Pulse2 Technology and Social Media News » Sony

Hackers Believed To Have Stolen 50,000 Michael Jackson Tracks

Amit Chowdhry — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:30:30 +0000

Sony has been hit with a major security breach. Hackers allegedly have downloaded over 50,000 tracks from Michael Jackson’s entire catalog. Many of these songs have not been released and Sony purchased them from the Jackson estate for $250 million last year.

“The attack was discovered weeks after hackers targeted Sony’s PlayStation Network in April, but was only confirmed by a Sony Music representative on Saturday,” reported the UK’s Daily Star. “Record bosses only discovered the theft of 50,000 music files when a worker saw Jackson fans chatting about it on forums.” The attack appeared to have happened last spring around the same time that the Sony PlayStation Network was hacked.

Sony Announces Xperia P and Xperia U Phones

Amit Chowdhry — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 23:15:13 +0000

Today Sony announced the Xperia P and the Xperia U smartphones running on Android. This is the first product introduction that Sony has made since going independent from Ericsson.

“We will revitalize our product portfolio,” stated Sony CEO Kaz Hirai. Many of Sony’s new phones will be able to support PlayStation games just like the initial Xperia play device.

The Xperia P phone is the first phone with a new WhiteMagic display technology which is designed for better viewing in direct sunlight. The Xperia U is expected to start shipping next quarter.

Sony Launching A Music Unlimited iOS App Soon

Amit Chowdhry — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:29:13 +0000

Sony Music Unlimited will soon be available on iOS. Sony Music Unlimited has already been available on Android devices and on PCs. Head of Sony Entertainment Network Tim Schaaff said that they will be offering a free iPhone and iPad app for Music Unlimited at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The iOS Music Unlimited app will have offline caching for subscribers. This allows users to save playlists for listening when the user is not connected to the Internet. Sony Music Unlimited is not competing directly with Rdio and Spotify. Sony Music Unlimited has over 1 million active users and they have a partnership with CDBaby. Sony has a total of 15 million global tracks.

[VentureBeat]

Sony Ericsson Announces Xperia Arc S

Amit Chowdhry — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:12:14 +0000

Sony has announced a new smartphone recently called the Xperia Arc S, which will be arriving in October. The Arc S specs include:
- a 1.4GHz single-core processor,
- 8.1 megapixel camera,
- Exmor R chip,
- 3D sweep panorama mode on the camera,
- 8.7mm thick
- Android 2.3.4 (Gingerbread)

[Gizmodo]

Sony Launching Two New Android 3.0 Tablets This Fall

Amit Chowdhry — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:51:02 +0000

Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE) is preparing to launch a couple of new Android tablets this fall with the code-names S1 and S2. The S1 will have a focus on rich media entertainment and the S2 will have a focus on communications. Both of these tablets will be available this fall.

The S1 and S2 will have WiFi, 3G/4G network access, and will have access to apps/games/videos/e-books. The S1 has a 9.4-inch display and the S2 will have two 5.5-inch displays that can be folder. The tablets will have access to the Qriocity music and video service. They will also have the PlayStation Suite built in, which gives users access to the original PlayStation games.

[VentureBeat]

Sony Planning To Manufacture S1 PlayStation Tablet [RUMOR]

Amit Chowdhry — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 08:17:49 +0000

Sony is rumored to be working on a new tablet called the S1 that will feature Playstation games. It will run on Android Honeycomb and will have a 9.4-inch screen with a 1280×800 display. The processor will be an NVIDIA Tegra 2 and the tablet will have front/rear cameras. Other features include USB ports, infrared ports, Qriocity downloading service, preloaded PS One games, Bravia Media Remote, a price of about $600, and a ship date as of about September. [Engadget]

Sony Announces PlayStation Suite For Android and New Sony PSP

Amit Chowdhry — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:19:42 +0000

Sony has announced that the Sony PlayStation Suite will be available on Android phones and on the new PSP. This means that Android and PSP users will be able to purchase and play PlayStation 1 gaming titles on their devices. Android OS 2.3 (Gingerbread) will be required for the games to work. Sony will also soon be announcing a new PlayStation Portable. The new PlayStation Portable has the codename NGP (next generation portable). The NGP will have a 5-inch touchscreen, WiFi, and 3G.

Dynex, Haier, Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba, Etc. To Make Remote Controls With A Netflix Button

Amit Chowdhry — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:38:33 +0000

Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) sent out a press release today about how several electronics companies are going to make remote controls with a prominent red Netflix button on it. That button would connect you to Netflix on Internet connected TVs. The electronics companies include Dynex, Haier, Memorex, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, and Toshiba.

“For members who want even more convenience when instantly watching TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix, the answer is about to be right in their hands,” stated Netflix Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt. “No more turning on the TV, going to a home screen and searching for the Netflix icon. With the Netflix one-click remote, it’s simply a matter of pushing the Netflix button to instantly watch any of the vast selection of TV shows and movies available to stream from Netflix.”

[TechCrunch]

Sony S-Series Walkman Specs Leaked Online By French Retailer

Amit Chowdhry — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:32:37 +0000

Material.net prematurely unveiled the Sony S-Series Walkman series specifications. Two of the new devices that are part of the S-series include the Sony 8GB NWZ-S544 and the Sony 16GB NWZ-S545. The devices feature a 16:9 (320×240, 262k colors) 2.4″ QVGA LCD screen. The device also has built in speakers on the front of the player. The device has a 42 hour audio and 6.5 hour video battery life.

Uploading content to the device utilizes a drag and drop interface in the software. The device is also compatible with iTunes and Windows Media Player. There is also an FM radio player with 30 presents. Formats supported for music include MP3, WMA, and AAAC. Video formats supported include H264/AVC, WMV, and MP4. There is a built in microphone and video recording feature in the S-Series Walkman.

These devices arrive as Sony celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Walkman.

[via Ubergizmo/SonyInsider]

Sony’s HDR-TG5V HD Camcorder Is GPS Equipped

Shan Sadiq — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 22:48:17 +0000

Sony’s HDR-TG5V has a GPS built in. It can automatically geotag videos and photos. The camcorder will be available on April 21. It has a starting price of $999. The camcorder features full HD 1920 x 1080 video recording, 4MP still shots, and 16 GB of embedded memory.