Sony dipped its toes in the field of augmented reality two months back with the launch of SmartEyeglass. The electronics maker is now putting the transparent lens eyewear on sale in 10 countries across the globe.
The smart glass going on sale is the Developer Edition of AR eyewear and comes at a price of $840. The 10 countries where it will be accessible are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, UK, and the USA. It is a Developer version, the general audience will get their hands on the device in a while. Only the business customers of the following countries would be able to get their holds on the AR tool.
For a while now, an influx of augmented reality devices has increased in the technology sector. Earlier Google came up with the Google Glas, which was pulled back from the market recently. Microsoft also stepped in the arena with the introduction of the HoloLens and gathered appreciation for bringing alive a cordless, self-contained Windows computer with holographic capabilities.
The Sony SmartEyeglass is a see-through binocular that superimposes text, symbols and images into the natural field of view. It projects a virtual image through the holographic elements to the user. The wearer can get updates of bus times, directions, and much more in front of their eyes. The device connects to the Android smartphone and mimics the behaviour of the SmartEyeglass.
For in-depth information on its working, check the video below:
Sony today announced a spruced up version of its virtual reality headset, codenamed Project Morpheus, and Sony is already bragging about how better it is compared to the one they showed off last year. The new VR headset was showcased at a GDC presentation in San Francisco and Sony says it’ll start shipping in the first half of 2016.
New features include an OLED display with a Full HD resolution, while Sony says it’ll be able to offer framerates at 60fps and 120 fps. The screen has a 5.7 inch display, while a total of nine LEDs support 360 degree tracking. Sony also claims it has super low latency – 50 percent improved response than its predecessor.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”Shuhei Yoshida” author_title=”President of Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment.”]
A new dimension of gaming is, at long last, here – and PlayStation is again at the forefront with Project Morpheus.
[/quote]
Meanwhile, Sony also stressed on its user friendly design, featuring a single band design and quick release button. The headband supports the weight of the unit on the top of your head, hence there is no pressure on your face. Other components have also been adjusted and configured to make the headset lighter, so players do not find the headset cumbersome or uncomfortable to use.
Sony says more details on the new Project Morpheus will be revealed at E3 and Beyond, along with more VR games.
At the Mobile World Congress today in Barcelona, Sony introduced to the world two fresh devices, Xperia M4 Aqua and Xperia Z4. The former one is a mid-range smartphone, while the Xperia Z4 is a 10-inch robust tablet with top-notch specs. Both the devices run on Google’s Android power and are immune to water till a certain depth.
The newly launched Xperia M4 Aqua is clad in a plastic body and holds an OmniBalance design. Weighing at a mere 136 grams, the smartphone is super light but doesn’t compromise on the build quality. At a thickness of 7.3mm, the M4 Aqua fits comfortably in the hand, making it perfect for single-handed usage.
The smartphone flaunts a 5.2-inch 720p IPS display, which is protected by a tempered glass. The handset runs on the latest Android OS, Lollipop. The Material Design interface is super impressive and makes the phone more quick and fluid. A 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, Adreno 405 GPU and 2GB of RAM is equipped to the M4 Aqua.
Optics of the handset includes a 13MP Exmor RS primary camera and a 5 MP selfie cam in the front. The phone comes in two storage variants – 8GB and 16GB, both of them are expandable up to 32GB via MicroSD support. The smartphone derives juice from the 2,400mAh cell. One of the strong points of the M4 Aqua is its aforementioned waterproof feature. It has got IP65 and IP68 certification, which prevents it from any damage until 1.5m underwater for up to 30 minutes. Also, it doesn’t feature a rubberized cap for the microUSB port.
The handset comes at an introductory price of €299, which roughly translates to Rs. 23,000. For now, take a look at its specifications:
Specs
Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
Display
5.2-inch IPS display (720p)
Processor
64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 615Adreno 405 GPU
RAM
2GB
Onboard Memory
8GB/16GB
Expandable Up to
32GB
Primary Camera
13MP Exmor RS
Secondary Camera
5MP
Battery
2,400mAh
Price
€299 (approx Rs. 23,000)
Here’s our hands on with the smartphone at launch:
Today, at the Mobile World Congress 2015, Sony officially announced the successor of its Xperia Z2 tablet, the Xperia Z4. The new iteration stands true to the definition of sleek and gives a tough competition to Apple’s iPad Air 2 with only 6.1mm thickness.
The company has considered business enterprises by adding a keyboard to the device. The Android tablet is attached with a Bluetooth-enabled keypad and comes with built-in Microsoft Office Productivity suite. With the keypad on, the Xperia Z4 gives a laptop-like experience. The tablet weighs a mere 393g, which makes it convenient for people constantly on the go.
The waterproof tablet features a bigger display at 10-inch with 2K resolution. The latest octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor, together with 3GB RAM, is embedded onto the tablet to boost its processing speed. The tablet holds onboard storage space of 32GB, which is expandable through a MicroSD slot.
Sony hasn’t compromised on the build quality and the tablet holds a very solid and pleasing construction. The devices comes with a 6,000mAh battery that is just enough to go for a day of heavy usage. Running on Android Lollipop, a 13MP rear shooter is placed at the back of the device, along with a 5MP camera up front.
The device will work with PlayStation 4 Remote Play, allowing users to stream the games straight on the console. The tablet will launch in two variants – LTE and Wi-Fi-only. For now, the Japanese firm hasn’t disclosed the prices of any of the models.
Sony has announced its latest Xperia M4 smartphone at MWC 2015 in Barcelona. In addition, Sony also announced its Xperia Z4 tablet, making them the only two devices Sony has announced so far at MWC 2015. The Xperia M4 gets a launch price of €299 (Rs. 23,000 approx.), making it a mid range smartphone, which is a bit surprising as Sony hasn’t spruced up its flagship and not launched a successor to the Xperia Z3.
The newly launched Xperia M4 is the first IP68 certified waterproof phone which does not feature rubberised caps for its microUSB port. It gets a 5.2 inch 720p IPS display, while powering the smartphone would be a Snapdragon 615 octa-core 64-bit processor, Adreno 405 GPU and 2GB of RAM.
Optics on the phone include a 13MP primary camera and a 5 MP selfie cam, while storage options include 8GB and 16GB internal memory and microSD card support. The Xperia M4 runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop, gets 4G LTE connectivity, while juicing up the smartphone is a 2400 mAh battery.
The Xperia Z4 Aqua design is quite similar to the Xperia Z3, featuring a tempered glass to protect the display and the frame. It also gets a dedicated camera shutter.
The smartphone will be available globally this spring in white, black, coral and silver colour options. As of now there’s no word yet on an Indian launch date or price but we expect Sony won’t be taking too long to launch the Xperia M4 here.
The approaching Mobile World Conference (MWC) will witness many new smartphones, tablets and other high-end gadgets, and major companies can’t seem to contain their excitement about the event. Samsung and LG have unwrapped some of their devices ahead of the event, and the latest firm join in is Sony.
Recently, Sony gave a glimpse of its next tablet titled Xperia Z4. As per Xperia blog, a brief description along with an image was accidently posted on the Xperia Lounge app of the company. The statement proudly informs of Sony Xperia Z4’s “2K display” and the “latest ultra fast processor”. It also reads that the tablet has “industry leading battery performance.”
The design of the tablet looks sleek and from the picture, it is evident that volume rockers are placed on the right side. There is one circular key below it which looks like a power button. As the information was accidently slipped, details of the device are still under wraps. But one thing is clear that the phone will make an appearance on 3rd of March in Barcelona.
The consumer electronics company Sony is not enjoying a good time it used to before. There’s a steep decline in company’s revenue in past few years and resultantly, Sony has decided to compensate the loss by focusing on camera sensors, entertainment and PlayStations entirely. The Japanese firm announced that it could shut down the audio and video business in order to boost 25-fold profit within three years.
Sony CEO and President Kazuo Hirai showcased an isolated picture the company’s future saying that it could exit smartphone and TV sector. He made a remark at the corporate strategy meeting –
The strategy starting from the next business year will be about generating profit and investing for growth.
As per Kazuo, Sony is not at all making money with their high-end smartphones and has been dragged back by Samsung, Apple and some cheaper Asian rivals.
Kazuo put forth the statistics of a profitable tomorrow saying that the spinoffs will raise the profits of the company by 500 billion yen ($4.2 billion) by the end of 2018, a massive leap from the 20 billion yen in previous forecasts. It’s yet not clear if Sony will not be dealing in the TV sector any more as the firm recently unveiled an Android-powered TV at CES 2015.
If Hirai is considering to cut out the smartphones and TVs division, Sony will be left out with three main businesses – Sony Pictures Entertainment; a major film studio in Hollywood, PlayStation; which has turned profitable for the company recently with its next-gen consoles; and the last one is the image sensors unit that is completely dependent on Apple for retailing camera sensors for its iPhones. The last one doesn’t seem to have long term dependency as Apple may anytime lose interest in Sony sensors and can move to other firms or decide to manufacture its own sensors. So the focus towards the PlayStation ecosystem is Sony’s best bet towards profitability.
The PlayStation business is Sony’s best bet towards profitability.
If Sony cuts off smartphone and TV business, it would probably be the end of Sony as a major and prominent electronics company. Meanwhile, the personal computer unit, VAIO, has already been sold out and if Sony Pictures is still reeling from the massive hacking attacks of last year. These are trying times for the Japanese electronics company and might have to take some calls to prevent following the path of Nokia.
Audio has always been Sony’s strong suit. They are, of course, the creators of the legendary Walkmans that changed the way we listened to music. When the mobile phone era came about, then Sony brought that experience in their line of multimedia phones which sold like hot cakes. Lately the company hasn’t had a good time on the business side of things, but it hasn’t stopped them from bringing new products to the market. Now the company has brought two new products to India that it claims will deliver the best possible audio output.
MDR Z7
First of the new launches is the MDR-Z7 headphones. Sony has installed newly developed 70 mm drivers in these headphones. Sony claims that MDR-Z7 has special silver-coated OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) cable that reduces signal transmission loss. It is said to be capable of critical high frequencies that are “faithfully reproduced right up to 100 kHz”. Sony claims it can recreate studio quality sound.
The second device from the company is the PHA-3 high-resolution sound amplifier. This device takes in audio input from any source and enhances its quality. The PHA-3 can be connected to your smartphone, Walkman, or PC with a USB cable, and digital signals are directly sent to the portable headphone amp. It has a dedicated power source that supplies power lavishly without consuming the smartphone’s battery.
PHA-3
When put together, Sony claims that the two products, establish a unique balanced connection circuit in which the left and right channel signals are transmitted separately to MDR-Z7. This results in minimal cross talk and crystal clear sound.
These are professional grade products and are priced accordingly. The MDR-Z7 headphones are priced at Rs. 41,990 while the PHA-3 audio amplifier has a price tag of Rs. 74,990.
After showcasing SmartWatch 3 and SmartBand Talk at the IFA Berlin in September 2014, the Japanese manufacturing company has finally brought both the two devices for Indian consumers. The devices are listed on the official website of Sony India. The SmartWatch 3 is tagged at Rs. 19,990, while the SmartBand comes at a price of Rs. 12,990.
The price listed for the SmartWatch 3 is for the black variant. There is no word on the availability and price for the stylish steel edition. At the given price tag, this Sony smartwatch is one of the most expensive wearables in the country running on Android.
Sony SmartBand Talk
Taking a look at its specifications, the Sony SmartWatch 3 sports a 1.6-inch 320×320 square display. The device runs on a 1.2GHz quad-core processor paired with 512 MB of RAM and has 4 GB of internal storage capacity. The 420mAh battery of the device is enough to last a couple of days. The connectivity options include NFC and Bluetooth 4.0. Along with that, the watch is secure from water and dust.
The company said that the straps of the smartwatch are interchangeable, and users can attach straps of different colours with the main watch unit.
On the other hand, the SmartBand Talk boasts a 1.4-inch 296x128p e-ink curved display. The band allows handsfree calling. Like the smartwatch, it comes with exchangeable wrist straps that give it a trendy look. The device is waterproof and can last for 3 hours on a single charge. The connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0 LE and NFC.
During CES 2015 at Las Vegas, COO of Sony, Michael Fasulo, announced that the company is all set to roll out Android 5.0 Lollipop to its Xperia Z3 lineup starting next month. Sony had earlier revealed that Android 5.0 Lollipop would come to the “core” Xperia Z2 and Z3 lines in early 2015.
The company confirmed the previous rumours in December, but the Japanese electronic giant hasn’t been too specific on exactly when this rollout will happen. However, Fasulo revealed that the update will begin rolling out to the Xperia Z3 next month.
Google released Android Lollipop 5.0.1 to the masses in December 2014 and the wait began as manufacturers optimised the code before pushing it out to their flagship devices. Till now handful of devices like Moto G (Gen 1 and 2), Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 2 have got the lollipop update.
Sony’s announcement follows the company’s promise last October to eventually deliver Lollipop to its entire Xperia Z range of devices.
Sony had revolutionized the way we listened to music when it launched the Walkman in the 1980’s. Since then the music players have gotten consistently tinier ultimately reaching the size of a biscuit before being absorbed into the smartphone. But the grandfather of portable music players, Sony, is not giving up on its baby just yet. At CES 2015, they have revived the Walkman as a high definition player which it says is a better entertainment device than any smartphone.
Sony’s NW-ZX2 Walkman boasts of 128 GB of storage space with up to 60 hours of battery life. The company also claims that this device gives a better sound output than the conventional smartphones. It supports high-quality audio codecs like DSD, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, Apple Lossless, and more. Sony also added that the device is capable of increasing the quality of your existing songs.
The ZX2 is a peculiar looking device which has a bit of a retro appeal. It looks like a communication device from the older sci-fi movies. It looks like a big smartphone with a bulge at the bottom for the 3.5 mm headphone jack. The back panel has an uncanny resemblance to the Nokia 3230.
There is a disappointment though on the software side of things. The device runs on Android Jellybean 4.2 which is presently outdated. It does give you the option to download and use apps from the Play store, so that’s a plus. The Walkman also provides you with a Micro SD slot which lets you extend the storage beyond 128 GB. It also supports Bluetooth and NFC output making this a complete entertainment device.
But the question does remain; why would someone go for an independent device if they already own a smartphone that does it all and that too at a price of $1200? Well, it can be a device for music professionals to listen to with highest quality tracks. This would probably come handy to music enthusiasts too who want a player that gives them the best output on the move, but they’d definitely need quality earphones to get the best out of it. The device does have limited utility in a time when we have all-in-one devices called smartphones, and not a lot of folks will be enthused by the hefty price tag.
There were tons of stories written and discussed about Sony Pictures’ controversial release of ‘The Interview’. Looks like all this free publicity has given Sony a good reason to celebrate. Earlier, there was fuss about Sony releasing The Interview online before it hit theatres as no one was sure how it will turn out.
Now the company has announced that The Interview made $15 million from online sales and rentals since its Christmas Eve release online. The film also made $2.8 million in theaters over the long Christmas weekend.
The Hollywood blockbuster, which follows a hapless TV host tasked with the assassinating Kim Jong-un, was originally intended to be released on roughly 3,000 screens on Christmas Day. It was expected to generate $20 million during its opening.
The studio said on Sunday the film had been purchased or rented online more than 2 million times on the four days through to Saturday, making it Sony Pictures’ No 1 online movie of all time. The comedy was at the center of a crippling security breach at Sony Pictures in November that resulted in an embarrassing spill of company secrets.
The announcement came few hours after ‘The Interview’ finally made its debut on Apple’s iTunes. The movie has been available since Wednesday on YouTube Movies, Google Play, Xbox and a dedicated Sony-built website, Seetheinterview.com. PlayStation Network and XBox Live also experienced some glitches in their server on Christmas Eve, after they started offering online streaming of the film.
Seth Rogen and James Franco’s new comedy about the assassination of Kim Jong-un was the most prominent piece of geopolitical news of the past month. A group of hackers had wreaked havoc on Sony Pictures; they threatened a 9/11 style attack if the movie was allowed to release. Heeding to concerns raised by several theatre chains, the company said that it won’t object if the chains choose not to screen the movie. That move brought in comments from all sides of the spectrum, from severe criticism for being anti-free speech to support for ensuring the safety of moviegoers. After many hassles, Sony has finally released the movie on multiple platforms.
We trace out the bizarre course of events that finally led to the film’s release.
The Interview shows two American journalists assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
On June 11: the first trailer of The Interview releases online. Following this, on June 25, North Korea issues a tough response to the trailer calling it “an act of war” and said there will be a “merciless response”, if the movie was allowed to release.
November 24: the employees of Sony Pictures, across the country, received a shock in the morning when they saw all their computers were compromised. There was just one message on the screen that said that the system was hacked by Guardians of Peace or #GOP. They said they have taken all the data hostage and would release it if their demands were not met; it wasn’t sure at the time what the demands were. They claimed to have stolen up to 100 terabytes of data. Sony calls it an IT issue and says the company is looking into it.
A week after the attack, the first wave of release started to show up. The hackers release four movies online before the release dates. These films soon found their way on torrent sites. Soon after this, hackers released the salaries and social security details of former and current employees.
Coming to the start of December, the story takes a nasty turn when the hackers start releasing stolen emails. It takes a teenage gossip mode when details of various conversations between Sony executives and others start leaking out. The leak that Sony Pictures Chief Amy Pascal called Angelina Jolie “a spoilt brat” lead to an awkward moment when they met. Amy’s emails also saw racially tainted discussion about the American president.
There were awkward moments between Stars and Sony following the revelations by the hackers
December 4: We get news that North Korea might be one of the suspects in the case. The hermit kingdom denies any involvement. But its involvement seems to get more evident when the hackers call for a stop on the release of The Interview, calling it a movie of terrorism. This further strengthened the idea of North Korea’s involvement.
December 6: The incident starts taking the shape of terrorism when multiple employees of Sony Pictures start receiving threatening emails. Some days later the hackers comment saying that they are about to offer a Christmas gift for the people, which consists of more leaked data.
The hackers leaked scripts and details of future movies including the next James bond movie.
December 15: The frustration starts to grow in the entertainment industry against the leak. This follows the release of the draft of the new James Bond Movie ‘Spectre’. Academy Award winning writer Aaron Sorkin scolds the media in an op-ed in the New York Times for reporting using stolen data. Brad Pitt also joins to condemn the media calling it an assault on privacy and comments saying that they are profiting by colluding with terrorists.
December 16: the most inflammatory threat comes from the group. They threaten a 9/11-style attack on cinemagoers if The Interview is allowed to release; this spooks a lot of cinema chains in the country. Sony also gets slapped with a class action suit by former employees who blame the company for not being vigilant with their data.
December 17: Other studios start claiming that the GOP attack and subsequent threats might deter other moviegoers from coming to the theatre thereby dampening the profit making holiday season for everyone.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”Barack Obama” author_title=”President, United States of America”]
We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship in the United States.
[/quote]
December 18: The Federal Bureau of Investigation says that it is ready to link North Korea with the attack. Sony finally pulls the plug on The Interview, which also leads Seth Rogen and James Franco to cancel further promotional events for the movie. Sony also cancels DVD and VOD of the movie. This results in widespread criticism of the company, many saying that it has bowed down to terrorists subsequently encouraging them and defeating the bedrock of democracy.
December 19: US authority officially links North Korea with the attack. President Obama says Sony “made a mistake” in pulling back the movie saying, “We will respond proportionately and in a space, time and manner that we choose.” He also added, “We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship in the United States.”
December 24: Google and Microsoft get in talks with Sony to release the movie on their platform. Independent theatre owners too join in the release, but the big chains still stay a safe distance away.
The people have spoken! Freedom has prevailed! Sony didn’t give up! The Interview will be shown at theaters willing to play it on Xmas day!
December 25: The movie is released on Google Play and YouTube movies. Seth Rogen tweets saying “…Freedom has prevailed!…” As soon as the movie hits the internet ,it is on the torrent sites and is downloaded massively. But the reviews for the movie are mixed.
It is a bit unsettling though that one of the biggest movie studios in the world was brought to its knees after this attack. It has been said that the company would need millions of dollars and may take years to recover from this attack. One thing is true though that this was an act of terror and if Sony did back down, as it was planning to, it could have set a precedent for other criminals to follow. It took the reassurance of the President of the United States to get the movie out to the public.
This incident has forced other major institutions to strengthen the security of their digital infrastructure. This hack has shown that in our present world, information is power, and your own data can be used against you. The technology sector should now put more focus on prevention of cyber-attacks and there is a need for training more professionals in cyber security. It’s time for the nerds to lead the war.
January is the month when CES, one of the biggest consumer electronics trade show comes to town. CES 2015 is just a few weeks away, but the buzz around it is already heating up in this excruciating winter. Sony has put its foot forward and posted a new video which might be a teaser for the upcoming Sony Xperia Z4.
Sony hasn’t had a good time with the market in the past couple of years, and they have seen their profits shrink year by year. The company is in a major re-invention period, and it is currently focusing on bringing itself back to profitability even if that means losing 25-30% of their market share in the smartphone business.
The video posted by the company is titled ” Welcome to the New World”. It shows a girl licking a lollipop that seems to signify that the device will run on Android Lollipop. There have also been rumours that the new flagship device from Sony will feature a Snapdragon 810 processor which would make it one of the first devices to feature this latest chipset. The company had previously launched the Xperia Z3 at IFA Berlin last September and keeping with its six months update schedule; the new flagship is ready for the world. The Xperia Z3 was appreciated for its design and features but was berated for being too pricey.
China is a country that practically produces almost everything available in the market. The country is the manufacturing hub of most of the world’s electronics. But it has serious distrust for foreign products. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a nanny state that is quick to ban anything that doesn’t stand up to its cultural standards. The country recently lifted a 14-year ban on foreign consoles in the country. This led to the arrival of the two gaming giants in the country who will now start a new battle in their war of console supremacy in the most populated country in the world.
About four months back, Microsoft’s Xbox One hit the Chinese shores. On January 11th its arch nemesis, Sony PlayStation 4 will arrive to begin the familiar war. Sony told Reuters that it would arrive with 30 titles and has already applied for licenses for them. In comparison, Xbox One has only 10 titles in the country.
It is rather difficult to get your gaming title passed through the scrutiny of the Chinese censors. The country is infamous for having a giant mechanism that constantly censors content throughout the media and the internet. The safest bet for the companies is to bring sports based titles to get past easily through the licensing process. It doesn’t seem like the Chinese gamers are going to get access to the likes of GTA 5 anytime soon.
These devices also come at a hefty price tag even though the consoles are made in the country. The PS4 comes for 2,899 yuan(Rs. 29,240) while Chinese buyers would have to shell out 3,699 yuan (Rs.37,300) for the Xbox One. Microsoft hopes to sell a million devices by October 2015.
It is good to see China opening its doors to the world one step at a time. It’s about time the country also imported democracy and let its people taste real freedom. Well, if freedom in 21st century means being a slave to the screen, guess the Chinese aren’t far from it.
