Sony

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Sony Unveils Smaller, Cheaper PlayStation 3

(Newser) - Sony cut the price of its PlayStation 3 by $100 today and introduced a sleeker but more powerful model, reports CNET. The PS3 Slim will sell for $299 when it's available Sept. 1. The new model is 33% smaller and much lighter, though it has a 120GB hard drive, up...

In-the-Red Sony Delays Superflat TV

(Newser) - Sony will delay production of its next-generation ultrathin television as the struggling electronics giant seeks to avoid further losses, reports the Wall Street Journal. The organic light emitting diode, or OLED, television was to succeed a three-millimeter-thick model released in late 2007, but will be held back until at least...

Studios Sweating August Releases

(Newser) - Studios used to spending August releasing movies from slightly out in left field, free from the pressure of early summer blockbusters, are finding this year more stressful than usual, the New York Times reports. A soft four weeks has put releases such as Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds under pressure to...

Sony Challenges Kindle With $199 E-Reader

Company angles for bigger share of fast-growing market

(Newser) - Sony plans to fire up competition in the E-reader market with a pair of affordable releases next month, Bloomberg reports. The Sony Reader Pocket Edition, with a 5-inch screen, will be priced at $199. A touch-screen version will sell for $299. Amazon dropped the price of its Kindles to $299...

Soderbergh's Fault We Canceled Moneyball: Studio Exec

New script turned movie from feature film into 'dramatic recreation'

(Newser) - Since Sony pulled the plug on Steven Soderbergh’s $58 million Moneyball with only 5 days until shooting, the question has persisted: What would cause a studio to shut down a Brad Pitt vehicle it’s already sunk $10 million into? Sony co-chair Amy Pascal finally addresses that question, telling...

Walkman Turns 30; Sony Isn't Celebrating

(Newser) - The Walkman turns 30 today, but Sony isn’t exactly celebrating, writes Peter Kafka of All Things Digital. Apart from a special exhibit at Sony’s archive in Tokyo—which seems more like a funeral than a birthday party—Sony’s letting the milestone pass quietly. The device has been...

Back to the Stone Age: Teen Trades iPod for Walkman

Teen trades his Apple for a Sony for 1 week

(Newser) - In honor of the debut 30 years ago this week of the Sony Walkman, 13-year old Scott Campbell tried using the device for a week in place of his iPod. Campbell found the gadget took some getting used to, he writes for the BBC: “It took me three days...

Jackson Finance Mess Will Take Years to Untangle

Singer left behind perplexing jumble of assets and debts

(Newser) - Michael Jackson's death has left Sony execs groaning over the jumbled state of the singer's finances, the New York Times reports. Jackson was a shrewd investor and negotiator but was prone to wild spending sprees, according to some of the many financial advisers he hired and fired. Sorting out the...

Sony Armageddon Hoax in Crashing Bad Taste

World will end in 2012: Sony site

(Newser) - The latest Armageddon hoax has a marketing spin that LiveScience's Robert Roy Britt describes as a "sick twist." Sony Pictures went to elaborate lengths to disguise its movie plug on the "Institute for Human Continuity" website, which warns of "cataclysmic events that will devastate our planet"...

Jay-Z Close to Sony Deal— or Maybe Warner

Conflicting reports leave it unclear where former Def Jam artist will move

(Newser) - Following his departure from Def Jam, Jay-Z is close to making a deal with a new label—the question is, which one? Sources tell Billboard a deal with Sony’s Epic Records “is 95% complete,” while the New York Daily News reports a deal with Warner Music Group/Atlantic...

Terrorism? Nah: French Love Kidnapping Bosses

Laborers 'sequester' Sony chief to get better pay

(Newser) - One country’s act of industrial terror is another’s negotiation tactic, the Independent reports. Disgruntled Sony workers in France weren’t shy about locking their bosses inside a factory overnight with trunks and tree branches, demanding better severance packages after job cuts were announced. Police didn’t interfere with...

Fired French Sony Workers Free CEO Hostage

Boss's visit to videotape plant lasts through the night

(Newser) - The CEO of the French arm of Sony was held hostage overnight by laid-off employees at a videotape plant being shut down, the Guardian reports. He was released this morning on the condition that he go directly to talks with trade unionists, who are upset at the size of their...

Gamers, Beware This Skin Disorder

Console controller linked to painful hand sores

(Newser) - Dedicated gamers beware—researchers have identified a skin disorder just for you, the BBC reports. “PlayStation palmar hidradenitis” is characterized by painful lumpy sores on the palms. British researchers think it's caused by gripping the controller tightly with sweaty hands for extended periods. Good news, though: Symptoms appear to...

'Gorgeous' Vaio P Frustrates
 'Gorgeous' Vaio P Frustrates 
PRODUCT REVIEW

'Gorgeous' Vaio P Frustrates

Sony's tiny new laptop is slow and has woeful battery life

(Newser) - Sony’s new netbook, the Vaio P, is about the size of "one of those plastic folders waiters use to bring you the check at a restaurant," but the pricey gadget is "very slow and has poor battery life," writes Wall Street Journal tech maven Walter...

Panasonic Cuts 15,000 Jobs
 Panasonic Cuts 15,000 Jobs 

Panasonic Cuts 15,000 Jobs

Company cuts 15,000 jobs, closes 27 plants as it restructures

(Newser) - A strong yen and softening consumer demand is prompting Panasonic to cut 15,000 jobs, close 27 plants, and restructure as it struggles to withstand burgeoning losses, reports the Wall Street Journal. The electronics company last quarter posted a $707.2 million net loss, and experts expect the downward trend...

Sony's Profit Off 95% in Q4
Sony's Profit
Off 95% in Q4

Sony's Profit Off 95% in Q4

Company blames slow economy, strong yen for 25% sales slump across the board

(Newser) - Slumping demand, a strong yen, and increased competition knocked Sony’s third-quarter profits off 95% from a year ago, reports CNN. Sony reported profits of $110 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, down from $2.2 billion a year ago. Sony’s gaming segment was hit especially hard, with...

Sony Swings to First Annual Loss in 14 Years

Global downturn, strong yen reverse earlier expectations

(Newser) - Sony announced today that it would go down to its first annual loss in 14 years, after having forecast just months ago that it would turn a profit. The Japanese electronics giant said it expected to lose $1.7 billion, the result of declining demand from the global recession. The...

Slump in TV Sales May Push Smaller Makers Out

Likes of Hitachi, Pioneer don't have staying power of Sony and other giants

(Newser) - A steep decline in demand for flat-panel TVs could push smaller manufacturers out of the market, the Wall Street Journal reports. As the economy sours and larger makers achieve economies of scale, the price gap between top brands and cheaper rivals has shrunken dramatically. The top five makers accounted for...

YouTube Comes to TV— Through PlayStation 3, Wii

Game consoles—though not Xbox—are new distribution platform for clip site

(Newser) - YouTube has come to the boob tube—clips from the video website can be watched on a conventional TV using either Sony or Nintendo’s current video-game consoles, PC World reports. Using the web browser built into the PlayStation 3 or Wii consoles, viewers can access a streamlined version of...

Hollywood Reeling From DVD Slump

Disappearing profits threaten movies, star deals

(Newser) - Hollywood studios are faced with huge losses because of a 21% slump in DVD sales and the fallout from the crisis on Wall Street, reports the Financial Times. Studio heads have been forced to cut back on the number of new movies in production and are preparing to trim the...

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