Hampshires Rose Bowl

It is not often that a story comes along which combines two of your favourite interests so the news that Sony are to be involved in the redevelopment of Hampshire’s cricket ground simply had to be reported. The redevelopment of the Rose Bowl in Hampshire is costing around £48 million and according to reports includes a technology deal with Sony.

Sony will be working closely with the redevelopment team to supply HD screens throughout the ground’s new stands as well as the additional business facilities and planned hotel. The system has the benefit of giving Hampshire video editors the power to create their very own content, from instant replays of wickets and boundaries to live statistics and umpiring decisions.

This is not the first time that Sony has been involved in incorporating technology into a stadium however, having made a similar deal to bring technology to Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Whilst this deal will make the Rose Bowl one of Europe’s most technologically advanced stadiums and almost certainly the most advanced stadium in the sport of cricket, the directors of Hampshire cricket see the additions as being far more important than simply providing replays for fans, as it will hopefully help to improve concert facilities at the ground. As issues are already being raised with the number of test venues in the country and seemingly the reliance on television funding, the question remains whether Hampshire will be able to ensure that the new stadium is profitable?

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Sony iTunes Rival incoming?

The rivalry between Sony and Apple is to be stepped up with reports that Sony is on the verge of releasing a range of smart phone devices, a multimedia tablet and now an online media store that will rival Apple’s iTunes. The Sony Online Services will directly compete with iTunes providing customers with music and video.

Additionally it is believed that Sony will integrate the Playstation Portable (PSP) into a new mobile phone, creating yet more competition for Apple’s iPhone. As a result, this new “gaming phone” has led to the inclusion of a back catalogue of PSP games within the Sony Online Service. The move will be welcomed by Sony Ericsson who like other mobile phone manufacturers has faced stiff competition from the iPhone since its release.

The development of the Sony Online Service has been mirrored by other companies attempting to compete with the iTunes platform. Microsoft for example revealed that they would be incorporating Zune and Xbox Live functionality in future Windows Phone 7 Series models in an attempt to carve out a market share.

Sony has previously mentioned their interest in creating an iPad like device and sees the potential in that sector of the market. With the plethora of media types falling under the Sony umbrella, from movies, television, games and music it is likely that the company will be able to throw its considerable weight behind this new online service.

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Sony Dash, Alarm Clock 2.0 and so much more

The Sony Dash, introduced at the CES show, could be forgiven for being a glorified alarm clock – Alarm Clock 2.0 if you like.  That simply does not do the device justice, it really is so much more than that.  How many times have any of us fired up the laptop and sat there blindly watching YouTube videos, stealthily invading the privacy of our friends lives on Facebook or flicked through last nights pictures that you hope won’t invade your privacy on the aforementioned social network?  It seems a bit wasteful of a laptops function to perform relatively mundane tasks like these and Sony believe you needn’t harness the power of a modern laptop just to enjoy casual pass-times on the Internet.  Enter, Sony Dash.

The fun-sized gizmo is as welcome in the kitchen while you’re burning toast or the garage while you re-arrange your toolbox in preparation for day you might actually use it.  Play music over you home network or ensure you’re not missing that tweet, anywhere in your house.  Widgets installed on the device add functionality so you’ll know what the weather is going to be like or get the latest news from your RSS feeds.

Now NetFlix have announced support for the Dash too which is begining to make this glorified alarm clock look like a complete replacement for the laptop you aren’t using to its potential.  The ability to watch movies, or more likely skim through trailers, makes this both a revolution and evolution of the alarm clock – I can’t look at my aging Sony Dream Machine again.  Put me down for a Sony Dash!

We have established that the Dash is brilliant and what’s more it will only cost $199 -  Sony have gone mad!  Good-mad though as this is an absolute bargain for a device that brings value to itself in more than a couple of ways.  In todays money your $199 translates to £129, add the mysterious UK levy on electronics that manufacturers like to justify and you’re conceivably going to pay around £149 for this over.  So, when and where can you get this useful gadget in good ol’ Blighty?  You can’t.

Tragically the Sony Dash is only available in the US, and possibly Canada, and there are no plans to release the evolved Alarm Clock anywhere else.  All we can do is hope the Americans buy it in droves and the decision makers at Sony are offered up a ‘no-brainer’ choice to release the Dash worldwide.  So to Sony in North America we say “I Can Haz Dash Plz?”

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Sony HQ, Japan

Sony has just announced that they have made a third quarter net profit of $870 million (£545 million) for the last three months of 2009 providing further evidence that the global economic recovery is starting to affect major corporations. The profit, whilst it “significantly exceeded expectations” is only likely to reduce the net loss for the entire financial year.

The Sony profits are believed to be an indicator that the global economy is experiencing a very gradual recovery, a belief supported by other technology companies such as Hitachi and Samsung posting profits for the last quarter. One of the major reasons behind the posted profit is believed to be due to Sony reducing the cost of its Playstation 3 console by around 25%, a price drop that according to reports resulted in an increase of 76% in sales for the PS3 during the Christmas period. Additionally, many market commentators believe that corporate restructuring and the streamlining of the supply chain are also major factors in the improved financial outlook.

The $870 million net profit equates to around 79 billion yen and can be considered a significant improvement on last year’s third quarter when a profit of just 10.4 billion yen was recorded. This is the first time Sony have reported a profit in five quarters and whilst it will not create an overall profit for the financial year (figures due on March the 31^st), it does represent a major improvement for the Sony Corporation.

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Our hope is to provide our readers with a one stop shop for Sony news, product reviews and industry rumours. Whether this is in the realm of video gaming, movies, sport, televisions, photography or computing we will strive to sniff out breaking news stories about BRAVIA, Cyber-shot, Handycam, VAIO, Sony Ericsson or Playstation products and technologies.

For now however it is time to sit back, enjoy that turkey and relax in the company of friends and family. We hope our readers all enjoy their breaks and return regularly throughout 2010.

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