, but could be good for outdoor situations like at the beach. Sony says that this is also a better alternative than FM transmitters which often are a nuisance more than anything.

Pink, orange, and black colors will be available and it comes with a dock to play audio at home, and also a power cord to operate the device with your 12V vehicle power source. Unfortunately, there is no battery slot in the V500IP.

Sony Drops An Amazing Line Of New Colorful Earphones

Sony is showing off their new MDR-EX80LP and EX40LP earphones (under a new line called “Jienne”) that are quite unique and colorful in appearance, with a design scheme targeted towards girls who want something different then the rest. I’ve always found the whole earphone business to have gaudy designs; all biases aside these are pretty slick looking. Both earphones are sonically identical, with the only difference being in frequency range. Three earbud sizes are included, ranging from SS, S, and M – SS is a special size for women who have smaller ears.

The EX80LP (Y3,675) is in the first picture here, and it’s quite the audio accessory. Let’s take a look.

In fact, the MDR-EX80LP has six variants with five circular Swarovski Zirconias embedded on the outside of the earphone. The other variant have a crystal-cut design with sharp edges. The headphones also have a unique colored cord that coordinates with the earpiece. A crystal shaped slider to keep the headphone wires in place is also complimented by the mini-plug with diamond shape cutouts. We spotted Baby Pink, Gold Pink, Classic Gold, Aqua, Cerulean, Maroon Brown, Scarlet Red, Dark Violet, and several others colors in total.

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Sound wise, the EX80LP (and EX40LP) seems oriented towards bassy sound and it has a 9mm sound driver. Sony has also improved the overall shape of the silicon earbud so that should result in better comfort and more stability.

Here’s some additional pictures of the earphone in real life:

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The EX40LP (Y2,468) is for those of you who want to skip past the bling of the EX80LP but still have something colorful that will separate you from the monotone earphones out there. Like the EX80LP, twelve colors give you a gradient of color to match your style. There is pretty much a color between these and the other series to compliment any outfit. The headphones also have a unique colored cord that coordinates with the earpiece. A heart shaped slider to keep the headphone wires in place is also complimented by the mini-plug with heart shape cutouts.

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43rd Sony Aquarium Event Starts July 19th

The inhabitants of the Churaumi Sea are back again at Sony’s annual event that runs from July 19 – August 31 in Ginza.

The Sony themed event takes place at the OPUS Communication Zone  on the 8th floor at their building in Ginza. Inside the hall Sony has 4K SXRD projector, [SXRD-R110], and a 200 inch (Blue Ocean) Screen. The presentation will be presented in 3D.

The focus of the event will be the amazing inhabitants of the Churaumi Sea and the Okinawan marine ecosystem. To allow for a presentation of the Kuroshio Sea, Sony will be employing the use of 3D cable free underwater camera systems.

Attendance has been as high as 600,000 in recent years so if your in the area, definitely stop by. Admission is free.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta Wins Game Critics Award

God of War: Ghost of Sparta receives awarded Best Handheld game of E3 2010.

Game Critics has announced it’s awards for E3 2010.

The group made up of 21 independent media outlets ranging USA Today, to MTV awarded God of War: Ghost of Sparta the best handheld title of E3 2010.

Other notable mentions available for PS3 were:

Best Console Game, Best Action Game, and Special Commendation for Graphics

Rage

Best Action Adventure Game

Portal 2

Best Fighting Game

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

Best Racing Game

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit

Best Social/Casual Game

Rock Band 3

Best Online Multiplayer

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

No matter your genre of choice, this holiday season is going to keep you busy.

Sony Should Make Hulu Plus Free With PlayStation Plus

Hulu Plus is finally that Hulu solution integrated into consumer electronics products that many of you have been waiting for with great interest. The situation was a little confusing for Playstation 3 (PS3) owners, though. At first, there was word you would need Playstation Plus to use Hulu Plus, meaning a double subscription. That would have been bad news for the consumer. Thankfully, that’s not true.

Word has come forth that you will only need a Playstation Plus subscription for the Hulu Plus trial viewing period, aka beta mode. Officially, Hulu Plus is not going to launch out of beta for quite a while – in fact, it will probably be several months. So, at this point consumers are able to watch it for free. The Hulu Plus preview application is not available yet to Playstation Plus members and the Hulu Plus website indicates that the software is “Coming Soon.” for PS3. I don’t think it will take much longer to arrive.

At this time, the Hulu Plus preview experience is on Apple and Samsung devices, and is plagued with bad reviews on the App Store. Hard to tell how it will go for the PS3 if they think people will want to pay two subscriptions judging by the comments I have seen. It may be a wise move for Sony to take a loss and throw in Hulu Plus with Playstation Plus.

Sony really hit a home run by scoring Hulu Plus before Microsoft will have its chance with the XBOX360, which is simply stated as a mysterious “Early 2011″ status that indicates it is at least six or more months away..

Now take the home run Sony just hit, and reflect on how to make it a grand slam – wait, I got it, how about Sony gets the Hulu preview client out quick for the PS3 and then build momentum by including Hulu Plus with Playstation Plus. It’s a no brainer, and needs to happen now.

Let’s look at the bigger picture, though. This is only one situation out of a few others that are on deck.

Our recommendation is that Sony needs to enable Qriocity for PS3 and the promised BRAVIA Internet Video Link software for PS3 as quickly as possible. Sony is a company that has the opportunity to launch 3 new separate services of video for the PS3 at nearly the same time that are ready to go and full of content. I would have my people working on this as fast as they built the second Death Star. It’s time for Sony to launch the superlaser of content already.

New Sony ES Receivers Hit Stores Early Fall

Sony has released a slew of new and updated audio video receivers in its ES (elevated standard) line.  It’s been a while since Sony updated its receivers since we saw introduction of STR-DA6400ES and ES5500ES models. Since I own the 6400ES I was interested to learn what new features are added except the obvious 3D pass-through capability. And indeed Sony came up with a few improvements that make the top of the line receiver STR-DA5600ES stand out (even more a better price of $2000 compared to DA6400ES ringing for $2500 last year). So let’s jump into what’s new:

One noticeable feature is the custom control among the well-known IR and RS232 featured in earlier models, Sony added IP (which is sort of a late comer as many other competitor’s receivers had that tech available last year). Control over IP  allows installers to easily integrate the receivers into the leading home automation systems including Control4®, Crestron, AMX®, Savant, Ultimate Remote Control, RTI, and others.  Sony has worked closely with leading control companies and is a Control4 Certified Partner, an AMX Device Discovery Partner, Crestron Integration Partner, and a Savant Excellence in Audio and Video Partner.

Another feature that I really liked was 2 HDMI out ports that will allow you to simultaneously or switched way of delivering your content. Current higher end receivers have offered only switched option.

One thing I was hoping would be added to these receivers is a Wi-Fi capability, instead you get a 4 port Ethernet hub offering easy access to digital photos, music and videos from Digital Life Network Alliance (DLNA®) sources and other network devices. Wireless 802.11n or even wireless streaming (WHDMi) would have been a welcome option. Sony also threw in an improved DLNA (no mentioning if it is 1.5 version though) and Audio Server, which most likely a lot of your already at home gadgets do anyways (PS3, Bravia TVs, etc).

DCAC EX is something new too which pretty much will do your speaker relocation, not only adjusting for the distance but also the angle of the listening position to create an optimal listening environment.

iPhone app is something that will help you replace your ES remote control very similar to the app people with newer Bluray players have been using. Android app is forthcoming too.

Check out more info and details in the official press release from Sony.

Sony PS3 Surround System Dated

After previously being mentioned for a fall release, the PS3 sound system gets a firm date.

On September 30th in Japan, The PS3 Soundbar CECH-ZVS1 will be released.  No changes have been made since the initial announcement, so expect the same support for Dolby digital, DTS, MPEG-2 AAC, Linear PCM, but no DTS-MA or Dolby TrueHD as your connecting through digital optical to the PS3.

If your looking for an officially licensed product, and your layout doesn’t allow for a traditional home theater system, this might just be for you.

Sony Offering Four New 3D HDTV Bundles That Save Hundreds Of Dollars

For our friends in the USA – now through July 17, save up to $340 on select HX800 Series BRAVIA 3D HDTVs and get your 3D essentials on Sony (an $899 value). The perfect way to jumpstart your 3D experience, the 3D entertainment package includes:

• 3D Blu-ray Disc home theater system (BDV-E570)
• Two pairs of 3D active glasses (TDG-BR100)
• 3D sync transmitter (TMR-BR100)
• Two Blu-ray 3D movies
• Four Stereoscopic 3D games and demos for PlayStation 3

A 46″ HX800 series 3D HDTV bundle with the above package will be available for $2,429, saving the consumer around $1,169; the second bundle is the 55″ HX800 series 3D HDTV with the aforementioned bundle will be available for $3,059, saving the consumer $1,239.

For those of you who prefer a bundle without the sound system, Sony has you covered – now through July 31, save up to $400 on select BRAVIA 3D HDTVs, plus get a free 3D starter kit (a $349.97 value), which includes:

• Two pairs of 3D active glasses (TDG-BR100)
• 3D sync transmitter (TMR-BR100)
• Two Blu-ray 3D movies
• Four Stereoscopic 3D games and demos for PlayStation 3

A 40″ HX800 series 3D HDTV bundle with the above package will be available for $1,889, saving the consumer around $559; the second bundle is the 52″ HX909 series 3D HDTV with the aforementioned will be available for $3,599, saving the consumer $749.

Sony Japan Shows Off Thin Portable CD Player That Can Help You Learn Languages

Sony has released a new slim (7cm deep) portable CD player and radio in Japan, model name ZS-E70 (Y10,000), which will be available in white and pink. Aside from the standard CD player functions and FM/AM radio, the ZS-E70 also has a seven stage speed control adjustment that can be dynamically altered during playback. You can also fast forward ten seconds or go three seconds backwards during playback with the touch of one button. There is also a feature that allows you directly choose what track you want to listen to on a CD, which is helpful for 99 track CD’s. The model also includes a helpful backlit LCD display on the front, and a remote control is also included with keypad buttons for the aforementioned features.

Thankfully, Sony also made this model battery-powered, and it can run for about eight hours on continuous CD playback, or 20 hours of FM radio playback. The audio characteristics of this device are pretty simple – the ZS-E70 has 50mm speakers equipped with two full range drivers, and the amplifier output 1.7W × 2ch. Additionally, the CD player can play burned CD-R/RW discs, but unfortunately can’t play CD’s with MP3′s on them.

Here is the ZS-E70 in pink: