Bits: Sonyâs Chief Says It Wonât Be Late Again
401817
Howard Stringer is willing to admit that Sony got some things wrong, but he says it wonât happen with OLED technology.
602391
If Sony is to make a comeback this year, it will need to make a huge splash at CES. That's exactly what it has in mind, and helping the company along is some positive news -- for a change -- about its star gaming platform.
343606
Software giant says Mediaroom functionality won't be in fall update, but service providers will receive software by year's end.
165146
InfoWorld - In a broad discussion at the Consumer Electronics Show, U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)Â Chairman Kevin Martin on Tuesday confirmed that the deadline for the country's switch to digital TV next year will not be postponed, explained the rationale behind the requirements for the current 700MHz auction, and gave hints about his thinking regarding various communications megamergers.
755479
With more than 2,000 consumer electronics companies fighting for the attention of 140,000 attendees at International CES, the competition to get noticed is fierce. Companies will parade their newest and hottest products and promise starry-eyed consumers and journalists imminent release dates for their gadgets, while the more daring keynote speakers give their predictions for the year ahead. Sometimes they&#39;re spot-on -- but other times they&#39;re way off the mark, as this&#160;look back at the class of 2007&#160;shows.The show kicked off in a big way with the&#160;unveiling by Sharp of its monster 108-inch LCD&#160;(liquid crystal display) TV. The set represented the biggest flat-panel TV developed -- a title it still holds today -- and came without a price but with the promise of availability during 2007. But wealthy consumers are still waiting. Sharp said recently that it is still working on plans for a commercial launch for the TV set.There was a lot of noise at the show about both&#160;Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. The battling high-definition video disc camps both claimed an advantage over the other and asserted that 2007 would be break-out year when their respective format left the rival in the dust. A year on and not much has changed. Consumer indifference and confusion over the formats has led many to stay away, while prices have collapsed leaving some wondering if any of the participants will ever be able to make money on either technology.One man who called the status quo was H.G. Lee, president of LG Electronics. Speaking at a news conference where he unveiled a&#160;dual-format machine from LG&#160;he predicted that both formats would be around for a good while longer and observed, &quot;The growth of this exciting new technology and industry is slower than it could be.&quot; So top marks to Lee, but that&#39;s perhaps not much consolation. While he was right about the immediate future of both formats, his company&#39;s relatively expensive dual-format player wasn&#39;t the hit he hoped.LG wasn&#39;t the only company trying to solve the format battle.&#160;Warner Bros. introduced its Total Hi Def disc&#160;that has a Blu-ray Disc layer on one side and an HD DVD layer on the other. The disc generated a lot of excitement because it would insulate consumers from the risks of backing the wrong format -- so it was a disappointment when Warner threw in the towel on the format before the year was out.CES often serves as a launch pad for new technologies. The results were mixed for two of those shown at CES 2007.Samsung came to CES 2007 with&#160;A-VSB, a mobile digital TV broadcasting system&#160;that offers a robust signal and fewer drop-outs to receivers on the move, and comes with a low installation price tag of a few tens of thousands of dollars per TV station. A-VSB also came with an aggressive roll-out schedule that would have put it on-air by the end of 2007 -- but as the year turns there&#39;s still no sign of commercial service.Things weren&#39;t so bad for Sony. It wowed visitors with prototype TVs based on new OLED (organic light emitting diode) screens. With a bright, rich and dynamic picture they were among the highlights of the show. Sony made good on its commercialization plans and put the set on sale in Japan on Dec. 1, where it sold out almost immediately despite the &#165;200,000 price tag. Sony is expected to unveil U.S. launch plans at CES 2008.With CES 2008 only days away now, the class of 2008 are putting the finishing touches to their announcements, predictions, and promises. The show is continuing to grow, so companies will need to make a bigger splash to catch the attention of attendees and media: In a year from now we&#39;ll know who stuck their necks out too far in the race to claim the CES headlines.&#160;
459083
LOS ANGELES  - The more things change  for E3, the video game industry's premier trade show, the more  they stay the same -- if preshow news from Sony Corp. is any  indication.
617966
Hurry up, Howard The chairman and chief executive of Sony, Sir Howard Stringer, has said the company was attempting to "refine" how much it could afford to reduce the price of the PS3 console by, and has been quoted as saying there was "no question" consumers wanted the price to be lower. Duh.â¦
111516
Sony Corp.  will cut back on  future chip spending and may not produce advanced "cell"  microchips used in its PlayStation 3 (PS3) game gear in-house  as it seeks better returns on its investments, a senior  executive said on Tuesday.
302677
Plus: Sony profit up, forecast cautious...Matsushita profit up 22 percent...Amazon's profit up, margins squeezed...SAP cautious on 2008.
281207
SonyÂ is reshuffling responsibilities in its key electronics group, allowing the head of the division to play a bigger role in Sony's research and development actvities.
690844
Sony has conceeded that issues with Blu-ray technology within the PlayStation 3 will delay the console's launch in Europe, but not in the United States and Japan. Console supplies in those countries, however, will be limited.
463309
Strong sales and lower production costs should boost Sony's take on game console, exec says.
563820
UK daily, The Guardian, is reporting that Sony executives have approached Toshiba in the last few weeks in an attempt to stave off the brewing next-gen format war.
626810
DALLAS-- Blockbuster Inc., the nation&#39;s biggest movie rental company, says it will eliminate late fees on games and movies as of Jan. 1-- but if you keep them too long, you buy them.
662847
Sony Corp.&#39;s (6758.T) $100 price  cut for the PlayStation 3 is not enough to turn the fortunes of  the game console, which has suffered a slow start, an executive  of game software maker Konami Corp. (9766.T) said.
26337
TORONTO (CP) - Blockbuster Inc., the world&#39;s biggest video rental company, has presented a promise to eliminate late fees on movies and games in the new year.
392043
Sony's game unit in Japan will delay rolling out Internet phone service in Japan for its latest handheld game machine because microphones developed for it didn't meet specifications, the company said Wednesday.