Chipbit ®

A bit of Everything

Sony Corp said it cut the price of its older video game console, the PlayStation 2, by 23 percent to $99.99, effective April 1.

The price cut could sustain the life of the PS2, which has sold more than 136 million units since its debut in 2000, making it the world’s popular gaming system, Sony said on Tuesday. The news follows recent rumors on video gaming websites and blogs about the possibility that Sony might cut the price of the PlayStation 3, its more powerful console.
The PS3′s least expensive model sells for about $400. Sony dominated the global video game industry for a decade starting in the mid-1990s, but sales of the PS3 have lagged behind those of Nintendo Co Ltd’s Wii console and Microsoft Corp’s Xbox 360.

As usual Sony Ericsson is out with another smashing looking handset in the W750 Walkman Series handset. But all that glitters is not gold, at least not necessarily. So without further ado, here’s the W705 and my opinion on the same.
Form Factor
It’s a well crafted handset, that’s the first thing I thought when I laid eyes on it. The 2.4-inch display sports a 240 x 320 pixel resolution with 256k colors. It’s bright and clear enough to view in all lighting conditions. The navigation system (5 way nav-pad), shortcut keys and all other points of access are nothing new if you’re an existing SE handset user. The slider was not as smooth as I hoped though. It’s a bit jerky and there’s no grip to slide it up easily. The keypad is large and comfortable to use. On one side are the volume/zoom keys that are located above the camera button.

Sony Ericsson’s universal proprietary port is located on the other side. Thankfully, they’ve included their new charging cable that has a built-in socket for the handsfree so you can listen to your audio while charging. The handsfree has an adapter so you’re free to use any set of earphones of your personal preference. The bundled in-ear earphones were pleasantly comfortable to wear. A small Walkman button is located on the top of the device and can be used to activate the player as well as for the Shake-Control feature for changing tracks.

What really irked me initially is the fact that the W705’s M2 card slot is located under the rear panel. Although you don’t need to remove the battery to access it, I simply don’t see why it couldn’t have a removable panel on the outside. But SE has graciously provided a 4GB card with the package so removing the card itself for anything is redundant. The only problem is when transferring files to the handset via USB in Mass Storage mode, the handset goes into offline mode. In this case you can select Media transfer and the handset can be used as an MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) device.

Which brings me to the panel itself. It has a very neat lock switch at the bottom that ensures it stays in place even if the handset is the receiver of a harsh jolt for whatever reason. The 3 megapixel camera is located at the rear and a secondary camera is placed in front near the earpiece.
Despite of the slider being a bit sluggish and the absence of an external hot-swap slot, the W705 is a stylish and funky looking handset.
Features and Performance
Interface
Nothing new here at all. I still got annoyed with SE’s attempt at a flashy animated menu that drains the handset’s battery and is not as fluid as the normal one with stationary icons. If you’re in agreement, I suggest you just download a few simpler themes. A couple of good sites are – Mobile9 and Zedge.net. The accelerometer may not be to fluid either but it is very responsive for all menus that it’s coupled with like the media interface, which is also the same with no visible changes incorporated. The new messaging interface actually looks like a chat application which is pretty neat and well arranged.

Full Post

link

Sony Ericsson jumped the gun on its competition at Mobile World Congress this year by announcing the world’s first 12MP cameraphone, as well as a new Entertainment Unlimited service.

The Idou, which is currently only a concept but will launch in the second half of 2009 features a 12.1MP sensor, a large 3.5-inch touchscreen with ‘intuitive touch features’ according to Sony Ericsson and a 16:9 widescreen screen ratio.

The Idou will also launch a new interface for Sony Ericsson, based on the work from the Symbian Foundation, so all those who have loved SE’s interface for all these years will possibly weep (though the rest of us will cheer).

United we stand

Sony Ericsson also unveiled Entertainment Unlimited, which it said will be “Uniting best in class entertainment experiences into one offering such as the Walkman music experience, the Cyber-shot imaging experience, Java gaming and messaging integrated with services and applications.”

full post

Sony has unleashed a new range of headphones, comprising of five new models. These are designed for listeners who like their bass heavy. The Sony XB Series – the XB standing for “extra bass” – consists of three circumaural style headphones and two in-ear style, with brushed metal accents and exclusive Bass drivers.

The five-model XB range is headed by the closed-type MDR-XB700, with extra-large 50mm dome-type drivers, “king sized” synthetic leather ear cushions and an extra-wide headband to spread out weight. The MDR-XB700, MDR-XB500, MDR-XB300 are wide headband headphones, while the MDR-XB40EX and MDR-XB20EX are in-ear headphones. These latter in-ear models claim to deliver good bass due to ‘direct vibe’ acoustic design that minimizes sound spillage. The vertical driver orientation (with MDR-XB40EX only) claims to deliver extended bass without compromising listening comfort.
The Sony XB Series headphones will go on sale from March 2009. Sony is yet to reveal pricing for the range.