Sony has extended their Walkman product line with the Z Series Mobile Media Player.  This Android 2.3 powered Mobile Media Player has a 4.3” touch screen, runs on a dual core mobile processor, has built-in WiFi / Bluetooth, micro HDMI port, and has Sony’s S-Master MX audio technology to deliver a crisp audio experience.  It comes in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB, which you can pre-order for $249, $279, and $329, respectively.  Currently it only comes in black.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, News

Tagged: Android, MP3 player, Sony

Sony Walkman Z Series Mobile Media Player originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 24, 2012 at 9:00 am.

So, the Amazon “Kindle Fire” tablet is now reality and I believe it will be a big seller. At $199 it is within shouting distance of that “no brainer” gadget purchase price. Best of all, for us consumers, Amazon is forcing the rest of the tablet market to prove their value and “reason for being”.

That doesn’t mean that Motorola, Asus, Acer, Toshiba, Vizio, Samsung and whoever else is making an Android tablet this week is going to be out of business. Oh, and unless Apple hires Leo Apotheker (former CEO of Hewlett-Packard), I very much doubt the iPad is going to be killed off anytime soon.

There is an “if” though, because I’m writing about a device I’ve only seen in demo videos. Problems have been known to become apparent when a million users fire up a new device or service. But, for the sake of this article I’m going to assume that the demos are real, the people that used the demo units are being honest and that Amazon is sticking with their practice of not releasing products until they are ready. Besides, if Amazon doesn’t deliver it will make for an even better article come mid-November.

First let’s talk about the timing of Amazon’s release. It’s about as good as it could get. The product is available for presale now, on the cusp of the fourth quarter, it will be released over a month before Christmas and most importantly, may be available several months before Apple is expected to announce its new iPad model(s).

In designing the Kindle Fire Amazon looked at their target market and only included hardware necessary to support that offering. The device features:

1. 1 Ghz Dual Core Processor
2. 7″ multi-touch display with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors
3. Battery Life – 7.5 hours of video or 8 hours of book reading (WiFi Off)
4. Weight 14.6 ounces (413 grams)
5. Charges from wall adapter OR computer USB port
6. Free cloud storage for all Amazon content.
7. One-month Prime Subscription
8. 8GB RAM
9. Amazon Silk web browser (http://amazonsilk.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/introducing-amazon-silk/)

So, Amazon has developed a device that when coupled with their extensive online content library is clearly aimed at the consumer/home market both in price and capabilities. I doubt we’ll be reading stories about the Kindle Fire being used as a Point-of-Sale system or for navigating commercial aircraft.

However, the Kindle Fire has more than enough processing power to provide for smooth video playback, fast app launches and a responsive user interface. The display is bright, has a higher pixel density than the iPad 2, and (hallelujah!) an anti-reflective screen.

If the battery life lives up to the claims it’s more than acceptable for consumer use and being able to charge the device from either the wall or a standard USB port makes it less likely you’ll have to carry, or hunt for a high-amperage charger when needed. Basically, you’ll be able to charge it with the same charger or cable you’re using for a number of other devices in your home or car.

The Kindle Fire comes with 8GB of storage space and no slot for extra memory. I believe that is going to be sufficient when you consider Amazon is also including free storage on their cloud system. To give you an idea I looked at memory usage on my iPad where I have over 350 apps installed and they only take up about 3GB of space. For further comparison I checked my T-Mobile G2 phone and found that 150 apps there resided in less than 700MB of memory.

This should leave sufficient room for the device to hold several hours of video, books and a lot of music, and provided there’s a WiFi signal available content can be removed from the device and new downloaded from your online library. Once you have purchased content from Amazon it is always available. I suspect that Amazon will charge for non-Amazon content that is uploaded to their service much as they do with their existing MP3 library service (the first 5GB of non-Amazon content is free and 20GB of storage costs $20/year with higher limits available.).

What may also aid in the Kindle Fire being a game-changer is their new “Silk” browser. Amazon is attempting to split the workload of the browser between their “EC2” cloud service and the device. They’ll be caching pages in their cloud service as well as making intelligent guesses (based on data gathered from all of their users) at what links you’re likely to follow and pre-downloading them to the device. They’ll also be optimizing (shrinking) graphics and other content so that it is only the quality and size necessary to look good on the Kindle Fire’s display. Companies like AOL, Opera, Skyfire and a few others have tried similar, albeit less complex, schemes in the past. If Amazon can succeed in speeding up the browsing experience it would become another significant differentiator between them and the competition.

Amazon’s choices of what features they didn’t include in the Kindle Fire are almost as important as the features they did. Amazon’s new tablet reportedly does not include:

1. GPS or Accelerometer (G-Sensor)
2. Bluetooth Radio
3. 3G/4G Radio
4. No Microphone
5. No Cameras
6. No Memory Expansion Slot
7. No HDMI/mini HDMI port

All of these missing features were shaved to reduce cost, size/weight and battery usage. The only item on the list that surprises me is the Bluetooth radio as it would allow people to connect their wireless headphones and external speakers. Perhaps one can be added via the device’s mini-USB port, but that smacks of the same connectivity unfriendliness as the iPad Camera Connection kit for the iPad. Dante’ should have included “dongle usage and storage” as one of the “Circles of Hell” .

Some will complain about the lack of a 3G/4G option, but I don’t believe Amazon wanted to include a feature that would require their customers to contract with a third-party company. The cost of providing an all-inclusive 3G package like they offer on the existing 3G Kindle readers would have been too pricey. Customers don’t like metered service, contracts and, in general, mobile carriers. Even the best of the carriers is ranked pretty low on the American Consumer Satisfaction Index.

I’m sure AT&T’s backpedaling on the iPad 3G’s $30/month unlimited package (it’s now $25/month for 2GB) shortly after the iPad 3G was launched also had struck a nerve. It wouldn’t take many movie downloads to more than equal the price of the device in data charges. That may lead to unhappy customers.

On a side note, I’d suggest that anyone absolutely needing 3G/4G service for their Kindle Fire consider purchasing one of the standalone mobile hotspots. For roughly the same cost you could have 4G service (if available) and use it with a variety of devices. There are also some phones offered by the carriers that allow tethering as part of their data plan (My T-Mobile G2 phone is one of them).

The rest of the items are superfluous to the Kindle Fire’s intended use. The Amazon’s development team was not intent on replacing your computer, car navigation system, smartphone or point and shoot camera. The Kindle Fire is a relatively inexpensive device that is meant to fulfill the desire to watch TV shows, movies, play games, read books, newspapers and magazines, listen to music, browse the web and check things like email and personal calendars. My guess is that list covers about 85% of the use most tablets see today and a far higher-percentage of the use predicted for the hundreds of millions of people that haven’t yet purchased a tablet.

Certainly there are going to be people that want a device that has one or more of the features that Amazon did not include. Amazon is gambling that a lot of consumers are going to decide against paying $200 more for some of the fuller featured Android tablets or $300 – $450 extra for a WiFi iPad/3G iPad with GPS capability.

Presently, there’s only one successful tablet maker, Apple and the iPad. I’m looking forward to seeing how Apple reacts to the Kindle Fire. Their response is going to tell us a lot about Apple’s market strategy moving forward. Do they want to be a sales leader in the tablet marketplace or are they content to be the manufacturer of a highly regarded, high-margin luxury model? Steve Jobs once stated that the Macintosh’s market share was greater than that of Porsche, BMW or Mercedes and being the BMW or Mercedes of the computer market wasn’t a bad thing. We’ll soon get to see if that’s still the Apple strategy or if they’re willing to compete based on price in the tablet marketplace. With their locked-in content libraries (iTunes and the Apple App Store) proving to be a significant profit center for Apple the pressure to drop price or produce lower-end iPads might be very tempting.

While Apple is planning its next move the other Tablet makers need to decide in which segment of the market they want to compete. Google (and its licensees like Asus, Acer, Toshiba, Samsung and even Sony) trails both Amazon and Apple badly in availability of streaming video and other saleable content.

Even if Google can improve its content offerings it would be hard for their partner tablet manufacturers to reduce their margins of the units when they will be sharing their profits from the sale of content with Google or even Amazon’s own Android market offerings.

I expect we’ll see some of these guys pull the plug on their current offerings and others re-work their devices to go after the other potentially large tablet segment, productivity machines. Samsung, Asus, and Acer have always been adept at producing lower-cost versions of products. None has ever shown itself to be a market pioneer or provider of entertainment content. This may lead to some of them jumping ship from Android to Windows 8 and its desktop integration, but that’s over a year away and in a marketplace where the lifecycle of a device can be less than two months (HP TouchPad), a year is a long, long time.

Sony’s choices will also be interesting to watch. While their e-readers have been technically competent they haven’t really challenged Amazon or Barnes & Noble in that marketplace. They have two tablets and, of course, their own library of video and music content. In the past they have licensed that to vendors like Apple and Amazon. I doubt they’re going to pull that content from Apple or Amazon, two significant revenue sources; however tablets like the Kindle Fire do pose a threat to their portable gaming devices, and even to their PlayStation 3 consoles.

My guess, Sony will also focus their tablet offerings to compete in the productivity segment and perhaps work a revenue sharing deal with Amazon for content distribution through their PlayStation devices.

For those old-timers out there like me, I expect that the Kindle Fire could have the same impact on the tablet market as the Commodore 64 had on the personal computer industry back in 1982. Commodore’s CEO Jack Tramiel used to proudly claim that he made, “Computers for the masses, not the (upper) classes.

So, we may end up with the two of the highest rated companies for customer satisfaction in their respective markets going toe to toe (Apple is the highest rated Personal Computer Manufacturer and Amazon holds the top spot among online retailers according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index).

For those that enjoy watching the machinations, sparring and outright wars in the high technology industry this should be a great show.

Filed in categories: Android related, Articles, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: Acer, Amazon, Apple, asus, Commodore, iPad, Jack Tramiel, Kindle, Samsung, Sony, Tablet

Kindle Fire – A Tablet for the Masses? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 2, 2011 at 11:00 am.

Sony recently announced two new tablets:  the Sony Tablet S and a foldable Sony Tablet P.  Sony says they both “run the latest Android platform.”  The Tablet S is a 9.4″ touchscreen device, and it is available for pre-order now.  With it, you can access PlayStation games, Sony Reader eBooks, music and new release movies through Sony Entertainment Network or control your living room via the built-in universal IR remote control.  It’s preloaded with some entertainment titles and has a free 6-month subscription to Music Unlimited, and a free movie and book download.  It’s available in a 16GB WiFi model for $499.99 or a 32GB WiFi model for $599.99.  The Sony Tablet P has dual 5.5″ screens and folds to fit easily in your pocket or purse.  It will have many of the same features as the S, including universal remote control, and the multimedia features and free content.  It will also be 4G capable.  The Tablet P isn’t ready for pre-order yet, and there is no price shown.  You can sign up at the Tablet P page to be notified when it is ready to order.

Filed in categories: Android related, News, Tablet Computers and Gear

Tagged: Sony, tablet PC

Sony Enters the Tablet Wars originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 1, 2011 at 10:00 am.

Smartphones with slide out keyboards are not unusual. But the same can’t be said about a smartphone with a slide out gaming controller. The Sony Xperia PLAY (aka the Playstation Phone) from Sony Ericsson and Verizon Wireless is an Android powered smartphone for those of you that love to play games but aren’t so thrilled with using the touch screen to do so. This phone’s Playstation style controller is meant to give you true gaming feel, but let’s see if it’s just a gimmick or the real thing.

Note: Some of the images in this review can be clicked to view a larger size.

Hardware Specs and Design

Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon II 1GHz CPU with Adreno 205 GPU
Networks: CDMA 2000 and EVDOrev0/EVDOrevA
Operating system: Android 2.3.2 (Gingerbread)
Display: 4.0” Capacitive multi–touch screen, 480×854 FWVGA display
Camera: 5.1MP, front facing VGA camera
Memory: 8GB pre–installed memory card (approx 2GB used for pre–loaded games), Up to 32GB microSD support
WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth: v2.01+ EDR
Battery: 1500 mAh
Dimensions: 4.68” x 2.44” x .63” inches
Weight: 6.17oz

The Xperia PLAY has a very shiny Black plastic shell with chrome buttons and sides. The front of the phone has the display with function buttons below it. The display is crisp and vivid. It’s not as bright as other phones I’ve tried lately though. It has more pixels than other 4″ displays. At 480×854, it gives you a wide screen display which is great for watching videos.

The back of the phone has the camera lens and LED flash.

On the top edge of the phone, you’ll find the power button with the built in notification LED. The LED will flash Green when you have an email, SMS message, missed call, etc. The location of this status LED seems odd to me since it wouldn’t normally be visible to you if you place the phone face up on your desk.

There is a micro USB port for charging and syncing on the Left side, along with the earphone jack.

If we look on the opposite side, we find the gaming controller’s shoulder buttons (more about the controller in a sec) and the volume controller in the center. I hate the location of the volume button… It’s kind of difficult to press when you’re talking on the phone as the screen tends to slide in that direction when you press the volume button while holding the phone in one hand. It’s even more difficult to press when you have the gaming controller open and are playing a game.

The Xperia PLAY looked very familiar to me when I first removed it from the box. Why? It reminded me of my Motorola Droid X with the four physical buttons below the display. The button layout isn’t quite the same though and one small disappointment is that the icons for the buttons do not light up. This makes it slightly difficult to see which button to press when you’re in a dim or dark environment.

Let’s Play a Game!

The Xperia PLAY is a normal Android smartphone until you slide over the display and expose the built in gaming controller. I’m not a Playstation person, but even I recognize the Square, Triangle, Circle and X buttons that we see here. Out of the box, there are 7 games installed on the phone that was sent to me for review:

Asphalt 6
Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior
Crash Bandicot
Madden NFL 11
Star Battalion
The Sims 3
Tetris (touch screen mode only)

Whenever you slide the display over to reveal the gaming controller, it will automatically launch the phone into gaming mode. This happens even when the phone is idle, so you won’t have to unlock it to play games.

I played with all the built in games and found the graphics to be smooth and sharp. The addition of the enhanced graphics processor and the built in controller really make playing games on this phone feel like playing games on a dedicated handheld gaming device.

The controller feels responsive and the touch pad located in the center is a cool feature which can be used instead of the D-pad on the left. The touch pad doesn’t work with all games though… The same is true for the controller itself. You can’t use it with every game you download. It will work with all the Xperia PLAY games of course, but random generic games through the app market will be hit and miss.

Xperia PLAY games are purchased through the V Cast App store. Prices vary and some offer a monthly rental or can be purchased outright. Every time I check for new games there seem to be one or two additional added since I last looked. Right now there are 31 titles available.

Camera

The 5.1 megapixel camera does an above average job snapping pix. Thumbs up for its macro capability, which is always a feature that’s important to me. Here are two sample images. Click to view the full size version.

If I had any requests with regards to the camera, it would be to allow the use of one of the controller’s shoulder buttons to double as a shutter button.

The Xperia PLAY is great for games, but what about calls?

First and foremost, the Sony Xperia PLAY is a phone. So it has to be able to make and receive calls. No worries, this phone has no problems in that regard. The only thing I’ve noticed is that it doesn’t seem to have quite as strong a signal as my Droid X, when comparing the number of bars. But that said, I’ve not had it drop any calls. Call audio quality and volume are very good on both sides of calls. So as a phone, I would have no problems recommending it.

Overall Performance

With its 1GHz processor, this phone is as snappy as my Droid X as far as scrolling through apps, launching apps, etc. Battery life seems to be on par with other 1GHz phones I’ve reviewed. That means you will want to charge it every night if you are a normal user. I guess that’s a cross we have to bear until mobile phones start using fuel cells

If you’re an Android fan that just happens to be a gamer, the Sony Xperia PLAY is a great choice. It really turns your phone into a handheld gaming device. There aren’t a ton of PLAY games available just yet, but with over 30 and more seeming to show up every day, it has a good start. All I can say is that I wish there was a slide out controller like this one for the iPhone. I’m jealous!

Filed in categories: Android related, Gaming Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Android, Gaming, Sony

Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Android Smartphone Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 14, 2011 at 5:38 pm.

Sony announced today that they will be releasing two tablets using Android 3.0 (Honeycomb). I could not find a press release on the English site, but I did find on on the Japanese site. With a little help from Google translate I learned there are two models planned, both for release in fall of 2011, but no word on price.

The S1 is described as “rich-media entertainment” and having a 9.4″ display. The s2 is described as “entertainment mobile communications” with two 5.5″ displays. The dual screen can be used as one large screen, or as separate screens for live video in one, controls in the other.

It also appears the devices will work with the PlayStation network and the Reader store. Neither of those are a very shocking revelation. It also will work with the new Qriocity network. Something that appears to have launched, but this is the first I have heard of it.

So what do you think? Too late? Or are you looking forward to it. I can’t wait to hear more details, there is a lot of detail missing, but the more tablets, the merrier as far as I am concerned.

Filed in categories: Android related, News

Tagged: Android, honeycomb, Sony, Tablet

Sony Announces Future Android Tablets originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 26, 2011 at 4:00 pm.

Sony Ericsson has announced a really cool product called LiveView that hooks a second small 128×128 screen up to your Android phone to display Email, RSS feeds, and more. It’s compatible with the Android 2.0, and supports plugins to expand it’s features beyond the already impressive list : Facebook is included, it controls the MP3 player, even works with awesome running  app. This app lets you monitor your heart rate, speed, distance as well as control music while the phone is in your pocket. It’ll even hook into a watch-band, similar to how the new iPod Nano is being shown. The neat device is shipping soon, take a peek at Sony Ericsson’s site.

Filed in categories: Android related, News

Tagged: Android, LiveView, Sony

Sony Ericsson LiveView originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 10, 2010 at 10:00 am.

On August 25th, Sony held a small reception for members of the press and public to showcase their upcoming product lines for the holiday season.  You better really like 3D, because it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, and it’s going to be pervasive come the 2010 holidays.

The Sony offerings were confined to a single small room.  On display were a few new 3D TVs, updates to the VAIO line, digital cameras, smart phones, 3D Blu-Ray players, and sound systems.  Noticeably absent though was the Playstation 3 and its soon to be released Move accessory line.  There were no formal lectures or demonstrations; the products were meant for hands-on sampling, though there were several Sony reps offering assistance and able to answer questions at their stations.  Despite being touted as an event to show off new product lines and soon-to-be-released items, most of the products on display have been out for quite some time.  I took a few buddies with me and explored the different stations, tried out the 3D glasses (big and heavy), and played with a handful of “toys”.

Below are a few of the stand-outs that I was able to have some one on one time with:

First up is the Bravia NX810 line of 3D TVs, releasing in September in 46, 55, and 60-inch screens.  They start at $2700 and each subsequent size will add an additional $1000.   These are all 1080p, contain built in Wi-Fi, DynamicEdge LED edge backlighting adjusting to the ambient light in the room, MotionflowPRO 240Hz motion compensation technology to produce smooth fast-moving images, as well as other standard Bravia-features.  In addition, the stand the TV sits on allows the screen to be tilted up by 6 degrees to compensate for TVs on low tables.  As far as picture goes…well, how can 3D look bad on a gorgeous 60″ screen?  Unfortunately none of the three come with the 3D glasses or the signal emitter–roughly an additional $200 or so for two glasses and emitter.

Also coming in September will be the Sony DSC-WX5 Cybershot 12.2MP digital camera.  This little guy has a number of pretty slick features which should make even the most amateur photographer feel like a pro.  Its Auto mode can evaluate a scene for high motion and engage a multi-shot mode in order to ensure you capture the best shot, it contains background defocus which takes two shots to identify the background and the subject then blurs the background to create a bokeh effect (I had to look that up), and a flash mode which takes an additional shot without the flash in order to use for a color reference when shading the picture with flash.  None of these modes were actually shown on the floor though because…this camera also has a 3D sweep panorama mode.  How this works is by slowly sweeping the camera horizontally while pressing the shutter.  The camera then stitches the result together to create a 3D panoramic shot.  This didn’t work so well in my limited time with it, however the sample images a Sony rep displayed from Yosemite did look kinda neat.  In order to view the 3D images though, the camera must be connected via HDMI to a compatible TV.  The LCD camera screen simulates the 3D images when you tilt the camera back and forth—the effect is like looking at one of those hologram stickers.  In addition to still shots, it can capture HD video both at 60i and 30p.  This will retail for about $300 and is available in either black or silver.

Moving away from the 3D toys, there’s the Dash, which is available now at about $200.  This was actually my favorite item of the show, and currently sitting in my Amazon wishlist.  It is touted as a personal Internet viewer (very similar to the Chumby), but it’s more like Internet at a glance.  Through a series of apps, you have access to various websites and can check facebook status updates, the latest news stories, the weather and traffic, or stream Netflix from anywhere with a WiFi connection.  It has a 7″ color touch screen, but it’s meant to function primarily as a souped up alarm clock–waking you up with tones, mp3s, or Internet radio.  Imagine waking up to your favorite song, getting the latest celebrity gossip from TMZ while still laying in bed, rolling over to check the weather before heading to the closet, and having a final glance at the traffic report before heading off to work.

Those were the highlights for me at the meet-up, otherwise there wasn’t much different than you’d see on a trip to an average Best Buy.  But, hey, the view from Sony’s 35th floor was pretty sweet!

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: 3D, Sony

Sony Innovations 2010 Meetup – Quick Peek at the Holidays originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 1, 2010 at 9:00 am.

Sony just announced their latest cameras in the Alpha line of DSLRs, the a55 and a33. Both utilize a new technology that uses a translucent mirror that does not have to move resulting in maximum frames per second of 10 from the a55 and 7 from the a33. They both can record 1080 60i compatible video in AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 (59.94i recording, 29.97 fps image sensor output / Average bit rate 17 Mbps) or MP4: 1440×1080 (29.97 fps / Average bit rate 12 Mbps) , 640 x 480 (29.97 fps / Average bit rate 3 Mbps). The a55 has a 16.2 megapixel sensor and the a33 has a 14.2 megapixel sensor. Both are APS-C sized sensors rather than full-frame.

Both are available for pre-order. The a33 body-only is listed at $649.99, or $749.99 with an 18-55mm lens. With an estimated ship date of 9/15/2010. The a55 body-only is $749.99 or $849.99 with an 18-55mm lens with an estimated ship date of 10/10/2010.

I was hoping for an Alpha camera that supported video before I needed to replace my aging a100, but I was disappointed to see they use SD or Memory Stick media rather than Compact Flash. This is not quite the same old Sony story of using their own format (the SD option is standard in point and shot cameras) but I would have preferred Compact Flash which supports higher capacity, faster speeds, and better value over SD and Memory Sticks. It appears they are only using Compact Flash in their full-frame DSLRs now (though my old a100 is Compact Flash).

Their website includes more information on the new features of the cameras. The focus performance looks spectacular. The video on the SonyStyle site is pretty impressive as well. I’ve embedded below:

These look like very strong additions. I can’t wait to hear how well the new mirror design works. I worry what impact it could have on exposure, since it will obviously block some of the light that would normally get to the sensor. And I am disappointed by no Compact Flash.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear

Tagged: alpha, dslr, Sony

Sony Announces a55 and a33 DSLR Cameras originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 24, 2010 at 3:57 pm.

Sony has recently revealed a brand new style of Walkman music player.  Worn like a neckband, it’s been specially designed for the fitness fans amongst us, so that when you’re working out, there are no cables for you to get wrapped up in!   The player, which looks like a Bluetooth headset, is worn around the neck and weighs in at only 43g.

A fast charge feature will allow owners to give a three-minute (yep, 3 minutes!) of power which will allow a rather stunning 90 minutes of playback.  If you’ve got more time on your hands though, Sony say that a full charge will give you around 11 hours worth of playback. More info after the jump.

The Sony W250 will be available in four colours, green, black, white and pink.  They will also come in two flavours, the W252 model which will have a 2GB capacity, whilst the W254 version will offer 4GB of storage.   They’ll be able to play non DRM-protected tracks (from an iTunes library) as well other common formats (MP3 etc).  Tracks, albums, playlists can be simply dragged to the player’s storage disk when you plug it into your Mac or PC.

The W250 will also include ‘ZAPPIN’ technology that scans through your stored tracks, playing a short sample from each song to help you find the right music for that moment.

Sony have also designed the players to be completely waterproof, so if you accidentally drop it in a puddle during a run, or get them covered in sweat with your ruthless workout, it won’t matter!  You even rinse them under a running tap to get rid of sweat and grime and it wont suffer any damage.

Both versions of the Sony W250 player will be available in the UK from the end of May.  Each one will come with its own charging stand and a pair of in-ear headphones.  Optional accessories will also be available for it.

W250 will come in four great looking colours

Filed in categories: Musical Gear, News

Tagged: Sony, Spotlight Gadgets, W250, Walkman

Latest walkman from Sony is great for fitness fans originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 14, 2010 at 8:45 am.

Sony have just announced details on their new BDP-S470 and BDP-S570 Blu-ray players – the company’s first commercially available 3D players.

The entry-level BDP-S470 will be upgradeable to 3D Blu-ray via a software update, however the BDP-S570 will come 3D-ready, straight out of the box.

All you need to do is connect either up to a 3D TV and they’ll deliver full 1080p 3D viewing using Sony’s Active Shutter technology.

Each device can also hook up to the web to access the new Bravia Internet Video service, which features catch-up TV, including the BBC iPlayer. There’s also the ability to stream rented movies via LOVEFiLM – a feature also coming to some Sony Bravia TVs – and the players can access YouTube to boot.

The BDP-S570 also comes with Wi-Fi, while the BDP-S470 uses an ethernet connection, but it can be upgraded to wireless using a Sony USB Wi-Fi dongle.   Plus, a bonus feature of these players is that they can both be controlled by using an iPhone or iPod touch!

Both players will be available from the end of March, but Sony haven’t divulged on price tags yet.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, News

Tagged: 3D, Sony

Sony announces 3D Blu-ray players originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 9, 2010 at 10:30 am.

Sony Pocket Edition reader in optional premium cover

In September, 2009, I posted a review of the new Sony Touch Edition reader (PRS-600).  That reader has a touch screen, dictionary, note-taking abilities, and it retails for $299.99.  It’s a fabulous reader, but it does have a problem with screen glare.  It’s also expensive and has some features that many people don’t want to pay for.  At the same time the Touch Edition reader was released, Sony also introduced the Pocket Edition reader (PRS-300).  At $199.99, it’s Sony’s least expensive reader.  The Pocket Edition is the smallest reader offered by Sony, and some people may consider it a stripped down, entry-level reader.  Other people may consider it the reader they’ve been looking for.  Let’s give it a closer look.

What’s in the box:
Sony Pocket Edition reader
USB sync/charging cable
Padded sleeve
Quick start guide

Specifications:
5-inch (diagonal) Vizplex ™ E-ink® screen
Dimensions: 6.25 X 4.25 X 0.41 inches
Weight: 7.76 oz
Memory: 512 MB, with 440 MB user-accessible
8-levels gray-scale with 800 X 600 pixel resolution
Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Media formats supported: ePub (Adobe DRM protected), PDF (Adobe DRM protected), BBeB Book (PRS DRM protected), ePub, BBeB Book, PDF, TXT, RTF, Microsoft Word (conversion to the Reader requires Word installed on your PC)
Connectivity: USB for file transfer from PC
Power: charge with USB cable (supplied) or optional AC adapter
Works on both Windows and Mac computers

There is no installation disk with the reader; installation files are on the reader itself and should be installed when you connect your reader the first time.  I was already running the latest version of the Sony Reader Library software, and I was able to load up books as soon as the device driver installed on my computer (64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium).

The Pocket reader, like the 600, is missing a cover.  Sony provided a spongy sleeve for the reader, but it doesn’t seem very protective to me.  The top is open, to slide the reader in, and there is no way to close the sleeve.  The foam padding isn’t very dense, and I worry that this sleeve won’t provide enough protection if you have the reader in your purse or gear bag.  

The body of the Pocket reader appears to be aluminum.  It is available in silver, navy blue, and rose.  The cost-cutting measure that I think is most noticeable is the lack of the chrome-colored accents.  The top/bottom/right edge of the reader is made of plastic, and the color coordinates with – but doesn’t match – the body color.  I think that’s a little chintzy, but it’s certainly no deal breaker.  The back of the reader has a slightly rubbery feel, apparently to give you a better grip on the naked reader.  The small form makes the Pocket Edition surprisingly easy to hold.  My thumb can easily reach the page advance button, so one-handed reading would be a snap.  I prefer using a book-style cover on my readers, so I purchased the optional Sony premium cover.  You can see it on the reader in the top picture.  And yes, you can bend the premium cover all the way back for one-handed reading, but that does make it a bit harder for my thumb to reach the page turn button.  People with longer fingers shouldn’t have a problem.

(left to right) Cover attachment point, charging light, power slider. Note there are no expansion slots.

The most significant differences between the Pocket Edition and the Sony 600, 505, and 500 models are in the things that have been removed.  The Pocket Edition doesn’t have any expansion card slots, it doesn’t have an mp3 player, and it doesn’t support image files.  None of those things present a problem for me.  The internal memory is sufficient to hold hundreds of books, certainly enough to keep me happy until I can get to my computer to add more.  (The Pocket Edition doesn’t have wireless access.)  It doesn’t display image files, but you’ve got to admit that 8-level gray scale isn’t the best way to show off your photos.  And as for the missing mp3 player?  I never wanted one of those in any of my Sony readers anyway.  I hated having to pay the extra cost for something I’d never use, and I hated having to worry about accidentally hitting the volume rocker.  It may have been my imagination, but I felt that messing with the volume rocker shortened my battery life.

(left to right) Cover attachment point, lanyard attachment, mini USB jack, AC adapter, reset button

Speaking of the battery, the Pocket Edition has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.  Sony provides a USB cable that is used for syncing and charging your reader.  I recommend that you get yourself an AC adapter.  Not only does the AC adapter charge faster, but many people feel that it provides a better, fuller charge – especially when the battery has been completely drained.  You can buy the $30 official AC charger for Sony Digital Books, or you can pick up a charger for the Sony PSP – it works fine.  Apparently the AC adapters with USB cables don’t work for Sony readers, as reported by many readers on the MobileRead forums.

Sony still reports battery life as “page turns”.  This is misleading.  Most power consumption occurs when the page “turns”, but the battery does continually drain while the reader is on or in standby.  The power switch simply puts the reader in standby – clears the screen and disables all buttons but the power slider.  You can extend battery life with the device shutdown option in settings.  I never shutdown my readers, and I’ve gotten 2-3 weeks, reading 3-4 hours a day, with every Sony reader I’ve owned.  I’ve only played around with the Pocket Edition reader for a couple of days, but I’d be surprised if the battery didn’t last just as long.

Sony Pocket Edition (left), Sony PRS-600 Touch Edition (right). Click to enlarge.

The Pocket Edition reader doesn’t have a touch screen.  When compared to the Touch Edition reader, the Pocket reader screen doesn’t have any glare.  Its screen also has higher contrast, which many people will find easier to read.  However, no touch screen means that there is no dictionary lookup and no note-taking abilities.

Click to enlarge.

No touch screen also means the Pocket Edition has control buttons.  The number rockers along the right side of the screen have a couple of functions.  They are used to select options in menu screens, and they are used to enter a page number to navigate to while reading a book.  The rest of the control buttons are below the screen.  There is a “home” button that returns you directly to the home menu – something neither the 505 nor the 500 readers had.  There is a back button to take you to the previous level. The button showing a book with a dog-eared page creates/removes a bookmark.  The magnifying glass button changes font size.  The Pocket Edition has three font sizes, small/medium/large, and this button toggles through the sizes.

The center navigation button has the enter button in the center; use it to select the highlighted menu option.  The outer ring has the up/down/page back/page forward buttons.  The up/down buttons move the cursor in the menus.

The Pocket Edition has a faster processor than previous models.  Page changes are noticeably faster than on my old 505, and I noticed that it seems to respond quicker when I’m loading up books from the Sony Reader Library software.

The Sony Reader Library software allows you to drag-and-drop books on the Pocket Edition reader.  You can organize books on your reader with “collections”.  Collections are like folders, but no sub-folders are allowed.  They are virtual, so you need only a single copy of the book, but it can be in multiple collections.

The 300 reader handles all the same formats as its bigger siblings.  In the picture with the 600 (above), both readers are using their medium font to display the same page from a text-only PDF file.  Naturally, the Pocket’s screen is smaller, so it can’t display quite as much of the page as the 600.  Both readers can reflow PDF files, but the Pocket edition has no pan-and-scan option like the 600 does.  The Pocket Edition also has the same page-numbering quirk – showing the same page number until all the text from that page has been displayed.  I have included some pictures showing how the Pocket reader handles PDF files with images.  The entire page is displayed when the small font is chosen.  You can see the page layout, and you can see small versions of images on the page.  When you move to medium and large fonts, it’s much easier to read the text, but the images don’t display properly – or at all.  (Click on the following pictures for more detail.)

PDF with small font.

PDF with medium font.

PDF with large font.

You can also read ePub files (with Adobe DRM, or DRM-free), the proprietary Sony BBeB format, and a variety of other formats listed in the specifications above.  You can buy books from the Sony ebook store, but you are not limited to it.  You can use books from Project Gutenberg, Google Books, and you can check out ebooks from libraries.  The Sony Reader Library software can help you locate local libraries that offer ebooks.

The Sony Pocket Edition is a simple ebook reader and the price positions it as an entry-level reader, but it doesn’t seem to be missing anything important.  The sharp, clear eInk screen lets you read for hours without the eyestrain you can get from backlighted LCD screens.  The compact form makes it easy to hold and easy to fit in your gear bag, purse, or even a pocket.  The controls are easy to reach and simple to use.  It’s a great ebook reader for a child, and it’s an equally great reader for adults who want a small format and don’t need a lot of bells and whistles.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: eBook reader, PRS-300 Pocket Edition, Sony

Sony Pocket Edition Reader Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 9, 2010 at 8:17 am.

Sony is announcing a number of new products at the PMA 2010 conference. What caught my eye were the new Alpha concepts. These are compact cameras with interchangeable lenses directed squarely at the Micro Four Thirds segment pioneered by Panasonic and Olympus. According to the announcement, they are planning to release them this year, but are still fine-tuning the cameras.

These cameras pack a larger sensor than the Micro Four Thirds. The sensor is the same size that they use in their Alpha DSLRs. They also plan on three lenses when they are released.

Obviously it is impossible to judge based on the concept, but with the large sensors these cameras should excel in low-light environments. They also use a newer sensor for the Alpha series that supports video. As an Alpha 100 owner I have been hoping that Sony would finally come out with a video-capable DSLR.

Here is a video from the event. It can be difficult to make out what he is saying, but heck, his English is WAY better than my Japanese.

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, News

Tagged: alpha, compact, Sony

New Sony Alpha Concept originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 23, 2010 at 11:25 am.

Looks like a lot of folks that received Sony Readers were faced with issues downloading the latest update of the Reader library on Christmas. I had procrastinated updating mine, so I faced the same issue yesterday. Fortunately it is all working fine today at http://ebookstore.sony.com/download/.

I’m not sure how to take the outage. On the one hand, I am encouraged that there were that many people with a new Reader trying to update their device. On the other hand, I am disappointed that Sony wasn’t prepared for the spike in traffic. I mean, who would have thought there would be a spike on Christmas? (sarcasm intended)

It does also highlight one of the key differentiators between the Sony and the Kindle/Nook. You need the software to load new books as opposed to just doing it wirelessly (the new Daily Edition Sony does have wireless).

It was the perfect storm, however. They created a required update to the Reader Library (You could not access the bookstore without 3.1) after the Readers were all wrapped for Christmas, so you had a lot of folks needing the update on the same day. Not the best planning on someone’s part.

But it is all fixed now, and it saved me some money. Instead of buying a couple of books to read, I visited Feedbooks and downloaded some Sherlock Holmes to read.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear

Tagged: Reader, Sony

Sony Reader Site Buckles Under Load originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 26, 2009 at 9:06 am.

Last month, news of two new Sony readers leaked when someone found repair manuals for new devices called the PRS-300 and the PRS-600.  Gadget sites were rife with speculation about these devices and when they’d be released.  Sony quickly confirmed that these new devices would be released at the end of August, and they even listed the Sony Pocket Edition (also known as the PRS-300, to use the old convention of using the model number as the name) and the Sony Touch Edition (PRS-600) for pre-order.  I’ve been a devoted Sony Reader user since the PRS-500, so I quickly placed a pre-order for the Touch in red.  On August 25, Sony officially announced the Touch and Pocket Edition readers, and SonyStyle started shipping the devices.  I received mine on August 27.

The Touch Edition is a melding of both the PRS-505 and the PRS-700 models.  Gone are most of the input buttons of the 505 model.  Like the 700 before it, the Touch (or 600, as some users are calling it) uses a touch-screen for input.  It retains a few buttons, but they are placed discreetly at the bottom of the display screen, similar to the old 700 model in appearance.  The 600 is the same length and width as the 505, but it is 0.1” thicker.  The front-lighting from the 700 is gone.  This allows the touch screen to lay flat against the E-ink display in the 600.

Hardware specifications

• Size in inches : 6.9 x 4.8 x .4
• Weight  : 10.1 oz
• Screen Size: Vizplex 6 inch (diagonal) E-Ink display with 8-level gray scale and a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels
• Memory Size : 512 MB.  User available capacity: Approximately 380 MB
• Dual memory card expansion slots for Memory Stick PRO Duo and SD card up to  16 GB
• Media formats supported : ePub (Adobe DRM protected), PDF (Adobe DRM protected), BBeB Book (PRS DRM protected), ePub, BBeB Book, PDF, TXT, RTF, Microsoft Word (conversion to the Reader requires Word installed on your PC), JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, MP3 (non-encrypted), AAC (non-encrypted)
• Connectivity : USB for file transfer from PC
• Power : charge  with USB cable (supplied) or optional A/C adapter
• Battery: rechargeable lithium-ion battery

What’s in the Box?

• Reader
• USB cable for charging and synching the device
• Protective neoprene sleeve
• Quick start guide

The first thing I noticed when I opened the box is what is NOT included.  This reader doesn’t come with a case, just the sleeve.  I’m sure this was a cost-saving decision, but I don’t think it was a good one. The neoprene case is very flimsy. The foam isn’t dense and resistant to compression like my neoprene laptop sleeve. It is very soft and spongy, and seems too insubstantial to provide much protection for the glass display screen. The sleeve is open at the top. There is no zipper or flap or even Velcro to close the case. The sleeve fits the naked reader snugly enough that I don’t think the reader would easily fall out, but I carry the reader in my purse, and this sleeve is not going to keep pens or keys from slipping in to scratch the reader.

The body of the 600 seems to be aluminum, like all the models before it. It does have a non-slip coating on the back. I suppose this is to make it easier to hold without a cover. Holding the naked reader isn’t comfortable for me. I much prefer the book-like feel of a cover, and I like that the cover provides a little protection if I should drop the reader. Unfortunately, none of the optional covers were available from Sony when I received my reader. Luckily Sony stuck with the cover attachment method from the previous generation of readers, so I tried it in the original vinyl cover from my 505. It fits in that cover, but the 600 is a tight fit. It was hard to slip it into the plastic nubs that hold the reader in the case, and I felt I was going to break the plastic spine before I managed to wedge the 600 in there.

No software CD is included in the package, but the reader itself contains installation files. Since I already had the latest version of the Sony library software on my computer running 64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium, I did not run these installation files. My software recognized the new reader immediately. I was surprised to see a firmware update was already available. It was to fix a problem with using memory cards, and the update installed without a problem. I authorized the reader and started charging the battery and loading up books.

Sony PRS-600 (left) and PRS-505 (right)

I never owned the Sony PRS-700, which was their first touch-screen model. I saw the device on display in a local Borders, and I felt that the screen was much less clear than the screen on the 505 model. Adding a touch screen layer to the device made text on the screen appear much lighter and less sharp. The fact that the touch layer was floating above the e-ink screen – to allow for the LEDs that provided the built-in lighting – only compounded the issue. I was pleased to see that the 600, while not as sharp and clear as the 505 display, was much improved over the 700. The screen has a very readable display, and I didn’t really notice the small loss of clarity until I compared the 505 and the 600 side-by-side. Since I haven’t any experience with the 700, all my comparisons from this point on will be between the PRS-505 and the PRS-600.

When I started playing around with the 600, I worried about the amount of pressure needed to operate the touch screen. It required much more pressure than I was comfortable using. There is an included stylus, but I don’t want to use the stylus to turn pages. I read so much, I fear that the stylus would eventually cut a groove through the touch screen! I found that using the tip of my finger or the flat side of my fingernail works much better than using the pad of my finger. Once I got the hang of it, operating the touch screen worked easily.

Reflection in PRS-600 screen. Picture is dark because I couldn't use a flash without showing only a big, white glare.

After I got used to the controls and started reading, I noticed how reflective the reader is. The PRS-505 I’ve used for almost two years isn’t reflective, and it was always easy to find a comfortable reading angle. I had also had the 505 in the Sony light wedge case since last December, so I was used to having a reading light that seemed to be part of the reader itself. I had a really difficult time with the PRS-600 being so reflective at first. This was almost a deal-breaker for me. The first night I used it, it was in a small case with a huge clip-on book light. The awkward feel of this arrangement and the reflections on the screen saw me starting the return-authorization process and packing up the reader for return when I got up the next morning. I finally decided to give the reader a second chance, and I’m glad that I did. I got a better-fitting case that’s sturdy enough to support the book light, so I was better able to concentrate on reading. The 600 retains all the functions that I’ve loved about the previous two Sony readers I’ve owned, and it has some new features, added storage, increased speed, and a beautifully sleek appearance. And it’s red – always a bonus for me! (Actually, the 600 is also available in silver and black, if red isn’t to your taste.)

What does the 600 retain from earlier generations? It’s still a compact size that fits easily in a purse, gear bag, or laptop bag. It’s light, so it’s easy to hold for hours while I read through those nights while I’m suffering from insomnia.

Press the hardware button marked with the magnifying glass to easily change font sizes (this model has five font sizes, two more than the 505) so you can find a comfortable size for reading. As before, the 600 supports a variety of digital book formats, both DRM and DRM-free. In addition to the proprietary Sony format, you can use Adobe pdf files. Since many libraries offer digital books in Adobe pdf format, you can check-out and read books from your local library on your Sony reader. You can also read ePub books, which means you aren’t tied in to getting your books only from the Sony bookstore. You can read text files, rich-text-format files, and even Microsoft Word files if you have Word installed on your computer to allow the file to be converted as it is installed on your reader.

Battery life is still great. I’ve been reading for a full week now on the same charge. I’ve found a charge on my 505 would usually last about 2 weeks with reading 3-4 hours a night. (I have a lot of trouble sleeping!) Sony is still persisting in describing battery life as about 7500 page changes, and people are always concerned that they’ve read considerably less than 7500 pages before they need to recharge. The fine print says you can get 7500 page changes if you fully charge the battery, open a book and continually change pages as fast as you can without stopping. What they don’t spell out is that your battery continues to drain even while you aren’t reading. The power switch doesn’t actually power your device off – it puts it into a stand-by mode. The screen is blanked and the touch screen and all of the buttons other than the power toggle button are disabled, but the reader is still “on” and slowly draining the battery. You can turn the reader off, but that requires going into the settings and choosing to power down the reader. This saves the battery, but it does take extra time to restart the reader when you next want to read.

Cover attachment, charging light, power slider, PRO Duo slot, SD card slot, stylus

The 600 retains the dual memory card expansion slots from the previous generations. You can increase the amount of storage for books by adding an SD card (up to 16 GB) and/or a Memory Stick PRO Duo card (up to 16 GB). It also retains the ability to display image files and to play audio files. These are two functions that I haven’t ever used. The 8-level gray scale screen isn’t the best method of showing off pictures of my family. I keep only one picture on my reader, and that’s a picture of me to which I added my phone numbers and name. If I lose my reader, an honest person can use that information to contact me and that picture to ensure that I’m the owner when I come to claim it.

I have never used the built-in audio player in any of the Sony readers I’ve owned. I have an iPod, and I use that if I want to hear music. Unless the audio player has changed in this version, it’s not useful for audio books because it doesn’t retain the position where you left off in the book. I’d be happy if Sony just completely eliminated the audio player from its readers. Apparently others feel the same, because Sony did eliminate the audio player in its PRS-300 model.

Page Back, Page Forward, Home, Font Sizing, and Options hardware buttons

There’s a new hardware button on the 600 that I never had on the PRS-500 or PRS-505. It’s the “options” button, and it offers different choices depending on what you are doing when you press the “options” button. These functions will be discussed in the appropriate sections below.

From the “home” menu, you can still choose to see a listing of all installed books sorted by various criteria. Use the “options” hardware button to access these sort methods. You can sort by title, by author, or by the date. A new option here is you can choose to view your books either by list or by a thumbnail view of the cover. Another new option here is that you can search the complete book list for a title keyword or author name for a listing of only the books that fit your search criteria. You can also change the screen orientation between portrait and landscape; this changes the orientation of the reader in all its functions.

A feature retained from previous versions of the readers is the ability to sort installed books by collections. These collections are like folders with no sub-folders allowed, similar to playlists on the iPod. They must be created on the reader by the Sony library software and the books must be sorted into the collections by the library software, as well. These are virtual collections – only one copy of the book needs to be on the reader, and the book can appear in as many of these collections as you like. Collections are displayed alphabetically on the reader. The only options for collections are search for a collection title keyword or change the screen orientation.

Cover attachment, wrist strap attachment, reset button, A/C power, USB, headphone, volume rocker

The 600, like all Sony models before it, does not offer wireless connectivity. You still need a computer to purchase and store your ebooks. You’ll need to connect the reader to the computer via usb to copy over books. The Sony library software allows you to organize and maintain your library on your computer and on the reader. The library software also allows access to the Sony bookstore and manages books checked out from your local library. This software has always been available for Windows computers, and it is now available for Mac users.

What new features have been added? The 600 has a faster processor, so page turns are much faster than with my 505 reader. I also noticed that transferring books from the Sony library software is much faster. The 600 has about 380 MB of internal storage, up from the 192 MB in the 505 reader. I was able to load all the books I had on my 505 and I still had about 200 MB free in the 600. Because I can have so many books on my reader at all times, I don’t feel the need to buy a book wirelessly in seconds. I can wait until I get to my computer to buy a book, and I don’t have to worry that I’ll find someone wirelessly deleted anything from my reader!

A dictionary has been added to the 600. Depending on your language and keyboard preference, you will have either the New Oxford American Dictionary (English language with US keyboard) or the Oxford Dictionary of English (English language with UK keyboard). These are the only dictionaries available at this time. During setup, if you choose a language other than English, you will not have a dictionary. To look up a word in the book you are reading, simply double tap on the word. The definition will be displayed in a box at the bottom of the screen. In this display, you have three further options. You can tap the highlighter option to highlight this word to make a “note” in your book.

You can tap the magnifying glass icon to start a search for other instances of this word in the book. Finally, tap the icon of the open book with an A superimposed on it to open the dictionary. With the dictionary open, you can read an expanded definition of the word, if available. There is also a keyboard icon at the bottom of the dictionary page. Bringing the keyboard up allows you to type in other words for lookup in the dictionary. You can also use the hardware page-turn buttons to move around inside the dictionary. Tapping the X icon at the top of the screen closes the dictionary and returns you to your book.

At any point while reading or while on any other function screen in the viewer, you can press the hardware button identified by the house icon to return to the main menu. This is a nice new feature not found on the 505 reader. In the 505, you had to continually press the menu button to make your way through a tree of menus to return to the main menu; you could also press and hold the menu button down for 3 or 4 seconds to return to the main menu. This single button press is an improvement because you don’t have to guess where you’ll end up in the menu tree when you press it.

This simplified home menu button is possible because of the addition of the “options” hardware button that I mentioned earlier. If you are at the home menu, “options” allows you to search for a particular author or a title keyword among all the books you have on your reader.

While reading a book, “options” allows you to enter a page number to go to, to browse the history of the pages you’ve been on in this book, return to the table of contents, create or edit notes within the book, see the publisher’s information about the book, delete the book from the reader, or change the display orientation between portrait and landscape. The notes option here allows you to highlight text, make handwritten notes directly on the text of the book, erase a note you’ve previously made, see a list of all the notes in your book, or simply “dog-ear” that page.

When you are at the home menu, you can select “All Notes” to see a listing of all the notes you have made in your installed books in internal memory and on any memory cards in the reader. You can set up the Sony library software to merge your book notes with the notes in the copy of that book on your computer when you use the synchronize method of maintaining your reader instead of the drag-and-drop method.

You can use the reader as a memo pad or sketchpad. Select “Handwriting” from the home menu to create a drawing or a handwritten note using your finger or the supplied stylus, see a list of all your handwritten notes, and edit and delete these notes.

Choose “Text Memo” from the home menu to use a virtual keyboard to type in a note, see a list of all your notes, and edit and delete these notes. These notes are separate from the notes made in your books.

I’m sure there are other things the reader can do that I haven’t discovered yet.

I’m very glad I decided to give the PRS-600 another chance;  I won’t be returning it. The 600 retains the functions I loved from my 505 and has added a dictionary and note-taking features. Writing in the books themselves isn’t something I’ll use since I read for pleasure. I was never one to write in my books anyway, so I don’t think I’d do that even in a digital book. It will be nice to make a quick handwritten note to myself if I find myself without paper handy. When I factor in faster page turns, faster loading of books from the Sony library software, and a nice screen, I’m very happy I decided to upgrade to the Sony PRS-600.

Update: 

There have been several questions about making collections in the Sony Reader software.  The above picture is a screen capture showing the bottom of the left frame in the Sony Reader software.  I have no reader attached at the time.  The Plus-sign key used to create collections is shown circled in red.  If I press the plus-sign key with no reader attached, I will create a collection in the Sony Reader software.  If I have a reader connected, it would be listed between the eBook Store and Computer in the list above.  To create a collection in the reader itself, I would first select the reader in the list, then click the plus-sign.  I can create collections in the library even if I have a reader connected.  To do that, I would make sure that I had selected “Books” at the top of the left frame before clicking the plus-sign.  You then rename the collection to whatever you’d like, and drag and drop books into the collection.

Filed in categories: eBook Readers and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: ebook, Sony

Sony PRS-600 Touch Edition Reader Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 7, 2009 at 8:16 am.

The LogicBUY deal of the day is a coupon for $550 off a Sony BRAVIA V-series KDL-40V4100 40-inch HD 1080p LCD TV on sale for $1,299 – $550 off coupon code = $749 plus FREE shipping. Deal ends 7/3 or after 650 redemptions.

Filed in categories: Uncategorized

Tagged: Gear Diary, LCD, Sony

Deal of the Day – $550 off Coupon 40″ Sony Bravia KDL-40V4100 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 1, 2009 at 1:11 pm.

Sony are to announce a new version their fantastic Playstation Portable games console this week at the E3 Video Games show in Los Angeles.

Videos and photos of the ‘PSP Go’ have already been leaked on-line, revealing a much smaller and lightweight console, compared to the PSP Lite and PSP 3000.  The new model has also dropped the use of UMD disks.

In a leaked video, Sony’s senior production manager for the PSP, John Koller said “It’s got a 3.8 inch screen, it’s 43% lighter than a PSP 3000, will come with 16Gb of flash memory, will have Bluetooth support and all the content is digital, so the UMD drive goes away, so it’s going to be something that consumers like – downloading straight to a hard drive”.

Although no definite date has been given for a release of the new console, details of this are expected on Tuesday.

Filed in categories: Gaming Gear

Tagged: PSP, PSP Go, Sony

Sony PSP Go to be unveiled at E3 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 1, 2009 at 7:31 am.

The new X-series Sony Walkman personal audio and video device has a 3 inch OLED touchscreen and a Slacker Radio application built in to it. The player comes with special noise canceling earbuds and is Sony’s first Walkman product with Wi-Fi integration. The device looks really sexy, but the $399 price for only 32GB is a bit too spicy for my blood.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Slacker Radio, Sony, Spotlight Gadgets, WiFi

New Sony X-series Walkman has a built in Slacker Radio app originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 13, 2009 at 1:03 pm.

Ooooh, look at this. Vaja has just announced the Slim Jacket for the Sony Vaio P notebook. Seeing this makes me want to buy the Vaio P. And the Vaja case… Must.resist.must.remain.strong. Where’s my Visa card?

Filed in categories: Uncategorized

Tagged: Leather, Sony, Spotlight Gadgets, Vaja

Vaja tempts with leather goodness for the Sony Vaio P originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 8, 2009 at 3:41 pm.

Sony announced today the release of Firmware Update v2.70 for the PS3. This update includes a new text chat feature that allows users to chat with networked friends in game or in chat rooms. The friends list will appear on the XMB (XcrossMediaBar). The new update also allows for external backup of purchased media, a feature sorely needed and much overdue. For more on the firmware update, head over to Sony, or just boot up and get it!

Filed in categories: Portable and Console Gaming

Tagged: Playstation, PS3, Sony

Sony PS3 Firmware Update Released originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 2, 2009 at 11:38 am.