Combining huge screens with usable keyboards in a pocketable package is the challenge phone manufacturers are eternally doomed to try to solve, leading to an endless stream of (mostly comical) patent applications for ridiculous form factors that will never see the light of day. That's where we think -- well, we hope -- Nokia's latest app comes into play, combining a portrait-oriented QWERTY keyboard with a wide display that somehow swivels behind the body of the phone when you only need a little bit of screen real estate. Looks cool on paper, but realistically, we think this thing would be the most unwieldy Frankenstein of a handset since the MPx were it ever to be produced. Tilt-slide on the N97 looks fine, guys. Seriously.
[Via Cellpassion]
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Sony to Close Westmoreland Plant
Sony Electronics employees at its Pittsburgh Technology Center were advised this week that the company will be discontinuing all of its operations at the Westmoreland County facility over the next 16 months, beginning with television manufacturing by the end of February 2009.
The action is one of the first of several plant closings Sony Corporation recently announced that will take place worldwide through March 2010 as part of a global profit recovery plan. A recorded media plant in France will also be closing in this fiscal year. Sony announced on December 9 that 10 percent of its current 57 manufacturing sites will be closed.
First opened in 1990 to produce large rear projection TVs, Sony's facility in Southwestern Pennsylvania currently has about 560 employees, who are primarily involved with flat-panel LCD (liquid crystal display) television production, repair service and logistics.
"The current economic climate was a key factor that led us to make the strategic business decision to streamline our manufacturing operations not only in the U.S. but worldwide," said Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics.
Glasgow noted that Sony's remaining North American television manufacturing centers in Baja, Mexico, will be able to handle anticipated market demand in the region for the foreseeable future.
The company also advised local employees that repair and logistics operations at the Westmoreland facility will wind down by March 2010.
Located about 35 miles east of Pittsburgh, the Sony plant currently assembles 46- and 52-inch Bravia LCD high-definition televisions. There are also television and Blu-ray Disc player repair operations on the site. In addition, the site currently serves as the company's East Coast distribution center for consumer televisions.
It had previously been the home for the production of both Sony rear projection televisions and Trinitron cathode ray tube-based televisions. The production of these models ended in 2007 and 2006, respectively, as the company exited these markets in favor of newer, more efficient and lighter LCD flat-panel, high-definition televisions.
The Sony Technology Center-Pittsburgh (STC-P) was once the world's first vertically integrated television manufacturing plant, using sand from Central Pennsylvania and West Virginia to make television glass at another facility on the site for color picture tubes, and ending with the finished sets produced for shipment throughout the world. The glass was made at the former American Video Glass Company, a joint venture between Sony Electronics and Corning Asahi Video Products in State College, Pa., which has since been closed.
"The dedicated people who have worked here contributed to a legacy of excellence and commitment for which I am grateful," said Chuck Gregory, deputy president of Sony Electronics' Flat Television Operations of the Americas (FTV-A) and president of STC-P. "By the nature of our business, Sony has to be a company of constant advancement and innovation, even in challenging economic times. This means we must adapt to change and make difficult decisions to make way for new successes based on worldwide market dynamics.
Source : http://www.tradingmarkets.com/
The big picture, for big bucks
In this economy, a high-end HDTV might be little more than a pleasant thought or a daydream at the local electronics store. But the holidays could present an opportunity to make your dreams come true.
All three televisions are 1080p resolution, the top standard now for such media as Blu-ray movies. And all three products also are breathtaking to behold.
But some features stood out. The Pioneer Elite was a visual masterpiece, but the BeoLab 10 audio package that came on the Bang and Olufsen BeoVision 4 really took the cake.
While our amateur eyes and ears were dazzled with the Bang and Olufsen, Jared O'Mara of Smarthome and Theater Systems, a leading installer of home theater and audio-visual setups based in Milford, Conn., preferred the Pioneer Elite.
"It's far better than most plasmas out there," he said. "There are few very good sets out there, and a Pioneer is going to look the best no matter what you plug into it."
What about the Sony Bravia XBR? Years ago, audio features were what the Sony XBR line was built on, according to O'Mara. Originally, the Sony "Extended Bass Range" products had better sound, but now that brand has come to signify the general high-end product line from Sony, O'Mara said.
The problem from a professional standpoint is that Sony televisions haven't been able to bust into the super-high-end-audiophile-videophile market, even though people who own Sony products tend to be fiercely loyal. Regardless, the Sony 46" XBR looks sharp, vivid, and clear and it's priced for an entry-level high-end consumer.
Now, the ultimate question for those considering buying HD TVs: LCD or Plasma? Which is better? There's little difference between the two types of flat-panel display anymore, O'Mara said.
"At one time it was size, and there were really no LCDs above 42 inches," he said.
Then came discussions about ambient light - experts said to avoid plasmas in rooms with a lot of windows because of glare from the glass panels on the displays. Now, plasmas tend toward glare-resistant glass, making that less of a worry.
One sticking point remains, O'Mara said. Plasma is better for sports and fast-moving action movies.
"LCDs have slower response times than plasmas - how quickly they can draw the picture on the screen. It takes longer on an LCD," he said.
50" PIONEER ELITE KURO
$4,500
Pros: It has a crisp, clear, beautiful display, a real delight.
Cons: Price is a worry in a recession.
The final word: Our pro says it's the best.
65" BANG AND OLUFSEN BEOVISION 4
$18,000
Pros: It looks great. It sounds great.
Cons: Bang and Olufsen is the brand you saw in Bruce Wayne's apartment in "Dark Knight." He can afford it.
The final word: We were really impressed with the audio/visual experience on the Bang and Olufsen. If you already have a top-of-the-line audio system, you can get just the monitor, without the audio, for $13,500.
46" SONY BRAVIA XBR 6 AT $2,800
Pros: Price is the pro here. A normal person might be able to throw this on a credit card or save up for HD glory.
Cons: It was the smallest television we tested. They do make a 52-inch if you're feeing saucy.
The final word: If we had a few grand lying around, we'd buy it.
Source : http://www.boston.com/
Editorial: Sony Didn't Intend PS3 To Succeed As A Console
Everyone was probably glad to know that the PS3 managed to sell more than a 150k during November. And while many Sony fans would see the glass half full, analysts and skeptics would see the glass half-empty, considering that the PS3 and PS2 combined didn't come close to the Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii's numbers. However, selling a console during this generation wasn't Sony's priority for the PS3 to begin with. Good numbers or not, Sony already accomplished what they wanted from their third-generation console.
It all started back in E3 2005 with an article on IGN comparing Sony's and Microsoft's console specs. A lot of people are going to say "But the specs have changed since then." However, it's not the specs that gave away the PS3's general purpose, it was the intention of the specs. The one comment that stands out above them all in the article is the one that pinpoints what the PS3 has displayed in realtime gameplay (at present) and for what Sony was really using the PS3 for, as the comments states: "Sony's CPU is ideal for an environment where 12.5% of the work is general-purpose computing and 87.5% of the work is DSP calculations. That sort of mix makes sense for video playback or networked waveform analysis, but not for games."
That comment has stuck with me for the past three years, and with good reason. Now I'm sure techies will break down the PS3 specs to justify it as a more suitable gaming platform than the Xbox 360, but the fact of the matter remains: Developers needed multithreaded middleware just to keep the framerate stable when developing high-end games on the PS3. However, there was nothing needed for optimized video playback for high-definition optical media, specifically, Blu-ray media.
It all comes full-circle, and the facts are these: Even if the PS3 is Sony's last console Sony still wins. Whether the PS3 turns a profit or tanks, Sony still wins. For those of who you don't know what I'm talking about, simply understand that Sony, as an electronic giant, simply needs to survive the economic ebb to reap the benefits of what the PlayStation 3 established for the company. That establishment happens to be the Blu-ray format. The company didn't intend for the PS3 to succeed as the next big console, so much as they intended it to push their new format through the door, successfully. And it did.
Unless another form of high-def optical media emerges within the next two years, Sony will control the high-definition era of optical media for visual entertainment. Anyone who wants to see high-def movies, guess what format you're going to have to go with? Anyone who wants to burn high-def media, guess what format has to be used? If Microsoft wants the Xbox 360 to play anything other than DVD9 material, guess what format they're going to have to use? Sony didn't need the PS3 to just win over gamers, they just needed a vessel to carry over a new format that they would own. Something that Sony's BetaMax and their UMD failed to do in the past.
While Nintendo may control the console gaming market, and Microsoft has a stranglehold on the hardcore gaming arena, Sony will own all with Blu-ray. Even Microsoft and Nintendo will have to bow to Sony if they plan to use the formats for their current or future consoles. The only thing gamers can hope for is that Sony doesn't abandon the PS3 too soon (since they have no need for it anymore), or otherwise the entire gaming community will be stuck with Wii shovelware and Halo spin-offs for the rest of this gaming generation.
Source : http://www.cinemablend.com/
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