All Entries Tagged With: "Sony"

The Big Apple Letdown: No Mac Netbook is a Good Thing

One word has been used by journalists to describe Apple’s last Macworld: dull.  Blogs such as Unpluggd featured polls for readers to chime in on what new products they expected from Apple.  An Apple netbook, a redesigned iPhone and an Apple Tablet appeared to lead the buzz.  The hype was huge, but the reality of no Steve Jobs and no significant new devices quickly snuffed high expectations.

Many sites featured articles outlining their hopes for new Apple products.  Dan Gillmor’s article at All Things D, outlined his case for the success of an Apple netbook, a low cost, subnotebook computer.  Gillmor believed his vision of an Apple netbook, a NewtBook, would be successful because of Apple’s easy to use OS X, touch-friendly interface, and implementation of an App Store similar to that on the iPhone/iTouch.  He believed that an Apple netbook would appeal to current iPhone/iTouch users that wanted a similar but more productive device.

While I agree that an Apple netbook would appeal to the current Mac fanbase and current iPhone owners, the introduction of a low cost Mac netbook would harm the current, developing market.  Here are four reasons why no Apple netbook is a good thing. Continue reading

Better pic of the Vaio P

Not sure what happened with the other pic, but here’s a better cameraphone pic of the P. High res pics and a video of Sony’s Xavier Lauwaert explaining some of the features of the device are coming soon.

Sony Vaio P Series Lifestyle PC

Sony officially unveils the Sony Vaio P. The P will have an 8-inch ultrawide LCD display weighing 1.4 pounds and is roughly the size of a business envelope. Unlike previous rumors, the P will indeed have a keyboard. Integrated WAN, LAN, and BT connectivity are included. GPS will be built in and color options will be available in garnet red, emerald green, onyx black, crystal white, and classic black. Retail price is expected to be 900 dollars.

New Sony UMPC Picks Up Some Specs

Chippy has some info over on UMPC Portal about the new Sony UMPC that (hopefully) will be covered by the gang at CES next week.  It appears that Sony will be dipping into the Intel Atom processors on this one – check out the specs:

• Atom Z250 1.33
• 2GB RAM
• HDD (optional SSD)
• GPS
• UMTS
• $970 US (approx)

What do you think?  Worth the price?  I think we’ll have to wait and see in the next week – I personally think it will be a tough sell with the Netbook (can I say that?) market running prices into the ground right now.

GBM Week In Review

Here is a quick look at some of the most popular articles from this past week:

• Lenovo W700ds Quick Hands-On Video, Part 1
• Lenovo W700ds, Part 2
• Free Inking Applications for your Tablet PC
• 2009 Predictions - Rob’s Take
• 2009 Predictions - Warner’s Take
• A Christmas List for Tablet PC and Mobile PC Geeks
• Samsung Prepping New Netbook for 2009
• Netbook Sites Getting Cease and Desist Orders
• Sony’s New Mobile Device

More Folks Picking Up Electronic Books

Good article from the New York Time on the popularity of electronic book readers.  Between the Kindle and the iPhone, I can’t of another set of devices that have so captured the attention of my friends and family. Is an eBook reader on your Christmas list?

For a decade, consumers mostly ignored electronic book devices, which were often hard to use and offered few popular items to read. But this year, in part because of the popularity of Amazon.com’s wireless Kindle device, the e-book has started to take hold.

The $359 Kindle, which is slim, white and about the size of a trade paperback, was introduced a year ago. Although Amazon will not disclose sales figures, the Kindle has at least lived up to its name by creating broad interest in electronic books. Now it is out of stock and unavailable until February. Analysts credit Oprah Winfrey, who praised the Kindle on her talk show in October.

via More Readers Are Picking Up Electronic Books - NYTimes.com.

Is Sony Readying an iPod Wanna Be?

Rumors are rampant that Sony will be unveiling an iPod like device at CES2009. Does the world need another MP3 player? Maybe, maybe not, but if you can buy direct from the Amazon MP3 store that could shift that answer. If the specs I’m reading is true, there are a couple of very interesting aspects to this.

Continue reading

Sony To Change Standards on Battery Testing

Battery life claims by OEMs are one of those myths that we all pay attention to, dismiss, rely on, and well…. end up scratching our heads as to why the game is played the way it is. Everyone has their own formula for guessing what the OEM claims really mean and mental shortcuts to surmise what they must have turned off in order to reach those claims.

Sony, like others, has taken heat for this, and it looks like they are changing how they do their testing on laptops, and consequently their reporting. The new standard is called Jeita A and it based on how long a Sony device will run with a movie playing. The previous standard took the average length of time a battery lasted while idle and playing a movie. You can read more about the testing method here.

It wll be interesting to see how this affects what we see in terms of Sony’s advertised battery life specs, and if others will follow suit.

Via Electonista

Sony Issues Vaio TZ Series Notebook Recall for Overheating

Sony has issued a recall for those owning a notebook in the VAIO TZ series. The issues seems to be with wiring next to the hinge that could lead to a short and/or overheating, which is something you certainly don’t want to happen. Here is the link to what Sony is calling a ‘rework.’ Series model numbers affected inlcude:

• VGN-TZ100 series
• VGN-TZ200 series
• VGN-TZ300 series
• VGN-TZ2000 series

Sony Reader Gets an Update

Today, I’m singing the “Early Adopter Blues”. As many people know, I have a 1st generation Sony Reader, the PRS-500. The 2nd generation Reader, the PRS-505, just got an update to the firmware that includes features I’d love to have: automatic reflow for PDF, and support for Adobe Digital Editions and the ePub formats. If you’ve never heard of it, ePub is a new, open standard for ebooks based on XML and designed for interoperability. Adobe Digital Editions (DE) is an ebook organizer and library that works with PDFs and ePub formats.

This is a phenomenal free update. With support for Adobe DE, Sony has approached an open platform for ebooks. I never thought I’d say Sony had an open platform for much of anything, but this is closer than many. Many public libraries have DRM’d ebooks in Adobe DE formats, so now Sony Reader PRS-505 owners will actually be able to check out ebooks from the library. That is cool!

I’m quite envious of this new firmware update. I’m also envious of the new Reader cover that I just found that includes a built-in light wedge. For everyone who wants to read in the dark, now you can with the Sony Reader.

I need a new toy.

More info: Yahoo, MobileRead Forums

Polymer Vision Blends E-book and Connectivity

The Readius pocket-sized e-book reader by Polymer Vision has confirmed that they’re still planning to launch in the fall. When I first discovered the Readius back in February, I couldn’t quite get past the way it was being marketed as a combo cellphone and e-book reader. It appears that the company has rightly recognized that the cell phone calling capability wasn’t really necessary, even though the HSDPA support is still quite welcome for acquiring content. 

Two features worth pointing out: The Readius supports 16 levels of grayscale and it supports Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, including headset and keyboard. The 16 levels of grayscale outperforms the Amazon Kindle’s 4 level grayscale and the Sony Reader’s 8 level grayscale. With the possibility of Bluetooth input, this transforms into an email client with a 5 inch display that folds into a small package. Attractive possibilities…

In addition to confirming a fall launch of the Readius, Polymer Vision also announced Content World, a portal for the Readius for both free and paid content. The user will be able to download content to her PC and transfer via USB or download directly to the Readius over the HSDPA cellular connection. Obviously that will require a cellular provider service plan, but no announcements have been made about any partnerships with cellular providers.

Product Specifications:

• Weight: Ultra light. At 115g just one third the average weight of current e-readers
• Display size: Large 5″ display, 16 greyscales
• Device size: The only pocket sized eReader
• Battery life: 30 hours of continuous reading
• Connectivity: Global wireless connectivity, with the greatest coverage of any eReader (Tri Band/3.5G HSDPA). Supporting ActiveSync and USB mass storage (USB FS). Communication with accessories and other devices (Bluetooth 2.0)
• Processor: Powerful processing engine (ARM11 400MHz)
• Storage: Flexible, today commercially available up to 8GB (High Capacity Micro SD)
• User Interface: Just 8 SimpleTouch Buttons

via Slashgear

Sony: That’ll Be $50, Thank You. Wait, We Were Wrong.

The blogosphere has been up in arms today over a report from PC World about Sony charging $50 to remove “crapware”. Yep, you got that right - $50 to remove software that would cause your new notebook to run as slow as molasses.

According to Gadget Lab, the noise must have gotten too loud, as Sony had a change of heart.

From Gadget Lab:

Responding to a tidal wave of outrage, Sony has reversed a plan to charge $50 to remove all the pre-installed applications — often derided as “bloatware” or “craplets” — from its high-end TZ-series notebooks.

Earlier today, PC World reported that Sony would charge $50 for a configuration option called “Fresh Start,” which would not include the bloatware. When contacted by Gadget Lab, a spokesperson for Sony said that the company will now remove that charge.

“There will be no charge for Fresh Start,” said the spokesman.

How about an E-Book Reader with a Wacom Digitizer

Not that I’m trying to one-up Warner or anything, but I just received a sample of an iRex iLiad e-book reader with an integrated Wacom digitizer.

Although the iRex iLiad is not a new product, given the recent reviews of the Amazon Kindle and the video we did with the Kindle and the Sony Reader PRS-500, it seemed appropriate to look at the only real pen-based solution on the market. After all, inking is the way to go! :-)

I’ll be doing a full InkShow on the iLiad in the next couple of weeks, but to whet your appetite:

• Best screen visibility -  by FAR, over the Sony Reader or the Kindle. Totally subjective, but wow.
• Larger screen - 8.1″ diagonal vs. 6″ diagonal
• Digitizer - allows both book annotations as well as free-form note taking on blank sheets of e-paper
• Sudoku - ‘Nuf said.
• WiFi - I connected to my WPA encrypted access point at home in just a couple of minutes. Transfer files, etc. Although the reader doesn’t officially support web browsing, there are solutions for that available on the web (like enabling the browser that actually ships in the system but hidden/disabled).
• File formats supported : PDF / HTML / TXT / JPG / BMP/ PNG / PRC (Mobipocket)
• You can read the full set of product specifications on the iLiad website.

Before you ask, yes, all of this goodness comes at a hefty price. The official US sales portal is eReader Outfitters who list the iLiad at $699. Yes, for that same $699 I could buy a decent laptop. But for those people who really want a portable note-taking solution, this could be an interesting slate. I plan on checking this out as more than just an e-book reader so that I can see how far into the slate computer category this can stretch.

GBM InkShow: Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader Digital Book Head to Head

  One of the best things I’ve purchased in quite some time was an e-book reader, namely the Amazon Kindle. Being new to the electronic book area, I have found the experience to be quite enjoyable. Sierra, on the other hand, has been using an e-book reader for a long time, namely the Sony Reader Digital Book, and has picked up on the subtle differences between Sony’s Reader Digital Book and Amazon’s Kindle. She used my Kindle for several weeks, and came away with some interesting observations. By the way, it is worth mentioning that I almost didn’t get my Kindle back….

In this InkShow, Sierra and I take them both on a head-to-head comparison, looking at screens, navigation, buttons, contrast, and the book buying experience.

• Download the high res version ( wmv, 13:30, 103mb )
• Watch the embedded version below

Click To Play

Sierra and Splotch on Vacation

Splotch and I just got back from a lovely time in Mexico. That little guy really gets down with the traveling! We had a lovely time traipsing around Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas together.

Aas for the gear I took, on this trip I stuck with what are, for me, necessities and left some gear at home. Here’s what I had in my gear bag:

• Fujitsu P1610: The P1610 is a great little traveling computer, but I’m still longing for my own OQO. Even smaller and more portable and easier to pack. Given the fact that I’ll never go on vacation without a computer, even for a weekend, the OQO seems like a good safety net.
• AT&T 8525 cell phone syncing email from GottaBeMobile, personal, and work. My 8525 phone is the "old reliable". Sure, I’d love to upgrade to the Tilt, but work is providing this, so I use what they give me. As sexy as the iPhone is, that won’t work for me. I’ve tried to shoe-horn my usage models into its available capabilities, and I just want more than it offers, mostly for advanced email. And it has to be a global phone, which knocks off anything non-UMTS.
• Amazon Kindle: I’m still deciding if Rob gets it back. :-)  And just wait until he sees how his Kindle spent Christmas Day.
• Sony Reader - first generation model I’ve owned for a while, to compare to the Kindle. I still like this reader.
• Apple iPod Nano - in Hot Pink of course. Gotta have my tunes. The new Touch does look interesting…
• My old and trusty Casio Exilim Ex-Z4 camera. This needs replaced. Badly. I’m eying the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55P. My husband has a Lumix that he loves. He’s an optical engineer, so he’s fussy about having a good lens and the Leica lenses they use in the Lumix line are quite good.
• plus the power cables / docks for all of the above, of course

So was I happy with what I took? Moderately, yes, but I still need (expensive) improvements. In addition to the OQO, new camera, new phone, and the Kindle, I need a better power supply situation. The iGo everywhere85 looks like a good possibility for me, particularly if I combine it with the Monster Outlets to Go portable power strip. If I get the power cable tangle under control, it will help a bunch, but then I’ll start noticing that I really need a 3G connection for my computer, probably through USB since I swap around a lot. I spent far too long in the lobby of a hotel in San Diego trying to get the free wireless to connect properly. It never did, so I’m grateful I had iPass to allow me to connect for free through the coffee shop.

I leave for CES on Saturday morning.  As Rob mentioned earlier, OQO is sponsoring us for CES, so I know I’ll have access to an OQO Model 2 with EV-DO during the event and I’m THRILLED with that opportunity to try out what I think may be my next computer purchase. Unfortunately, little else will probably improve in my gear bag until then, but I’m hoping to find lots of new goodies at CES to fill up my bag for the next trip!