Sony Computer Entertainment now has dedicated social media applications for the handheld device, including Facebook, foursquare, Skype and Twitter. But we will not hold the device until its launch in Japan by the end of 2011, followed by the U.S. and Europe early next year.
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Numerous firms seem fascinated with the idea of producing a successful dual-screen device. Nintendo did it years ago with their successful line of Nintendo DS series of mobile game consoles. There was Microsoft’s concept Courier tablet that was never manufactured. Then, there’s the odd gigantic dual 10-inch Kno tablet targetted at college students that never took off. Toshiba has a Courier-like concept notebook with dual-displays too. But, it looks like Sony may be the first with a dual-display Android tablet with the potential to actually succeed: The S2 Tablet.
Sony S1 and S2 Tablets Hands-on: Are They Good Enough? (Laptop)
Unfortunately, it will only be available through AT&T int he U.S. This means that there will not be a less expensive WiFi-only model.
AT&T to offer Sony S2 tablet exclusively in the U.S. (BGR)
The Sony S2 Tablet is a dual-core, 4G capable tablet running Android OS 3.0 (Honeycomb). This means that it will be capable of working with Facebook, Twitter and other social networking apps available for Android devices. Its dual 5.5-inch displays are on a hinge which lets the top display be positioned in a comfortable viewing angle while leavng the virtual on-screen keyboard flat relative to the user. It also has an Infrared (IR) port that lets it act as a universal remote control for a variety of consumer electronic products (like TVs).
Neither Sony nor AT&T have provided price information.
If you haven’t heard the news yet, Sony movies have been temporarily pulled from Netflix’s streaming service. The reason? Netflix is becoming too popular.
Sony’s subscription music service is available in the US now and they have an Android app to use it. The free Android app is found at:
Sony Music Unlimited for Android
Sony’s Qriocity service has a 30-day free trial period that can be activiated fro use with the Android app as well as other supported devices including the PS3, PSP and various Sony TV related products.
Sony does not provide any pricing information of any kind on either the Qriocity site (including the sign-up page) or the Android Market app product page. However, ZDNet reports that prices range from $3.99 per month for streaming only to $9.99 per month for the premium plan which includes the ability to create playlists and provides advanced search features.
Via ZDNet: Sony’s Music Unlimited music service goes mobile on Android
A comment in the app’s User Reviews section of the Android Market notes that this service does not work over Sprint’s 4G network. It does work, however, over WiFi and Sprint’s 3G network.
The Android Market’s OTA installer notes the app is compatible with the Nexus One but not the Motorola Xoom.
Sony’s apology to its Playstation Network members for their multiple recent security problems is to offer a couple of free games. This offer is not limited to the PS3 home game console. Playstation Portable (PSP) owners can take advantage of the offer too.
UPDATED: Welcome Back Program Available Now – Details Inside
I fired up my ancient first generation Sony PSP, connected to WiFi, updated the firmware and took a look at the offer on the PSP’s browser. You can see a photo of the screen above. The question is: Do you really want to use the Sony Playstation Network again just to get a free game or two? For now, I decided not to.
FYI: Sony has an Identity Theft Protection Offer. You can sign up for it by visiting the web page below before June 28, 2011 .
http://us.playstation.com/news/consumeralerts/identity-theft-protection
And lest we forget, Sony is not the only large company whose security has been found wanting. Look who Reuters is reporting about this week: Citigroup.
The studios told Variety that premium VOD draws from audiences who rather not make the trip to the megaplex because of the size of their families or the expense to hire babysitters or pay for food and other concessions. On the serious side, if audiences get used to staying home watching movies, they might stay away from theaters all together. We will have to wait and see if that is true.
Calkins suggested that most of the excitement about Facebook is resurfacing of a title, maybe recent or old, when our marketing budget has subsided, but now we can turn it over to consumers and in effect use their marketing budget. “A few weeks into DVD, we really don’t talk about the title anymore. … If you can have fans do that through something like Facebook, it’s incredibly powerful. So, we like the idea. I think it’s just very early days.”
CD Baby, the music distribution site where indie musicians sold handy little compact disks in the late 90′s has entered the publishing scene, and the 21st century, with the launch of BookBaby, a book distribution site for independent authors.
To be fair, the parent company has already gone digital, partnering with online retailers including iTunes and Amazon to distribute some 300,000 independent albums from over 200,000 indie artists, with licensing and other DIY services to boot. And indie publishers could certainly learn a thing or two from the music industry.
BookBaby converts .doc, .html or .txt files into the open eBook format EPUB, which is industry standard and works on all e-reading devices including the iPad, Nook, Kindle and Sony Reader. The books are then distributed across the company’s retailer network, which includes Apple, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Sony and, soon, Google. For $99 (marked down from $149 to promote the launch), it’s a pretty good deal. The authors keep 100% of their net sales revenue, which BookBaby pays out weekly.
“In just six months since our soft launch, BookBaby has established itself as THE destination for authors looking for a simple, comprehensive solution to their digital distribution needs,” said BookBaby president Brian Felsen in a statement. “We make it easy: our sign-up includes a free EPUB conversion to ensure your eBook is distributed to all of the largest retailers.”
Crackle, the streaming-video portal from Sony, can now snap and pop on Android devices, as two apps were released via the Android Market: a free version for viewing clips, and a $4.99 premium app for access to full-length films from studios including Columbia Pictures, Tri-Star, Screen Gems, and Sony Pictures Classics, paidContent reported.
An iPhone version is in the pipeline as well, paidContent added, via the Los Angeles Times.
Films currently available via the premium version include La Femme Nikita, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Drunken Master, while TV series include Married with Children, Charlie’s Angels, and Spider-Man.
AT&T spent millions in the 1980s imploring us to “reach out and touch someone.”
The 1990s saw us reaching down to type on our computer keyboards and phones.
And, now, scientists and academics report we’ve come full circle, 21st century style. We still want to reach out, but forget ‘someone,’ we want to touch screens.
