It’s a common problem: you’re trying to listen to music on a busy street, and somebody keeps honking his honk at you, probably because you’re scrolling through your iTunes in the middle of a crosswalk. Hey, it happens to the best of us. Fortunately, you can tune that guy out completely with Sony’s luxurious new earbuds.
PSP GO Details Leaked – Though a press conference has been scheduled for Tuesday, details and pictures of the Sony PSP Go have leaked today. A video featuring Sony’s director of hardware marketing John Koller has provided a closer look at the slimmed-down gaming system. The basic physical specs include a 3.8-inch screen, down from the 4.3-inch that PSP users are used to. The Go is said to be 43% lighter than the PSP 3000, weighing in at around 3.8 ounces. It features a slide-up screen to reveal controls underneath. The Go gives you 16 GB of built-in flash memory expandable by a Memory Stick Micro slot.
E3 is coming, which means its time for game journalists and their sources to come up with all sorts of crazy things, real or otherwise. I’m putting the latest rumor of a slimmer, cheaper PS3 in the “otherwise” category. No disrespect to PlayStation LifeStyle — a blog with which I’m not familiar — but the simple statement that “we’ve caught word” of the new model makes me suspicious, especially with no qualification of who’s providing that information. Then, we’ve got some blurry slim PS3 box art, which also looks a little sketchy. Sony has denied the rumor, as it always has when this comes up, and Sony’s word always turns out to be correct. So forgive my skepticism, but I’m not betting on this one. [via CNet and Kotaku]
If you’re in the “Alpha” stage (har har!) of high-end photography, Sony’s preparing to launch a few new DSLRs to help out. These entry-level cams come in a smaller size than their predecessors and now include HDMI out. There’s also Bravia control, allowing owners of Bravia TVs to remotely flip through their images during big screen viewing. For newbies, a “handbook” teaches the basics. The details were leaked from Sony’s Russian Web site, so there’s no extensive breakdown of each model yet, but we at least know the a380 shoots in 14.2 megapixels. Presumably the a230 and a330 have slightly smaller pixel counts. Unfortunately, there are no signs of video. Price and release date? Nyet! [Photoclub Alpha via Engadget]
Whether you’re trying to film the brilliant pink sun smashing into the massive Tetons or your entire family portrait–all 278 of them–the new Sony CyberShot HX-1′s sweep panorama technology provides up to 224 degrees (154 degrees vert) of picture-perfect imaging with a quick “press and sweep”. The 1/2.4-inch Exmor(TM) CMOS sensor allows the camera to hit burst speeds of 10 frames/sec. at 9.1 MP, while the mechanical shutter reduces distortion in moving pictures. Sony finishes off the sweet $500 package with a Sony G lense and 1080p video capability. Since this digital age has made it abundantly clear that most of us aren’t photographers, the HX-1 is also packed with plenty of smart auto mode features: Intelligent Scene Recognition (iSCN), Optical SteadyShot(TM) and face detection technologies. Pre-sales start this month and it hits stores in April. [Engadget and PR Newswire]
Say what you will about the Playstation 3, here’s one area in which Sony plans to be a market leader: Fuel cells. The company will roll up to the Fuel Cell Expo in Tokyo this weekend with a charger (pictured above), two mini chargers and a wireless speaker, all powered by a methenol and lithium-ion hybrid. The devices can switch between either power source or use both when more juice is needed. Expect a month’s supply of power on the big charger and a week’s worth on the portable version. In addition to the fuel cell technology, Sony will also show off a sugar-powered battery, using any sweet soft drink as the energy source. These sound pretty funky — I wonder how long it’ll take to get them to market. [Kaden Watch via Dvice]
Sony’s new XB series headphones (MDR-XB700/500/300) are designed to produce rich powerful bass “that you can really feel”. Not sure if I need bass pounded relentlessly into my cranium, but extra sound at the low end is always a coveted feature. The headphones rely on a 50 mm dome driver to deliver tight, clean bass while maintaining clear, accurate mids and highs. Large synthetic leather ear cushions keep the sound exactly where you want it. In a very club-inspired press release, Sony promises that these headphones take you ”straight to the heart of the dance floor”. No word, of yet, as to whether or not you have a choice. Available in March. [Sony]
Quoting some “people hanging around the Sony booth” at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, The Inquirer reports with questionable certainty that the Intel Larrabee will star as the graphics processing unit in Sony’s next console. Reporter Charlie Demerjian further says that ATI will probably work with Microsoft in the next generation, leaving Nvidia out of the picture. The article lacks official company statements, but Ars Technica got one from Sony: “PS3 is still in its third year from launch and it is too premature to talk about the next-generation home platform,” a representative said. “At this time, nothing concrete has been decided.” Let the rampant speculation and accompanying flame wars begin. [The Inquirer via Ars Technica]
Sony has announced a new VAIO G3 portable notebook. The exceptionally compact notebook supposedly can get 13 hours of battery life and weighs in at just 898 grams. The laptop spots an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 12.1-inch LCD, 1GB or RAM, Bluetooth, and a 160GB hard drive amongst other features. One interesting feature of the computer s that it has a water-resistant keyboard good for up to 200cc of water (in case you spill you’re coffee). The computer is expected to go on sale in Japan February 7th for a little under $2k, no word on when or if we will see it hit the US. [via SlipperyBrick]
