Sony

415 'Sony' stories June 2011 - February 2015

Stainless steel version of Sony’s SmartWatch 3 goes on sale this week, no word yet on price

Ben Lovejoy Feb 12 2015 - 6:11 am PT

The stainless steel version of Sony’s SmartWatch 3 will go on sale around the world “from this week,”says Sony in a blog post.

The new model has the same innards as the original silicon-cased version launched last September, with the same 1.6-inch 320×320 display, 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm processor and 512MB of RAM. The steel model will also retain the same IP68-standard waterproofing, making it safe even against complete immersion in water for up to 30 minutes …
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Sony quietly introduces new Xperia E4 low-end smartphone w/ two day battery life

Stephen Hall Feb 10 2015 - 8:43 am PT

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Sony has quietly introduced to the world this morning a new low-end smartphone dubbed the Xperia E4. Touting a “high-quality yet affordable design,” the phone sports a 5-inch IPS display, a humble 1 GB of RAM, a 1.3 GHz Quad-core processor, a 5-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front camera, and—what might make this cheaper phone attractive to some—two day battery life.

Sadly, this phone isn’t going to sport LTE connectivity. What it will have, though, is a dual-SIM version. According to the specs pages on Sony’s website, the phone will weigh 144 grams, packs a display with a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels, and the phone will be the first from the company to launch with Android 5.0. As for that two day battery life I mentioned—it’s going to be brought by a 2300 mAh battery.

While the company has launched an entire splash page for the new device(s), Sony has yet to mention any timeframe for release or pricing details.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phmu_Vra_bw

Sony announces another 1,100 job cuts in its Mobile Communications unit

Chance Miller Feb 4 2015 - 1:02 pm PT

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Sony, after announcing last month that it was cutting 1,000 jobs from its mobile unit, has today revealed that it is cutting yet another 1,100 employees from its Mobile Communications business. Sony says that these cuts will trim the mobile unit down to 5,000 employees by March 2016. That’s a 28 percent cut to the department (via FierceWireless).

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Sony unveils new ‘Purple Diamond Edition’ Xperia Z3

Stephen Hall Jan 22 2015 - 7:15 am PT

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Sony Hong Kong has today unveiled a purple variation of its flagship Xperia Z3 smartphone. It’s officially called the Xperia Z3 Purple Diamond Edition and it packs the standard black front with a purple backside. On top of the changes in its physical appearance, the new Z3 variant also ships with some content from Disney’s Frozen pre-loaded. The phone is going to launch at some point before the end of the month in Hong Kong at the price of HK$ 4,998 ($645). There’s no word yet on when or if the handset will be making it to other countries.

Here’s a gallery of shots from ePrice:

Hands-on with Sony’s Smartwatch 3 Steel and 4K Action Cam (Video)

Dom Esposito Jan 10 2015 - 3:57 pm PT

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CES 2015 was filled with a handful of surprises in the tech world. Sony took to the stage at its keynote on press day during the conference and announced a couple of additions to its tech lineup for 2015. The Smartwatch 3 Steel was unveiled along with a brand new Action Cam that shoots 4K video…

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Sony announces all 2015 Bravia TVs will run on Android TV

Mike Beasley Jan 5 2015 - 5:39 pm PT

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Sony has announced that all 2015 models of its Bravia TV line will be powered by Android TV during today’s CES press conference. The televisions will be able to accept voice commands in over 40 languages and will feature full support for Google Play apps and Google Cast wireless streaming from mobile devices.

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Sony unveils refreshed SmartWatch 3 with a stainless steel design

Chance Miller Jan 5 2015 - 5:27 pm PT

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Sony just kicked off its press conference at CES 2015, and one thing for the company will be showing off during the event is a new stainless steel designed SmartWatch 3. The SmartWatch 3 was originally released in October of 2014, but Sony has taken the opportunity at CES to give it an updated, more high-end design.

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Sony’s CES 2015 live stream kicks off in 15 minutes, here’s where you can watch it

Mike Beasley Jan 5 2015 - 4:45 pm PT

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Sony is about to start its CES 2015 press conference, which will undoubtedly provide a look at the company’s next-gen mobile devies, among other products. If you want to watch the event live, Sony will be providing a live stream on its website. We’ve embedded it below for your convenience.

As usual, 9to5Google will be covering all of the major announcements for the event as well.

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Non-Sony VAIO smartphones might make an appearance at CES

Stephen Hall Dec 29 2014 - 11:02 am PT

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Sony sold off its VAIO PC brand earlier this year to investment firm Japan Industrial Partners, but it looks like Sony’s ex-brand might have some interesting new technology up its sleeves for 2015. According to a new report this morning out of Japanese paper Nikkei, the company is working on a line of smartphones to be announced in the coming months. And they might be coming sooner than anyone might have expected—possibly next week at CES 2015.

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Sony posts ‘Welcome to the New World’ CES 2015 teaser, hints at Lollipop and a new thin device (Video)

Stephen Hall Dec 19 2014 - 7:39 am PT

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Sony is definitely going to have some amount of presence at this year’s International CES in Las Vegas, and today they’re giving us a little tease of the things they have to show off. The video makes a bunch of different references, but the most obvious is the beginning cut showing what looks to be the side profile of a new tablet or smartphone. (The fact that the mysterious hand seems to grab the device at the end of the scene suggests that it’s probably not a super-thin TV or other larger device.) Additionally, it looks like the company is finally ready to show off its flavor of Android Lollipop, giving a solid few seconds of the below video to a young girl eating a bright red sucker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gC_NIVpXf4

Leaked James Bond product placement pitches reveal unannounced Sony smartphone

Mike Beasley Dec 18 2014 - 8:32 pm PT

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Emails found among the documents recently stolen from Sony by hackers have revealed what looks to be concept art for an unannounced smartphone. The “XPERIA Z Fourth Generation,” seen above, was pitched by Sony executives for product placements in the recently announced 24th James Bond flick “Spectre.”

The executives haggle over pricing for the placement of the phone, questioning whether they should pay the full $5 million for star Daniel Craig to use the phone, or settle for actor Ben Whishaw’s much cheaper “Q” to show it off.

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Google ‘deeply concerned’ by reports of MPAA working with movie studios to ‘revive SOPA’

Mike Beasley Dec 18 2014 - 2:36 pm PT

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Google has published a post on its Public Policy blog responding to recent revelations that the Motion Picture Association of America was working with a group of movie studios in order to find new ways to force the search giant to modify its results to omit sites that contained stolen copyrighted material:

We are deeply concerned about recent reports that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) led a secret, coordinated campaign to revive the failed SOPA legislation through other means, and helped manufacture legal arguments in connection with an investigation by Mississippi State Attorney General Jim Hood.

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All of Sony’s Qualcomm-based 2014 Xperia devices now support KitKat AOSP

Casey Carroll Dec 16 2014 - 9:58 am PT

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In a developer blog post this morning, Sony announced that developers can now build custom versions of Android for all 2014 Xperia devices with a Qualcomm processor. This is made possible through Google’s AOSP (Android Open Source Project), a project dedicated to keeping Android open and giving developers the power to build their own custom ROMs.

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How to unlock the bootloader of a Sony Xperia device

9to5 Staff Dec 13 2014 - 12:58 pm PT

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIdJg7KNH3A

Sony has uploaded a video to its developers channel that demonstrates how to unlock the bootloader of a Sony Xperia device, allowing for custom ROMs to be installed. Sony warns that you may void your device’s warranty and cautions about certain other risks that may occur.

The process involves generating an unlock code for your device through Sony by entering a unique IMEI number associated with the device. Then, you must install the Android SDK and all drivers and connect to Fastboot. Sony has a list of supported devices on its website.

Movie studios and the MPAA created a secret plan to combat Google, dubbed ‘Project Goliath’

Mike Beasley Dec 12 2014 - 6:35 pm PT

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New emails uncovered by the Verge from Sony’s stolen files have revealed that the company, along with several other studios and executives at the MPAA, worked together to create a plan of attack against Google, which they see as one of the biggest enemies Hollywood has.

The plan, which was codenamed “Project Goliath,” would involve each of the major movie studios contributing money toward a $500,000 fund to support legal attacks against the Mountain View company for its (unwitting) role in helping pirates find stolen media.

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Android Lollipop rolling out for Sony Xperia Z Ultra Google Play Edition

9to5 Staff Dec 3 2014 - 7:36 am PT

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Sony announced on Wednesday that Android 5.0 Lollipop is rolling out this week for the Xperia Z Ultra Google Play Edition, while confirming that other devices in the Xperia Z lineup will receive the latest software version in early 2015. Sony pledged in October that it would bring Android Lollipop to its entire lineup of premium Z-series devices.
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Sony to reduce its smartphone efforts in hopes of cutting costs

Mark Hearn Nov 25 2014 - 11:46 am PT

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Sony’s diverse product portfolio is about to lose a little weight. Despite the company’s popularity and historical success the Japanese corporation is going to be cutting down its TV and mobile lineups to cut costs. Over the past few years Sony has steadily lost its wireless momentum to rival companies like Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi. The outfit’s new focus will be for its struggling TV and mobile divisions to simply turn a profit.

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Sony Xperia Z3 series root bounty surpasses $2,600

Mark Hearn Nov 25 2014 - 8:20 am PT

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There’s no denying the appeal of the Sony Xperia Z3, however if you’re the type who likes to tinker with your phone, its current lack of root access might be a deal breaker for some folks. If you happen to fall into the aforementioned group of people and you’ve been holding out in hope of a resolution, your ship might soon be coming in thanks to a group of ambitious (and generous) individuals over at the XDA developers forums.

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Sony’s Backup & Restore Android application reportedly compromised (update)

Mark Hearn Nov 24 2014 - 10:38 am PT

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Sony’s Backup & Restore Android application that comes pre-installed on its Xperia Z3 smartphone appears to have been compromised. A Google Play entry has been added for the app listing “Nirav Patel Kanudo” as its publisher, along with the software’s description claiming that it’s managed by the “HeArT HaCkEr Group.”

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Sony’s new imaging sensor for smartphones could be a game changer for shutterbugs

Mark Hearn Nov 17 2014 - 7:55 am PT

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Sony announced a new imaging sensor today that the company says will improve smartphones cameras. The Exmor RS IMX230 is a stacked CMOS sensor that packs 21-megapixels into a small 1/2.4-inch design. One of the key talking points of Sony’s new chip is its 192 point phase detection autofocus, which makes it easier to shoot photos or video of a fast moving subject with your smartphone.

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Sony testing Lollipop on Xperia Z1/2/3 handsets, developer preview coming soon

Ben Lovejoy Nov 6 2014 - 7:45 am PT

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFxnj2mb2hg]

If you own an Xperia Z1, Z2 or Z3 handset and are eagerly awaiting an update to Lollipop, Sony announced on its blog that it currently has the latest ASOP version of Android in testing ahead of a planned rollout next year.

This week Google released the source code for Android 5.0; Lollipop – and to celebrate that we have the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) version up and running on Xperia Z1, Xperia Z2 ….and Xperia Z3

There will be a beta-test program for Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact devices, but the bad news is that this will initially be limited to Swedish owners on the 3 network. Developers, however, will be able to get their hands on the binary files “soon.”

We are working to provide you with the necessary binary files as soon as we can. Once you have them, these binaries can be used as a base for compiling your own custom version of Android, together with source code for AOSP device configuration from the Sonyxperiadev GitHub. Device configurations are already available for Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z2, these will be updated, and are coming soon for Xperia Z3.

Sony is one of the main contributors to the Android Open Source Project.

Sony rolling out Xperia Z2/Z2 Tablet update w/ PS4 Remote Play, hi-res audio, Smart Social camera apps, more

Jordan Kahn Nov 4 2014 - 8:30 am PT

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[youtube=http://youtu.be/PzFc5zGMjCk]

After releasing the the new PS4 Remote Play app for Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 tablet, Sony today announced it’s bringing the feature for remotely playing games from a connected PlayStation 4 to its Xperia Z2 lineup. That means following an update for the Xperia z2 and Xperia Z2 tablet, users will now have access to the PS4 Remote Play app and full support for the PS4 DUALSHOCK4 wireless controller.

The update for Xperia Z2 and Z2 tablet also brings hi-res audio, the latest Battery STAMINA Mode feature, Sony’s Smart Social camera apps including Sound Photo, AR fun, Multi camera and Face in, and much more.
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Chromecast screen mirroring now available for Sony’s Xperia Z3v, Z2 and Z2 Tablet

Mark Hearn Oct 31 2014 - 8:02 am PT

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Google’s Chromecast supports screen mirroring for a limited number of mobile devices and it appears that the search giant’s popular media stick has added support for a few new products. Owners of the Sony Xperia Z3v, Z2 and Z2 Tablet can now share their respective device’s screen on their big screen if they wish to do so.

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Sony SVP Hiroki Totoki to take over mobile division as smartphone sales decline

9to5 Staff Oct 30 2014 - 7:38 am PT

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Sony Corporation announced on Thursday that it will appoint senior vice president Hiroki Totoki as the new president of its Sony Mobile division on November 16th. Totoki, who currently serves as corporate planning director at the Japanese company, will replace outgoing Sony executive Kunimasa Suzuki to run the smartphone business.

The corporate mixup is largely unsurprising given that Sony has been faced with declining Xperia smartphone sales due to tough competition from rivals Apple, Samsung, LG and others. The company has been forecasted to once again report slowing smartphone sales when it announces its latest quarterly earnings results on Friday.

As of November 16, 2014
Kunimasa Suzuki
(New)
Group Executive, Sony Corporation
Executive Vice President, Sony Entertainment Inc.
(Current)
Corporate Executive Officer, Executive Vice President,
Officer in charge of Mobile Business, Sony Corporation
President & CEO, Sony Mobile Communications Inc.

Hiroki Totoki
(New)
Group Executive, Sony Corporation
President & CEO, Sony Mobile Communications Inc.
(Current)
Corporate Executive, Senior Vice President,
In charge of Corporate Planning, Finance and New Business Creation Department, Sony Corporation