Final refrain for iPod as Apple stops production

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Apple put out word it is no longer making iPods, the trend-setting MP3 players that transformed how people get music and gave rise to the iPhone.

Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the devices nearly 21 years ago with his legendary showmanship flare, and the small, easy to operate players helped the company revolutionize how music was sold.

It packed "a mind-blowing 1,000 songs" the company said at the time, and together with Apple's iTunes shop established a new distribution model for the music industry.

Buying complete albums on vinyl gave way to paying 99 cents a piece for selected digital songs.

Industry trackers and California-based Apple itself have long acknowledged that the do-it-all iPhone would eat away at sales of one-trick devices such as iPod MP3 players.

The trend toward streaming music services, including one by Apple, has made devices designed just for carrying digital tunes around less enticing for consumers.

Apple said in a blog post that the current generation of iPods will only be available as long as current supplies last.

"Music has always been part of our core at Apple, and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way iPod did impacted more than just the music industry," said Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak.

"It also redefined how music is discovered, listened to, and shared."

Joswiak said that the "spirit of iPod" lives on in its lineup of products including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and its HomePod smart speaker.

"Since its introduction over 20 years ago, iPod has captivated users all over the world who love the ability to take their music with them on the go," Apple said in a blog post.

"Today, the experience of taking one’s music library out into the world has been integrated across Apple’s product line - from iPhone and Apple Watch to iPad and Mac."

In addition, the Apple Music subscription service provides streaming access to more than 90 million songs, the Silicon Valley giant said.

The iPod endured despite analyst worries that the release of the iPhone in 2007 would destroy demand, since the smartphones provided much more than just digital music.

News of the end of the line for iPod prompted a flurry of sad, nostalgic posts on Twitter.

"Damn... low-key a little sad to see that Apple has officially discontinued the iPod from today," said a tweet fire off from the verified @MrDalekJD account of a UK Gaming YouTuber.

"This thing changed the music game forever. RIP."

Agence France-Presse

China's Xiaomi soars as US judge lifts it from backlist

HONG KONG - Shares in Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi surged more than 10 percent in Hong Kong on Monday after a US judge removed it from a blacklist that barred American companies from investing in it.

The firm's stock price has been hammered since mid-January when Donald Trump, in his last days in office, included it in a group the White House considered a threat to US national security.

The move classified Xiaomi, which is among the biggest smartphone makers in the world, as one of nine "Communist Chinese military companies" that also included state oil giant CNOOC, and popular social media app TikTok.

But US District Judge Rudolph Contreras ruled Friday that the Department of Defense and the Treasury "have not made the case that the national security interests at stake here are compelling".

He removed Xiaomi from the blacklist and suspended the investment ban after the firm appealed against the blacklisting.

The news sent shares in the firm surging 12 percent in Hong Kong morning trade Monday, having lost more than 40 percent since Trump's order. 

However, while Xiaomi was removed, US regulators listed Huawei and ZTE among Chinese telecom equipment makers considered a threat to national security, signalling that a hoped-for softening of relations is not on the cards.

Washington claims Huawei has close ties to China's military and that Beijing could use its equipment for espionage -- accusations the company denies.

Agence France-Presse

Samsung launches two new tablet devices

MANILA, Philippines — South Korean electronics giant Samsung has launched two new tablets in the local market under the Galaxy PRO Series line.

Both products, according to Samsung, intend “to marry the productivity of a PC and the ease of a tablet.” The two new tablets are the 12.2-inch Galaxy Note PRO and the 8.4-inch Tab PRO.

Coco Domingo, Samsung Philippines head for product marketing in IT and mobile, said the new devices will be primarily marketed toward businessmen.

“The primary target market are really more of entrepreneurs who need to be mobile such as those who have several stores that they need to manage and they really need to go around and really use the product for bookkeeping or being able to make simple presentations for their clients,” Domingo said in an interview.

The Android-powered products both have WQXGA display of 2560×1600 resolution, similar to the 2014 Galaxy Note 10.1 model. Both also have an 8-megapixel rear-facing and 2-megapixel front facing camera.

The Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 has a 1.9 GHz octa-core processor, 3GB of memory and 32GB of storage expandable up to 64GB with MicroSD card slot. It will sell for P36,990.

The Galaxy Note 8.4, on the other hand, has a 2.3 GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of memory and 16GB of storage with microSD card support of up to 64 GB. It will sell for P18,990.

Installed in both devices is the newly launched Hancom Office suite, which offers applications for creating and editing office documents.

Domingo said that their telco partners are now looking at offering the devices to their corporate clients.

source: interaksyon.com

Music lovers seek to pump up digital audio quality

WASHINGTON — When he sees people listening to music on portable digital devices, David Chesky cringes.

“You can have an $8 million Stradivarius, and it sounds like you bought it at a local hardware store,” says Chesky.

A composer who also has his own record label, Chesky began a music download site in 2007 called HD Tracks, offering “high resolution” music which retains much of the fidelity lost in most digital music.

“We are making a quality product for someone who is passionate about music,” Chesky told AFP.

“No artist goes into a studio and slaves for six months over each detail, to have their music listened to on a laptop and $5 headsets.”

Chesky’s was among the first offering high-res digital music which captures more quality than typical MP3 audio files, but the segment is growing, with music labels, electronics firms, musicians and others joining the push for better-quality formats.

Increased broadband speeds are another factor, allowing high-quality music downloads without the compression that many say is detrimental to sound quality.

High-res market grows

Jared Sacks, an American living in the Netherlands who is preparing an expanded launch of a site called nativedsd.com, said he believes the market is evolving.

Sacks said many consumers under the age of 35 have never heard high-quality audio, and “now some people are waking up and saying ‘we want this quality.’”

The outlook is brighter, Sacks said, because of the availability of hardware, download sites like his and lower-cost digital storage and Internet access.

“A year and a half ago you had only two (high-resolution audio) players and now there are over 60,” he said.

“People who want good quality are willing to pay for it, but a lot of people have never heard better quality.”

Sacks’s site and HD Tracks are among six partnering with Sony, selling high-resolution audio files which can be played on the Japanese firm’s recently launched HD audio equipment.

HD audio will cost more than what most consumers are paying, but many audiophiles appear willing to pay roughly $20 to $30 for an music album, and individual tracks close to $3.

“I think the digital stars are aligning,” says Jeffrey Joseph, senior vice president at the Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group for the tech industry.

“Our research indicates the market for high quality music products is extending beyond the enthusiasts.”

Joseph said debate over music quality has been around for decades, with the advent of the CD, which “lacked the warmth” of vinyl recordings. Digital technology allowed music to reach more people, but often sacrificed quality.

“What is particularly exciting about high resolution is that it has the high quality sound that you want but all the benefits of digital — the portability, the customization,” he said.

On display at CES

At the CEA’s annual International Consumer Electronics Show in January, a space will be dedicated for the first time to high-resolution music. CEA said its survey found 39 percent of consumers with a moderate interest in audio indicate they are willing to pay more for high quality audio electronics devices and 60 percent would pay more for higher quality digital music.

Sony has joined the effort both as a music publisher — by making its recordings available in high-definition format — and as an electronics maker with a range of high-resolution audio devices including music players, headphones and speakers.

“What the consumer needed was products that supported everything they could get their hands on” fore higher-quality digital music, Sony Electronics product manager Aaron Levine told AFP.

Sony maintains that high resolution audio helps recreate the experience of an original studio recording or live performance.

After home audio, the next frontier for high-resolution is portable. Sony has been selling a portable HD player in some markets, and South Korea’s Astell & Kern has devices selling at $700 to $1,300 which promise HD sound.

But some music lovers are waiting for a device being developed by pop star Neil Young, who is promising a portable player in early 2014 called Pono.

“Miraculously, there’s a wealth of music & soul (or if you must, ‘data’) trapped on millions of recordings made over the last half century, that we’re hoping to unleash for the very first time,” Young said in a Facebook post.

“We’re still toiling away on making this happen.”

Do listeners care?

Some experts say new formats are unlikely to take hold because most consumers cannot tell the difference.

“I hate to use the term ‘snob appeal’ but that’s really what it is,” said Colby Leider, director of music engineer at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.

Leider, who has studied both electrical engineering and music composition, said while it is true much data is lost when music is compressed to the MP3 format, “it works because it removes the portions of sound that most humans can’t hear.”

“There are people who buy a $20,000 power cable to plug it into their system. But science says there is no difference between your $20,000 power cable and a coat hanger.”

Digital music on CDs is based on a “sampling” at 44,1000 times a second, transferring 16 bits; MP3 music has less data, and HD is higher, often sampling at 96,000 times a second with 24 or 32 bits of data.

“Some people can tell the difference,” Leider said. “But if it’s a great song, you are still going to love it even if it’s not HD, and if it’s a bad song, it doesn’t matter.”

source: interaksyon.com

iPhone 5S fingerprint scanner: Two thumbs up!

SAN FRANCISCO — The fingerprint reader on Apple Inc’s top-end iPhone 5S received an early thumbs up for ease of use from two influential reviewers, helping dispel concerns about the scanning technology which has been notoriously unreliable in other cellphones.

Apple’s scanner is seen as a first step toward realizing the full potential for biometrics in personal electronics, heightening security for applications like banking and shopping while doing away with multiple passwords.

“The best part is that it actually works – every single time, in my tests,” wrote reviewer David Pogue of the New York Times.

“It’s nothing like the balky, infuriating fingerprint-reader efforts of earlier cellphones. It’s genuinely awesome; the haters can go jump off a pier.”

The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg was also enthusiastic, calling it simple and reliable. But he noted that the gadget would inexplicably prompt him for a password when swiping a finger to make purchases, which he blamed on a bug.

“I have come to like it and consider it a step forward, despite a few issues,” he said of the overall device.

Re-tooled iOS7 mobile software, a better camera, a more useful voice-activated “Siri” personal digital assistant and a faster processor combined to make the iPhone 5S the best smartphone on the market, he added.

However, he argued that owners of the previous-generation iPhone 5 may not have a compelling reason to buy the latest device unless they specifically wanted the fingerprint reader.

Many industry analysts view the iPhone 5S and the cheaper 5C as being modest improvements on the previous generation, reviving fears that Apple’s most innovative days may be behind it. They said the mere fact of a fingerprint scanner was unlikely by itself to make the gadget a sure win in a crowded market.

Apple has embedded the scanner into the iPhone’s home button, while other mobile devices usually have it on the back, making it awkward for the user and increasing the number of failed attempts.

Archrival Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and fellow South Korean electronics manufacturer LG Electronics Inc have had problems incorporating the technology into finished products.

source: interaksyon.com

Toshiba announces new strategy with latest line-up of LED TVs

Singapore — Japan’s Toshiba Corporation recently announced its new strategy in the fast growing ASEAN region with the launch of the electronic company’s new line-up of LED TVs dubbed as “Pro Theatre.”

In a statement, Toshiba said that it aims to achieve more than 20 percent market share in unit terms in the region by the end of Fiscal Year 2014. The Japanese electronics giant also said that the company is positioning its growth in the ASEAN economies as the cornerstone of its strategy by providing a broad range products that are closely attuned to the demands and changing lifestyles of countries in the region.

“The core value of TVs is how we can maximize the excitement that viewers get from the large screen. That’s ‘the entertainment power of TV,’” said Shigenori Tokumitsu, president of digital products and services company, an in-house company of Toshiba Corporation. “Movies give us our most immersive viewing experiences because viewers can feel the passions and thoughts that the writer, director and film crew make a stunning reality. We want to do the same with the ‘Pro Theatre’ TVs. Using our superb image processing technologies, we want to offer them as the ‘Best TVs for Watching Movies’”.

Toshiba said that it will launch three new series of ‘Pro Theatre’ in the ASEAN market: the flagship L9300 Series; the L4300 series, Toshiba’s first TVs with the Android operating system; and the L3300 series featuring “Turbo LED” and “Detail Booster”.

As the global trend in television is towards big screens and high definition, all of the TVs in the “Pro Theatre” line-up feature “Intelligent Auto View”, a new technology that monitors room brightness, and other aspects of the viewing environment. It then automatically adjusts picture parameters such as color temperature, color depth, sharpness, and backlight. This new technology is grounded in studies of the human brain-eye characteristics and on analysis of the picture parameters in the professional monitors used by film makers.




L9300 series – Flagship TVs

Featuring four times the resolution of today’s 1080p full HD TVs, the L9300 series delivers the ultimate viewing experience for movies and TV shows. Powered by Toshiba’s proprietary CEVO 4K and equipped with a Quad core CPU, the L9300 series delivers the highest quality Ultra HD image processing, including “Resolution Restoration” to restore clean, near Ultra HD image quality from less than 4K content and “Surface Brilliance Enhancement” that brings images to life like never before.

With over eight million pixels on an Ultra HD display, the L9300 series allows viewers to sit closer to the screen than with a standard HD TV set without being distracted by the pixel structure. Not only that, Toshiba’s advanced image processing technologies enable viewers to enjoy pin-sharp images and read small text easily. With this flagship series, Toshiba expects to establish a strong presence in ASEAN’s high-end TV market.

The L9300 series, available in 58- and 84-inch models, is scheduled to ship in the fourth quarter of 2013.





L4300 Series – Toshiba’s first TV with the AndroidTM OS

Alongside an exciting home viewing experience and superb picture quality, for those viewers who want the extended viewing pleasure of access to the internet and its universe of content, Toshiba offers the L4300 series, its first “TV with Android. It opens up access to the wide array of Android apps and offers a convenient way to browse and enjoy content. The L4300 series supports YouTube, and images from the video sharing website are reproduced clearer and smoother thanks to Toshiba’s superb image processing technology.

The L4300 series, available in 39- and 50-inch models, is scheduled to ship in the fourth quarter of 2013.



L3300 series – Innovative “Turbo LED” and “Detail Booster”

The L3300 series showcases two of Toshiba’s latest innovations in image processing: “Turbo LED” and “Detail Booster”. “Turbo LED” boosts brightness dramatically, by 50 percent, delivering clearer, smoother images with superb resolution. The feature is controlled by the viewer and can be used when needed, keeping power consumption to a reasonable level. “Detail Booster” enhances both resolution and image texture. It improves overall resolution by restoring image edge sharpness affected by the upscaling process, while texture enhancement analyses the original images and hones a stereoscopic effect by strengthening their brilliance. With brighter, cleaner pictures, it delivers greater viewing pleasure. The L3300 series also supports YouTube.　

The L3300 series, available in 32- and 39 inch models, is scheduled to ship in September 2013.

source: interaksyon.com

Model displays Samsung smart watch in Berlin

BERLIN, Germany--The functions of Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch is displayed at the IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung) electronics trade fair in Berlin on September 4, 2013.

The South Korean electronics giant believes its Galaxy Gear watch will "lead a new trend in smart mobile communications.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony takes on Microsoft, prices new PS4 below Xbox One

LOS ANGELES — Sony Corp on Monday priced its latest PlayStation 4 console $100 lower than the new Xbox One by rival Microsoft Corp as competition for gamers’ pockets intensifies ahead of the year-end holidays and gift-giving season.

Sony said it would sell the latest PlayStation model for $399 late in the year shortly after Microsoft announced a $499 price tag for its first new Xbox in eight years and said it would go on sale in the United States in November.

Sony also drew cheers from the audience at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles when it said the PS4 would run second-hand games and did not require an always-on Internet connection.

Microsoft had earlier elicited groans from gamers when it announced restrictions on used games for the Xbox One and said players had to log onto the Internet for authentication.

“The PlayStation 4 won’t impose any new restrictions on used games,” said Jack Tretton, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America as the audience whistled and applauded.

Microsoft and Sony hope the consoles will attract new fans and retain users who are increasingly playing games on smartphones and other mobile devices, gradually diminishing the $66 billion video game business. Both companies are also offering more entertainment options.

The Xbox 360 is currently the best-selling gaming console in the United States, but global sales are almost on par with the PlayStation 3.

The new Xbox and PlayStation are both pricier than the $300 Wii U which Nintendo Co Ltd launched late last year but which has sold poorly, partly due to a dearth of new gaming titles. Nintendo is expected to announce new games for the device at the E3 on Tuesday.

Sony did not give details about original programming content for the PS4 but said new game titles would include Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag by Ubisoft and Kingdom Hearts III by Disney Interactive Studios and Square Enix Holdings Co Ltd.

“It’s a very compelling price… given the entertainment PS4 will provide to gamers,” Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Andrew House told the E3 event.

The Xbox One is costlier than the current Xbox 360 and includes a Kinect motion sensor for hands-free game playing. Microsoft also announced several exclusive game titles, including a rendition of ‘Minecraft’ and a new installment in the popular ‘Halo’ franchise, which will be released in 2014.

The device will go on sale in 21 countries, including Britain, before the year-end holidays, the company said. Yusuf Mehdi, an executive at Microsoft’s interactive entertainment unit, did not set any sales targets for the new Xbox.

(Writing by Bill Rigby; Editing by Gary Hill and Miral Fahmy)

source: interaksyon.com

Sony goes back to basics with ‘Triluminos’ tech in new TVs

BORACAY, Aklan — Competitors may harp about the Internet functions and 3D features of their TVs, but Japanese electronics brand Sony would rather go back to basics and improve the picture quality of their TV sets, starting with how close they mimic color in real life.

This was the message sent by Sony Philippines President and General Manager Yasushi Asaoka during the launch of their new Bravia TVs here, headlined by models that include a new color-production technology called “Triluminos,” which the company claims provides a wider spectrum of colors for TVs.

“Sony has constantly set the benchmark on delivering the best television experience; this time, we are bringing picture to life with a breathtaking palette of rich, natural colors never before seen on a television,” Asaoka said as he unveiled Sony’s new lineup of Bravia TVs.

The Triluminos technology, developed internally by Sony engineers, extends the available color palette viewable on TV screens so that it comes just a little bit closer to the color spectrum that can be seen by the human eye.

Executives said that through this development, images viewed on the Triluminos-powered screens give off bolder shades of red, darker hues of blue, and more natural colors of green. Models that carry this technology include the 4K-powered X9004A, as well as the W945A and the W904A. All will be available in the Philippines come June.

“We decided on investing on picture quality because we think that’s how we can stand out,” Asaoka said during an interview with reporters. “We didn’t want to just go with fringe features such as Internet functions and 3D technology.”

The Sony Philippines head honcho, himself an expert on Sony’s Bravia line of televisions, was referring to competitors such as South Korean firms Samsung and LG, which have both been overplaying the Internet connectivity and 3D functions of their TV products. More than being key differentiators, Asaoka said these specifications are mere “features” that do not add value to the product.

“In fact, all of our new TVs also have these features,” he stressed, pointing out that more than just these features, Sony’s Bravia line truly excels in picture quality.

Changing demographic

Larry Secreto, director of sales and marketing at Sony Philippines, added that this trend is merely aided by the change in consumer demographic, as households with younger members increasingly prefer to purchase TV sets that come with these new features.

But Asaoka stressed that they do not want to play in that game, even if it means that their products are priced a little bit higher than their competitors.

“We noticed that the Philippine economy is growing, so people have more spending power and are choosing TV sets with larger screens, even if they are more expensive,” he explained. Historically, according to Asaoka, the TV market is dominated by 32-inch screens and below, but consumer demand in recent years had indicated a move toward larger screens, such as those measuring 46 inches and above.

In this space, Sony has a formidable player in the form of the KD-84X9000, an 84-inch ultra-HD TV set that is built on top of 4K technology, or the video standard that contains four times the pixel count of traditional 1080p Full HD videos.

But to up the ante, the company announced here the upcoming availability of the Bravia X9004A, a 4K TV set that will be available in 55-inch and 65-inch models and will be priced significantly lower than the 84-inch model’s P1.2 million price tag.

“This is our way of bringing 4K technology to more mainstream users,” executives said.

On top of superior picture quality, Secreto said they had also tried to bring existing sound technology to their new 4K TV sets, particularly in the use of “magnetic fluid” speaker technology that reduces vibrations and therefore eliminating unwanted sound coming from the TV’s sound system.

“In CRT TVs, the entire TV box is part of how a TV produces sound,” Secreto explained. “But after changing from CRT TVs to LED TVs, the form factor has become very slim, and customers started complaining about the sound.”

With the magnetic fluid technology, Sony uses proprietary digital signal processing that can fit into slim LCD screens and produce similar — if not better — sounds as CRT TVs.

Sony hopes that these new models will propel the company and its TV line back to its luster about two decades ago, as it guns for double-digit growth in their TV business this year in the hopes of leaving its third spot in the local market in terms of market share.

source: interaksyon.com

Swipe, tap, watch with Coby

With portable media devices all the rage at the moment, it’s become somewhat of a necessity already for students to busy working folks. It’s the gadget of choice for many, given its ease of use, practicality and of course, its many entertaining features.

Such is the case with the Coby, a popular consumer electronics brand from the United States. Coby is best known for its practical features that exceed consumer expectations. The brand ranks number 3 for Android tablets in the US, and its latest, the Coby Kyros MID8011 (SRP P8,995) is the first tablet with a built-in analog TV to be launched in the market. Attesting to its quality, Coby has passed both American and European standards, better differentiating it from its counterparts.

Since launching its exciting line of entertainment tablets in the Philippines last year, Coby is now proud to offer its first-ever entertainment tablet with analog TV capability. Mobile TV-ready, the Coby Kyros MID8011 will come very handy on your many upcoming trips this summer or when you simply want to pass the time, especially in traffic.

Aside from 3G capability, it can also function as a phone as you can easily text or call through it, setting it apart from other entertainment tablets in the same price range.

Available in 7" and 8”, you can enjoy watching not just your movie or series downloads but your favorite local TV shows as well like Ina, Kapatid, Anak. As a special tie-up with ABS-CBN, Coby’s newest tablet will come pre-installed with a Facebook link for the popular nightly soap.

With so many impressive features like a built-in radio, dual cameras, video player, as well as practical add-ons for business, the Coby Kyros MID8011, offers you the best value for money. For those who like to travel, don’t worry about your phone not working when you’re abroad as this phablet is also Quad Band capable.


It is the perfect smartphone/entertainment tablet in one sleek package, carry it with you wherever you go, always keeping you connected and entertained.

source: philstar.com

Sony bills PS4 console as gaming’s future

NEW YORK — Sony unveiled a new generation PlayStation 4 system Wednesday and laid out its vision for the “future of gaming” in a world rich with mobile gadgets and play streamed from the Internet cloud.

At a press event in New York, computer entertainment unit chief Andrew House said PS4 “represents a significant shift from thinking of PlayStation as a box or console to thinking of the PlayStation 4 as a leading place for play.”

Absent from the Sony event was mention of what plans the company had regarding films, music, television shows and other digital content offered on the PS4.

In a move that was not lost on observers, there was no glimpse of a PlayStation 4 at the launch event.

“It was odd that Sony did not show a physical device,” said Gartner consumer technologies research director Brian Blau.

“These days, people love beautiful devices, especially because of Apple.”

Sony spoke ambiguously about the device, leaving much to the imagination during a two-hour presentation aimed primarily at gamemakers and players.

“They don’t want to give it all away, which is the nature of the industry,” Blau said. “Sony was really trying to get developers excited about what is going on.”

PS4 was designed to get to know players, ideally to the point of being able to predict which games people will buy and have them preloaded and ready to play.

It also allows to gameplay to be broadcast in real time, letting friends virtually peer over one another’s shoulders and gamemakers act as “directors” guiding players along.

Sony has also given a green light to building “the most powerful network for gaming in the world,” according to David Perry, chief of the Gaikai cloud gaming company that Sony purchased last year.

Gaikai specializes in letting people play videogames streamed from the Internet “cloud” instead of buying titles on disks popped into consoles or computers.

“By combining PlayStation 4, PlayStation Network and social platforms, our vision is to create the first social network with meaning dedicated to games,” Perry said during the event.

He spoke of letting people access and play videogames on the Internet using PS4, smartphones, tablets or PS Vita handheld devices.

“We are exploring opportunity enabled by cloud technology with a long-term vision of making PlayStation technology available on any device,” Perry said.

“This would fundamentally change the concept of game longevity, making any game new or old available to get up and running on any device, anywhere.”

Sony needs to adapt to changing lifestyles while not alienating videogame lovers devoted to its hardware.

Low-cost or free games on smartphones or tablet computers are increasing the pressure on videogame companies to deliver experiences worth players’ time and money.

A PlaySation App will let iPhones, iPads or Android-powered smartphones or tablets be used as “second screens” augmenting play taking place on televisions connected to PS4 consoles, according to Sony.

Sony said the PS4 would hit the market in time for the year-end holiday season but did not provide details.

New-generation consoles are typically priced in the $400 to $500 range, and blockbuster game titles hit the market at $60 each.

Using Gaikai streaming technology to let people play PlayStation 3 titles on PS4 hardware was likely aimed at calming worries that fans switching to the new system would be forced to give up beloved older games, according to Blau.

He was unimpressed by word the PS4 would integrate with Facebook, saying that “pretty much everyone else” already has hopped on the trend of syncing with the leading social network.

“I’m a little worried about their integration of social,” Blau said. “You would think that a company like Sony would have lots of experience in exposing users to social mechanisms, and I didn’t see that today.”

He referred to the PS4 as evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

“Sony believes the future will be like the past and has built the game console to prove it,” Forrester analyst James McQuivey said in a blog post.

“While the technology that goes into the console is definitely of the future, the idea behind the PS4 is rooted firmly in the past,” McQuivey continued. “Specifically, the PS4 yearns for a glory day of gaming.”

Sony shares fell in the wake of the presentation, ending down 1.77 percent at 1,331 yen on Tokyo’s Nikkei index.

Ratings agency Fitch meanwhile warned the new gadget was unlikely to turn the firm’s fortunes around.

It was “unlikely to be Sony’s savior,” Fitch Ratings said, noting the company lost money on the PS3 for the first several years after its launch until production costs fell.

“The competitive nature of the market may also constrain profitability,” the agency said in a note Thursday.

“The key to the product’s success will be price, timing, content and how it compares with the yet-to-be-announced next generation Xbox. None of these details are currently available.”

source: interaksyon.com

Sony unveils new PlayStation 4 console

NEW YORK — Sony Corp unveiled its first video game console in seven years on Wednesday that will let users stream and play video games hosted on servers, hoping the move will help stem user losses, pre-empt the next version of Microsoft’s Xbox and propel it back to the top of the videogame hardware industry.

The company revealed its PlayStation 4 console, which will succeed the PlayStation 3, at a flashy event in New York with game developers like Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard in attendance.

Sony said the console would be available for the holiday 2013 season. It did not immediately disclose pricing.

The console will be up against the next version of the industry-leading Xbox console, which is expected later this summer.

The controller on the new console dubbed “DualShock 4″ will have a touch pad, Mark Cerny, lead system architect on PlayStation 4, said.

Sony purchased U.S. cloud-based gaming company Gaikai for $380 million in July. Using that technology, the new console will offer a cloud-gaming service, the company said.

The 8GB PlayStation 4, which has been in development for the last five years, can also instantly stream game content from the console to Sony’s handheld PlayStation Vita through a feature called “Remote Play,” the company said.

Sony has also revamped the user interface on the new console that keeps tabs on user preferences and added social networking features.

Sony’s announcement comes amid industry speculation that Microsoft is set to unveil the successor to its Xbox 360 later this summer. The market-leading Xbox 360 beats the seven-year-old PlayStation 3′s online network with features such as voice commands on interactive gaming and superior connectivity to smartphones and tablets.

Gaining a lead over Microsoft’s Xbox and Nintendo Co Ltd’s new Wii U could help Sony revive an electronics business hurt by a dearth of hit gadgets, a collapse in TV sales and the convergence of consumer interest around tablets and smartphones built by rivals Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.

Tablets and smartphones already account for around 10 percent of the $80 billion gaming market. Those mobile devices, analysts predict, will within a few years be as powerful as the current slew of game-only consoles.

After six years, Sony PlayStation sales are just shy of Xbox’s 67 million installed base and well behind the 100 million units of Wii sold by Nintendo, according to analysts.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony faces challenge with new PlayStation

SAN FRANCISCO — When Sony pulls back the curtain on the next-generation PlayStation videogame console, the world will see how much the Japanese consumer electronics titan has been paying attention.

Sony could double-down on hardware to power even more realistic graphics and rich game play than the impressive specifications of PlayStation 3 consoles nearing the end of a life cycle started in 2006.

Or, Sony may step toward a vision outlined by chief executive Kazuo Hirai by introducing an improved console as part of an ecosystem that weaves the company’s film, music, games and electronics together with the trend toward getting home entertainment online.

“Sony needs a living room experience,” Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said while discussing expectations that a PlayStation 4 will be showcased at an event being hosted by Sony on February 20 in New York City.

“They need more software, not more hardware.”

The PlayStation 3 launched as an engineering triumph complete with Blu-ray high-definition disk player capabilities only to see rival Microsoft score with Xbox 360 consoles for gaming as well as online films, music and more.

“Sony can’t build a company on those few people who are hardcore gamers, so they have to figure out how to bridge to the all-purpose consumer who likes games, which is most of us,” McQuivey said.

“If they emphasize how this is really a television set-top box with your favorite channels and Netflix, it will mean Sony has paid attention.”

Sony has remained mum, but that hasn’t stopped talk of hardware upgrades such as improved graphics and controllers with touchpads, and chatter of Sony announcing its own cable-style service to route film or music content to PlayStation consoles.

Sony needs to adapt to changing lifestyles while not alienating videogame lovers devoted to its hardware.

Low-cost or free games on smartphones or tablet computers are increasing the pressure on videogame companies to deliver experiences worth players’ time and money.

New generation consoles are typically priced in the $400 to $500 range, and blockbuster game titles hit the market at $60 each.

“Sony is under a lot of pressure,” said National Alliance Capital Markets analyst Mike Hickey. “Gamers are desperate for innovation and better games.”

While Sony is tethered to “legacy” hardware, companies such as Apple and Google are driving innovation with tablets, smartphones, and ways to route Internet offerings to television sets, according to Hickey.

While ramping up content and services for PlayStation, Sony also needs to motivate people to upgrade from the current model.

“If Sony wants to win it, they need to show some killer games to get people to go out and spend a lot of money for the core game experience,” Hickey said.

He blamed a dearth of compelling titles as a reason for disappointing sales of Nintendo’s innovative Wii U consoles introduced late last year.

“The Wii U is a case study you can’t ignore,” Hickey said. “Sony at least has to nail it with the games; the core market can drive the mass market.”

Industry tracker NPD Group reported that just shy of $9 billion was spent in the United States last year on purchasing or renting video or computer games.

Another $5.92 billion was spent on game downloads, subscriptions, and play on mobile games or at social networks, according to NPD.

French videogame star Ubisoft reported that sales surged 23 percent overall in the final quarter of last year with hit installments of its “Assassin’s Creed” and “Far Cry” franchises while online revenue leapt 143 percent.

“People are gaming more now than they ever have,” McQuivey said. “More minutes on more devices over more types of games from consoles to mobile phones.”

“Console gaming is going to face challenge because you can pull out your tablet and have some pretty amazing gaming experiences for $1.99 or free with ads,” he added.

Forrester predicts that while US households will turn increasingly to accessing the Internet through videogame consoles and smart televisions, games on smartphones and tables will “negatively impact” the console market.

“Tablets are in every household and the computing power of tablets is going up every year,” Hickey said. “Eventually, the tablet could very well become the console.”

Analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities expected Sony to remain mum about pricing and specific release date while unveiling the PS4 later this month.

“The new console will clearly be more powerful,” Pachter said. “How they will use that power is unclear.”

source: interaksyon.com

Japan’s TV giants hawk $3 billion of assets in giant ‘garage sale’

TOKYO — Panasonic Corp, Japan’s struggling maker of Viera brand TVs, owns more than 10 million square meters of office and factory space, dormitories for its workers and sports facilities for its rugby, baseball and women’s athletics teams.

As it battles for Christmas shoppers’ wallets in the year-end holiday season, the sprawling electronics conglomerate is also seeking buyers for some of those properties to trim its fixed costs and improve cashflow at a time of intense competition, particularly from South Korean rivals such as Samsung Electronics Co.

Japan’s other troubled TV makers, Sony Corp and Sharp Corp, are also selling buildings and businesses in a giant ‘garage sale’ that could raise a combined $3 billion.

Panasonic plans to raise $1.34 billion from offloading property and shares in other Japanese companies by end-March, the group’s chief financial officer Hideaki Kawai told Reuters.

“We have a lot of land and buildings in Japan and overseas,” he said in an interview at the company’s head office in Osaka, in western Japan. He declined to list which properties would go on the block, but said most are in Japan. He added that Panasonic would raise about a quarter of the sell-off funds by getting rid of shares it owns in other companies – a common practice of cross-shareholdings in Japan.

The proceeds would help bolster free cashflow to 200 billion yen ($2.43 billion) for the business year to March, Kawai said, and allow Panasonic to reduce its debt and maintain its crucial research and development effort as it revamps its business portfolio.

It will sell more assets in the year starting in April if cashflow dips below 200 billion yen, Kawai added. Panasonic President Kazuhiro Tsuga has promised to shut or sell businesses operating at below a 5 percent margin. Those sales could start as soon as April.

Panasonic’s fixed assets of $21 billion are around 30 percent more than those of Apple Inc, and are almost double the company’s market value. The company, founded almost a century ago as a small electrical extension socket maker, trades at around half its book value – which includes intangible assets such as patents. Sony trades at 39 percent of book, Sharp at 30 percent.

The fixed assets – buildings, land and machinery – of the three companies that were not so long ago a byword for innovation in household gadgetry total around $42 billion, while their combined market value is $24 billion.

Cashflow is king

The three firms have been downgraded by credit ratings agencies, making it tougher to raise funding on capital markets, and making asset sales more urgent.

Selling assets “is good in terms of their credit ratings because, for all three, it will lower fixed costs and they can reduce their capex requirements. Eventually, this could improve operating margins and, more importantly, cashflow,” said Alvin Lim, an analyst at Fitch Ratings in Seoul.

Fitch, which makes its ratings without input from company management, last month cut Panasonic to BB and Sony to BB minus, the first time one of the major agencies has relegated either company to junk status. Sharp is ranked B minus, adding to its borrowing costs.

“We rate Panasonic as investment grade, and it should have various funding options. Selling assets it can do without, to avoid raising additional borrowing, can be an option,” said Osamu Kobayashi, an analyst at Standard & Poor’s.

While Korean rivals have also benefited from a weaker local currency, data from the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association shows that Japanese production of consumer electronic equipment fell to just above $15 billion last year from more than $19 billion a decade ago. Output in September was just $980 million, half last year’s level.

“The gap with Korean makers seems to be widening. It’s going to be very difficult for them to regain their top-tier position,” said Fitch’s Lim.

As the three Japanese firms, all under new leadership, have sketched out restructuring plans, the cost of insuring their debt against defaulting in 5 years has dropped from spikes just a month ago. Credit default swaps for Sharp and Sony are down to levels last seen 3 months ago, while Panasonic’s have dropped 40 percent in the past month.

Three paths

While Panasonic is looking to revamp its business around batteries, auto parts and household appliances, Sony is doubling down on smartphones, gaming and cameras. Sharp, meanwhile, is focusing on display screens and is forging alliances with the likes of Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry and U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm Inc.

Sony may also take the real estate sale route to raise much-needed cash, with a possible sale of its 37-storey New York headquarters, dubbed by New Yorkers as the ‘Chippendale’ because of its design that is reminiscent of the period English furniture. Selling that jewel could raise $1 billion, media have reported.

The maker of Vaio laptops, PlayStation gaming consoles and Bravia TVs may also sell its battery business, which makes lithium ion power packs for tablets, PCs and mobile phones. The company has been approached by investment banks offering to sell the unit, which employs 2,700 people and has three factories in Japan and two overseas assembly plants. Sony values the business’s fixed assets at $636 million.

Potential buyers could include BYD Co Ltd, a Chinese carmaker backed by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, and Taiwan’s Hon Hai – which part owns Sharp’s advanced LCD panel plant in Sakai, western Japan, and is in talks to buy TV assembly plants in China, Malaysia and Mexico for $667 million, Japan’s Sankei newspaper has reported.

Sharp has mortgaged nearly all its properties to secure a $4.6 billion bailout from Japanese banks and so has few assets to offer in a grand garage sale.

Instead, it’s selling part of the garage.

Qualcomm has agreed to buy a 5 percent stake in Sharp, making it the largest shareholder. Hon Hai, which earlier this year agreed to invest in Sharp – before its stock slumped in the wake of record losses – has said it remains interested in taking a stake.

“Whatever they can get to get through this fiscal period by scaling down their operation is a critical step for them to remain afloat,” said Fitch’s Lim.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony at greater risk than Panasonic in electronics downturn

TOKYO — Panasonic Corp has a better chance than rival Sony Corp of surviving Japan’s consumer electronics slump because of its unglamorous but stable appliance business of washing machines and fridges, credit rating agency Fitch said Friday.

Fitch cut Panasonic’s rating by two notches to BB and Sony three notches to BB minus on Thursday, the first time one of the three major ratings agencies have put the creditworthiness of either company into junk-bond territory.

Rival agencies Moody’s and S&P rate both of Japan’s consumer electronic giants at the same level, just above junk status. Moody’s last cut its rating on Panasonic on Tuesday.

Panasonic “has the advantage of a relatively stable consumer appliance business that is still generating positive margins”, Matt Jamieson, Fitch’s head of Asia-Pacific, said in a conference call on Friday to explain its ratings downgrades.

But at Sony, he added, “most of their electronic business are loss making, they appear to be overstretched.”

Japan’s TV industry has been bested by cheaper, more innovative models from Samsung Electronics and other foreign rivals, while tablets and smartphones built by Apple Inc have become the dominant consumer electronics devices.

Investors are focusing on the fate of Sony and Panasonic after another struggling Japanese consumer electronics firm, Sharp Corp, maker of the Aquos TV, secured a $4.6 billion bail-out by banks including Mizuho Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.

Sony and Panasonic have chosen divergent survival paths.

Panasonic, maker of the Viera TV, is looking to expand its businesses in appliances, solar panels, lithium batteries and automotive components. Appliances amount to around only 6 percent of the company’s sales, but they generate margins of more than 6 percent and make up a big chunk of operating profit.

Sony, creator of the Walkman, is doubling down on consumer gadgets in a bid to regain ground from Samsung and Apple in mobile devices while bolstering digital cameras and gaming.

The latest downgrades will curtail the ability of both Japanese companies to raise money in credit markets to help fund restructurings of their business portfolios.

For now, however, that impact is limited, given the support Panasonic and Sony are receiving from their banks.

In October, Panasonic, which expects to lose $10 billion in the year to March 31, secured $7.6 billion of loan commitments from banks including Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ, a financing backstop it says will help it avoid having to seek capital in credit markets.

Sony, which has forecast a full-year profit of $1.63 billion helped by the sale of a chemicals business to a Japanese state bank, announced plans to raise $1.9 billion through a convertible bond before the latest rating downgrade.

Thomson Reuters’ Starmine structural model, which evaluates market views of credit risk, debt levels and changes in asset values gives Panasonic and Sony an implied rating of BB minus. Sharp’s implied rating is three notches lower at B minus.

Standard & Poor’s rates Panasonic and Sony at BBB, the second lowest of the investment grade, while Moody’s Investors Service has them on Baa3, the lowest of its high-grade category. Moody’s has a negative outlook for both firms while S&P sees a stable outlook for Panasonic and a negative one for Sony.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony posts record $5.7 billion full-year loss

TOKYO—Japanese electronics giant Sony on Thursday posted a record full-year loss of $5.7 billion, but vowed it would swing back into the black this year as it embarks on a huge restructuring plan.

The ¥456.66 billion loss for the year to March, its fourth consecutive year in the red, came after Sony said last month it would cut about 10,000 jobs and spend nearly $1 billion on an overhaul its new chief described as "urgent."

Sales for the year fell 9.6 percent to ¥6.49 trillion, while the firm booked an operating loss of ¥67.28 billion.

Sony, which is struggling to stem losses at its television division, on Thursday said a strong yen and natural disasters were among the main reasons for its disastrous earnings figures.

"Sales decreased... primarily due to unfavorable foreign exchange rates, the impact of the Great East Japan Earthquake... the floods in Thailand, and deterioration in market conditions in developed countries," it said in a statement.

The firm has also blamed tough competition and falling prices, particularly in the television segment, for its struggles.

But it said it was on course to post a net profit of ¥30 billion in the current fiscal year, with operating profit of ¥180 billion on sales of ¥7.4 trillion.

At a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday, Sony's chief financial officer Masaru Kato said, "We consider fiscal year 2012 to be the very important year to rehabilitate the electronics division."

Sony's reforms, in addition to the jobs cuts, also include expanding its PlayStation and online games business, and pushing further into emerging markets and new sectors, such as medical equipment and life sciences.

"Now is the time for Sony to change," Kazuo Hirai, who replaced Welsh-born US chief executive Howard Stringer earlier this year, said from the company's Tokyo headquarters while announcing the turnaround plan in April.

"What is urgent is that we strengthen our core businesses while rebuilding our TV business."

Investors, however, have been unimpressed, sending Sony shares down 1.22 percent on Thursday to ¥1,213 before the earnings release was issued after markets closed.

Sony shares stood at ¥1,528 before Hirai made his announcement last month.

Analysts have criticized the plan as not enough to win back Sony's reputation as an innovator or vault ahead of its foreign rivals, and questioned Hirai's plan to boost revenue to ¥8.5 trillion by 2015.

Sony, along with Japan's other electronics giants including Panasonic and Sharp, has been fighting a losing battle for years against fierce competition offered up by competitors including South Korea's Samsung and US-based Apple.

Falling prices, particularly in the television segment, have eaten away at their bottom line as a strong yen made their products more expensive overseas, while a stuttering global economy also knocked sales.

Sony still generates profits in some areas, such as electronics parts, but critics have accused the company of various strategic blunders over the years including being late to enter the liquid crystal display panel market.

The firm was forced in December 2008 to slash 16,000 jobs worldwide as it came under pressure amid tumbling demand during the global financial crisis.

In March, Sony announced the sale of its chemical division to the Development Bank of Japan, saying the unit did not fit with its revamp. — Agence France-Presse

source: gmanetwork.com

Philippines courting 7 top global electronics manufacturers

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is courting at least seven out of the 10 largest electronic manufacturers in the world to locate in the Philippines in the next five years.

"We are making this initiative to convert or to evolve and migrate the 70 percent of our electronic exports, which are components, spare parts, into higher-value assembled units or even final products or end-product exports," Undersecretary Cristino Panlilio told reporters in a briefing on Wednesday.

Electronics, which accounted for 52.7 percent of Philippine exports in February, grew 15.8 percent year-on-year. Semiconductors, which comprised 40 percent of the total exports, increased 15.9 percent year-on-year.

"Imagine, we can just convert 50 percent of that 70 percent driven to assembly and finished products, how much more we can improve our overall merchandise exports volume of electronic products. This is almost a $300 billion world market," Panlilio said.

He said seven of the 10 electronic manufacturers are located in Asia, while two are in the US and one in Canada.

"We would like to call them one by one. The first step is to invite them and see our investment climate," Panlilio said, adding that he already talked to at least three of the 10, including Compal.

Citing reports from the Japan External Trade Organization, Panlilio said the Philippines is the most competitive in terms of labor, rentals, price of real estate and the quality of manpower.

"If they are not happy in China because of the high labor cost, they can transfer in the Philippines," he added.

The top global contract manufacturers are the following:

Foxconn/Hon Hai - Its clients include Apple, HP, Dell, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Microsoft, Acer, Intel, Cisco, Nintendo and Amazon. Foxconn operates in China, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Czech Republic.

Flextronics - Its clients include Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Dell, Sony Ericsson, HP, Huawei, Lenovo, Microsoft, Eastman Kodak, Western Digital, Research in Motion and Motorola. Flextronics' manufacturing plants are in Brazil, China, Hungary, Malaysia, Mexico and Poland.

Quanta - Its clients include Apple, HP, Dell, Fujitsu, LG, Siemens, Sony, Gateway, Cisco, Lenovo, Sharp, Panasonic, Research in Motion, Gericom and Toshiba. Quanta's factories are in China, the US, and Germany.

Compal Electronics - Its clients include Acer, Dell, Toshiba, HP, Fujitsu-Seimens and Lenovo. Compal's facilities are in China, Vietnam, Poland, Brazil and the US.

Wistron - Its clients include Acer, Sony, Dell, Microsoft, Lenovo, FSC, and HP, while its assembly plants are in China, the Philippines, Czech Republic and Mexico.

Inventec - Its clients include Apple, Acer, HP, Toshiba, Fujitsu-Siemens, and Lenovo, while its manufacturing facilities are in China, Korea, the US, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Czech Republic and Malaysia.

Jabil - Its clients include Apple, HP, Cisco, IBM, Echostar, NetApp, Pace, Research in Motion and General Electric. Jabil's factories are in Brazil, Mexico, Austria, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Hungary, China, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.

TPV Technology - Its clients include Dell, HP, IBM and Mitsubishi Electric, while its factories are in China, Poland, Brazil and Mexico.

Celestica - Its clients include Cisco, Hitachi, IBM and Research in Motion, while its assembly plants are in China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Mexico, the US, Czech Republic, Ireland, Romania, and the United Kingdom.

Sanmina-SCI - Its clients include IBM-Lenovo, HP, Cisco, Dell, Nokia and Caterpillar, while its facilities are in Mexico, Brazil, Hungary, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Indonesia and Thailand.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony bares first flagship accessory store in PH

MANILA, Philippines — Japanese electronic brand Sony on Wednesday opened the doors to its first dedicated accessory store in the Philippines as it poses for further growth in the local market amid a disappointing year of losses for the entire company.

The Sony accessory flagship store, located at the former Sony VAIO store at the Cyberzone area in SM Megamall, will be carrying exclusive accessories for Sony’s VAIO, Handycam, Cybershot and Walkman product lines.

A Sony Philippines executive said the accessory store would eventually carry accessories for the company’s mobile division, which recently folded back to the mother company following the acquisition of Ericsson’s shares in the former joint venture.

The latest Sony mobile phones will be formally launched in the Philippines by mid-April.

During earlier launch of new Sony gadgets and devices meant for the summer season, executives noted how the common complaint of customers about Sony products is that their accessories are hard to find and that the service centers are not easily accessible to customers.

Takao Kuroda, Sony Philippines president and managing director, said the accessory store was opened precisely to address those concerns, as it also acts as a collection point for service centers as well as a venue where interested customers could learn more about the company’s products.

“It really is a one-stop shop for Sony enthusiasts,” Kuroda said. “Whether shopping for new accessories and gadgets or bringing them in to be fixed, you can do it all in this branch.”

The store will offer Sony Premium Services which have yet to be offerred in other outlets of the company, executives said, which include programs such as get-me-started services, consumer workshops, as well as one-on-one consultations with in-store specialists.

Examples of consumer workshops includes the currently on-going classes about Sony’s Alpha series of digital cameras, the first in a series of product seminars the vendor is planning to roll out to familiarize customers with the products’ features.

Sony Philippines Director for Channel & Accounts Management Yung Yap said that aside from the accessory store, they are planning on opening two stores in Metro Manila dedicated to the Alpha series in the near future.

“Opening the flagship store is really just the start for us. We plan to bring Sony even closer to its customers and provide them with the best service possible,” he stressed.

source: interaksyon.com