SRN Editorial

Sony’s 4K Vision Goes Beyond Consumers and Broadcast

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 2, 2015 | 0 comments

It’s been obvious for some time that Sony sees 4K as part of their path towards recovery and growth. The new video format, which is here to replace HD (which in turn replaced SD), is already being offered in a variety of form factors from Sony. In fact, Sony is one of the few companies, if not the only one, that gives you options to not only record in 4K, be it with their Handycam FDR-AX100 which is priced at just $1,000, but consume it as well via their 4K televisions. Heck, even Sony’s smartphones now can capture in 4K. Ultimately, in order for Sony’s 4K vision to be successful, they need to offer a range of products that are compelling to professionals and consumers.

All the products I mentioned above are primarily targeted at consumers with price tags that are fairly affordable. Just two years ago at CES 2014, Sony announced the first consumer 4K camcorder which they dubbed “4K for 2K,” referencing the price which at the time seemed extremely low and now this year, we already have a model for half the price. The other part of this equation is for professionals. Sony Pictures is already using the format in a variety of their movies and shows like The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Breaking Bad, and Powers. But in order for 4K to become ubitiquous, Sony is looking to other markets as well to expand their 4K vision.

Xperia Z3 No Longer Offered By T-Mobile; What It Means for Sony

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 8, 2015 | 3 comments

A sign of things to come for sure, T-Mobile has unexpectedly stopped selling the Sony Xperia Z3. Just a little over 6 months into October 2014, we saw T-Mobile begin carrying the flagship smartphone from Sony alongside Verizon. During that time, Sony has claimed that T-Mobile has been a good partnership for them though we’ve had no real sales to go by. The only sales numbers we’ve had have been general ones for the entire mobile division of Sony which have been poor to say the least.

In early March, T-Mobile announced support for Android 5.0 Lollipop on the Xperia Z1s and Xperia Z3. Now, less than a month later and T-Mobile no longer carries any Sony devices. Is this a sign of good things with the Xperia Z4 in the near future, or a sign of bad things for Sony Mobile?

Discussion after the jump.

Sony Sums Up Their Own Lost Decade Without Realizing It

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 2, 2015 | 6 comments

Just the other day, we reported on the Sony Premium Sound memory card for the upcoming Walkman NW-ZX2. Part of their 2015 fleet of products, the latest Walkman, priced at $1,200, is designed to offer premium sound with support for lossless music, including Hi-Res audio and noise cancelation among other premium features. Having had a chance to use one at CES 2015, I can certainly attest to its premium finish and lavish features but that on its own means little as I, like most people, could never afford such a product.

Alongside the new Walkman, Sony will also release their Premium Sound micro SDXC memory card along side the new Walkman which fetches a price of $160 for a 64GB card. For comparison, you can purchase the Sony 64GB SDXC Class 10 UHS-1 R40 Memory Card for $28 on Amazon while more premium SDXC cards fetch a higher price tag of $60. Clearly targeting the premium market, surely Sony has specific consumers in mind and is anticipating some form of demand – right?

As it turns out, not really, as even they don’t know if anybody will want them. Sony’s comment and my take on the matter after the jump.

Google Behind End of YouTube, Maps, and Near App on PlayStation Vita?

by Sohrab Osati | Feb 11, 2015 | 3 comments

Time to put on our tin foil hats folks. If you recall, a few weeks back, it was announced that support for Maps, Near, and YouTube would be coming to an end on Playstation Vita. According to Sony, the YouTube app on Vita will no longer be supported come April 20th though the app itself was pulled on January 28th from the store. As for Maps and Near, their end will come sometime in March, when a mandatory software update will pull the features from the Vita. At the time, it was unclear why the three apps would be pulled from the store. While I argued that due to a lack of wide 3G support on Vita, that Maps and Near likely weren’t that widely used and thus, won’t be missed, YouTube is something that gamers use all the time.

From watching videos to pass time to needing help on how to find a certain treasure in Uncharted, YouTube has replaced the strategy guide for many gamers. So why are the three services being pulled? The short answer, Google. Details after the jump.

Irony: Sony Updates ‘Music Unlimited’ App On the Same Day It Announces Its Death

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 28, 2015 | 12 comments

In what may be its final update before the service is put to pasture, Sony has given the Music Unlimited app on iOS an update….on the day it announced that it would ending the service. So what can we expect from Music Unlimited Version 2.3.0, which weighs in at 7.7 MB? From the official changelog:

New: Skip & skip back by swiping the album cover art
Fixes minor bugs on player features

The update will likely go by unnoticed as the reason Sony is shutting down the service is due to lack of consumer interest, i.e. enough subscribers to warrant the cost of the service. While I’m sure that it’s purely coincidental that an update was pushed the same date that Sony would announce the service’s death, (and I’m 100% certain that those working on the app have had no idea that Sony would be killing Music Unlimited) the situation is comedically and sadly very representative of the internal disarray that Sony faces. No division is safe and no plan/initiative/service has a long term vision where software and hardware are working together to achieve it.

Sony’s Underwater Xperia Aquatech Store Debuts Today, Only Open for Three Days

by Sohrab Osati | Dec 3, 2014 | 0 comments

Starting today, select customers, VIPs, and members of the press can experience the Sony underwater Xperia Aquatech store. Located at The World Islands off the coast of Dubai, the store (sitting 4 meters underwater) is designed to drive home that Sony’s Xperia Z lineup of tablets and smartphones are waterproof. Sony hopes that, beyond wowing select customers, their underwater store also scores big with social media and has created the following hashtag (#XperiaAquatech) to help promote the event. Currently the price of the publicity stunt (which is what this really is) has yet to be and likely won’t be disclosed. Of course it’s not like Sony is creating this unique experience in what’s already a remote country with an small population and would severely limit the days its available versus just running a traditional marketing campaign on TV, like Apple, which has proven to be effective.

This just in; the Sony underwater Xperia Aquatech store will only be open for three days. Well ok…let’s ~~rant~~ talk after the jump.

PlayStation TV Can’t Compete with Apple TV Despite Some Neat Features

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 7, 2014 | 10 comments

Released nearly a year ago under the title PlayStation Vita TV in Japan, the latest console companion from Sony, now dubbed PlayStation TV, has been on US shores for nearly two weeks. Priced at $100, the PlayStation TV has a lot going for it with a price point that’s affordable and on par with similar devices like Apple TV and Roku. In fact, the PlayStation TV is the only device of its kind that has access to a meaningful array of games, over 700 to be exact, at launch. Still, like many Sony products, while the promise is there, the final execution leaves something to be desired.

After the jump we talk about what makes PlayStation TV unique and where the console is lacking.

Samsung Profits Dip Nearly 60% and What Sony Can Learn From It

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 9, 2014 | 5 comments

In its upcoming earnings report, many analysts expect Samsung to report a significant dip in its quarterly profits. For Q3 2014, the electronic giant will likely report a profit of 4.1 trillion won ($3.8 billion) from the $10.6 trillion won operating profit that the company booked in Q3 2013. That means in just one quarter, Samsung profits will have dipped nearly 60%! With continued pressure from Apple in the high-end market and increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomi and Lenovo, Samsung is beginning to find itself unable to compete. It’s also worth noting that during Q3 2014, Apple held a 0% market share for smartphones with a screen size larger than 4-inches. Since that time, Apple has introduced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+ which command 4.7- and 5.5-inch displays, taking the only advantage Samsung may have had in the high-end market.

Translation? Next quarter will likely be even worse for Samsung. If this all sounds too familiar, we need not look further than Sony to see a company who is plagued by the same issues. Sony just recently revised their FY 2014 estimate and announced a larger than expected $2.1 billion loss. Samsung’s pain, however, might be Sony’s gain if Sony can learn some key lessons from this massive blow to Samsung.

Dear Sony, Please Exit the Smartwatch Market

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 2, 2014 | 13 comments

Soon to be available in select territories like Europe and Asia, the Sony SmartWatch 3 is actually the company’s 5th iteration to take on the growing wearable market. Announced at IFA 2014 in Berlin, the SmartWatch 3 is the first device from Sony to incorporate Android Wear, the OS from Google that’s specifically designed for wearables. As a recap, the SmartWatch 3 offers a sporty, rugged design which incorporates a steel-backed case with interchangeable silicone straps that can last for for two days (four days on standby) and charges via micro-USB. On the functionality end, you can get messages from your friends, appointment notifications, and weather updates among other things like flight information, tips based on your interests, or messages from other apps that support Android Wear. There is also a built-in mic with which you can use your voice for search, though, curiously, cannot be used for answering calls.

Alongside the SmartWatch 3, Sony also announced the SmartBand Talk which features a 1.4-inch e-paper display (like the Pebble). Much like the SmartWatch 3, the SmartBand Talk can track your activities, and displays notifications. As the name suggests, the SmartBand Talk is based around communicating. To that end, Sony incorporated a built-in microphone and speaker which allows for short call functions with HD Voice support. Priced nearly 100 euros under the SmartWatch 3 at 159.99, it makes for a curious choice that this unit offers call functionality while the SmartWatch 3 doesn’t.

Either way, whether Sony had incorporated talk functionality in the higher end model or not does not change the fact that it’s time for Sony to exit the wearable market and specifically smartwatches. Let me explain.

Sony Pictures Crackle Offers Hollywood Without Being Hollywood

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 28, 2014 | 5 comments

Last week on Sunset Boulevard, Sony Pictures held a premiere party for Sequestered and The Cleaners: Season 2. Both shows are original series in the vein of House of Cards on Netflix and star some noteworthy actors. In the case of Sequestered, you can find Jesse Bradford (Flags of Our Fathers), Summer Glau (Firefly), Patrick Warburton (Rules of Engagement), and Bruce Davison (X-Men) on the freshman 30-minute show while Cleaners, going on season 2, has Robin Thomas Grossman (Pacific Rim) and David Arquette (Scream). As you’d expect with any red carpet event, there were plenty of beautiful people and enough camera flashes to make you dizzy with a fun premiere party to follow that, with full disclosure, we attended.

When you step back and look at Crackle and the event, you notice something interesting – it’s a media platform from Hollywood that isn’t Hollywood. Yes, we attended a red carpet event, but it wasn’t on Hollywood Boulevard. Yes, the shows have star power, but they are not Kevin Spacey, and yes, the service is available on just as many devices that support Netflix, yet their business model is completely different and that’s when it hits you. Crackle, from a distance, is a lot like the establishments we know, yet it’s completely different from them. Instead of creating a Netflix clone, Sony Pictures is taking a different approach with Crackle that gives it the Hollywood ties when it requires it to produce compelling content, and yet also keeps it away from them to give you something different.

So what the heck is Crackle and its shows, like Sequestered? Let’s talk after the jump.

Why the iPhone 6 Could Render the Release of the Sony Xperia Z2 on Verizon Moot

by Sohrab Osati | Jun 19, 2014 | 8 comments

The Sony Xperia Z2 launched globally in March and with it, the advent of 4K video in smartphones. The Sony Xperia Z2 features an impressive 5.2-inch full HD (1080p) Triluminos display that’s powered by a 2.3 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 801 with 3GB RAM. Thanks to the powerful processor and 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS camera, the Xperia Z2 can capture video in 4K 30fps, which can be played back on any 4K television. Not bad for a smartphone right? The problem? It’s now been 5 months since the rest of the world got their hands on the Xperia Z2 and it’s yet to make a debut in the US.

During the last few months, we’ve seen what I believe are intentional leaks of the Xperia Z2 with a Verizon logo from Sony though the company swears they’re for internal mockups only. Now more and more info is indicating that the deal between Sony and Verizon will likely happen which would see the Xperia Z2 arrive in the US in Q3 2014. That means that the Xperia Z2 will have been released in other territories for nearly 6 months before the flagship smartphone makes its debut in the US and that’s not even the biggest problem facing Sony if the release window actually holds true.

After the jump, we discuss the obstacles that face the Xperia Z2 in the US come this holiday.

PS4: Will You Buy Disc or Digital Copies of Games? [poll]

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 11, 2013 | 0 comments

While the PlayStation 4 will be able to play games off of a Blu-ray disc like its predecessor, the PlayStation 3, it still represents the most forward looking machine from Sony. In fact, the PS4 from its core was designed to embrace digital downloads. This can be seem in the console’s ability to allow you to play a game while it downloads. In previous generations, you’d have to wait for the download and install to finish before you could jump into the game’s world. To further push the convenience of digital downloads, the PS Vita and your iPhone/iPad or mobile device of choice can be turned into a remote control for the device thanks to a free app. The PlayStation App will even allow you to make purchases and begin the download on your PS4 and have it ready once you’ve arrived at your house or office. So this begs the question, will you buy your game of choice on Blu-ray disc or will you download a digital copy of the game?

After the jump, let’s further debate the pros and cons of each format.

Editorial: The Community of PlayStation and SRN

by Brien Bell | Nov 5, 2013 | 2 comments

How Sony, PlayStation, and the SonyRumors Community Make a Difference

It is often said that you don’t know who your true friends are until times are hard. This axiom has never been more true for me than it has in the last two months. One of the greatest fears for any fan of tech and gadgets is that someone will one day come along and take them all. In late September, that fear came to life in a very real way when I came home to find that the house I share with a good friend had been burglarized. Both he, and I, were not present and were not physically harmed in the event, but the thief was very specific in his or her selection: the only items taken from our residence were our gaming devices.

One early model PlayStation 3, one launch model PlayStation Vita, and an Xbox 360 S that I had borrowed from my friend Justin for a series on the end of a console generation were the only items taken. No televisions, no computers, just the items that made it possible to pursue a path in video game journalism and criticism. This invasive act shattered the safety of my home, and despite assurances from friends and family, discouraged my love of games for a time. It was a violation of our privacy, and of my dreams and aspirations. I knew not all was lost; these were just material objects, and could be replaced. But for the better part of two weeks, I didn’t think this path was going anywhere.

There’s something unique about the gaming community, however. You see it in events like Extra Life, in which two of our team members just participated; in the wake of gun violence when gamers – despite being misrepresented by non-games media – symbolically call an internet cease fire in games like Call of Duty and Battlefield; you see it at gatherings like Gamescom and Tokyo Games Show and Blizzcon and PAX. Gaming is a uniting force. It draws people together – whether literally in multiplayer matches, or through the communities formed around systems, developers, internet personalities, or the games we love. SonyRumors is one such community where people come to gather around a brand of product to which they are loyal, and end up finding like-minded fellows, and some really good friends if you’re lucky.

I’m grateful to be one of those lucky people. Just a few weeks after the unfortunate events at my home, a package arrived in the mail. Within, a letter. And underneath that letter, another box:

I count myself fortunate to be part of an amazing community of writers, editors, web designers, video producers, and talented individuals who make me proud to be a writer for this site. This is the type of community that gaming should engender, but is so often overlooked in favor of flashy headlines and provocative news bytes. I count myself fortunate to be among such generous and caring people.

Let’s Reconsider: Sony Xperia Tablet Z

by Sohrab Osati | Oct 22, 2013 | 6 comments

For those unaware, Apple today announced some new products, the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina display. Those who know me are aware of my incredibly close ties with Apple yet this article isn’t about the iPad vs Xperia Tablet. Instead, the announcement got me thinking about Sony’s tablet ambitions and how they’ve evolved with the less-than-stellar Tablet S and the improved Xperia Tablet S and finally, the highly-refined Xperia Tablet Z. As I tell a lot of my friends, clients, and colleagues, Sony is the electronic industry’s best kept secret. They tend to have innovative designs and breakthroughs in hardware, and they even release them prior to their competitors. Yet Nikon sells more mirrorless cameras than Sony thanks to their ad campaign starring Ashton Kutcher. This happens despite Sony pioneering the product category with the NEX series, and this is not an anomaly related to just the NEX cameras. At this time, Sony has the most aggressive 4K television lineup with the 55-inch XBR (XBR-55X850A) starting at $3,500 yet wait till Samsung jumps into the market with their own version and I guarantee they will be the center of the conversation. Speaking of Samsung, while the company has just released their first foray into the SmartWatch category, Sony has been busy releasing their second generation SmartWatch with a four day battery life versus the 12-24 hours from Samsung yet no one knows of Sony’s watch ambitions outside of the hyper tech crowd and the same holds true for the company’s tablet ambitions.

This is a pressing matter for Sony and one that they need to address boldly if they want success on a larger scale. In fact, this issue isn’t about Sony vs. Samsung or Sony vs. Apple. Instead, it’s what Sony must do to reach everyday consumers who make up the majority of consumer electronic sales. So with that as backdrop, I’d like to introduce you all to a new series called “Let’s Reconsider” where we look at Sony products that have come and gone. No, we’re not looking at old devices from a decade ago or even a year ago. Instead, the series will highlight Sony products that have been released within the year and/or are still relevant, yet have little publicity and public awareness. Unlike a product review, this series will be designed as a reminder about what the given product has to offer and we’ll leave you, our educated readers, to make up your mind if it deserves your purchase. So with the announcement of the iPad Air and a continued strong growth of tablets in the post-PC world, our first series will focus on the Sony Xperia Tablet Z.

Gaming With Heather: ‘Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus’ Demo

by Heather Atkinson | Oct 19, 2013 | 0 comments

I had the opportunity to attend The Escapist Expo in Durham, North Carolina this year. It was my first year attending so I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Expo or even what we would see. Insomniac Games was a sponsor of the convention and I was curious to see what kind of presence they would have since they have a studio located in Durham. If you are not familiar with Insomniac Games, the studio has produced some amazing PlayStation franchises like Ratchet & Clank, Resistance, and the original Spyro the Dragon. To my surprise, the studio had a large booth dedicated to their upcoming title Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus. At the booth they had several stations where you could play a demo of Into the Nexus. Being a fan of the series, I jumped at the opportunity to play the game before it is released and I even scored a really cool poster for completing the demo.

Everything I’ve heard about Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus mentions the game’s return to the classic gameplay that Ratchet & Clank fans know and love. It would seem that they pulled elements from previous games and the result is a ver story driven adventure. It is still packed with Into the Nexus is also packed with some new weapons, like the Winterizer, and some fantastic Clank specific trips into The Netherverse.