Sony denies report that its mobile division is on the market
It’s no secret that Sony’s mobile division has struggled worldwide. The company just can’t gain traction in any market despite being a well-known brand in other industries. In fact, Sony barely gives any attention to the United States, recently canceling plans to launch the Xperia Z4v with Verizon. The only thing that seems to help Sony’s mobile division is the development of image sensors. Sony actually purchased SoftKinetic Systems in an effort to bolster this business. But image sensors may not be enough to keep Sony-made devices from disappearing. A report this week claimed what we heard months ago: Sony’s mobile division could be on the market.
Sony, though, has apparently refuted the newest report that its mobile division is going to be sold.
Multiple media outlets in China are saying that Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai is committed to making the company’s mobile division work. Sony allegedly believes that distributing content on handsets after the time of purchase is a savory opportunity that can generate revenue. But Sony has basically been doing that for years, giving Xperia device owners access to content from Sony Pictures.
We would like to remind you to take this information with a grain of salt as any official statements from Sony have not been identified. So these media outlets in China, which is not even where Sony’s headquarters is located, might be fabricating reports.
Source: cnBeta
Via: G for Games
Come comment on this article: Sony denies report that its mobile division is on the market
PlayStation Now’s subscription option hits the UK for £13 per month
PlayStation Now still hasn’t managed to shake its open beta label in the UK, but today it’s moved into what could be its final phase, with Sony adding a new subscription payment option for its game streaming service. Previously, early adopters were only able to rent titles for two- or 30-day periods at a cost of between £3 and £10, depending on the game. As of now, though, you can sign-up to an all-you-can-play subscription for £13 per month, which could be right up your street should you have an appetite to explore the whole library. The subscription model was an inevitable addition that’s been available since the start of the year in the US, where you can also make a longer-term commitment to get a slightly discounted rate. Now that the subscription model has come to the UK, interested users can also opt-in to a seven-day free trial to see what all the fuss is about, provided they own a PS3, PS4 or compatible Sony Bravia TV or Blu-ray player.
Via: VideoGamer
Source: Sony
Sony updates TrackID with new lyric search functionality
Sony has just updated its TrackID application to build number 4.3.B.1.3 in the Play Store. This upgrade brings a plethora of new functionality to the service, including the ability to re-write the history module and search the Internet for lyrics. There are also a multitude of bug fixes and stability improvements baked into the update, too.
To install the upgrade, simply open up the Play Store, toggle the hamburger menu by swiping in from the left-hand side of the screen, select ‘My Apps’ and click on ‘TrackID’, then hit the update button. Alternatively, you can hit the link below to initiate the download on your smartphone from the Web.
Come comment on this article: Sony updates TrackID with new lyric search functionality
The PS4 universal remote hits stores later this month
Sony America announced on Thursday that the wait for its PS4 universal remote is nearly over. The much-anticipated accessory is set to go on sale for $30 “later this month,” according to a company post. The remote will serve to replace the DualShock controller for non-gaming applications. It will communicate via a Bluetooth connection and be able to control up to three additional AV devices. What’s more, it will also be compatible with a number of existing streaming apps including Crunchyroll, HBO Go, Netflix (obvs), Twitch and YouTube. If you can’t wait to purchase it in person when it actually hits store shelves, Amazon, Best Buy, Gamestop and Toys R Us all have it available for pre-order.
Source: Sony Playstation Blog
Playdate: Revisiting ‘Uncharted’ in ‘The Nathan Drake Collection’
PlayStation doesn’t have an official mascot character, but if it did, developer Naughty Dog’s Nathan Drake would probably fit the bill. Much like Microsoft did last year with Halo: The Master Chief Collection to get fans ready for Halo 5: Guardians on Xbox One, Sony’s gone back and revamped the three main Uncharted games and put them into Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection to prep folks for next spring’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End on PlayStation 4. How do the eight, six and four year old games hold up? And was the remastering really necessary? Tune in on this post, Twitch.tv/joystiq (if you’d like to join us in chat) or the Engadget Gaming homepage at 6pm Eastern / 3pm Pacific as myself and Sean Buckley find out.
http://www.twitch.tv/joystiq/embedWatch live video from Joystiq on www.twitch.tv
[We’re streaming Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection at 720p through OBS, so rest assured it’s going to look dramatically better on your PS4 at home.]
Sony bolsters its growing image sensor business by acquiring Softkinetic Systems
Sony may be considering the future of its mobile division, according the latest reports, but it’s image sensor business is a rising star, generating much-needed profits. It’s doing so well, that its even helping to cover Sony’s losses in its mobile and television divisions. It should come as no surprise then that the Japanese company is bolstering its image sensor business with the purchase of Belgian image sensor technology company, Softkinetic Systems.
Buying Softkinetic Systems will allow Sony to tap into the company’s ‘time of flight‘ technology, which measures the time it takes for light to bounce off an object before returning to the image sensor. Think of it as something akin to the Xbox Kinect system and you won’t be far off, in that it distinguishes human shapes and movements.
The news comes after Sony most recently announced an Android 6.0 beta test for Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact owners, a list of devices slated to receive the Marshmallow update and the Xperia Z5 range of smartphones.
Source: Reuters
Come comment on this article: Sony bolsters its growing image sensor business by acquiring Softkinetic Systems
Sony buys a company that makes Kinect-like depth sensors
Sony has purchased SoftKinetic, a Belgian startup that’s most famous for creating image sensors that can digitally capture objects in 3D. The firm specializes in time of flight, a camera technology that you’ll be familiar with if you’ve ever used the Xbox’s Kinect camera. If you’ve got long memory, you’ll recall that SoftKinetic provided the necessary technology to make Just Dance work on the PlayStation, as well as 3D scanners for MakerBot. Now, it’s going to become a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate, giving the firm a useful knowledge boost in an area that’s growing increasingly important. After all, since Sony is developing PlayStation VR, smart glasses and produces the camera sensors for much of the mobile industry, that know-how is likely to be in plenty of products in the not-too-distant future.
Via: Re/code
Source: Sony
Can you brag about a dolphin saving your phone? This Miami Heat cheerleader can!
I definitely say dunking your hand into the toilet to retrieve a smartphone is a much more exciting feat, but I guess getting some help from a dolphin is pretty cool too! This is exactly what happened to Miami Heat cheerleader Teressa Cee.
After taking a trip to the Bahamas to “swim & shake” with dolphins, Cee’s phone managed to end up deep inside the dolphins’ residence (inside the water). The trainer then asked the dolphin to retrieve it, a request to which Cacique (the dolphin) was happy to oblige.
Truly, it’s fascinating to see, but a geek will do much more than just witness the beauty that these creatures are. Did you notice that was an iPhone? It surely didn’t survive the few seconds underwater! Even Teressa said: “Oh my god! So cute… thanks! It’s never gonna work again, but thanks!”.
Sure enough, the phone seems to have been deemed unusable, something that wouldn’t be the case if she had one of those awesome waterproof phones we find more often in the Android side of things. Someone has to go tell this girl about them Sony Xperia smartphones! Especially if she will continue playing around in the water. And seeing that these are Miami Heat cheerleaders we are talking about, this is very likely.
Here are some devices that are waterproof:
- Sony Xperia Z5
- Sony Xperia Z4
- Sony Xperia Z3+
- Kyocera Hydro Elite
- HTC Desire Eye
- Samsung Galaxy S5
- Samsung Galaxy S6 Active
And just in case you are curious, here is a video of everything that went on during this trip to the Bahamas!
PlayStation 4 drops to $350 in the US
Sony is cutting the base price of its PlayStation 4 from $399.99 to $349.99 including a game. The drop has been heavily rumored following a similar cut in Japan last month. The new prices come into force tomorrow with the release of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, as you’ll be able to pick up a PS4 bundled with the game. Following that, the next scheduled $349.99 bundle drops in mid-November with Star Wars Battlefront. The cut also applies in Canada with prices starting from CAD429.99, as the chart below illustrates.
Here’s a cheat sheet for the new PS4 prices in the North America starting tomorrow 😀 http://t.co/lNEeKf8eOB pic.twitter.com/5y0kGtNibn
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) October 8, 2015
Source: Sony
Sony’s working on a stability update for the Xperia E4 and E4 Dual
If you’re the proud owner of either an Xperia E4 or E4 Dual, you may want to pin your ears back as we have some pretty exciting news to impart to you. Sony is in the final stages of testing a long-awaited stability update for the handset, which should start rolling out later this month.
Sadly, we don’t have a comprehensive changelog for the upgrade, but it should include a fix for the overheating issue many customers have been complaining about recently and a patch for the ever-so-scary Stagefright security vulnerability.
Stay tuned for more information.
Source: Xperia Blog
Come comment on this article: Sony’s working on a stability update for the Xperia E4 and E4 Dual
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