Sony RX100M3 Pictures, Specs & Pricing Leaked
Awhile back, there were rumors that surfaced of Sony working on the Sony RX100M3 after a manual of the camera was leaked. That rumor ended up have some truth to it, and now we get some more rumors involving the RX100M3. According to Sony Alpha Rumors, someone at a Sony store in Canada leaked photos, specs, and the price of the anticipated RX100M3, claiming that it would be released sometime this week; however, they have since been taken down from the site. Some of the specs that were leaked stated that the new Sony camera would come equipped with a 20-7mm f/1.8-2.8 lens with a 0.39-inch 1.44M dot pop up OLED electronic viewfinder, a Bionz X processor, and more for about $900. We'll see what'll happen with the announcement and whether or not Sony provides any official news regarding the M3. Until then check out some of the images here.
[Via SAR]
Sony's Developing a 185 TB Cassette Tape
Header image via 8lacknightshade's DeviantArt
Cassettes used to rule the world. If you're older than 25, chances are your first experience with music not on the radio came from a cassette tape. I know people from my generation perfected the art of the mixtape, painstakingly crafting the perfect double-sided tape to express our love to all of the cute girls of the world. With the advent of the CD and MP3 in following years, cassettes died a quick, fiery death. While it's not uncommon to catch indie bands pressing music on to cassettes these days, the format carries nothing more than a kitsch aesthetic for those that want to make their lives extra analog.
However, the cassette tape is about to find a second chance at life thanks to Sony and IBM, but not in the way most of us may remember it. Last week, Sony announced their development of a cassette tape that can hold up to 185 terabytes of data. 185 TERABYTES. To give you perspective, that's 3,700 Blu-rays' worth of data, with each square inch of tape able to hold 148 GB. The development of the "super" cassette tape bucks the cloud trend, allowing Sony to create a tangible product that can store a plethora of data for tech companies looking for some serious backup storage.
While Sony has plans to release their new cassette tape commercially, it won't attract everyday users as they're not intended to store playback files like games, music, and video. Rather, as I mentioned previously, they'll be targeting tech companies looking for industrial-strength means of storage. Don't call it a comeback, kids.
[via Consequence of Sound]
Sony's New Alpha A7s Full Frame, Mirror-less Camera
Photo by Mashable
Recently, Sony announced they would be releasing a new full frame, mirror-less camera to go alongside its Alpha A7 camera. This time, Sony is directing its attention to the videographers of the world with a camera that shoots full 4k video with a maximum ISO of 409,600. It is essentially like its predecessors, the A7 and A7r, but it's intended to shoot very well in low light which Sony achieved by lowering the camera's megapixels to 12.2. This basically means it can shoot in almost complete darkness, making it an attractive option for those who shoot in low light situations. As of right now, there is no word on what the pricing will be for the A7s, but it should fall along the lines os other full frame mirror-less cameras on the market. The new A7s looks like a very solid camera and can be useful for many photographers and videographers out there. Recently, the people over at The Phoblographer were able to check out a pre-production model, which you can check out here.
[Via The Phoblographer]
Rumors of a New Sony RX100M3 Camera Have Leaked
Previously known as the RX200, the Sony RX100 Mark III is in fact being worked on by Sony after the user manual for the product was leaked. It looks like Sony will be adding another addition to its compact lineup which, according to sources, could arrive as early as this week. The new camera will come equipped with a new 28-100mm f/1.8-2.8 lens that will give users the ability to shoot some wide angle shots with a little bit of zoom that will work well in low light conditions. It is also being said that the new camera will come with a pop-up viewfinder for those that would rather shoot through a viewfinder as opposed to an LCD screen. As of right now, these are all rumors with nothing else being revealed at this time by Sony, so we'll have to wait and see what happens..
[Via Sony Alpha Rumors]
PlayStation Now to stream old PlayStation games to PS4, PS Vita
When Sony bought Gakai back in the summer of 2011, it was always assumed that they would use the cloud service to stream PS3 games for the upcoming PlayStation 4. Today, the Japanese company confirmed their plans with their announcement of PlayStation Now. Currently, PS3 games are confirmed to be a part of the service, allowing PS4 owners to stream PS3 games to the PS3, PS4, PS Vita, and select Bravia TVs with additional devices planned for the future. PS2 and PS1 games are also rumored to be available through PlayStation Now, although the official press release hasn't addressed their availability. A beta run for the service is set to begin at the end of the month with a roll out scheduled for the summer.
There are no details as to how the service will function, but Sony has noted that a subscription plan is in the works for gamers to choose from an assortment of games, as well as the ability to stream individual titles. There's no word on whether or not gamers who already own copies of the game will have access to them or have to pay a fee (much like the PS3 to PS4 upgrade service). One thing's for sure: it won't be long before us PS4 owners can get rid of our PS3s collecting dust.
[via PlayStation Blog]
DigitalRev Reviews The Innovative Sony QX100 Lens Camera
When I first learned about the Sony QX100 lens camera, I was really interested in checking it out. It was being branded by Sony as the new photography gadget to have because it boasted a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens with a 3.6x optical zoom that attached to your smart phone. The only camera I have on me all the time is my iPhone, so when I heard I could enhance the quality of my photos, I wanted to see what this lens camera was all about. The guys over at DigitalRev have released a video reviewing the Sony QX100, giving me second thoughts about this so-called innovative lens camera. Check out the video and see all the pros and cons of this new product by Sony.
http://youtu.be/H3jgKD2ascc
[Via Hypebeast]
Lauryn Hill: "Consumerism"
Lauryn Hill gets out of jail tomorrow in Danbury, Connecticut after spending the past three months there for tax evasion charges. The song is one of the first from Hill in years and comes on the heels of a Sony deal she signed to help ease the fines associated with the tax evasion charges. If anything, it seems as though she has packed all those years of empty releases into on 4:50 song, rapping so much it's sometimes hard to tell there is indeed a beat behind her. Hill released a statement with the track:
"'Consumerism' is part of some material I was trying to finish before I had to come in. We did our best to eek out a mix via verbal and emailed direction, thanks to the crew of surrogate ears on the other side. Letters From Exile is material written from a certain space, in a certain place. I felt the need to discuss the underlying socio-political, cultural paradigm as I saw it. I haven't been able to watch the news too much recently, so I'm not hip on everything going on. But inspiration of this sort is a kind of news in and of itself, and often times contains an urgency that precedes what happens. I couldn't imagine it not being relevant. Messages like these I imagine find their audience, or their audience finds them, like water seeking it's level." -- Lauryn Hill
Sony Contemplates Selling Its Entertainment Divisions
During my high school days, Walkmans were still the go-to portable music devices amongst my peers. Just around the time Apple released its first iPods, and before the entire music industry was revolutionized with the focus towards digital releases, CDs were the norm, with Sony being the biggest name in the game with its huge selection of CD, tape, and portable radio players. Of course, a lot has changed over the past decade, with most high school kids probably unfamiliar with the "Walkman" brand. Even outside of music devices, Sony's reputation as the top dog in consumer electronics has dropped a bit with other companies like Samsung and Microsoft rising up to take a chunk out of Sony's hold on the electronics industry.
Nowadays, Sony's largest earnings come from its various entertainment divisions, including Sony Pictures Entertainment (film and TV) and Sony Music Entertainment (self-explanatory). Last week, Daniel Loeb, chief executive of the hedge fund The Third Point that owns the largest stake in Sony at 6.5%, suggested that Sony sell a portion of its Entertainment holdings in order to amass larger profits from the divisions. Loeb's proposed idea would involve Sony selling a 15-20% stake in its Entertainment divisions to existing shareholders, allowing Sony to focus on its electronics division, which includes the aforementioned Walkman line of products. The proposal, Loeb predicts, would result in a 60% boost in share value.
Of course, Sony is reluctant to sell off portions of its most profitable divisions, especially considering Sony Pictures' stance as one of the top TV/film production/distribution studios with franchises like Ghostbusters and Spider-Man, as well as various franchises under Sony Pictures-owned Columbia Pictures (Skyfall, Men in Black, etc). Sony Music, meanwhile, is Bruce Springsteen's label, whereas Sony/ATV Music Publishing holds the rights to The Beatles' and Michael Jackson's catalog along with the Jackson estate.
A board meeting has been scheduled to discuss Loeb's proposal which will determine Sony's official decision on the matter. For now, this is an interesting development that could shape the future of Sony and its various divisions.
[via Bloomberg, via The Verge, via New York Times]