sony

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- CNET's full coverage of today's Google I/O 2013 event.

- Get out of the sun!

- Follow Jill on Twitter.

- Check out Jill's new site.… Read more

No one can deny the popularity of sound bar speakers, but I've always been frustrated by their sound quality. There were exceptions; the $899 Atlantic Technology PB-235 and $699 SpeakerCraft CS3 are quite good, but in the more popular $300-to-$400 range the 'bars weren't all that great. Granted, they were a big step up from TV speakers, but their sound was still a compromise, compared with what's available from the better $300-to-$400 Emotiva and Audioengine self-powered stereo speakers (they get hooked up from your TV's stereo analog jacks).

A few weeks ago I spent … Read more

An American hedge fund billionaire has called for the breakup of Sony, in a bid to tighten its focus on the electronics division.

The call on Tuesday came from Daniel Loeb, founder and CEO of hedge fund Third Point, known for its role in ousting Yahoo's former CEO Scott Thompson and enlisting Marissa Mayer from Google to run the company, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Sony's entertainment arm includes one of the biggest film studios in Hollywood and one of the largest music labels in the world.

Loeb also signaled he would … Read more

Google Glass isn't the only pair of high-tech specs making a splash on the personal viewing scene. Sony Entertainment Access Glasses are about to give deaf moviegoers a way to watch first-run films with closed captions at the theater.

The glasses project closed captions at the bottom of the viewer's eyesight. The text is sent via a wireless system to a receiver that feeds the data to the glasses. Regal Cinemas also is offering an audio headset option for the blind, providing descriptive audio tracks to match what's happening on screen.… Read more

Sony is launching a new Xperia smartphone designed to be dunkable.

Announced on Monday, the Xperia ZR phone can stay under as much as five feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Using the phone's 13-megapixel camera, you can shoot underwater photos and videos in full HD. The dedicated camera key also allows you to quickly take a shot even if the phone is locked.

The camera takes advantage of Sony's Exmor RS for mobile image sensor with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for both photographs and videos. The company promises that photos and videos are automatically captured … Read more

Sony may forgo the Xperia branding and adopt the new One Sony branding for this fall's flagship smartphone, according to various reports. Rumored to be called the Sony i1, the possibly forthcoming Android handset could be among the most powerful devices to date.

Details, which first surfaced in late April, suggested that the Sony "Honami" i1 would be among the first phones to feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor.

Additional speculation called out a 5-inch 1080p HD display, 2GB RAM, and a 3,000mAh battery. Said to be centered on the CyberShot line, the phone was rumored … Read more

Apple is getting closer to rolling out its free Internet radio service.

The company has reached a licensing deal with the world's largest music label, Universal Music Group, according to people familiar with the situation. Apple is still in deep negotiations with Warner Music Group on some specifics. It also still needs an agreement with Sony Music, which has been tougher for Apple to get on board.

Apple spokesperson Tom Neumayr declined to comment.

The deal with Universal, which the Financial Times reported Thursday, could become very lucrative.

After much back and forth about the terms, the deal reached … Read more

Sony is prepping a new 13-inch slider laptop, similar to the Vaio Duo 11, for a Computex reveal, a source tells CNET.

The source familiar with the upcoming device -- supposedly called the Vaio Duo 13 -- confirmed to CNET the authenticity of the video, pictures, and specifications originally revealed Thursday by Notebook Review. Barring any last-minute changes, the source indicated that the Japanese company plans to announce the Windows 8 device during its annual press conference in early June at the Computex expo in Taiwan.… Read more

Sony returned to the black for the first time in five years, thanks largely to one-time gains from the sale of assets rather than its core consumer electronics products.

The Japanese electronics giant on Thursday reported a net profit of $458 million in the 2012 financial year ending March 31 compared with a loss of $5.7 billion the year earlier (PDF). It also recorded an operating profit of $2.45 billion in 2012 compared with a loss of $820 million last year.

The company recorded $72 million in sales, a meager increase of 4.7 percent over the previous … Read more