Sky Go and Now TV both coming to British PS4s this summer
Quietly mentioned inside Sky’s financial report for this quarter, the broadcaster has revealed that two of its streaming services will arrive on the PlayStation 4 in just a few months. Details are scant (it just says what we’ve written above), but both Sky Go (for existing Sky subscribers) and the more free-and-loose Now TV will both debut on the Sony console. They’ll have a fight on their hands: they’ll be up against the likes of Netflix and Amazon Instant Video. Sky also announced that it’s renewed its movie deal with Paramount, giving it exclusive broadcast rights to the likes of Anchorman 2 and Noah. So, not even a mention of the Xbox One — but at least that console’s doing its own thing.
Update: Sky has issued a fuller press release which also mentions that Sky Go will find its way to PS3 owners (who’ve so far only had access to Now TV on their consoles).
Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Software, HD, Sony
Source: Sky
Sony’s 185TB data tape puts your hard drive to shame
It’s hard for magnetic data tapes to stand out from the crowd in an era when it’s easy to load up on legions of hard drives. However, Sony might have managed that rare feat with nano-sized tape tech that stores much more than off-the-shelf hardware. By optimizing how it sputters argon ions on to film to create magnetic material, the company has produced “nano-grained” tape that’s 74 times denser than what you see today; at 185TB per cartridge, it makes even a 5TB hard disk seem quaint. Sony’s breakthrough won’t come to your home PC, but it could prove a big help to supercomputers and your favorite internet services — many of them need high-capacity tape storage just to keep up with demand.
[Image credit: Theilr, Flickr]
Via: ITWorld
Source: Sony
Sony’s Evolution UI tries to make learning Android fun
Ever get “ghost hands,” where you’re always trying to take the smartphone away from a novice to show them how it’s done? Well, Sony is working on something a little more polite. The company has announced Evolution UI, an intentionally hobbled Android launcher that forces you to perform perfunctory tasks before you can properly use the device. For instance, when you first launch the system, you’ll only be able to access the dialer, SMS app, browser and camera. If you wanted to open the app drawer, however, you’d have to earn it as an achievement by starting and closing five apps in quick succession. The idea is to turn discovering your phone’s features into a series of console-style achievements and unlocks.
At the moment, Evolution UI is just a research project that’s been kicking around Sony’s headquarters. That said, the company has released the launcher to GitHub for others in the open source community to play around with. In practice, it feels as if the system could frustrate anyone but the most green technology users. That’s why if it ever does come to retail hardware, we’d be looking for the off switch — if we had to go through all of these hoops every time we opened a new device, we’d quickly develop a condition far worse than “ghost hands.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Sony, Google
Via: Android Beat
The PS4’s first big update is almost here, check out what’s inside
Curious to know everything that’s in the PlayStation 4′s 1.70 update launching on Wednesday? You won’t have to download it yourself to find out — Sony has spilled the beans ahead of time. Some of these updates we’ve heard about before, such as the SHAREfactory video editor, 720p HD Twitch streams (that are archivable) and automatic pre-order downloads. However, we now know that there’s quite a few subtler improvements in store. You can control the default length for shared gameplay videos before saving them to a USB drive, and a toggle to dim the DualShock 4′s lightbar is included in this update. Remote Link pairing with the PlayStation Vita is now automatic, and those who hate credit cards can shop with PayPal on the PlayStation Store. All told, this is a lot more than a simple tune-up, and you’ll likely want it as soon as it hits the servers — the updated companion app for iOS is already available.
Source: PlayStation Blog
Better late than never, Driveclub reaches the PlayStation 4 on October 7th
Evolution Studios may have missed its chance to make Driveclub a PlayStation 4 launch title (and a technology showcase) by quite a wide margin, but it at last has some firm release dates. The socially-savvy racing game should reach North America on October 7th, while Europeans will get it a day later. As Sony previously explained, the nearly year-long delay comes after Evolution went “back to the drawing board” to rework large parts of the game, taking on a new project leader in the process. Patience may prove to be a virtue in that case, although we don’t envy Driveclub‘s odds of success when it’s launching on a very, very busy day. The title now has to vie for attention with potential blockbusters like Alien: Isolation, Dragon Age: Inquisition and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor — there’s no certainty that gamers will have the cash to spare.
Via: Joystiq
Source: PlayStation Blog
Sony Z Ultra Google Play Edition $200 off right now, get one for $449
It seems there is a hefty debate underway around the web about the future of the Android Silver program that is apparently headed our way. The whole concept is to bring premium flagship handsets (insert HTC, Sony, LG, Samsung) to consumers with a pure Android experience and none of the carrier bloat or OEM bloat (with the exception of certain things that are needed for specific hardware to work ie duo-camera) We have been watching that seemingly unfold when the Galaxy S4, HTC One M7 and Sony Z Ultra made their way to the Play Store in Google Play Editions. The concept is good, but it is being met with push back from Nexus lovers everywhere. If the talks aren’t enough to get the juices flowing though, how about this little gem of information. The Sony Z Ultra Google Play Edition just went on sale.
The Sony Z Ultra GPE, as you can see, is a pure Android powered device that was sitting pretty hefty at $649. Right now it is only $449. Tie that in with the Android Silver program and you could see how this could really work out for us all.
The Z Ultra is a pretty slick little device too. A 6.4-inch 1920 x 1080 full HD screen, all the best of Sony technology, Snapdragon 800 Quad Core processor at 2.2 GHz, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and micro SD card slot. Oh, and it is on Android 4.4, of course.
It certainly seems that if Android Silver is what is to come, that Google has more than enough ability to bring it to consumers the right way. $449 isn’t a bad price at all for an unlocked GPE device with these specs. This could just be a way to clear out inventory and make way for something new too though. Perhaps a Xperia Z2 GPE? In my dreams. Either way, check it out in the Play Store.
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Retro game-inspired short film Pixels to become Adam Sandler feature
The brilliant short film Pixels kinda blew up on the web when it was released in 2010. Four years later, Sony is planning to breathe new life into the homage to old-school gaming by turning it into a feature length Adam Sandler vehicle. The short featured classic game villains like Donkey Kong and Space Invaders wreaking havoc in New York City, eventually turning it and the entire globe into the titular elements of computerized graphics. The feature film will take the basic premise and add what passes for a plot — aliens that resemble said video game characters see the virtual violence committed against them as an act of war. From there it falls to the stars of I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry to defeat the invading hordes. There’s still plenty of time for this potential abomination to get shelved since filming doesn’t even start ’til next month. There is one mystery left to solve, however — with Chris Columbus at the helm, how exactly will Christmas figure into the plot?
Filed under: Internet
Source: Re/code
Watch this: Sony demos two new augmented reality tricks
No, Sony’s not coming out with a new augmented-reality toy just yet, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t working behind the scenes to make its graphics look a little more… believable. The company just posted two videos out of its PlayStation lab in Japan, both of which hint at what it could be like to play future PlayStation Move games. In the first, we see a man holding two three-dimensional boxes, one of them with water inside (Sony’s signature rubber duckie is there too). As he pours the water back and forth from one box to the other, we see the water splash up onto the floor and sloshing back and forth, sometimes even covering the duck. Not “believable,” you say? Check out the second video, which shows someone casting a flashlight on a dinosaur in a darkened room (just go with it, OK), with the shadows changing as the light moves on and off the subject. We’ve embedded both vids below, though you might still want to check out Sony’s PlayStation blog post — there’s reference to some new trading-card recognition feature, though there’s sadly no video demo to go with it.
Via: Push Square
Source: jp.playstation.com, YouTube (1), (2)
Sony Xperia Z2 will be coming to the U.S. but won’t be available from any Carriers
For some people, their next smartphone purchase is going to be Sony’s latest flagship smartphone, the Sony Xperia Z2, however for fans in the U.S., it hasn’t yet been confirmed when the device will become available. Today, we’ve learned that the Sony Xperia Z2 will be coming to the U.S. later this summer, but perhaps most surprisingly the Xperia Z2 won’t be carried by any of America’s networks, not even T-Mobile who exclusively carried the Xperia Z1S. What this means is that the Xperia Z2 will only be available from the Sony online store.
While this situation seems dire (and likely a deal breaker for some), it’s still better than if you wanted to get the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, which Sony has flatly said will not be available at all. The timing, however, is interesting as we have heard from Sony themselves that they are planning to speed up their flagship device cycle meaning the availability of the Xperia Z2 is likely going to be very close to the time the Xperia Z3 becomes available. It’s pretty clear that Sony is not yet focused on making America a prime market for them, instead focussing closer to home in the Asia region, but only time will tell if they bring their devices over to the U.S. in force later on.
What do you think about the availability of the Sony Xperia Z2 in the U.S.? Are you going pick another smartphone based on this news? Let us know what your opinion is in the comments.
Source: engadget via Phone Arena
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Sony’s online store will be the only place to buy its best phone in the US
Sony’s Xperia Z2 may be a big, powerful slab of a phone, but fans in the United States hoping to snag one in-person or with a contract are out of luck… for now, at least. The company just confirmed that neither it nor its tiny cousin the Z1 Compact will make their way to US store shelves “in the near future.” The news comes as sort of bummer considering that Sony’s Z2 has received pretty consistent acclaim so far, but hey — at least Sony isn’t completely full of bad news. An unlocked version of the Z2 will be available in the company’s online store come the summer, though anyone hoping to nab one a pint-sized Z1 (which is no slouch either) will have to ferret out some alternate sources. At least Xperia fans in need of a fix have at least one option: the Xperia Z2 tablet will be available here soon, and it’s easily one of the best 10.1 Android tabs coming to market.
Filed under: Mobile
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