Just before the Photokina Trade Show in September, the upcoming follow-up model to the Sony Cyber-shot N1 has been exposed. Dubbed as DSC-N2, the new digital camera boasts of 3x Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar lens.

Aside from these, it also promises an increase in resolution as it now has 10.1MP. Its predecessor came only with 8MP. Its sensitivity is also upgraded as we see now an ISO of 1000. Not to mention its rather unique color, which can be mistaken for as silver when it's not, Cyber-shot N2 also comes with a three-inch touch screen.

Because of the leak, official announcements from Sony are now being expected to be given in the Cologne Exhibition Center, Germany as the digital photography show unfolds this September 26.

So you want to play a wholesome game of Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 with your friends and family out on the patio, but everyone won't be able to see the action because your TV is too small? Fret not, for Pearl is here to save the day!

At least, we hope that's the case.

Pearl is the name of Sony's new projector, which is meant to be somewhat more affordable yet just as dependable as its predecessor, the Ruby. There's not a lot of details yet, since the primary information source was a Japanese forum and free translation isn't 100% accurate. Let's see if we can give you the lowdown, though.

The Pearl, model number VPL-VW50, is supposed to be a lot sleeker than the Ruby, but there's still going to be a lot of HDTV goodness. Since it's got progressive scanning and 1080 lines of vertical resolution because of Sony's SXRD technology, the Pearl is almost surely going to be wonderfully widescreen in its presentation. It's also supposed to have a 22-decibel fan cooling system to keep the 200-watt bulb that shows the widescreen goodness from overheating.

Some of the rumored information, as a result of weird translation, talks about a dynamic contrast ratio of 15,000:1, as well as a static contrast ratio of 5000:1. The press release also mentions only having 2 HDMI ports and no components, which limits its utility for thrifty movie buffs. Since these are rumors, however, let's hope they're wrong.

Till then, expect this gem to to shine in stores come October.

 
 

DSC-T10	DSC-N1	DSC-T50

Photos of the supposed Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T50 has surfaced the web just recently. Along with the pictures are specs, claiming that this new camera from Sony will be a 7.2MP digital camera with 3x optical zoom, Super SteadyShot, high sensitivity with ISO 1000, a 3" touch panel at the back and slideshow with music feature. Nothing fancy really, especially when you realize that it's basically a combination of features of the DSC-T10 and the DSC-N1. It's like their offspring really. It mostly takes after DSC-T10. Just look at the overall design. while the 3' touch panel comes courtesy of DSC-N1. According to reports it will be due out this coming October and will come in silver, black and red.

Here's another interesting product from Sony Electronics: the GPS-CS1K. This GPS device will help you map out the places you've been - using the digital photos you yourself took.

How does it work? Using the time stamp from any of Sony's digital cameras or camcorders and the time and location recordings from the GPS-CS1 GPS device, you can create a map to showcase your globe-trotting. You just have to transfer the photos you took to a computer and import the logged data from the GPS device before the GPS Image Tracker software synchronizes the information.

With the help of the Picture Motion Browser software included in the latest Sony digicams, your online map will have your photos as virtual markers of the places you've visited. Cool, huh? Just imagine pictures you've taken with faces of your friends or relatives popping up whenever you click locations like Barcelona or Florida on the map.

The 12-channel GPS device - which weighs two ounces, is 3 1/2-inches long and comes with a carabiner to easily attach to your bag or belt - will cost around $135 and will be available starting September.

Who wouldn't forget the good old Walkman you used to tote around with when you were younger? Back then, it seemed as if it was THE gadget. Since its release in 1979, Sony has been riding the waves of success.

Now that Sony has turned 60 this year, writer Yuri Kageyama poses this question: Is Sony losing its magic touch? According to Kageyama, Sony seems focused on producing ultra-luxurious products that are conforming less and less to consumers' wants and needs.

One such example was the Qualia line of luxury products released three years ago, which included a "$3,300 digital camera and a $13,000 audio console that automatically centered a compact disc regardless of how carelessly it was tossed into the player." Kageyama says that products such as those widen the gap between Sony and consumers. It seems that consumers are more after practicality than luxury, even if the said products were made by an established name in the business.

However, if you go by the numbers, Sony hasn't entirely lost the plot. In fact, this year, things are looking up for the Japanese company - they earned $276 million for its first fiscal quarter, not a spectacular figure but still a turnaround from their $65.2 million loss last year. Also, Sony President Ryoji Chubachi believes that their TV sets and portable music players are still number one. To ensure this, revamps were made, such as bringing Apple's Tim Schaff to develop its software, and cooperating with Samsung Electronics to work on light crystal displays for TV sets.

Moreover, Sony is now lending an ear to its consumers (which resulted to pulling out the Qualia line) and maintains a "full scope of its business."  With its motto, "Sony United," the company strives for more inter-connectivity with its other departments, a lesson learned after a mishap with the production of its digital music player (which initially supported ATRAC3 files instead of the MP3 format, which doesn't have protection against illicit copying) which could have been prevented if the software designers maintained strong communication lines with the product designers.

So is Sony still the king in the biz? We really can't tell just yet. How about you, what do you think?

Sony recently announced three hard disk drive for Handycam camcorders that will surely fit the needs of everybody - be it a regular Joe or a frivolous individual. The new contraptions that Sony couldn't shut up about are the new HDD camcorders - the DCR-SR80, DCR-SR60 and DCR-SR40 models that claim to have extraordinary recording times and eliminate the need to manage removable media, such as tapes or discs.

But if you think that Sony is all small talk about these three, well, all of them are backed by features that make the adage "talk is cheap" inapplicable in this situation. The 60GB hard drive of the DCR-SR80 camcorder captures up to 41 hours of video in long-play mode (3Mbps) or up to 14 hours of footage in high quality mode (9Mbps). The DCR-SR60 and the DCR-SR40 models have comparable recording times with 30GB of internal memory - up to 20 hours of footage in long play mode and more than seven hours in high quality mode.

All these babies use the HDD Smart Protection system, which combines physical shock absorbers, G-sensor shock protection and video stream buffering to help prevent data loss if the cameras are dropped or shaken. These new models also feature Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lenses for maintaining image clarity and color resolution. Sony is hoping that its easy PC connectivity will be beneficial for people who upload and share their videos online-- which has become everybody's favorite pastime nowadays.

The new camcorders will also go with a Handycam Station that will be able to connect the camcorders to a PC television set or DVDirect DVD recorder with the supplied USB, AV and DC-in cables. What is good about the Handycam Station is the fact that it features a One Touch DVD Burn button that automatically burns video to a DVD via a PC.

Sounds good and all, right? Now let's head back to reality and let's talk financial damages. The top-of-the-line 60GB DCR-SR80 and the 30GB DCR-SR60  model have a wide 2.7-inch wide hybrid LCD display with start, stop and zoom buttons, 12x optical zoom, a one-mega pixel CCD imager and an active interface shoe for attaching accessories such as an external microphone or light. Both will be available in September for about $800 and $700, respectively.

As for the more affordable 30GB DCR-SR40 has a 20x optical zoom, six hour battery life, 2.5-inch (4:3 ratio) LCD monitor and touch panel functionality.  It will be available in September for about $600. Pre-ordering will begin on Friday, July 21.

Sony has announced its new Memory Stick Entertainment Packs. (We told you about the previous batch here.) These contain either 1GB or 2GB Memory sticks bundled with an installer DVD. This is (obviously) a collaboration between Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Sony Electronics.

Aside from being able to use the Memory Sticks in devices such as Sony's digital cameras, camcorders and some Sony Ericsson phones, you can also use these to watch movies in your PSP.

The Packs come with installer DVDs for PCs which contain four Sony movies, one of which you can access with the complimentary unlock code, and then transfer to your PSP's Memory Stick media.

The movies included in the Memory Stick Entertainment Pack are "S.W.A.T.," XXX: State of the Union," "The Grudge" and "Hitch."

The 2GB and 1GB Memory Stick Entertainment Packs will become available next month and will cost $100 and $60 respectively.

The H range by Sony is infamous for its high pixel quality and its long range zoom. After the H1 and H2, we now have the H5. The H5 incorporates alot of the features found within H2, however there are a few differences. Hardware wise, the H5 has a 3" screen (whereas H2 has 2"), a 7.0 MP sensor (h2 having 6.0 MP) and a higher resolution screen at 230K pixels (H2 having 85K pixels). Color wise, the H5 is available in both silver and black, but as it stands silver is only available to those purchasing off the Sony Style site. The zoom is supplied by a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens in a whopping 12x scale, adding the digital zoom (2x) thats a total of 24x. Wide ISO has a range from 80 to 1000, Super Steady Shot image stabilization and a Real Imaging Processor. Not only is there the given 3" display, but also there is a 0.2" 200K pixel electronic viewfinder. Memory wise there is a 32MB internal memory chip, and a Memory Stick Pro Duo slot.

The internal software has a wide range of options for picture taking, including various modes and effects. The contents of the box has the unit, 2x NH-AA-DB batteries (which may suggest poor performance), a battery charger, A/V and USB cables, shoulder strap, lens cap with strap, lens adaptor, and lens hood. Overall, the specification of this camera make it a worthwhile upgrade from your older models. Sony Style currently have this camera listed at $499.95 which doesn't seem that bad at all.

 

Sony wants its electronic products to be readily available to consumers via automated kiosks strategically placed in malls and other such places.

But be sure not to call these vending machines. Gower Smith of Zoom Systems, which is providing the technology for Sony, says that these are robotic stores and not vending machines. These specially-designed kiosks will come in either of two versions, one four feet and the other eight feet wide, both with a touch screen where displayed products' info and specs, as well as trailers and music videos, will be shown. Movie  will also be shown in here.

To purchase a product from the robotic store, the consumer only has to select a product from the screen, swipe his credit card and wait for the robotic arm to deliver the purchased item.

This "experiment" will only be considered a success by Sony if it actually increases sales. The company will be watching the early sales returns of the three robotic stores placed in Santa Rosa, Ca., Atlanta and Boulder, Colorado. Thanks to jpcguy89 for the heads'-up!

Here's a peek at the first new digital SLR product from Sony since its acquisition of Konica Minolta in 2005. Yup, that's the reason why it looks a lot like Konica dSLRs.

Sony's DSLR-A100 is based on the Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D and 7D, including the CCD-based image stabilizer and the lens mount. But the similarities stop there as other features of this camera are Sony-specific.

The following are the features of this new dSLR:

• A 10.2-megapixel Sony CCD sensor with 10M/5M/2.5M image sizes
• Dual mode dust reduction system - dust resistant coating over sensor and a dust "shake-off" when powered on or off
• Dynamic Range Optimizer - this analyzes the captured image first to instantly determine the best color tonality and exposure of an image before JPEG compression
• Bionz LSI image processor - this will allow the user to capture pictures at lighting speed with high-speed burst shooting at three frames per second continuously
• Powered by Sony's Li-Ion battery
• A large 2.5-inch LCD display with high resolution
• CompactFlash I/II card slot, FAT32 and Microdrive compatible
  

Expect to see the Sony DSLR-A100 in stores this July with its 18-70mm zoom lens. The entire A100 kit is going to retail for about $999.