Gadgets Blog » Sony

The world of mobile devices has gotten more and more crowded over the last decade. In addition to phones and MP3 players, portable computers, gaming devices, handheld GPS units and other electronics have shed their wires and moved into compact casings. Along with the steadily decreasing bulk of these devices has come the integration of multiple applications into a single unit; you can make calls, get directions and listen to music on a smartphone like the Droid or the iPhone. And now Sony has presented users with a product that combines two of their most iconic electronics.

Part phone, part video game system, the Sony Ericsson and PlayStation have met and been combined in some type of Frankenstein-like creation. Back in August, Sony dropped hints that it was considering such a device, but this week, the company announced plans to move forward with its production. The latest entry in the Ericsson lineup features integration with the PlayStation, capable of producing graphics up to the classic console of the 1990s. Not only that, but the device will look much like the PSP Go, with a keypad and buttons similar to those on iconic video game controllers.

It’s a bit odd to write about today’s gadget, a device that triggered a cultural revolution around the time I was born. Portable music may have been a 20th-century invention, but the advent of the MP3 and the iPod has spectacularly transformed how we think about music here in the 21st century. The idea of carrying a tape, or even a CD, around just to get our music fix seems archaic. I could listen to my iPod for 31 straight days and not hear the same song twice.

In an era before this technology, Sony’s compact device transformed the world, laying to rest the 8-track cassette and rendering the vinyl record a collector’s item. The Walkman was released in 1979, and as the design became more portable and sleek, sales continued to climb. Sony sold a staggering 220 million cassette tapes around the world in the three decades following its release.

But on Friday of last week, the last Walkman on Japanese soil rolled off the production line, bringing an end to its 30-year run. The advent of compact discs stole a considerable portion of the Walkman’s market share, leading to the updated Discman. According to Sony, there remains a strong market for the Walkman in other places in the world, but Japan’s rapid adoption of other technology has, sadly, rendered the tape deck obsolete.

Today’s topic fits right in with the rest of my activities for the day. Fall semester is finally starting up at Claremont Mckenna College, meaning I have to go to class and (ugh) start reading new material for the sake of learning. Students all across the country are returning to the classroom, and regardless of how excited they are, there’s no doubt they’re going to come in contact with a vast number of books. Companies like Amazon and Barnes and Noble have given e-readers to the world, compact little gadgets that are capable of containing hundreds of books, and today’s news story brings a serious new contender to the e-reader arena, as Sony announced their latest and greatest, the “Reader.”

Chief among the features boasted on this gadget is the already-successful E-Ink display. Both Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook have adopted this technology, which was designed for periods of prolonged use. Easier on the eyes than traditional electronic displays (such as the one on the iPad), both the Reader Pocked Edition and the Reader Daily Edition feature the latest in E-Ink technology, the Pearl display system. The organic features of these particular displays have been one of the selling points for rivaling E-Readers, making it a great decision for Sony to follow suit.

Yesterday we featured three excellent releases from Google that had incredible potential to lengthen the company’s lead in the world of cloud computing. Earlier this week we featured YouTube, the revolutionary video site owned by Google, as they celebrated their landmark fifth birthday. As if all of this Google-related news wasn’t enough to begin with, today (May 20), Google announced something capable of topping all prior announcements. Partnering with Sony, Logitech and Dish Network, Google is attempting to bring us a solid product where so many before have failed: our televisions.

Google TV, which was announced with one of the company’s trademark stylish videos, looks to synchronize all sorts of video media into one source for viewing on the television. The technology, at least in the video, looks fairly straightforward. With an Internet-connected television (or adapter box, for those of us without the brand new TV models), the user can search for media in a Google Chrome-esque bar. The video in question turns up from a variety of sources, including NetFlix, YouTube, and other online options. Sony and Logitech have plans to incorporate the system into televisions, while Dish Network will provide a small adapter box serving the same purpose.

While it’s an amiable goal on the part of Google, their success here could very much be a game-changer. For one, virtually every other company who have attempted such a thing have failed. AOL had AOL TV, which fell through. Microsoft’s Windows Media Player showed a lot of promise, but was brought down by difficulties in video formatting and relative difficulty of use. Even Apple has failed at this endeavor, with an Apple TV option that was closely related to your iTunes video library. While Apple’s incarnation was perhaps the best, it still suffered from limited video selection, primarily because videos had to be purchased from their official store.

If Google can manage to succeed in this endeavor, then they will be treading upon, not just other Internet companies, but also posing a threat to the entirety of television. While Internet-based TV may very well be the way of the future, there are some serious doubts for the time being. For one, high quality broadcasting would require a large amount of bandwidth, and YouTube videos could look grainy and poor on a high-resolution TV screen. Nonetheless, I suppose Google knows what they’re doing. Keep your eyes open for Google TV in the near future!

Sony revolutionized the world of portable music with the introduction of the Walkman. These days though, the electronics giant has been relegated to the back-seat in the market they once helped define. With MP3 players like the Zune and iPod making up the vast majority of the market, Sony has needed other ways to stay relevant in the playing field. Luckily for us though, the company still turns out some great gadgets, like today’s Cool Item on a Budget, the Sony MHC-EC79i BoomBox. Priced at around $120, this stereo packs a lot of punch in a small package, making it great for the bedroom or office.

First and foremost, the marketing guys over at Sony need to do something about their product names. The “MHC-EC79i” is no exception, either. With its seemingly random alpha-numerical title, it’s not likely to bolster any sort of recognition like competitior products such as the iHome. Yet by the same token, this makes our gadget an excellent buy for the consumer, as we don’t have to pay premium for brand recognition. The stereo comes in a compact shape, featuring a CD player as well as a dock that works with any Apple iPod products. Unfortunately the same dock only works with Apple products, so if you have a different brand of MP3 player (including even a Sony player), you’re out of luck.

Despite these limitations, the sound quality on the stereo is quite high. With two plastic cabinets, the acoustics aren’t anything a serious audiophile would appreciate, but the balance of bass, mids, and treble make for a solid player for casual use. What’s more, the issues with the iPod dock can easily be skipped over via the axillary port on the back of the unit, meaning you can play music off of any device with an 1/8 – inch jack on it. This is great flexibility for such a small unit, and allows the stereo to play music from computers, MP3 players, and most cell phones.

Few companies boast the sheer brand recognition held by Apple. The electronics industry has turned Steve Jobs and friends into media darlings, with ridiculous amounts of speculation and anticipation pertaining to every gadget the company produces. While the iPod may be the industry standard for MP3 players, it’s by no means the only unit on the market worth exploring. If you’re unable to throw down for the Apple brand name, you’re in luck: a wide assortment of gadgets are perfectly capable of storing your tunes.

Take, for example, our Gadget of the Week, the Sony X Series Walkman MP3 player. In a different day and age, the name Walkman was synonymous with portable music, and Sony has wisely kept the name attached to a series of functional and sleek MP3 players. Averaging $100 less than their Apple counterparts, the X series comes packaged with premium noise-canceling headphones and a gift card redeemable for 100 free downloads via Sony music.

The beauty of a the X Series comes in device flexibility. Instead of putting up with the oft-frustrating iTunes platform for syncing and loading music, the X Series can function like an external hard drive, enabling you to drag and drop songs off of your computer and onto the player. This is great for syncing on the go and for keeping your player’s song collection up to date with your computer. The X Series comes with some great touchscreen technology, with an interface that is responsive and functional. If the touchscreen isn’t your thing, Sony wisely included additional functionality in a series of buttons along the bottom edge of the screen. This is especially useful when switching between audio and video playback.

The world of digital photography has really expanded over the last several years with all sorts of advancements in technology that make it possible for everything from your phone to your computer monitor to have a camera built in. Even an ametaur photographer is able to rack up a great collection of shots with highly affordable cameras. Yet in the midst of all this emphasis on digital, part of the idea of a photograph can get lost. Its not enough to simply take a photo: photos are meant to be put on display and shared with other people. In a world where film development isn’t necessary to photography, this can oftentimes be overlooked, and many people have photos that sit in a computer folder without being physically displayed on a wall or desk.

Digital picture frames are some of my favorite electronic gadgets. A good model will be able to display may great photos, cycling through the images in a continually pleasant process. However, as with most electronics, not all units are made equal, and as you plan to purchase one of the frames, getting an idea of what sort of features they offer can make for the best possible display of your digital photo collection.

First and foremost, like any other device with a screen, digital picture frames have varying resolutions. While which resolution you choose should have a lot to do with the number of megapixels in your camera, many low-end models have very poor resolutions, some as low as 480 x 324. These low resolution models won’t display pictures clearly, and the images will appear boxy and pixelated. As a rule of thumb, you’ll at least want a resolution of 640 x 480, but searching for higher resolution models will be worth your time and your money.

Also important is the aspect ratio of the screen. Just like with televisions, different models have slightly different aspect ratios, so if you’re looking to avoid black bars on the edges of your pictures, some research into the aspect ratio of considered frames can be very helpful. Most digital cameras shoot photos with an aspect ratio of 4:3, so a frame with this ratio will be filled with the entire image. Other frames are available in 15:9 ratios, which are similar to the framing of a widescreen television. If your 4:3 images are to be displayed in a 15:9 screen, pieces of the top and bottom of the photo will be cropped out for a better fit. However, its possible you’ll appreciate the widescreen format of the frame, and many high-end screens offer this aspect ratio.In the end, it’s a matter of choice.

Finally, there are a number of extra features offered on some of the high end picture frames. These allow the frames to go above and beyond simply displaying pictures. Some higher end frames offer wi-fi connections, which enable them to stream Internet radio, effectively setting your picture slideshow to music. Other frames enable you to e-mail photos to the frame itself, potentially trimming down on the time required to get images onto the unit. However, along with these features can come confusing menu structures, making it difficult for casual gadget users to get the frames to behave accordingly. When purchasing a frame, remember who will be the primary user, and try to get a unit that is compatible with their needs!