Android phones aren’t wiping the floor with Apple, but they’re doing damn well. While the same can’t be said for tablets, what about media players? Well, Android PMPs are sparse. Today the only real contender in the Android court is the Samsung Galaxy Players, which share the same specifications as last year’s Samsung Galaxy S II phones. The iPod Touch shares the same specs as the iPhone 4, so that made it equal, but Samsung’s larger devices weren’t quite as good as overall PMPs. The 5.0 was better for video with it’s giant screen.

But what about Sony’s upcoming Walkman Z? Sony is finally entering the Android PMP field with a Walkman, which means they’re taking it seriously. But just how seriously are they taking it? And can they dethrone the iPod Touch for best portable media player? Let’s take a look and find out.

Size

For a PMP, size matters, and bigger is better. While a phone is up to the user – after all, we all like something different – a PMP is all about viewing media while still having the option to throw the device in your pocket. The iPod Touch is famous for being razor thin and light, and the Walkman Z is preposterously thick at 11.1mm, nearly 4mm thicker than the iPod, and thicker than many of today’s smartphones. However, it’s a 4.3″ screen compared to a 3.5″ display.

Because screen size isn’t the only thing that matters – obviously smaller devices are more convenient in many ways – this bodes difficult to score for size. The Walkman is larger in every way, and 50% heavier than the iPod to boot. For just screen size, that would be fine, but the overall thickness of the Z evens it out. The defining factor is the display, both of which are TFT panels.

However, the overall ridiculous thickness of the Walkman Z just can’t be forgiven. LTE smartphones, which have a rather large LTE chip (and is one of the reasons Apple doesn’t have an LTE phone out yet) are significantly thinner than this Walkman. Why does it have to be so thick? The bigger screen is a definite bonus, but the gargantuan thickness of the Walkman is a joke for a PMP.

Winner: iPod Touch, because the Walkman is preposterously thick.

Appearance

The Walkman Z looks great, but it’s competing with the iPod Touch, which hasn’t changed it’s design much in five years and still looks damn good. Unfortunately the Walkman doesn’t have any standout or charmingly good looks above and beyond the iPod Touch.

Winner: iPod Touch, which looks great.

Display

Both the Walkman and iPod use the same type of display technology, TFT panels. These high quality panels produce accurate colors and are bright enough to see in bright settings and even direct sunlight. There are only two differences: the Walkman is a 4.3″ screen and the iPod has a 3.5″ screen, and the iPod is much more dense with a resolution of 960×640, compared to 800×480. The former point helps out the Walkman, while the latter is a boon for the iPod.

The only differentiator here is aspect ratio. The Walkman is a 16:9 widescreen display and the iPod is 4:3, so watching video will always be better on the Walkman. So while reading text will be easier on the iPod, the Walkman will produce better video because it won’t have black bars on the top and bottom and use the full 4.3″ display to do it.

Winner: Walkman Z, which has a lower screen resolution and density but is widescreen, better for watching media.

Operating System

For some reason everyone is still making Android 2.3 devices. After spending a lot of time with Android 4.0, I can’t understand how any company would ever want to use it, let alone how users would be interested in it considering the update. Yet here we are, with yet another Android 2.3 handheld. Screw that Sony, ship with the new OS.

Winner: iPod Touch, because the Walkman doesn’t have Android 4.0. There are currently no revealed plans to upgrade it to 4.0.

Processor

Apple A4 versus Nvidia’s Tegra 2? That’s a tough call. The Tegra 2 is slightly newer and is a dual-core chip, but Sony hasn’t revealed which model of Tegra 2 it is. Unfortunately that makes things difficult for distinguishing which chip is better. The A4 is an underclocked 800MHz CPU, and with excellent software implementation is very smooth and fast. Tegra 2 is as well, but at this point, without more information I’m going to have to call this one a tie.

Winner: Tie, not enough information.

Storage

Like most products competing with Apple, the Walkman Z is more expensive for the base model but becomes cheaper when adding additional memory. The Walkman comes in three sizes: 8GB, 16GB and 32GB, compared to the iPod’s 8GB, 32GB and 64GB. Unlike many Android devices the Z does not have expandable storage, so the win easily goes to the iPod. Check Price to see how the memory comparisons stack up dollar for dollar.

Winner: iPod Touch, with a higher overall amount of available memory.

Camera

This is saddeningly dissapointing. The iPod Touch camera is a joke, but at least supports decent 720p video and can Facetime. The Walkman Z? No cameras whatsoever. For this price and at this time for any PMP, that’s just unacceptable.

Winner: iPod Touch, which actually has a camera.

Battery Life

iOS devices have historically had much better battery life than Android devices, at least in my experience. The reason isn’t because they have bigger batteries (they rarely do); it’s because the software is very power sensitive. That said, the times Sony has listed for the Walkman Z pale in comparison to Apple’s own rating: 20 hours of continuous music playback on the Z compared to 40 on the iPod, and 5 hours of video compared to 7. For a bigger device, which should have a bigger battery, this shouldn’t be.

Winner: iPod Touch, with a far longer lasting battery.

Features

The Walkman Z offers some pretty unique features not typically found on PMPs today, most of which are aimed specifically at music listeners. There’s a full equalizer, a number of audio enhancers, a built-in FM tuner (YES!), and decent included earbuds. It also has HDMI out for video and audio playback, as well as gaming.

However, the Z also lacks some pretty basic features, like plenty of video filetypes (though this is an easy fix with the right playback app) and charging through a dedicated cable (not MicroUSB). However, both of these are moot compared to the iPod, the former which can be fixed through apps and the latter which is identical to the iPod’s 30-pin connector.

What really sets the Walkman apart? FM radio. Many forget how important radio is for music listening, which I can never stress enough. It’s what set the Zune apart for the longest time, and what makes some smartphones relevant for many users today. the fact that the iPod Touch doesn’t include it, when the iPod Nano does, is a loss on Apple’s part.

Winner: Walkman Z, with FM radio and an audio equalizer.

Price

The pricing on both the iPod Touch and Walkman Z is, well, unfortunate. Both devices use at least year-old hardware. But Sony has a premium starting price of $250 for the 8GB model, and doesn’t match the iPod’s 64GB model in any way. At every price point Apple beats out Sony, by $50 for the base model, and by $20 for the 32GB unit. And for app fanatics, music junkies, or movie hounds the iPod is the only way to get the maximum amount of data storage.

Winner: iPod Touch, at every price point.

Overall Winner

The score speaks for itself. When comparing the two as completely whole and individual devices, they look fairly similar, but by breaking down their parts it’s clear that the iPod Touch destroys the Walkman Z. The few standout features that the Z offers are interesting and worth remembering, especially depending on your need of a PMP, but the overall device just isn’t competitive. The fact that Sony would make a product like this and not make it competitive with a year-old device is unforgivable.

If you want a PMP for video viewing, the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0 has a huge screen just for that, and expandable memory. Any Android device can have it’s audio manipulated with downloadable equalizers. The only thing that the Walkman Z offers is everything in a bundle for a high price, but we’ll have to wait and see if for our full review to know whether it’s worth buying for Android lovers.

Crutchfield is offering a slick bundle offer, in addition to some great savings on this Powerful Sony Alpha DSLR Camera! Toted to prevent you from missing the moments most important, this DSLR solution will provide you with super fast photo shooting capabilities and plenty of quality to match. Included with the camera itself is an 18-55mm lens kit to get your started, and for photos themselves you get 14.2-Megapixel shots which feature a high ISO sensitivity for low light situations. Noise reduction is a standard for all photos taken, as is the ability to snap into action with blazing fast shutter speeds and the ability to snap photos at 7 frames per second right when you need to. And when that’s not enough you can switch to video capture and record full 1080p High Definition videos with the press of a button. All of this can be viewed live on its large 3.0-Inch display which makes it easy to adjust and get the perfect shot every time. As a bonus you also get a micro monopod and 8GB SDHC memory card for expanded capacity.

Sony alpha DSLR-A560 14.2 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm lens and 8GB SD Card

I’ve seen many TVs, but few have the simplicity, style, and dazzling high-quality picture as…a Playstation branded TV? Yes, you read that right. Not only is Sony’s first “for-gaming” TV crazy good, it’s an HD 3DTV for $500. I can’t remember the last time I played console games on a display that looked this good. The clarity, the accuracy in colors, the excellent backlight that only brightens the picture and not the screen…color me impressed.

It’s sad then that the only reason I can’t recommend it to everyone today is the tiny size and first-gen design quirks. Almost nothing else limits this brilliant TV.

Inside the Box

The Sony Playstation 3D Display a TV that doesn’t follow typical television nomenclature (Vizio VX32L, Sony Bravia XBR HX929, other terrible names that mean nothing to users.). Whoever started naming TV sets must have hated marketers, and this TV bucks that trend. Instead, the full name is too long. “Sony Playstation 3D Display” is too long. PSTV, or Playstation 3DTV would be far simpler and better. For the purposes of this review I’ll keep the name PSTV.

Out of the box, two realities immediately hit home: it’s a small TV and the TV is all you get. The PSTV is a 24” TV, as small as home TVs get. For comparison, most 24″ HDTVs are 720p and under $300. The PSTV is strange for it’s screen size; it’s a small TV but a large computer monitor. The integrated speakers are like elephant ears, and take up a lot of horizontal space. More importantly, the display itself is awfully small for a TV set, whether it’s for games or TV viewing. But more on screen size later.

When opening the box, users will find only three things: the PSTV, a set of 3D glasses, and the power cable. It really is as bare-bones as TVs go, which is good because Sony keeps things simple, but how about a remote? No remote is included and Sony currently doesn’t have one available (media controls are available through the Playstation 3 using a Bluetooth remote or controller). The PSTV does have an IR sensor, so universal remotes do work with the set.

Build and Design

The PSTV is slim, and surprisingly so. For a 1080p display, it crams all of the essentials while maintaining excellent picture quality. With a completely black coat remeniscient of the Playstation 2 design (the older finish, not the newer PS3 original glossy decal or updated gunmetal matte), and it looks great. Product shots provided by companies of their own products generally make those products look better than they actually do. In this case, Sony is dead on. The PSTV looks great, and on the whole it is really well designed.

But piece-by-piece, there are three major snags. The first is the lack of ports, or rather, the lack of a coaxial port. The PSTV includes two HDMI ports and Component ports, and that’s it. For a TV, this is a surprise. The only way to watch cable through the PSTV is to have an HD-ready cable box (which most of us still don’t have), or through your game console. My office cable box is SD-only, but I was able to watch streaming TV through my Xbox 360 (thanks to the Verizon IPTV app). Unfortunately TV streaming for the PS3 is still in its fledgling stages in the US.

The controls are also very oddly placed on the back right of the PSTV, and they are hell to reach. With no included remote this is especially tiresome. The menu system is designed with those poorly placed buttons in mind. It points to which button to press for what action, and the menu navigation is very fluid and easy to use, the best I’ve ever seen on a TV.

Picture and Audio Quality

As I said above, the picture quality is excellent. When I met with Sony representatives a few months back, they said the PSTV was completely a Playstation-branded initiative. Sony Electronics, which builds Bravia TVs (among many other things) didn’t make it. The focus was clearly on perfect picture quality, and they did a damn fine job. The only thing that really matters with any display is great visuals, and the PSTV nailed it. I’ve never seen a TV that looked this good for under $1,500.

The only problem I’ve found is the very glossy display, which because of the screen’s small size and how close I regularly sat in front of the TV to see it, compounded glare and reflections. The closer you are to a reflective surface the more reflections and glare you’ll see, and the PSTV is oh so guilty of the crime of reflection.

I am also very impressed with the backlight, which produces no lightbleed or oversaturation at any brightness. This is uncanny among both TVs and monitors, and damn amazing for an LCD panel. Colors are very accurate, and the framerate is consistently excellent. This is because of the 240Hz refresh rate, which seems incredible but is designed for two people simultaneously playing in 3D (more on that in ‘3D Quality’).

The built-in speakers produce adequate sound for a display of this size. I wouldn’t recommend them for serious gaming though. I regularly had trouble placing directional audio, and the sound in general was light and at higher pitches tinny. At higher volumes the sound cracks. For regular TV viewing or light gaming the built-in speakers are good, but more serious gaming or for watching movies I recommend using a dedicated 2.1 speaker set.

3D Quality

3D is unique on the PSTV because it uses Sony’s own developed technology called SimulView. SimulView displays two different images on the same screen for two different people to watch simultaneously, and each will only see the picture intended for them. It works by using the included (1) shutter glasses to only show half of the picture. That’s why the PSTV has a 240Hz refresh rate: 60Hz for each eye, for two players.

Today there are only games that support SimulView, including Motorstorm Apocolypse, Gran Turismo 5, Killzone 3, and Super Stardust HD. I tested all of the games, and SimulView works great. It greatly improves playing coop on a single display. I never found a lack of clarity, and there shouldn’t be. The human eye sees at 24/25Hz, so 60Hz per eye is more than enough.

General 3D image quality is also excellent, though it really depends more on the game than the display. The screen produces crisp 3D picture, and there is very little movement from bobbing heads (moving your head side to side produces a slight movement of the image on the screen). It isn’t the best 3D I’ve tested, but the combination of excellent picture quality and very good 3D quality makes it the best 3D display to date.

My only concern regarding 3D is the small display size. Over the years my biggest complaint for 3D gaming is that the screen needs to be large for the 3D effect to be meaningful. Computer monitors max out at 27″ for 3D, and 3DTVs can get very large but often come with their own 3D glasses and technology. Even with larger screens 3DTVs are relatively smaller because of the greater distance from the TV than a computer monitor. PC gaming has so far provided the best home 3D setup, though that will likely change with better 3D projectors.

At 24”, the PSTV is small for both a TV and a 3D display. This minimizes the 3D effect unless you’re sitting very close to the screen. Because 3D today goes into the TV (deep) instead of outside the TV (in your face), closeness to the screen is only a problem your grandmother will complain about (“if you sit that close to the TV you are going to go blind!). The overall 3D experience, unless you’re very close to the TV, is lacking. For two players this poses a unique problem of being very physically close to one another while playing, though relatively speaking a single 24″ display provides more picture than a 50″ TV going split-screen.

Conclusion

The Playstation 3D Display has the best video quality of any TV three times its price. It may be one of the best gaming products ever built, and I hope to see more in the future. As the first Playstation TV it has a few design mistakes (no remote, poorly placed buttons), but the exceptional build of this TV is undeniable.

The biggest problem, both for everyday users and 3D gamers, is the size. 24” is small for a TV. It fits on a computer desk, though it doesn’t make the best monitor. Text isn’t very clear, and it doesn’t make for the best computer monitor. But for anyone with one display interested in getting a second, the PSTV is a great option for viewing media, playing games, and even for applications such as picture and video editing.

As a standalone TV, the PSTV lacks a coaxial input but works well with today’s game consoles. If you’ve forsaken cable TV for internet TV and videos or have an HD cable box, the PSTV will fit right in. College students and anyone on a budget can’t find a better deal than this. Assuming it meets your needs, I highly recommend the Playstation 3D Display. If it doesn’t, wait until Sony puts out a model twice the size. With this kind of quality, the company would be crazy not to.

Editor’s Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Great

Bottom Line: The best TV you can buy for $500. Excellent video, perfect for gaming, but it needs to match your conditions. A perfect display as a secondary PC monitor/game console TV at a workstation. There’s a reason why it fit in multiple gift guides.

Pros:

• Excellent video quality
• Solid 3D reproduction
• Minimalist hardware and software design

Looking to crank up the power of viewing in your living room? How about a slick deal from TigerDirect which will allow you to net this 46-Inch beast of a display for only $1000? Coupon details are below but apart from the new low price this TV is designed to push out some serious quality. It starts with full 1080p High Definition support, a staple in most home theater solutions. It goes on to also support full 3D viewing for some serious eye popping thrills. But beyond the initial HD modes it supports this TV has a 240Hz refresh rate for crystal clear scene transitions as well as an INFINITE contrast ratio which gives you the perfect colors from white to black. Internet TV functionality gives you access to your favorite Websites right from the comfort of your sofa, while also allowing you to stream limitless content from places like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu Plus, BlockBuster and much much more.

Price drop alert!  This TV used to cost over $1200, now Tiger has it for $999.99 after using coupon EFP53992 at checkout.  S&H is included

Sony’s Vita isn’t exactly destroying sales records.  The portable console went on sale in Japan already and reports have flooded in stating that it is anything but the run away hit the company needed.  As a result, and to help bolster sales here in the US, Sony will be rewarding those who preordered the Vita as well as those who stand in line on launch day, February 22nd.

For those that preordered the $350 bundle, Sony will now toss in 250mb of 3G access for anyone that activates the device on AT&T’s network, as well as one free Playstation Network game.  Remember, this is in addition to the included items, which are a 4GB PS Vita memory card, a limited edition case and the Little Deviants game.

And for you folks that plan to stand in line on February 22nd, you’ll be rewarded with a an 8GB PS Vita Memory Card, 250GB of AT&T DataConnect Pass and a PlayStation Network game all for $299.

The evolution of the TV might be ongoing, but one thing that’s constant is the desire for as big an image as possible. Granted that we’re all spoiled with our flat panels and front projection systems, compared to the days of the 19-inch TV tube, but “bigger is better,” continues to dominate our minds. The biggest barrier between “bigger” TVs and us is having to buy a new display — you can’t “upgrade” from a 42-inch to a 55, 60 or larger. And if your recently purchased HDTV doesn’t do 3D and you want it — again you’re stuck with buying a new set or going without.

Okay, there’s a third alternative: the Sony Personal 3D Viewer. It’s a headset that brings any video being fed to it up close and personal, giving you the equivalent of a 750-inch screen from 65 feet away to glom at. And not just a high-definition image either because it also does 3D. Difficult to use? Nah.

Physically setting up the Viewer is simple: to start, you plug a video source (like a Blu-ray player) into the HDMI input on the back of the stand-alone box that houses all the electronics, with another HDMI cable going into an output to go back to your display (if you want). The box is about the size of one of those audio amps you place in a car’s trunk and only has a single light to verify that the power is active; there are no controls on it.

A 12 foot cable is permanently attached to the Viewer and goes into a connector on the front of the box; it’s a proprietary type, which explains the cable’s length since you can’t extend it. Then you insert the AC cord in to its corresponding socket and plug it into the wall outlet.

All the controls are on the right underside of the Viewer, consisting of a click wheel with a center button and two smaller buttons side-by-side for volume. The power button is farther away so as to avoid it being accidentally pressed. Because of its placement, I recommend you press it prior to putting on the Viewer (a red light on the box will change to green to indicate “On”).

Putting the Sony on for the first time is a bit involved because a correct fit is vital to seeing a uniform image. Place it on your head as if it was a catcher’s mitt or, for those less sports inclined, as if you were putting on a baseball cap starting from behind the crown of your head. Pull the Viewer forward and down until your nose meets the bridge at the front. Now you make two adjustments — one changing the distance between the two lenses and the front of your eyes using push-in tabs for forward/backward movement; then readjusting the clips attached to a plastic strap framework that grips the side of your head. Once this is done, look straight ahead at the “Welcome” screen that now consumes your view. Reach under each eye and move the protruding tab on the Viewer in/out until the text is in focus. Then press the wheel’s center button to move to the next screen and confirm another image, this one of horizontal and vertical lines. Continue on through a warning screen, disengage the menus and see whatever video is being received.

In my case, I’m using a switcher to start with HD television through a Dish Network satellite receiver. I’ll now adjust the Viewer’s settings to “average” and go from there. The menus include an information screen, which shows the controls the Sony uses and a “Lens-span adjustment” for physically readjusting the two lens panels you’re looking. The “3D” setting lets you set the 3D so that it kicks in automatically or not just when a signal is received, while the “Picture” menu lets you adjust brightness, contrast, color temperature and the like (leave the digital noise reduction off unless you are viewing standard-definition video, is my recommendation). The “Audio” setting lets you set the multichannel controls for surround, along with treble and bass levels. There’s also a general menu to do such things as turn off the Viewer if you remove it or activate/deactivate the HDMI pass-through.

Once all this is done, you’re ready to enjoy a humongously big picture. I don’t know how to measure it, but it’s certainly bigger in perception compared to my 100-inch projection screen when I stood before it and flipped the Viewer on/off my head.

That picture you’re seeing is really something too, especially when watching high-definition (you get an indicator of the resolution feed when it first appears at the screen’s upper left corner). It might be 720p, not 1080p,  as far as your eyes go — but does that matter? No. There’s no light fall off from the corners as the entire image is uniformly lit and, obviously, you’re always seated in the “sweet spot” in relationship to the lenses.

The Viewer uses OLED panels, rather than LCD, resulting in what is, to me, an obvious improvement in the clarity, color intensity and brightness (I’ve worn a lot of these LCD glasses over the years so I feel comfortable making this assessment). While the Viewer is fairly lightweight, there is some discernible strain on the bridge of the nose to get used to. This is especially true for those of us who wear eyeglasses, as there aren’t optical adjustments to eliminate the need for prescription lenses. Here’s a tip — patient adjustment of the two earphone cups can help in reducing the pressure on the nose.

Switching from the Dish to my PlayStation 3 (which does 3D), I brought up Netflix to see how a streaming video would look. I had expected to run a few minutes of “Iron Man 2,” but an hour went by before I put the brakes on. The image was rock-solid 2D and there wasn’t any smearing when the iron guys flew across the screen. To say streaming looks impressive through the Viewer, even though it’s not high-def, would be an understatement. I also ran a cartoon to check out whether solid panels of color were bleeding, but again had no complaints.

Keeping with the super hero thing, I popped in the 3D disc of Green Lantern and powered through some of the scenes that I’ve watched many times on my 3D TV. Besides having a much bigger view, the 3D effects were much more obvious to my eye; not to say that there was a lack of subtlety at times, just that tracking the 3D didn’t require any effort — it was just there “in my face.” I also found the 3D version of Toy Story 3 a good exercise in catching the 3D “moments” and for fans of the series, 3D is really a much better way to watch (“the claw, the claw!”).  Colors were outstanding too and I never ran across any noticeable image flickering either. Yes you should take it off every now and then to rest both your eyes and face, but once the viewing starts, you pretty much forget all of that.

The Bottom Line: It’s not hard to tout the obvious benefit of the Sony Personal 3D Viewer, even at a $800 price tag: you get your own movie theater screen without needing a “man-cave” or having to readjust your living room. For those without 3D in the home, this and a sub-$300 3D-capable Blu-ray player are all you need. Those already invested in 3D can up their viewing size without having to buy new equipment. And in both cases, the one wearing the Viewer will be enjoying themselves immensely. Plus the front of it has a cool blue glow to impress anyone looking your way.

  Editor’s Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Great

Pros:

• OLED panels provide clear, bright and colorful video
• High-resolution view that is many times bigger than most home theaters
• 3D-capable

Cons:

• Expensive
• Proprietary cable permanently attached to the Viewer
• Headset weight will be uncomfortable to some

Sony’s newest point and shoot camera, the TX-200V, is not only the toughest that they’ve ever released, but perhaps the most beautiful (a word we don’t use lightly).  It was announced along with two new W series shooters, the DSC-WX70 and DSC-WX50, over the weekend.

So what makes the TX-200V so damn special?  Well, first off it rocks a massive 18 megapixel sensor, the biggest to date in the point and shoot marketplace.  To complement the TX-200V’s extra larger picture taking abilities, Sony has outfitted the rear of the camera with an Xtra Fine TruBlack OLED wide touch-screen measuring 3.3-inches.  Furthermore, it can swim to a depth of up to 5m, is dust proof, freeze proof up to 14 F degrees and when faced with a tumble down the stairs, can probably survive despite being covered in some sort of all glass facade.

Some other notable features included full HD video, a super fast auto focus (0.13 seconds in daytime and 0.25 seconds in low-light situations), dual record mode (13mp stills with video), a 5x optical zoom that boasts Sony’s magical 2x digital zoom that supposedly doesn’t reduce image quality, optical steady shot, background defocus (it captures the foreground and background and blurs out the rear creating a DSLR like image), smile shutter tech, GPS and compass record, anti-blink feature, intelligent scene recognition and 9 picture effects for video and photo capture.

Sony’s TX-200V will commence shipping 3/23/2012.  You can preorder it now for $499.99.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that comparisons between the iPhone and Playstation Vita were abound, even though they are very different devices. The iPhone, obviously a phone, and the Vita, obviously not a phone, still carry a lot of the same characteristics. And for better or worse, even game consoles like the Nintendo 3DS, DS, and PSP have had a run for their maker’s money because of products like the iPhone.

Then again, considering how the two devices are so vastly different, this comparison won’t be a direct head-to-head. Instead, we’ll compare both based on equal ground, or as close as they get to it.

Display

From my testing of the Vita and the iPhone 4S, along with a number of other handhelds and smartphones, this is a tough call. The iPhone 4S has Apple’s retina display, a 326ppi 960×640 resolution screen that is extremely dense. It uses a high-quality 3.5″ TFT capacitive touchscreen that has, ever since the original iPhone, worked well in direct sunlight.

Meanwhile, the Vita has a 220ppi 960×544 OLED display, which is significantly less dense while on a 5″ screen. On the one hand that means that colors will be more vibrant and saturated, with darker blacks, but the downside is that the display won’t be nearly as visible in bright conditions. Recent OLED displays I’ve tested, including the Samsung Galaxy S II and Epic 4G Touch, are visible in direct sunlight, but that’s thanks to Samsung’s double-pane SuperAMOLED+ system. Sony uses a different glass model for their OLED display.

The benefits of OLED are this: more vibrant colors (to the point of exageration), deeper blacks, and less power drain. TFT, however, is brighter, more accurate, and has been used for decades (and is thus a more refined technology). So what really makes the difference here is the size and density. The Vita is bigger at 5″, and for video and gaming the density won’t be as important as for reading text.

Winner: PS Vita, but it’s close. If the iPhone were larger, or perhaps if we compared a different phone like the HTC Rezound (which has a 720p TFT display), the results would be different.

Processor

At this point, it’s safe to call the iPhone’s A5 processor old. It’s been around since last April in the iPad 2, and the chip in the iPhone 4S is even underclocked to 800MHz. The Vita, according to some developers, has an average clock speed of 800MHz but can go up to 2GHz. However, at that high speed the power drain will be significant, so most games are expected to play between 800MHz-1GHz. Both are based on the ARM Cortex A9 design, but Sony’s chip also shares many similarities with the PS3′s Cell processor. It’s a quad-core chip (compared to the iPhone 4S’ dual-core), though as of now it’s unclear just how powerful the chip is. It will take developers some time to really stretch it out, as it did with the Cell CPU.

The only big difference here is that the next iPad, likely to release in the April/May time-frame, will have an updated processor, likely the A6. The next iPhone won’t have it until the holidays, but I expect it to have the same 1GHz frequency but be a quad-core chip. The Vita, on the other hand, won’t receive any major upgrades, but it will remain more powerful than the next gen iPhone and all other competing smartphones for at least two years. Still, that isn’t a long time. However, today, the Vita clearly has the more powerful processor.

Winner: PS Vita, thanks to a CPU with twice the cores and the potential to be 2.5x as fast as the current iPhone.

Storage

Storage is a big deal…but in this case, not to Sony. The PS Vita requires some sort of storage to play games and get apps, but doesn’t come with any whatsoever. Vita owners have to buy external storage, and specifically need Sony’s new Playstation Vita Card storage, not SD cards. The pricing isn’t bad: $20 for 4GB, $30 for 8GB, $60 for 16GB, and $100 for 32GB. I’ve asked Sony a few times concerning the speed of these Vita-specific flash cards, but haven’t received any response as of yet. SD cards are known to be unfortunately slow, so slow in fact that pro-grade camera manufacturers are dropping the format and creating their own for their cameras.

The iPhone 4S starts with 16GB and goes up to 64GB, with $100 between the three models. There’s no expandability with the iPhone, but at least it has internal memory to begin with. The Vita actually requires it and forces owners to put down at least an additional $20 just for 4GB. That means to match the iPhone 4S, in terms of storage today, you’d have to pay $310 for the Vita and a 16GB memory card. Then again, put down $350 and that amount of memory storage is the same as a 32GB iPhone 4S, which retails for $400 (plus 2-year service contract).

Winner: iPhone 4S, because it comes storage to begin with and doesn’t attempt to cheat buyers out of more money for required data storage. Until Sony gets back to me regarding their memory card speed, and unless it’s faster than typical (slow) SD cards, the iPhone is the winner, though at higher densities the Vita is a less expensive prospect.

Wireless Connectivity

The PS Vita comes in two models, Wi-Fi only and with 3G. The iPhone 4S meanwhile is a phone, though is also limited to 3G speeds. The kicker for the iPhone is that on AT&T, it has access to what AT&T loves to call 4G (though Apple refused to agree to such marketing for the device because it isn’t true 4G), though both Sprint and Verizon iPhone models are stuck on the slower 3G network. 4G allows for up to 28.8Mb/s data transfer rates, and in my experience is as fast as Sprint’s 4G network, offering roughly 8Mb/s down and 1Mb/s up.

That immediately dings the Vita, because it could, theoretically, have double the transfer speed. Worse yet for the console, contracts are only available in the US through AT&T. Without LTE online gaming is impossible, and with only 3G speeds apps and streaming videos will be slower than what nearly every smartphone released in the past six months. Including the iPhone 4S.

Winner: iPhone 4S, thanks to faster speeds and availability on more carriers.

Camera

The Vita has two VGA cameras (640×480), one on the front and one on the back. The iPhone 4S has an 8MP rear camera and a 1.3MP front camera. If that’s not enough, the iPhone 4S is today considered one of the best camera phones available.

If, for some reason you think I need to go on…the Vita has no flash, no hope for taking great pictures, and is only there so developers can potentially make use of it.

Winner: iPhone 4S, because it isn’t a tacked-on piece of junk.

Battery Life

Judging battery life between a gaming console and a phone may appear unfair, but in fact it’s the PS Vita that has the unfair advantage, especially if it’s the Wi-Fi only model. Not only does it sport a beefier 2210mAh battery, compared to the iPhone’s 1432mAh. The Vita’s 5″ display may be more power hungry, but OLED is less power intensive than LCD displays. And the iPhone is always connected because it’s a phone. Even then, Sony averages 3-5 hours of gameplay, 5 hours of video playback, and 9 hours of music playback. The iPhone 4S claims twice the video playback time, 4.5x the music playback time, and can browse the internet for 6 hours over 3G or 9 hours over Wi-Fi.

As for gaming? There aren’t specific numbers for the iPhone 4S yet, but I’ve been playing games like Grand Theft Auto III and the recent update to Rage HD, and it certainly lasts over five hours.

Winner: iPhone 4S, which has a smaller, less-dense battery but still creams the Vita.

Price

Normally, price would be easy to determine because every year a new iPhone released alongside a new iPod Touch. That didn’t happen with the iPhone 4S, meaning the current iPod Touch is the same as last year. It’s as powerful as the iPhone 4, so the iPhone 4S stands alone. Pricing for it is simple: $200 plus a two-year contract, with a $54.99 base price on AT&T. That comes out to roughly $1520 over two years, for the very minimum, and that’s assuming users have the older pricing scheme. Based on today’s minimum pricing, it would be $1640.

Meanwhile, the PS Vita will retail for $250, or $300 for the 3G model with a base $15/month, without a contract.  If there were an equally powerful iPod Touch, the story would be very different. The only alternative for the same power is the iPad 2, which at the base model retails for $500, double the price.

Winner: PS Vita, thanks mostly due to no new iPod Touch.

Gaming Capability

Gaming prowess is by far better on the PS Vita than the iPhone 4S, for three reasons. First, it has physical controls on top of the full touch controls found on the iPhone and any smartphone. That means not only do users get essentially a PS3 gamepad built into the Vita, the large 5″ display is a multi-touch touchscreen, and the back is a touch-sensitive panel to boot.

Second, as mentioned above, the processor is faster, more powerful, and has more cores. And third, the display is much larger (as mentioned above), providing a more inclusive gaming experience.

Winner: PS Vita, because it’s built to be a gaming machine.

Games

It’s a long-standing tradition that game consoles sell because of the number and quality of games released for it. The iPhone (and smartphones in general) have slowly changed that thanks to how easy it is to develop games and how so many people have smartphones.

When the PS Vita releases outside of Japan, it will have 12 launch titles. That number is expected to grow to 30 within the first few months after release. The iPhone, in the meantime, will accumulate at least another 1,000 games between the time you read this and the Vita’s actual release. The sad truth is most of those games will be 99 cents or free and not provide a “true” gaming experience.

However, the iPhone has a large number of excellent games available to it. They may be hard to find, but the fact is the Vita will be lucky to have the kind of game sales that iOS developers get.

For games, the dealbreaker for anyone, there are three important questions: will the quality of Vita games far surpass what we see in iPhone gaming today? Will there be a lot of PS Vita games, both full releases and mini games (ie board games, card games, minor apps that are fun for a few minutes at a time; not traditional console games)? And will the Vita see a lot of hacking, game emulation, and remote gameplay through the PS3? There’s no reason not to expect a higher quality of games coming to the Vita than the iPhone, though there are only 34 planned full-release games that we know of thus far. The Vita has already been hacked for remote play of PS3 games like Batman: Arkham City and Battlefield 3, meaning that the portable console can play full-fledged home console games via Wi-Fi streaming.

However, we already know that the iPhone can do the same thing through OnLive (though the service isn’t currently active on iOS; it is available on Android and waiting for Apple’s approval). Plus games on the iPhone can be played with an external controller, so long as the game supports it. Big-name titles like Infinity Blade 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies are only found on iOS.

There’s no denying that the iPhone has more games, and because of the sheer number will likely always have more better games than the Vita. Furthermore, because of how many iPhones are out there (and all iOS devices), it will take a few years before some developers take the Vita seriously, if at all. It’s sad, but for now, true. So many of the current iOS games sell so well that they can keep lower prices. High-end games like Infinity Blade 2 go for under $10. There are so many deals from developers that many drop down to a buck. The state of gaming on iOS is, right now, way better than not only the Vita when it releases in February, but frankly better than any dedicated console period. It may even be better than the PC.

Winner: iPhone 4S, because the current gaming ecosystem on iOS far surpasses any other gaming machine, dedicated or not.

Overall Winner: iPhone 4S (by a hair)

It’s close. Very, very close. However, what the better gaming device really comes down to, as it always does, is the value and quality of the games that are available for said device. In this case, Sony is fighting an uphill battle with the PS Vita, at least for now. With the potential to make not just most, but all PS1 (and even potentially PS2) games available for the Vita through the company’s Playstation Certification program (or just making those games available period), that can change. That tide can change overnight.

However, as of now the Vita doesn’t have that capability. Everything else regarding the games available has been bettered by the iPhone, and without the push from PS1 and PS2 games, the Vita will likely never prove to be the better gaming device because of a lack of content. It’s a sad, but clear and apparent truth.

Even then, it’s very close. The PS Vita has better gaming controls and is a better designed device specifically for gaming, even if the display has a lower resolution and is less visible in bright conditions. 5″ vs 3.5″ for a gaming screen is no comparison. The Vita beats the hell out of the iPhone when it comes to control, not only because it matches the touchscreen and has physical buttons and analog sticks, but because it combines both for gameplay and has the rear touch panel to boot. It really is a mobile game developer’s dream.

The iPhone 4S takes the cake in too many categories though. It kills the Vita with a better camera, at around double the battery life (for gaming, and way more for almost everything else), and carriers available for 3G. We all know that the rise and fall of portable game consoles has depended on battery life, and just as with the PSP this is a weakness with the Vita. Only this time, it’s weak against not a Nintendo offering, but against a very capable cell phone.

A few very close points are pricing and storage. If there were a new iPod Touch released with the A5 processor, then pricing would be a clear win for the iOS device. But as it stands now, the iPhone 4S is the only one available (the iPad 2 would lose in pricing because of it’s high $500 price tag), and the two-year contract cost far outweighs the potential pricing of the Vita, even the 3G model for $30/m. And with storage, on the high-end the Vita could win (assuming users purchased the 64GB card and 3G model), but because Sony is releasing the Vita with no internal memory, the result is confused consumers who must spend more money to do the console’s basic functions…like saving games and using downloadable apps. Even then, the storage pricing is still more expensive than all iPhone 4S models (with a 2-year contract) except for the 64GB model, and, once again, only if you get the Wi-Fi Vita.

Based on our scoring method for comparisons, the Vita could have easily won if it shipped with internal memory. External memory is always slower than internal memory, but until I hear back from Sony regarding the speed of their memory cards, that’ll remain a mystery. If the Vita were available through other cell carriers, or if it at least had AT&T’s 4G (HSDPA/HSPA+ 28.8Mbps), it would score better.

What I don’t doubt is that over time these scores will change. The Vita will eventually ship in bundles that are more price friendly and with some storage options. The next-gen iPhone will also likely ship with a new iPod Touch. By this time next year there will also be a handful of Android competitors, and tablet gaming will finally come into it’s own. But when the Vita releases, it will face the fiercest competition Sony has ever faced in the mobile space, from a device that isn’t going away anytime soon. The only way I can see Sony staying ahead is by utilizing it’s enormous catalog of PS1 and PS2 games, and by making prices of those games competitive so everyday iPhone gamers will actually be coaxed into buying a dedicated mobile games console instead of just living the one-device life.

Update~ As TheVerge just wrote, minutes before this article was published, the PS Vita now has a second launch bundle that’s the 3G model with an 8GB memory card, one free PSN game, and a month of free 3G data. That bundle is available for pre-order now through Amazon. Does it change our score?

Because the score is so damn close – not only is it 4-5, but it’s a point of contention in nearly every category – and because this new bundle offers a reasonable amount of storage for the console, it may indeed turn the tide.

As mentioned above, games is the most important thing, which is why I’m going to say that, in this case, the new bundle won’t change the winner in this comparison. However, our scoring system for comparisons is pretty clear cut. So I’ll leave this decision up to you guys. What do you think? Does this new bundle put the PS Vita ahead of the iPhone 4S? Post your thoughts in the comments below and, if the majority of you think we should change the score, we will.

If you’re simply looking for the best TV viewing experience around then you will get just that from this Sony BRAVIA TV. This 55-Inch monster has dropped down in price considerably, and with it comes a full 1080p High Definition and full 3D experience for viewing the best quality content. The meat of this TV comes from it’s INFINITE contrast ratio, and simply from that one word it means perfect color between black and white for an unrivaled quality overall. It also sports smooth motion clarity via MotionFlow XR 240 technology for an added boost to the refresh rate making even the most intense scenes crystal clear at all times. Wi-FI connectivity is also available here, allowing you to view tons of content from places like Blockbuster, NetFlix, YouTube and much more so you never run out of things to watch. Also with 4 HDMI inputs you have plenty of room to add more components.

Add this item to your cart and it will drop to $1399.99 with free S&H

Circuit City has some excellent savings on offer, and this time the best price we’ve ever seen for a brand new 55-Inch Sony BRAVIA TV of this class! If you’ve been yearning for some extra affordability in your intense HD viewing without losing the size or power than here’s the solution. This TV as mentioned provides a large 55-Inch viewing space and a full 1080p High Definition resolution for the best picture quality around. Improving on that quality, especially in quick moving scenes is its Motionflow XR 120 Technology which gives this display 120Hz for showing every detail in even the quickest and most jittery of motions that you see, improving the overall images by quite a lot. It’s also got a built-in light sensor which as implied detects ambient light in the room and automatically adjusts the brightness accordingly. Best to jump on this while it lasts!

Add this TV to your cart and you’ll get it for a BEST OF WEB price of $949.99.  S&H is included in the deal.

Late last year Sony released the Tablet S, a fairly standard tablet with some major design changes over the typical bunch we’ve seen from other Android tablets. The P is an even further departure, with a clamshell build and not one, but two screens that shut like a Nintendo DS to fit in the pocket. We all scratched our heads when Sony first revealed it last year, but after some hands-on time, I can say that clearly the company knows what it’s doing. The question is whether or not it’s the kind of tablet consumers will want.

So let’s set one thing straight for potential nay-sayers: the Tablet P is, in fact, a tablet. It uses two screens that are indeed not attached, but the space between them is minimal and for the majority of Android applications the two displays act as one. There is no difference between the two. If you are concerned about the tablet because it doesn’t fit the notion of tablets that we’ve seen today, put those concerns aside. The Tablet P is, in fact, a tablet in every way.

Now that that’s settled, let’s take a look at how this clamshell design actually works. Because this isn’t a full review (only a hands-on from some 15 minutes of play at CES), I’ll keep it brief. Closed, the Tablet P is just over an inch thick, and open it’s half an inch. Each screen is 5.5″, each with a resolution of 1024×480, providing a combined screen resolution of 1024×960). This aspect ratio (16:15) is unseen in the industry, and is a complete oddity. It’s practically square. Of course, the stranger aspect ratio is with each individual display, which is 32:15. For reference, widescreen is 16:9, most computer monitors in homes today are 16:10, and old TVs are 4:3 (or 16:12). Suffice it to say, watching movies on the Tablet P will be very strange.

In fact, the aspect ratio and screen resolution may pose larger problems for the tablet and applications as a whole. Certain apps like web browsers and simple apps like Twitter and Facebook will actually be easier to use on the Tablet P for two reasons: using both screens will provide the same resolution across we see in most smaller tablets (1024 is the standard for 8″ or smaller tablets) while allowing 33-66% more space going down. Most tablets with a screen resolution of 1024 across are 1024×600 displays. The Tablet P has an extra 360 pixels going down, which means web pages and basic apps will have a lot more room. Users won’t have to scroll as much and will be able to enjoy more of the page or app at once.

Then, there’s the second reason. Because the Tablet P is two separate screens, the bottom display can automatically be changed to a keyboard for typing while the top display maintains it’s current state. Users will have more screen real estate to see what they’re doing while typing, a standard problem with most tablets, especially when holding them in landscape mode. This means if you use your tablet often for typing notes or messages, with the Tablet P you won’t have to constantly scroll up and down to see what was above or below, at least not as often. It may not seem like such an important thing, but for anyone who types on their smartphones often, it’s a serious inconvenience.

Having a clamshell design also enables the Tablet P to better fit into the design for Sony’s Playstation brand. Instead of a typical tablet, which is hard to hold compared to portable game consoles like the Nintendo 3DS or smaller smartphones, the Tablet P can utilize the bottom display as a touch controller and touchpad while the top display downscales to 720×480 (480p) or 640×480 (480i). This means Playstation 1 games, and even Playstation 2 games, could be played on the screen while making full use of the touch controls. The Tablet P is Playstation Certified, which is an Android-specific determination of whether or not a smartphone or tablet can play Playstation games (which today includes a small but growing list of Playstation 1 games).

In the hand the Tablet P has a good solid feel to it, and the curved edges and build are comfortable to hold. Because of the hinged displays, it’s actually fairly comfortable to hold, and I’d assume it would remain so for longer periods of time because of the weight distribution. Most tablets are larger and are held in two hands, but the weight isn’t all resting in the hands themselves. With the Tablet P, depending on how users bend the hinges, the weight distribution can be made much more comfortable by keeping the top display upright (the screen facing perpendicular to the ground). The display quality is good, though navigating web pages is odd on two displays. Both are of course touchscreen displays, but it’s still weird to scroll and hit another screen.

I played one game on the Tablet P, Crash Bandicoot, and it ran very well (though this isn’t surprising; the Tablet P has identical internals to the Tablet S). The bottom touchscreen was responsive, though it is and may remain odd to play on a touchscreen. Users can of course play with a Bluetooth Playstation controller as well, though I imagine doing so would be quite strange considering the screen resolution.

The Tablet P is set for release within the next few months, and will be available only with an AT&T contract, at least to start. What the pricing is, both on the contract and for the device itself, has not been released. The Tablet P will not include an LTE antenna, but it will have access to AT&T’s “4G” network (which, as I’ve talked about previously, is significantly faster than 3G and not nearly as battery intensive as LTE).

There are a few phone companies that unfortunately only put a few phones out a year, and Sony Ericsson was previously one of them. At least in the US, anyhow. Now Sony has taken full control of the Ericsson brand, that isn’t necessarily likely to change, but Sony did reveal at CES two new handsets, the Xperia S and Xperia Ion. Both are very similar in specs, but the S is the bigger (or rather, slimmer) model to look at.

A 1.5GHz dual core CPU powers both phones, along with 1GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 720p display utilizing Sony’s “Bravia Engine”. They also have not one, but two f/2.2 lenses (front and back), which isn’t the fastest in the industry but on par with the best that you can get on high-end smartphones today. The rear shooter is a 12.1MP beast, and on the Xperia S it’ll be the first 12.1MP camera available on a smartphone, the highest resolution available (at least until the HTC Titan II releases very shortly after).

What makes the Xperia S interesting is the design. It’s a 4.3″ display with, from what I’ve seen in my brief hands-on, a stunning display, but more importantly a very sleek, chic design. It’s almost like a mix between the iPhone 4, the Nokia Lumia 900, and the more rounded Samsung Galaxy S II phones, but not quite like any of them at the same time. The touch-sensitive buttons are clearly highlighted by a thin layer of clear, light-shaded plastic. It looks very, very slick. Just look at the image above.

The only difference between the S and Ion is that the Ion is exclusive to AT&T and will release in June, while the S is not exclusive to any company (nor does it have any contracts planned, though it will be a GSM only phone), and will release in March or early April. The screen size is also slightly different; the Ion is 4.5″, while the S is 4.3″, so the S can stand for smaller.

Or perhaps sadly. Like, sadly, both phones will release with Android 2.3.7 installed, and will “eventually” be upgraded to Android 4.0. I spoke with several Sony representatives about the devices, and there are two intrinsically important differentiators about both devices, both of which have to do with the camera. In typical Sony fashion, of course.

The first is how fast the cameras shoot. Shot-to-shot timing is 0.9 seconds. That means you can take a shot, press to take another, and in less than a second the phone will take another picture. In phone photography, that’s the fastest on any phone. What I don’t know, and am looking into, is whether or not bumping up to Android 4.0 will actually speed that up (because Android 4.0 seriously speeds up the camera on the software side). The second is going from standby to shooting, which is an incredible 1.5 seconds. It may not sound important, but as we all know, when there’s something to take a picture of, the moment is now. There’s no time to wait and fiddle about. With these new Xperias, hold down the shutter release and 1.5 seconds later it’ll take the shot. No other phone in the world offers anything quite like that. Some, like WP7 phones, can activate to the camera, but they’ll need to be pressed again to actually take the shot. So it’s very impressive.

Xperia models (excluding the Xperia Play) have in the past been very solid devices, so I’m looking forward to both, though specifically the Xperia S. Both will also be Playstation Certified, so the Play won’t be the only phone capable of playing PS1 games.

News on the Sony Ericsson Smart Watch (which will probably just be the Sony SmartWatch) has been released.  The Android-based watch keeps you discreetly updated on your social life, while also keeping your hands free. Everything is based on your wrist, as the watch allows you to catch up on emails, texts, tweets and more. It has the capability to store up to 255 widgets, most of which will interact with your Android 2.1+ Sony smartphone (they’ve listed the Xperia arc S and Experia S as two compatible phones) via Bluetooth.

Featuring a scratch and splash-proof multi-touch display, users can easily customize their SmartWatch with any 20mm wristband or even use it as a clip. It has an ultra-sleek, ultra-slim and ultra-responsive touch display where you simply tap, swipe or press to access your favorite apps from the Android Market. Price is said to be $149, but no launch date has been revealed yet.

Sony is taking its MP4 camera line to the next level with their latest releases, including the new Bloggie Live MHS-TS55 HD Camera that features some impressive specs like 12.8 megapixel stills, has a stereo microphone, 3-inch wide capacitive touch screen, an LED light, and live streaming thanks to built-in Wi-Fi capability, a first in a full HD pocket camera. Users can now share special moments in real-time with Qik Video, a mobile video sharing service from Skype. Sharing is easy since all footage can automatically be uploaded to various sites like Facebook, YouTube and Sony’s PlayMemories Online  (a free app that can be downloaded from the Android market and iTunes app store) that will be available come Spring, which allows users to view their content from other devices anytime.

The Bloggie Live MHS-TS55 HD Camera’s design is slim and stylish coupled with its innovative hardware, software and abilities to seamlessly integrate with Internet social network sites provides easy, intuitive shooting and sharing. Other cool features include: Sensitive Exmor CMOS sensor to achieve high resolution video and crisply-detailed still photos; Dual Record to enable photo capture while shooting video; SteadyShot image stabilization; Face Detection technology; Auto Focus/Auto Macro; built-in USB arm for easy charging and uploading; and compatibility with both PC and Mac computers.

As a bonus for users, Sony has partnered with Verizon Wireless to offer a $50 debit card by mail to those who buy a Bloggie Live camera, as well as a Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot device with a 2-year contract, by April 9 (but hotspot device must be purchased from Verizon within 30 days after buying the camera). The Bloggie Live MHS-TS55 camera with 8GB of internal memory will see for about $250 and be available next month.

Sony has revamped and modernized its classic Walkman with the new Z Player powered by Android that’s designed for music lovers. Stylish hardware meets outstanding audio to result in what Sony claims will be the “ultimate mobile entertainment experience.” As the first MP3 player from Sony to be powered by Android 2.3, users can easily access the Android market with its built-in WiFi, browse the Internet, check e-mail and more. Sony’s Entertainment Network’s cloud-based Music Unlimited Service(via subscription) offers more than 10 million songs. The Walkman Z player also offers easy transfer from iTunes for Windows or Windows Media Player.

With its anti-reflective 4.3-inch multi-touch LCD touch screen users can enjoy music, vido and games on a large screen. The Walkman Z Player features the integrated S-Master MX digital amplifier to greatly reduce noise levels and distortion along with additional audio technologies to create an enriched music experience.

SenseMe technology allows users to play music that complements their mood as users keep their music in tune with their mood by automatically categorizing music tracks into different channels. Sony will offer three different models based on storage capacity with the 8G Z Series going for $249.99, the 16G for about $279.99 and the 32G for about $329.99. All three will be available for purchase this Spring.

Amazon is offering the lowest price around on this Sony Alpha NEX-3 Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera w/18-55mm Lens (Black)-14.2 Mpix!

Ah yes, sharp photos and footage is always the best and Amazon has once again provided us with that at a very low price! We’ve all seen the Sony NEX-3 before but not this low and thanks to that you can now go and snap large 14.2-Megapixel photos to your hearts’ desire. Now this may also be one of the smallest DSLR camera’s we’ve seen and that comes complete with interchangeable lenses you can pick up at your own discretion. This one includes an 18-55mm lens for free. Other features include easy sweeping panorama, intense 12800 ISO capability for pictures in any light, 720p HD video capture and of course variable speed shooting modes at up to 7 frames per second at full quality.

Rock bottom price!  You can now score this micro 4/3 camera for $379.95.  Free delivery as always

Amazon is offering a great discounted price on this Sony SMP-N200 Wireless HD Video Player!

So the one thing your home theater system was missing was Internet connectivity? Well not anymore thanks to this slick discounted price from Amazon for this Wireless Media Player from Sony. This slim little box is the key to limitless access for your TV and the rest of your setup. Once you connect this player to your home theater setup and wirelessly to your network you can quickly and easily stream all sorts of content from places like Netflix, Pandora, YouTube, Hulu Plus and much more. This content can of course be played back in full 1080p HD which takes advantage of whatever equipment you may have. There is also an App available for Smartphones which allows you to take control of the unit from close or far and play media the way you want.

Amazon takes $39.13 off the price of this media streamer.  That’s makes the final price, with free delivery to your front door, just $60.86. 

Despite the fact that the iPod and iPhone has grown to a ridiculous level of popularity, it doesn’t mean that they’re the best choice for listening to music.  Some will wholeheartedly argue this, while I’ll flat out tell them they’re wrong.  Why?  Both are fragile devices that are heavy, cumbersome and require you to use a set of headphones.   Ultimately, it’s not practical and nor does it provide me with that streamlined feeling I like to have if I’m taking a jog, jumping rope or lifting weights.

Last year I reviewed Sony’s W252s.  If you recall they pretty much answered my above quandary.  However, they had a few shortcomings that lead Sony to issue a new version last month.  The result?  A lighter, easier to use portable audio player, the W263.

This iteration has done away with the magnets, which have been replaced with a simple on/off switch. The magnets, which served as power switched (off when attached, on when not), proved impractical, since many a people found a simple jolt in the bag could separate the headphones and thus draining the battery.

They’ve also reduced the weight  (1.6 vs 1.2oz) and size making them more comfortable and less of interference when performing any sort of rigorous activity.  However, I still had problems with positioning the buds at the correct angle to optimize audio response and more importantly bass.  Sony does include a few different ear bud sizes, but your stuck with one pair of headphones with no options to upgrade.  And speaking of which, the hardware from the previous iteration has remained the same, which is 5+5 watts of power and 13.5mm drivers.

The W263 are relatively bare bones in the feature department.  Fortunately, in this case, that’s a good thing.  Adding music is as simple as plugging it in to your computer’s USB port and dragging and dropping music files directly from iTunes to the player.  The player itself boasts the same controls as the previous iteration, which include shuffle, play, pause, track skip and volume control.  A small LED battery light changes from green to orange to red to indicate remaining battery life.   A full charge takes 1.5 hours, producing 8 hours of playback, where as a 3 minute charge can provide enough just for up to 60 minutes of playback. I fully charged my W263 and haven’t seen the battery life deviate from the specs.

Sonically, I’m more than pleased with the W263.  I received the Meb Keflezighi special edition version of the player.  I loaded up the 2GB of storage (there is a 4GB version, though it’s not available in the special edition) with a variety of music, got the buds warmed up with a few hours of music and then cranked them during my workouts.  The spectrum of sound is not the widest, though at loudest volume they held their own and didn’t distort. As already mentioned I had to reposition them to get the most bass response from the buds, but just as fast as I did that they would revert to their original position and reduce the lows.  This is largely due to the shape of my ears and partially the band that connects the two ear pieces together.

Bottom line: A water resistant all-in-one MP3 player that will surely satiate any workout freaks music needs while in the exercise trenches.

Editor’s Rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Pros:

• Compatible with iTunes; drag and drop to add tunes
• Water resistant build
• All-in-one design makes the W263 ideal for workouts

Cons:

• Stuck with one set of headphones
• Buds may accommodate all ears for maximum audio response

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Tigerdirect has certainly outdone themselves this time, they are offering the best price on the net on this Sony BRAVIA KDL-46NX720 46-Inch 3D LED TV!

Looking to be blown away by the quality of your TV? How about being blown away by the price as well! With this new discount this top-of-the-line Sony TV becomes more available for all of us. This 46-Inch LED panel is capable of 1080p High Definition resolutions as well as full 3D so you get the best picture at every angle of the technology. This TV features an INFINITE contrast ratio for the simply best color quality and realism around, as well as a 120Hz refresh rate designed to smooth out the transitions and movement of scenes for better overall clarity. It’s built with scratch proof gorilla glass as well, keeping any sort of scratch annoyance away for the display. This TV also has 4 HDMI inputs as well as built-in Wi-Fi and Skype capabilities, this allows for browsing and streaming limitless content from all your favorite sites.

No other retailer has this TV for so cheap.  It sells for $999.99 with free S&H

Best Buy is on a roll with good prices, this time on this Sony VAIO EL2 VPCEL22FX/B 15.5-Inch Grey Notebook!

Well here’s the deal you’ve been waiting for on a brand new laptop computer! Priced much lower than ever before you can grab this 15.5-Inch Sony Vaio notebook featuring a 720p High Definition resolution. This laptop is powered by a new and speed AMD E-Series processor with Vision technology and AMD Mobility Radeon HD 6130 Graphics paired along with 4GBs of DDR3 Memory. This laptop also comes packed with a large 320GB hard drive, built-in Webcam with microphone, high speed Atheros wireless adapter and much more. Incredible buy at this price and definitely won’t last long.

Best Buy continues to nail it with a great deal on this 15.5-inch laptop.  It usually sells for over $400, but they’ve got it for $349.99 with free delivery!