Sony Announces Smallest HD Camcorder

Sahas Katta — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:03:31 +0000

Yesterday Sony announced the smallest full-HD camcorder for consumers. The device is only 1.3-inches wide, 4.7-inches tall, and 2.5-inches deep but has the capacity to record 1920 x 1080 HD video content and capture 4.0 mega-pixel photos. Instead of recording to a miniDV tape, all content is recorded onto the Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo cards. And Sony even includes a 4GB Mark2 card along with the camcorder so you can start recording immediately. The camcorder also features an innovative 2.7-inch touch panel LCD screen. The camcorder is also loaded with plenty of Sony’s automation technology to recognize faces, focus, and adjust to the environment. Although this may irritate professionals, it will however satisfy the consumers it was intended for. The audio is also captured in 5.1-channel Dolby Digital surround sound which will provide top notch audio quality to complement the HD video.

“Sony was the first to introduce a travel-sized camcorder with 8 mm technology in the 1980’s, and it revolutionized the travel and electronics industries,” said Kelly Davis, director of camcorder marketing at Sony Electronics. “This new model is a great example of our expertise in miniaturization, as well as advanced imaging technologies with features like face detection.”

The compact HDR-TG1 HD camcorder will become available next month (May 2008). The current manufacturer’s suggested retail price is set at $900. When it becomes available it can be purchased on SonyStyle.com. in Sony Retail Stores, or through authorized dealers. Pre-orders begin on April 4th.

Links: SonyStyle.com

Sony Releases New Reader

Sahas Katta — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 03:27:18 +0000

Sony just released a new version of their electronic “Reader” (PRS-505) as an upgrade to the PRS-500. First off for those of you that don’t know what this gizmo is, it’s a electronic paper display. This means that it actually looks like ink on paper and doesn’t cause stress on eyes as backlit LCD screens do. Sony’s second generation Reader has new controls, imitates paper better than its predecessor, responds faster, and is much easier to read outdoors. Unlike other gadgets with displays, the Reader doesn’t consume any power when it is on. It only looses power when flipping through pages. According to Sony you’ll be able to read approximately 7,500 pages before the juice runs out.

The Reader now also sports a Memory Stick Duo and SD card slots for additional storage space and also functions as a mass storage device. Owners can transfer purchased books from Sony’s collection of 20,000 titles or copy their own PDF, Word, RTF, Text, or JPEG files. For easier reading the Reader can be oriented in either the upright or landscape position on the 6-inch display. Text can also be magnified by up to three times. The previous Reader wasn’t too popular, but was quite impressive despite being laggy when we took a look at it. Hopefully this version will bring many more improvements.

The reader is a bit on the pricey end, costing about $300 for the unit in addition to a USB cable, soft case, and ~~charger~~. The unit is on sale now and will be available in both silver and dark blue by the end of this month. Look for it online, in retail stores, and even at Borders. We are trying to get a hold of a unit, so if you are interested check back for full in-depth review.

Links: SonyStyle.com
Related: Video Walkman Review

Skatter Tech » memory stick

Sony Announces Smallest HD Camcorder

Sony Releases New Reader