It used to be that the Sony VAIO line of laptops was considered worthy of lust. That was before Ultrabooks, and it was before other manufacturers started catching up in terms of design and performance. Now it’s just a nice laptop, but not one deserving of premium prices. Good thing too, then, that it’s seeing a $125 price drop to end at $725. For that amount, you get a Core i5-3210M 2.5GHz Dual-core processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB Hard Drive.
[ $125 Off On Sony VAIO S ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]
Point-and-shoot cameras still got game. They live in the area between the convenience and portability of mobile cams, and the quality and bulk of dSLRs. And the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 brings quite a few nice features to the game, which make it all the more appealing at the $288 price point, which is where it’s at today after a $62 rebate. Aside from a 16.2 MP Exempr R CMOS sensor, the camera is waterproof and “3D still image and Sweep Panorama, Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode, full HD 1080/60i, Picture Effect and more.”
[ $62 Odd On Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20 ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]
The following article is sponsored. -Ed.
Usually when buying a smartphone it makes sense to aim for one of the established manufacturers. After all, with a few notable exceptions, they are the ones who have the necessary funding to spend on research and development – the most crucial element when sculpting a smartphone from a mere also-ran to a real technological marvel. However, the competition in this field is intense. Here’s a quick assessment of where your money might be best directed.
Sony Xperia S
In the nineties and early noughties Sony Ericsson was seen as the most likely manufacturer to topple Nokia from its perch of domination. How times have changed: neither Nokia nor Sony (as it is now having divorced Ericsson) could be deemed the champ. However Sony is clearly not prepared to accept this state of affairs, and has come up with the Xperia S as their latest ruse to enter and dominate the smartphone market. Its biggest selling point, at least in Sony’s eyes, is the prevalence of HD technology. Whether you’re taking photos or capturing video.
Using the same Bravia engine that fires their award-winning range of TVs Sony is clearly hoping for the Xperia S to be taken not simply as a smartphone, but a potential option for budding moviemakers. This is not to say it doesn’t have the tech-specs you’d expect from this kind of product. Using an internal flash-memory system, it packs a 32GB punch, as well as a 1.5 GHZ processor. But the real gem of the Xperia S, it’s worth emphasising, is the camera. The iPhone 4S has 8 Megapixels as does the Samsung Galaxy III. The Xperia S has 12.1 Megapixels! If what really matters is the quality of image you’re going to be taking or capturing and sharing with your circle, this will be one of the most popular mobile phones.
If you don’t have any specific need for a dSLR, why spend the extra money? Sure, they take nice shots, but they’re bulky and hard to pull out of a pocket in a couple of seconds. Not to mention today’s point-and-shoots are getting to be pretty decent. The Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V is an 18.2MP with a bunch of features like 3-way stabilization, Full HD 1080p recording, WiFi sharing, and 20X optical zoom. Normally retailing for $419, after today’s deal you’ll only pay $359. What’s more, they’ll throw in an 8GB SD card.
[ $60 Off On Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]
By David Ponce
It looks like motion control is for console gaming what 3D is for flat screen TV vendors; everyone is telling us it’s great and the market seems to respond with a big “meh.” Be that as it may, some of you may actually be into this stuff and might enjoy this new announcement from Sony at E3. They’re releasing the PlayStation Move Racing Wheel which would cradle your PS Move controller and let you enjoy racing games in a more natural manner. It even has fold out grips so that a car racing game can easily be traded with a bike racing game using the same controller. There are paddle shifters and twist throttle controls so it’s not just a simple and dumb plastic cradle.
It’s $40 and will be available this fall.
[ Product Page ] VIA [ Engadget ]
By David Ponce
Some of you may remember that I picked up guitar a few months ago. I started right off with Rocksmith and can say that if you want to get yourself playing some music right away, it’s a great way to do it. Sure, you won’t get much by way of fundamentals and playing things like this for a long period of time might make things worse in the long run by making you sidestep elemental music theory. But then again, The Beatles couldn’t even read sheet music, so maybe you don’t need it. What’s certain is that the game does get you running your fingers up and down the fretboard and makes you more comfortable around a guitar quickly.
Usually it’s $80 but with today’s deal, the PS3 version sees a $30 slash.
[ LogicBuy ]
By David Ponce
So I don’t get just one top deal anymore. I’m getting these long lists now, and I have to pick apparently. So for a change, here’s a game. It’s the PlayStation Move GoldenEye Reloaded Bundle that usually sells for $149 and now it’s $70 off so you’ll end up paying $79. Reviewers on Best Buy’s site seem to like this game, so why not go for it? The deal is good until February 7.
[ Save $70 On PlayStation Move GoldenEye Reloaded Bundle ] VIA [ LogicBuy ]
By David Ponce
While it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, we find it frustrating to discover that Sony will likely be selling overpriced, proprietary and (worst of all) sometimes required memory cards with the upcoming PS Vita. Prices will range from $30 for a 4GB card, all the way up to $120 for the 32GB version. Bad as this is on its own, 7 of the 21 launch titles (in Japan) will not work at all without one of the memory cards. A standard 32GB SD card costs somewhere in the $40 to $60 range. Prospective owners of the PS Vita are going to get gouged, once again.
This is nothing new, as anyone who’s been watching Sony over the last few decades well knows. From the failed Betamax, to MiniDiscs to freaking MemorySticks, Sony always goes its own ways and follows no standards. While there was a time when they could almost get away with it, the consumer electronics landscape is changing and we look forward to the day when these clearly abusive and arrogant tactics come back to bite them in the ass.
The PS Vita launches December 17 in Japan, and February 2012 in the US.
[ Product Page ] VIA [ Geek.com ]
By David Ponce
The things that marketing executives come up with sometimes baffles the mind. In the latest case of creativity gone wild, one of Sony’s agencies (or perhaps Sony’s own marketing arm, we’re not sure) has devised a peculiar promotion for the game Uncharted 3. Since the game revolves around a ring, Sony’s put up a website called “Grab The Ring to promote the game and give out prizes, including a $10,000 grand prize. This is how it works: you activate your webcam and extend your arm into a particular zone of the screen, as if holding out your hand to “grab the ring.” You then… hold on to it for as long as you can. The longer you hold it, the more stuff you win, which includes an in-game T-Shirt after 15 seconds up to a mystery weapon after 2 hours. But it’s not just in-game rewards, as each day the person who holds on the longest will win $500. And at the end of the 2 week promotion period, whoever held on the longest gets to take home $10,000. As of this writing, the time to beat is 6:01:36.
Now… here’s a tip, folks. It turns out that you don’t really need bionic muscles. If you read the FAQ, you find out that it’s ok to prop up your arm. As long as you’re sitting in front of that webcam and that it’s actually your own arm (and not a rubber dummy), you can rack up the hours. So go ahead and take a day off work, because $10,000 are up for grabs! The contest ends November 14, 2011.
[ Grab The Ring ] VIA [ Geek.com ]
