Sony has stunned many with the news of a holiday 2011 release for the long-awaited successor of the PSP, codenamed “Next Generation Portable” (read that link, its very informative). We’ll be referring to it as the NGP for brevity, plus it sounds cooler. Although I wonder if Sony should play brand recognition and keep it associated with the name we all thought it would be, which is PSP2. Not to mention there’s nearly five million results for PSP2 on Google.
Sony has not officially introduced the new line up of VAIO notebooks, however we have mentioned before and a chatter on the internets showed up some commotion about the upcoming VAIO SA/SB series. Like with other VAIO models, Sony is sticking with its alphabetic naming scheme (just look at the generations of E series that started with EA and currently at EF modification). So it was pretty much expected to see the S series VAIO evolve into newer updated line. So according to good lads and girls at notebookreview.com some European vendors have been spilling information about the SA/SB series. There is nothing totally groundbreaking, however the specs look pretty good and weight wise it is not bad at all. Looks wise, we think that the concept VAIOs that were introduced at CES very well might be the new SA/SB series.
We all know that CES product extravaganza usually would be a good indicator of what to expect pretty much for all markets and not just the US, however it looks like January 20th was a big day for Sony Europe and Sony Japan, where the company officially revealed the Bravia family line up and also announced some pricing information. It is interesting to note that in the Japanese event in Tokyo has not revealed any information on the high end model – the HX92 series range.
It’s not very often you would see Sony show off its future concept ideas for their VAIO line up, however this time they made an exception and brought 2 models to tease us. In our opinion however those two models seemed more of a pre-production type products rather than concept per say that usually may stay in R&D lab and never see the light on a shelf of a store.
Sony often has interesting exhibits and displays during large trade shows, and during CES 2011 the real gem was a stunning Monolithic Design exhibit. From the primary booth entrance, a row of droolworthy 55″ HX929 series BRAVIA TVs led to the origin of Sony’s TV design inspiration. Amusingly, the sheer size and open layout of Sony’s booth may have left this artistic vision overlooked by many attendees. The large, monolithic black screen was surrounded by thin slate and was something truly reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Viva ELVIS, a harmonious fusion of dance, acrobatics and live music, is a tribute to the life and music of Elvis Presley. Nostalgia, modernity and raw emotion provide the backdrop for his immortal voice and the undeniable energy of his music. Cirque de Soleil Viva ELVIS had a special short dance performance with a chair-stacking spectacle at the end of Sony’s CES 2011 press conference, which we have available to view in a video below.
Created in the image of The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll – powerful, sexy, whimsical, truly unique and larger than life – the show highlights an American icon who transformed popular music and whose image embodies the freedom, excitement and turbulence of his era.
Significant moments in his life – intimate, playful and grandiose – blend with the timeless songs that remain as relevant today as when they first hit the top of the charts. Viva ELVIS focuses on the essential humanity of the one superstar whose name will forever be linked with the history of Las Vegas and the entire world of entertainment: Elvis Presley.
The Social Network is a 2010 drama film about the founding of the social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits. The film was directed by David Fincher and features an ensemble cast including Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Brenda Song, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Rashida Jones, Joseph Mazzello, and Rooney Mara.
Aaron Sorkin adapted his screenplay from Ben Mezrich’s 2009 nonfiction book The Accidental Billionaires. Sorkin also makes a cameo appearance as a would-be investor. No Facebook personnel, including founder Mark Zuckerberg, were involved with the project, although Eduardo Saverin was a consultant for Mezrich’s story. The film was released in the United States by Columbia Pictures (Sony) on October 1, 2010 to critical acclaim.
The film won the award for Best Motion Picture – Drama at the 68th Golden Globe Awards on January 16, 2011. The film also won the awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross), making it the film with the most wins at the 68th Golden Globe Awards.
Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 97% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 261 reviews, with an average score of 9/10 and a critical consensus of: “Impeccably scripted, beautifully directed, and filled with fine performances, The Social Network is a riveting, ambitious example of modern filmmaking at its finest.” It has a 100% among “Top Critics”.
The film also holds a score of 95 based on 42 reviews on Metacritic, indicating “universal acclaim” and making it one of the site’s highest rated movies of all time.
Film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, giving it four stars wrote: “David Fincher’s film has the rare quality of being not only as smart as its brilliant hero, but in the same way. It is cocksure, impatient, cold, exciting and instinctively perceptive.” Peter Travers of Rolling Stone, gave the film his first full four star rating of the year and said: “The Social Network is the movie of the year. But Fincher and Sorkin triumph by taking it further. Lacing their scathing with an aching sadness, they define the dark irony of the past decade.”
Spider-Man is an upcoming superhero film currently in production. A fourth entry in the Spider-Man film franchise was planned for release in 2011; however, in 2010 the film was cancelled due to Sam Raimi’s withdrawal from the project. Sony announced that the franchise will in turn be rebooted with new director Marc Webb and a new cast which includes Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, and Rhys Ifans as the Lizard. The reboot’s intention is to have Peter Parker back to developing his abilities in high school. It is scheduled to be released in 3-D on July 3, 2012.
Sony Pictures sent out an e-mail last week to the press with the first exclusive photo of Andrew Garfield in the Spider-Man costume, as seen above.
The film began shooting on December 6, 2010 in Los Angeles. The film is the first Hollywood production to be filmed with the RED Epic camera, and is being shot in 3D at 5K resolution. The 90-day film shoot will include two weeks in New York City, while the bulk of filming will occur in and around Los Angeles, including such locations as the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood, Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Mid-Wilshire, and various locations around South Pasadena, San Pedro, and Woodland Hills.
Sony Online Entertainment announced the availability of its eagerly awaited online action game DC Universe Online (DCUO) at retailers worldwide for both the PC and the PS3. DC Universe Online is the first massively multiplayer online (MMO) game on PlayStation 3 for North America and the first MMO game based in the DC Universe, allowing fans to create their own superhero or villain while joining forces with their favorite DC Comics characters such as Superman, Batman and The Joker to aid in saving – or destroying – the planet.
To capture the true essence of the DC Universe and its iconic characters, Sony Online Entertainment tapped the top talent at DC Comics, including legendary artist and co-publisher of DC Comics, Jim Lee, who served as executive creative director for DC Universe Online and provided the art style for the game Famed DC comic book writers Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman were tasked with establishing the back-story of the Universe and creating thousands of compelling story arcs, epic quests and action-packed in-game events. For example, players might be tasked with rescuing Batwoman from the fear gas that Scarecrow has unleashed in Gotham City’s sewers, or battle Power Girl as they work with Lex Luthor to create an army of mutants out of Metropolis citizens.
DCUO combines the immersive environments and fascinating story arcs of MMOs with fast-paced, physics-based combat to deliver more super-powered action than ever before. In the game, players can pick up buses, fly into the air and throw them at enemies, run up the sides of buildings to engage in melee brawls while shooting flames of fire from their hands, or cling to the side of buildings while using a grappling hook to pull flying opponents out of the sky – all while interacting with the iconic characters of DC Comics.
“DC Universe Online transforms more than 75 years of action and adventure into a fully realized immersive experience that brings players into the world of DC like never before,” said Jim Lee, executive creative director for DC Universe Online. “It has been a fascinating experience for me and the team to come up with entertaining and engaging ways to blend the MMO and comic book worlds.”
Rated T for Teen by the ESRB with the content descriptors Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes and Violence, DC Universe Online is available for PC and PlayStation 3 for the suggested retail prices of $49.99 and $59.99, respectively.
One 30-day game subscription is included with purchase of the game for new subscribers, with monthly subscriptions available thereafter starting at $14.99, with discounts for longer durations. For players of the PC version of the game, DCUO will be included in SOE’s all-in-one Station Access subscription (game software is sold separately).
DCUO will be available in North America on January 11, 2011 at Best Buy, Gamestop, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us and at other participating video game retailers. SOE put up some informative DC Universe game guides on their official website.
Believe or not, but many 2011 Sony BRAVIA devices (TVs, Blu-ray players, etc) have a built-in web browser accessible through the updated XMB interface. This was not officially announced at CES 2011, but as you can see in our exclusive hands-on video that the browser was most certainly functional. According to our sources, the browser is HTML5/Java compliant, and is powered by a MIPS processor. We heard that one day it might be upgradeable to support flash, but no time table was given. Tabbed browsing is supported, and you can also utilize the TrackID service to identify which song is playing in the browser.
In our video of the BRAVIA Internet Browser, you can see that the test page loaded rather slowly. This is mostly due to the horrendous Internet speeds available in Las Vegas during CES 2011. Regardless, even on a diamond connection it wouldn’t be the fastest browsing experience because of the slow hardware, but this is still a nice option.
Browser settings are fairly basic, including adjustments for Character Size, Javascript Setup, Cookie Settings, and the option to delete all Cookies. There are also options for Bookmarks, Next/Previous Page, Stop, Refresh, Enter URL, Zoom, Open in New Window, Character Encoding, and Details. When you are entering in a website address, it can be a little slow as you have to do it through a T9 interface, using the remote’s numeral keys to enter in the letters.
BRAVIA Internet Browser should be available on products such as the HX929, HX820, NX720, HX729 televisions. We are still working to confirm compatibility on the EX series TVs and the various BDP-S series Blu-ray players.
Sony Develops “SmartAR” Integrated Augmented Reality Technology
Sony Memory Stick Gets a Speed Boost of Up to 50 MB/sec
Sony Bravia HX929 Firmware Available, New Features Abound
Sir Howard Stringer Addresses PSN/Qriocity Customers
PSP®go Phase Out
Music Unlimited Service Coming to Your PSP
