Sony PS Vita Slim review: Hands-on

The Sony PS Vita Slim hasn't yet made it to UK shores, but we got our mitts on it in Tokyo. Here's what we thought...

The revised, diet version of the Sony PS Vita handheld has broken cover ahead of its big Tokyo Game Show debut, and T3 had a rare, brief but reasonably thorough hands-on with it when we popped in to Sony Computer Entertainment's HQ in the Japanese capital. There, among a raft of multicoloured cases to cover it up, was the PS Vita Slim. Sony PS Vita Slim: Size and build First thing you notice with the Slim, despite being designed primarily as a budget rethink, is that it's a fittingly attractive machine, sleek and well made, although far more rounded and plasticky than its stocky, premium-feel predecessor. All the buttons are in the same place, as this is no radical evolution, but there have been some slight tweaks where necessary, most noticeably in the now circular Start and Select buttons. Smaller in size than the original, the Slim's been made necessarily cheaper to aid its upcoming role as a budget Sony PS4 sidekick for Remote Play and more, and this scaling back is palpable in pretty much everything you do with the machine. The previously double encased body has been exposed, the slightly harsher, PSP-like black plastic now unsealed, meaning an unexpected drop is more likely to spell trouble than the surprisingly sturdy first iteration. The form factor is also slimmer and lighter. The lack of heft, in fact, is really quite something - at 219g it's 15 percent lighter - adding to the handheld's portability significantly, yet the machine is actually less comfortable in the hand. The combination of the thinner body - 20 percent thinner, in fact, now 15mm - and its lower quality material proves a bit rough and diggy on the palm, even in our short play. Longer sessions will be interesting. Sony PS Vita Slim: Screen Most noticeably, and infamously, the PS Vita's still stunning five-inch OLED screen has been replaced by a multi-capacitive LCD display of the same size which is very reflective with more saturated colours, though to be fair we viewed it in a wide open space with lots of natural light - the harshest of test conditions. The high price of OLED screens always made this an obvious spec reduction, but it's still a bit of a shame. We look forward to probing its qualities more, though. Sony PS Vita Slim: Touch panel It's not just the front that's changed, either, with the reverse receiving a design overhaul, too, the rear touch panel now reduced in size. Whereas before it basically took up the whole of the handheld's back, it now has a smaller, specifically allocated area for you to interact with.  This will be a godsend for those who kept covering it by mistake, the dreaded 'two hand' symbol reducing your prods to insignificance, although we've got to admit it's going to make quick shots in FIFA a lot less instinctive now we actually have to extend our digits. Battery life has also been extended, although we haven't had a chance to put that to the test yet. We'll take a closer look as soon as we can get our hands on a full review model. Sony PS Vita Slim: Verdict Overall, the PS Vita Slim is a knowingly compromised machine with its heart very much in the right place. All of the changes, aesthetic or technical, have clearly been done with one thing in mind: make it cheap. The price of the PS Vita - not to mention its games and memory cards - has long been the downfall of a potentially great platform, and at the new price point it's sure to have a brighter future.  There's also 1GB of onboard memory now for game saves and downloads without a memory card initially. Make no mistake, on the gaming front there's never been a better time to buy. Of course, as OCD tech aesthetes, we're not fully on board with the new model and there's certainly no reason to trade in as there has been with Nintendo's redesigns, most notably the 3DS XL, a vast improvement on its own predecessor. We were, and are, huge fans of the original PS Vita, and at first fumble the Slim is a significant downgrade if you're already "with portable". That said, if it's been the price that's put you off dipping your toe into Vita waters so far, you now have less of an excuse than ever, and you should own a Slim rather than nothing. Sony PS Vita Slim release date: 10 October in Japan, UK release TBC Sony PS Vita Slim price: Y18,980 (£120 converted, though UK price TBC)

Sony Xperia Z1 launched in India at Rs 44,990

Electronics major Sony on Wednesday launched waterproof premium smartphone Xperia Z1 for Rs 44,990 with an aim to double its share in the high-end mobile phone market to 20 percent.

Sony also unveiled next version of Smartwatch for Rs 14,990 which will be available in India from October.

"We want to be No 1 in premium smartphone segment which are phones priced above Rs 30,000 and double our market share from about 10 percent at present to 20 percent by end of financial year 2014. Therefore we have to double our speed of innovation and here we are with Xperia Z1," Sony India Managing Director Kenichiro Hibi said here.

Xperia Z1 is available across stores from today with an instalment option spread over 12 months at no cash down payment, nil processing fee and interest, he said.

The company unveiled next version of smartwatch for Rs 14,990 which will be available in India from October.

The launches of smart devices from Japanese major comes a day after Korean technology giant Samsung unveiled its high-end and highest priced smartphone Galaxy Note 3 for Rs 49,900 and its first smartwatch Galaxy Gear for Rs 22,990 in India.

Xperia Z1 is also the costliest smartphone offering from Sony's stable in India. Sony has introduced 20.7 mega pixel camera in this phone which is next to Nokia's Pureview 808 that was launched in the country last year.

"I like the 20 megapixel plus camera in the phone which does away need to carry a separate camera. Also you can store many songs in the phone," Brand Ambassador and bollywood actress Katrina Kaif said.

The company has incorporated 2.2 Quad core processor in phone which is close to speed of processor available for laptops and desktop PCs.

Xperia Z1 has 2GB RAM and internal storage of 16 GB which can be expanded to additional 64 GB through memory card.

"We plan to increase exclusive Xperia stores from 30 at present to 200 by end of financial year 2013. Sony will also double its sales counter reach to 8,000 by end of this fiscal ending March," Hibi said.

As part of promotional offer Xperia Z1 buyer will get free portable USB charger worth Rs 2,790, 8GB internet usage from Vodafone for 2 months and accidental insurance cover for six months from date of purchase.

Sony has tied up with movie retailers BigFlix to offer three months free subscription to Xperia Z1 buyers.

The company on the occasion also launched two lens style Cybershot camera, DSC-QX-100 for Rs 24,990 and DSC-QX10 for Rs 12,990, and a wireless bluetooth speaker for Rs 16,990 among others. 

Sony SmartWatch 2 launched in India for Rs. 14,990

Sony has the launched SmartWatch 2, the successor to its SmartWatch, at a price of Rs. 14,990 in the Indian market. The wearable device would be available in October.

The SmartWatch 2 was initially announced in June and Sony had promised that it would be available 'worldwide' in September.

The Sony SmartWatch 2 comes with a bigger 1.6-inch screen with higher resolution 220x176 pixels resolution, compared to the 1.3-inch screen 128x128 display on its predecessor. Sony is positioning the watch as a second-screen for your Android smartphones, letting you receive notifications from the phone as well as control its functionality.

SmartWatch 2 makes it possible to access notifications from your wrist such as messages, calls, email, Facebook or Twitter, Calendar, or use it as a remote for your Walkman or other digital media player. The SmartWatch 2 comes with a bunch of pre-installed apps, with an option to load other apps as well.

Other things you can do with the SmartWatch 2 include:

• Take a photo remotely from your SmartWatch, using a smart camera app.
• Control your presentations remotely using Presentation Pal.
• Taking a run or on the bike? Select a mapping app on SmartWatch to check your route with a quick glance at your wrist.
• Read previously downloaded e-mails when not connected to your phone.
• Use lifestyle apps like Runtastic to map and instantly track your fitness activities on the go.
• Quickly adjust the tracks and volume on your music player.

Sony SmartWatch 2 comes with NFC connectivity and can be charged via a standard Micro-USB cable. It is water-resistant (IP57) and users can customise it by using any standard 24mm strap.

The launch comes just after a day of Samsung releasing its own smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, in India for Rs. 22,990. The Galaxy Gear was announced at IFA 2013 in Berlin.


Sony SmartWatch 2 technical specifications

• Works as an NFC watch with all smartphones using Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and later
• Battery time - Low usage 7 days, Normal usage, 3-4 days (Watch always on)
• Bluetooth 3.0
• Android release: 4.0 and later
• Charging with micro USB
• Transflective LCD 1.6", pixels: 220x176
• Languages: English master, Chinese (Trad), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Portuguese, Czech, Russian, Polish, Spanish & Swedish.
• Apps/plugins ready-to-go: App recommender, Facebook, Twitter, SMS, MMS, Missed call notification, Calendar notification, Email, Google+, New events - aggregator, Missed call, RSS, Gmail, Viewfinder (remote camera shutter), Phonebook, Music player, Find phone, Call log, Weather, Time, date.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra review

"Maybe Dell was ahead of its time."

No, that's not a typo, we did mean to write Dell. When we first saw the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, we couldn't help but think back to the Dell Streak, a 5-inch device announced back in 2010 as a "tablet that can make calls." While calling 5-inch devices 'tablets' seems ridiculous now, in the pre-Galaxy Note era, people had a different mindset about display sizes that were acceptable on a device that's designed to sit in your pocket. The Dell Streak was almost universally panned, and while the poor execution probably had as much to do with it, as the size of the display itself, it's fair to say that the Dell Streak would probably get a more favourable reception now, and in fact, may even be called 'not big enough' by some!

Yes, that's how radically the landscape has changed in the last three years, and it is in this world that the Sony Xperia Z Ultra makes its debut. While we are personally no fans of ultra large-screen phones, we realise a market exists for such devices, even if the likes of Xperia Z Ultra and Huawei Ascend Mate are intent on stretching the acceptable limits.

So, has the Sony Xperia Z Ultra gone too far, or does it tick the right boxes? Let's find out.

Design/ Build

At first glance, the Sony Xperia Z Ultra looks like a slab of premium chocolate - it sports the same rectangular design, and is about the same thickness, and the Black colour variant looks especially biteable. Pick up the phone and try getting your fingers around the width of its display and you realise that the phone just about fits in your hand, if you have big hands that is. If you have a tiny frame, forget about trying to get your fingers around the sides of this monster. Don't even think about trying to operate the phone with just hand, unless you have it resting on a surface.

The Xperia Z Ultra is a big phone, which stretches the definition of the phrase big phone. At 179mm, or an incredible 7.05-inches long, even those with large hands will be unable to fit the length of the phone in one hand. If you plan to, say, watch a movie on the phone in landscape mode, forget about snuggling this behemoth in one hand - putting both your hands to use is a must.

Once you get past the sheer size of the phone, you realise that the Xperia Z Ultra is one solidly-built device. The phone has a plastic body built around a metallic frame, which lends it an air of solidity, and a premium feel when holding the device. At just 6.50mm thin, Xperia Z Ultra is sleek, and indeed the 'slimmest full-HD smartphone', as Sony loves to claim. In a phone that's super-sized on everything else, this comes as a very welcome change.

Carrying the Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a challenge of its own. Some may be able to fit it in the front pocket of their trousers or jeans, but will have to take it out if they want to sit without being constantly poked. Keeping it in the back pocket is an option, but the Ultra is sure to stick its neck out - and beware of accidentally sitting down with the phone still in your pocket!

The left edge of the Xperia Z Ultra has the dock connector in the middle and the Micro-USB port towards the top. Since the Xperia Z Ultra is a waterproof phone (a claim we were not tempted to test), the Micro-USB port and the microSD and Micro-SIM slots (present on the right edge) are protected by flaps. The right edge also houses the power button (in the middle) and, right below it, the volume rocker. The power button is a circular, metallic button also seen on the Sony Xperia Z and the Sony Xperia Z tablet. While the design makes the power button stand out visually, it also greatly reduces the target area of the button, and we would've preferred a larger button made of plastic.

Display

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra comes with a 6.44-inch full-HD display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. While the pixel density takes a hit due to the humongous screen size, at around 340ppi, most won't notice the difference in the quality of text and images, though the display is definitely not as sharp as the one seen in, say, the HTC One.

Outdoor visibility of the Xperia Z Ultra is about average, and at times we were definitely wishing we could take the brightness a notch higher, even when at full brightness. Viewing angles are good.

Sony has put the extra real estate on the Xperia Z Ultra to good use, with a strip at the bottom housing the three on-screen Back, Home and App Switcher buttons, and still leaving more than enough space for content. One side-effect of the Xperia Z Ultra's extra-large display is that at times the content looks odd when scaled up. For example, in the official Twitter app the four columns appear extra-wide.

While the Sony Xperia Z Ultra does not bundle a stylus, the screen will recognise taps from a stylus, or even a pen or a pencil, if you prefer to use your device in that manner.

Camera

The camera on the Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a bit of a mixed bag. The images look good on the phone's display or when you are viewing images at the default zoom level. However, zoom in to 100 percent and you'll notice that the objects lack detail that even our two-year old iPhone 4S was able to capture. This problem gets accentuated when clicking pictures in macro mode.

However, the low-light and indoors performance of the camera is better than what we've seen in most phones, though the Xperia Z Ultra won't have the leaders of the pack in the category, the iPhone 5and Nokia Lumia 925, looking over their figurative shoulders.

The Ultra comes with a comprehensive camera app, with presets and settings for pretty much every conceivable situation. The phone takes good, fast panorama photos and comes with an unlimited burst mode. The phone does not come with a flash, which is a rather glaring omission.

The Xperia Z Ultra captures good quality video, with the ability to zoom in and out, and capture high-resolution stills as the video is being recorded. The microphone is pretty sensitive, and able to capture distant sounds while recording outdoors.

Software/ User interface

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and we reviewed our unit after installing therecent firmware update carrying build number 14.1.B.0.471.

The Ultra is quite heavy on skinning, customising stock apps and adding a number of pre-installed apps. Like other devices in the Xperia series, you have WALKMAN (for Music), Album, and Movies for media consumption, all with additional functionality and UI touches from Sony. Other pre-installed apps on the Xperia Z Ultra include Socialife (A Flipboard-like app from Sony), TrackID (Sony's answer to Shazam), Wisepilot for XPERIA (GPS-based navigation app), File Commander (a file explorer), Voice Dialer, Word Search, Converter, X4 Video Player (lets you play four videos simultaneously), McAfee Security, Foneclay (live wallpapers), PicsArt (photo editor), Smart Connect (perform actions when certain accessories are connected), X-Alert for XPERIA (Sony's anti-theft solution), Notes, and Drag&Share. The list of bundled apps doesn't end there, with popular apps like Facebook, Chrome, YouTube, WhatsApp, Box, and LinkedIn thrown-in for good measure.

If all that isn't enough, Sony has included a bunch of other apps on the Xperia Z Ultra that offer you access to yet more apps and content. Sony Music gives you free unlimited streaming and downloads from Sony's music catalog of Bollywood, international and classical music for a period of 6 months. Sony Select and appXtra showcase popular Android apps, while Xperia Privilege promises special offers for Xperia owners. One of the more useful ones is GL Games, which showcases games by popular developer Gameloft, with popular titles like Asphalt 7: Heat (usually $0.99 or Rs. 55) offered for free to Xperia Z Ultra owners.

The Indian edition of the Sony Xperia Z Ultra also comes with apps like Sony LIV (free streaming of popular TV programmes from Sony, SAB and MAX), Flipkart eBooks (free eBooks worth Rs. 2,000 bundled), BIGFLIX (with free unlimited streaming of Bollywood and regional Movies for one month), and BSE/NSE Stock Watch. That's a lot of pre-installed apps, and while some of them can be removed, the others will stay with you for good, should you have any use for them or not. We wish Sony had instead pre-installed a single app that offered users the opportunity to download apps it wishes to offer, letting users choose which apps they want.

As mentioned earlier, Sony Xperia Z Ultra runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, which brings features like lock-screen widgets, enhanced notifications, improved Google Now and more. While Android 4.2 may seem like a disappointment to some, it is hardly a surprise given that the phone was unveiled a day after Google announced Android 4.3, and no phones other than Google's own Nexus devices andGoogle Play editions have received the Android 4.3 update. Sony has promised that the Android 4.3 update is coming before end of this year, but Android 4.4 might be out by then. That, of course, is no reflection on Sony, and merely symptomatic of the problems that plague the Android ecosystem.

Performance/ Battery life

Sony Xperia Z Ultra is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor alongside 2GB of RAM. It's safe to say it is the fastest device we've come across, handling everything that we threw at it with great aplomb. From multi-tasking and switching between apps, to casual as well as heavy duty games, everything was butter smooth.

Browsing the Web is a great experience thanks to the large screen and the power underneath, which means even heavy duty websites render almost instantly. The phone's also great for watching videos and the Ultra plays full-HD video natively. If you do a lot of media consumption, be mindful of the fact that you'll need to use both your hands to hold the phone in landscape mode. Thankfully, the phone doesn't feel too heavy despite weighing 212 grams, since the weight is evenly distributed across its large frame.

We did have a couple of other gripes about our Xperia Z Ultra unit. The call quality was average at best and we felt that the loudspeaker wasn't loud enough during calls as well as while watching a movie or listening to music.

Battery life is another area where the Xperia Z Ultra just about does the job and it should last a full working day with moderate to heavy use. The giant display on the device is a bit of a battery guzzler and power users will likely find themselves reaching for the charger before the day is over.

Verdict The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a difficult phone to summarise. It gets a lot of things right - it's a scorcher in terms of performance and the big, full-HD display makes for a great viewing experience. However, it's too bulky for most people, and the large display means the battery life takes a hit. The camera performance could've been better too.

At Rs. 46,990, the phone isn't cheap, but that's no surprise given its top-of-the-line specs and performance. Almost everyone we met was excited about the Xperia Z Ultra when they first heard about it or saw it in person. Ten minutes with the phone, though, changed the opinion of 9 out of 10 people and they were calling it 'impractical' in no time. However, the tenth person immediately vowed to get one for himself.

That, in a nutshell, is the Sony Xperia Z Ultra - too bulky for most, perfect for a minority who believe big is indeed beautiful.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra hits shelves a day early

Sony’s Xperia Z Ultra has hit UK shelves a day ahead of schedule.

The Xperia phablet had been due to go on sale in the UK tomorrow. It is unclear if Sony changed its mind about the release date, or whether retailers decided to start selling the phone early. The Xperia Z Ultra comes with a 6.4-inch screen, making it one of the largest phones on sale today. That is significantly larger than rival Samsung’s Galaxy Note III, which has a 5.7-inch screen. Indeed, it is just over half an inch off Google’s Nexus 7 tablet. Like the rest of the Xperia range, the Xperia Z Ultra is designed to be both dust and waterproof. The Xperia Z Ultra comes with Android JellyBean 4.2.2. It’s 6.4-inch screen has a full HD display with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. It also comes with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. That can be expanded via its microSD slot. It’s camera isn’t amazing at only 8 megapixel, but it uses Sony’s Exmor RS sensor meaning pictures should be better than smartphones with a similar number of pixels. Battery-wise, it comes with a 3,000mAh battery.

Sony MDR XB920 review: Headphones with booming bass

It is impossible to find a pair of headphones that are "perfect." There are too many variables. First there is the sound quality, a very difficult element to quantify. Everyone has a different set of ears and a different sense of what is good sound.

Then, there is the question of what kind of music you like. Some headphones that excel at hip-hop are likely to sound flat and boring when used for listening classical music.

Once you have an idea of sound quality and you know what kind of music you like, you will have to factor in the comfort, noise cancellation, build quality, impedance and sensitivity before you can pick a pair of headphones. This is bare minimum. There can be other factors as well.

This is all very complex, even for geeks. This is also the reason why veteran audiophiles say that there are no perfect headphones. At best what you can get is a pair of headphones that is good at the stuff that matters to you.
Sony MDR XB920 is one such pair of headphones, in general good at one thing. Read on to know where XB920 excels and where it falls flat...

Build quality and comfort
XB920 comes in two colours - black and red. Both look nice but red is funkier. We reviewed the red unit.

Unlike the drab design of most headphones, XB920 looks and feels every bit a product made by Sony, a company that has a habit of setting new design standards in the electronics industry.

XB920 has a personality.

It is made using metal and plastic. The headphone units are made of plastic with faux aluminum finish. These are closed headphones. This means the covers on the left and right units don't have any holes or opening. This has its advantages as well as disadvantages but that is a topic for some other article. The covers on the headphone units are made of metal, which has a shiny steel finish. The earcups, which are very fluffy, are covered with faux leather and soft cloth.

The headband is made of metal. On the sides, it is covered with plastic while in the centre, the area that rests on the head, it is wrapped in soft leather. The headband can be adjusted and the headphone units have a swivel mechanism to make them more comfortable.

The build quality and finishing of XB920 is very good. They feel durable. The cord is removable and is flat, which is more durable. Sony also bundles an extra cord with the headphones, which has a microphone and volume control.

The unique design touches make XB920 stylish and good-looking headphones. If you are wearing it in your office, it will definitely draw attention.

In terms of comfort, it is a mixed bag. The headphones are very light and the headband feels great. It is neither loose nor clamps down on the head. You can wear XB920 for hours without getting bothered by the weight of the cans or force of the headband. The quality of passive noise cancellation is also good. While using XB920 we did not hear ambient noises.

Unfortunately, Sony missed a beat with the earpads. They feel soft and great against ears but only for 15-odd minutes. If you are using XB920 in a moderately warm room, read around 25 to 30 degrees ambient temperature, you will start sweating under your ears soon. And unlike velour pads used on some headphones, the leather pads on XB920 don't absorb sweat.

The size and design of earpads is also an issue, especially for people who may have large ears. The pads don't engulf the ears. Instead they sit over the ears. If you tend to use headphones for hours at a stretch, you may find this uncomfortable.

Sound and performance
The XB in the name of the headphones stands for eXtra Bass. These are the headphones designed to go boom boom! And they excel at their job. But XB920 takes its time before it starts showing what it can do. In our use, on the first and second day it sounded flat with rather muddied up bass, which felt closer to growling instead of booming.

But after a while it picked up the pace and bass became tighter. The headphone units in XB920 can pick the low frequencies very well. For example Dark Knight Rises soundtrack feels totally epic on XB920! Similarly, pair these headphones with the Gangnam boom boom Style and you will find yourself tapping your foot and bobbing your head.

If you are a fan of hip hop and trance (funky electronic beats), XB920 will be great companion for you.

The good thing about XB920 is that even though it is meant for people who love the extra bass in their music, Sony has not completely ignored the mids and highs. Unlike many other bass-heavy headphones, XB920 don't sound too muddy. These headphones may not have the expansive soundstage of open headphones, which can produce every little beat and tone clearly, but they handle pop, vocals and Bollywood music with grace.

XB920 also works very well with soundtracks in newer movies and video games.

But rock music is where XB920 falls flat. With Rolling Stones and Queen, for example, XB920 sounds uninspiring and utterly boring. Unlike many other high-end headphones, it is easy to drive XB920. If you use a headphone AMP, you will definitely get better performance from XB920 but even if you are going to pair it with a laptop, PC, or smartphone, you will find it incredibly loud and clear.

Should you buy it?
The answer to this question depends on how much you value booming, and yet tight, bass in your music. If you are someone who listens primarily to hip-hop and trans and loves the thumping that ears get when bass hits them, XB920 is for you.

But then the price is an issue. 
XB920 has an MRP of Rs 12,990. This is too high. Yes, XB920 looks really great, has a durable and tasteful build quality, and will sound fantastic to anyone who likes bass-heavy stuff. But its price makes it poor value for money. In fact, if you don't care much for the looks, Sony MDR XB900 offers similar bass-heavy performance at a much cheaper price.

Pros: Great design, good build quality, funky looks, lots of booming bass, excel at hip-hop, electronics and pop music, work well with smartphones 
Cons: Pricey, can't handle rock and classical music properly, earcups can get uncomfortable

Meet Sony's first curved LED TV

            

Sony unveiled a mountain of new gear at IFA press conference, but for whatever reason it decided to quietly slip this beauty out under all the noise. Comparable to the 55-inch OLED set that Samsung unveiled at CES, Sony's new 65-inch, 1080P, S990A is the first set to put a gentle curve on LED flatscreen technology. And since LED sets are pretty common these days, it means the S990A is available for pre-order right now for just $4,000, compared to the $9,000 that Samsung wants for its curvy offering. 

The 16:9 aspect ratio introduced with HDTV was designed to better fill a user's field of vision, and the gentle curve on the S990A takes that idea one step further with a slightly more immersive feel when you're sitting front and center. The effect is even more noticeable when you're playing games with a first-person perspective, but it works just as well for the home theater experience too. 

The S990A uses Sony's TRILUMIOS display technology, which has the ability to precisely control the set's LED backlighting in order to make colors seem particularly vibrant. And as much as it sounds like just a marketing buzzword, the results are colors and saturation that are very intense. As long as your source material hasn't been compressed to a muddy mess, you'll certainly see the difference on the S990A if you're upgrading from a flatscreen that's even just a few years old. 

To allow the 65-inch set to still be mounted to walls, the back of S990A doesn't match the curve of its display up front. It remains flat, which means that while the TV is thin in the center, it gets a few inches thick at the sides. But Sony has found a way to even promote that as a good thing, by using that extra space as resonance chambers for a set of four speakers on either side. 

Home theater enthusiasts will probably still want to stick with their own speaker setups, but those happy to rely on the S990A's will appreciate that the top speaker on either side is actually pointed slightly outwards to bounce the sound around a room, creating a faux-surround experience. You won't be fooled into thinking you're sitting in a movie theater, but it's adequate enough if the S990A topped out your budget. 

The downside, of course, to this recent trend of curved TVs is that you run into the same issues with viewing angles as we did with 3D sets. It's not quite as bad here, you can certainly sit pretty much anywhere in front of the S990A without any loss of image or color quality. But the sweet spot for the full immersive experience is still dead center, which limits how many people crowded in front are getting the best experience. 

However, the curve is so gentle that sweet spot issues aren't a complete deal breaker. And if you live alone and are looking for the ideal way to escape into a movie or a video game, the immersive feel of the S990A is most definitely noticeable. Particularly when you then go back to a perfectly flat set and wonder why the screen is curving away from you. And Sony has managed to price the S990A at a reasonable level so that this first generation of its curved sets isn't completely out of reach for most consumers.

Sony PlayStation 4 to offer voice recognition through PlayStation Camera

Gamers are already warming up to the battle between the two major next generation gaming consoles, the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, with the two taking gaming, multimedia and smart features to the next level. After Microsoft announcing voice control through the Kinect sensor for the Xbox One, it's now being confirmed that Sony's PlayStation 4 would also support voice recognition through the new PlayStation camera.

According to a report by EuroGamer, a Sony spokesperson has confirmed that the upcoming gaming console will offer voice recognition but did not offer any specific details.

"We can confirm that PS Camera does allow voice recognition. We will share more details on this shortly," said the Sony Computer Entertainment Europe spokesperson.

Just a few days back, a YouTube video posted by user lex1020, featuring a presentation that Sony delivered to its retail staff at the GameStop Expo in Las Vegas, revealed that the PlayStation camera would support voice recognition. The video suggests that the camera will offer features such as navigational voice commands and facial recognition to enhance the gaming experience on the device.

The report notes that Sony had initially planned to offer the PlayStation Camera with the PlayStation 4 cosole, but decided against it to keep costs low. It's now selling the camera separately for GBP 55.

Microsoft's Xbox One also offers voice control through the new Kinect sensor allowing users to turn the console on and off, switch channels and launch apps through simple voice commands. Although Microsoft has clarified that the console would continue to function without the Kinect sensor Microsoft includes Kinect in the standard Xbox One package, which implies it's not optional. After privacy concerns, Microsoft had clarified earlier that a simple "Xbox off" voice command, will switch off Kinect while users enjoy the entertainment features of the console and the only command that the sensor will recognise that time would be "Xbox on". Users could even switch off this feature, if they wished to.

The Sony PS4 has made its debut at E3 and T3 was there to get our grubby mitts on it for a game or two. Here are our initial impressions...

The Sony PS4 has made its debut at E3 and T3 was there to get our grubby mitts on it for a game or two. Here are our initial impressions...

Update: The Sony PS4 release date for Europe has been confirmed as 29 November. Sony boss Andrew House revealed the European launch date at the brand's Gamecom press conference, along with the price, which will be £349. The PS4 will launch in the US on 15 November for $399. Deep in Sony's bunker at E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, T3 spent a good few hours investigating the veritable might of the new PS4. In a series of demos, we got to grips, quite literally, with the new DualShock 4controller, the PlayStation Camera, the companion iOS and Android app, and a smattering of new titles such as DriveClub, Killzone Shadow Fall and Knack, plus a Play Room demo. Sony PS4: Controller The controller itself is sturdy and reassuringly weighty in the palm compared to the always-a-bit-light-for-us DualShock 3, which is interesting as the Xbox Onehas slimmed down just as Sony has homed in on heft. It's not bulky though, and its sleekness is married to an almost textured coating on both the base and dual sticks that helps grip. Xbox One vs Sony PS4: Next-gen showdown The dual sticks feel stiffer compared to the PS3's, and while this initially jars, we found with more exposure to them we actually preferred it for accuracy, though it takes some getting used to. The triggers are now really very trigger-like indeed (although Killzone, rather bizarrely, still doesn't assign them as aim and fire) and their close placement to the shoulder buttons is a good design move that aids quick changes. Sony PS4: Touch panel The central touch panel is very responsive when navigating menus and a satisfying click acts as a surrogate Start button in its absence. We actually really missed Start and Select to, well, start with (how do you pause?!), but the more time you spend with the touch panel, the more you realise what an increasingly exciting addition it is. Indeed, it's as at home replicating a touch screen as it is the movements of a PC trackpad. On Killzone it brings up a secondary menu of attacks, while on Play Room it was used for everything from throwing things onto the screen to rubbing to interact with on-screen characters to moving on-screen paddles for air hockey. The bridge between smartphone games and the new raft of independent developers that PlayStation's busy pleasing is a very palpable one. Sony PS4: 10 things you need to know The motor rumble of the controller and speaker combine to generate some very impressive feedback, though not quite of the standard of the Xbox One's new joypad. There's no rumble in the triggers here, but there is a real feeling of weight being moved around. At one point in the Play Room, AI bots fill the controller, and you can hear and feel them moving around inside the pad as you manipulate it. Alas, none of the demos used the new Share or Options button so we were unable to test their use. Sony PS4: Camera The PlayStation Camera is a bit of a micro-Kinect, following in the best tradition of EyeToy. Like Move, it reads the light bars on the rear of the DualShock 4s so that you can manipulate items on screen with it, but also reads your flailing arms to interact, too. The resolution is decent if nothing too scary – it doesn't track your expression or engagement, but it can tell if you've covered your eyes (the crowd of AI bots on the demo hushed, before we pulled our hands away and they all cried in a really quite charming game of Peek-a-boo). It will also set your head on fire – virtually, at least – in that AR style that Reality Fighters and its Vita brethren did. Sony PS4: App Even more exciting was the PlayStation companion app, which will be available for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets (in this case an Sony Xperia Z tab, obviously) as well as the PS Vita.  This is what the likes of Ubisoft are using in Watch Dogs and The Division as Sony's answer to SmartGlass, but here it was used to draw objects on a very simplified version of art package and literally 'throw' them on to the big screen. It's basic so far, but again, there's real potential there if they can expand the options. The Play Room, a thoroughly enjoyable tech demo that's not confirmed for any official release, makes great use of the cam and we think Sony would be bonkers not to include as a getting-to-grips-with-the-hardware retail release. Maybe it could be packaged with the PlayStation Camera now Sony has confirmed that omitting that from the PS4 box was a way of keeping the costs down? Sony PS4: Games DriveClub is a decent racer with some nice features, although graphically we weren't as blown away as we expected (though the 'Pre-Alpha, 35% complete' sign should explain that). Handling is decent, with a focus on drifting with the shoulder buttons, but the system of Fame points is what is really interesting. You race in clubs, but as you make your way round the track, independent challenges pop up with headshots of other drivers attached. You then have a variety of durations to better the random opponent – be it cornering, average speed or, yes, drifting – for extra goodies. It certainly keeps you interested, even if you've raced well ahead, and we can only imagine the online integration that will follow. Sony PS4: Games we want to play right now Knack is a rather basic combat brawler that has you smashing up scenery and growing your body, Katamari-style, before beating up a succession of bulky henchmen. Some twitchy camera angles aside, it's fun, though very much a 'first wave' title at first glance. Finally, Killzone Shadow Fall looks rather gorgeous, although, in forests and detailed shrubbery, the particular level we played looked bugger all like typical Killzone. The sheer number of combat options across triggers, d-pad and touch pad baffled us to the extent that we blew ourselves up twice with a grenade before we knew what was going on, but with persistence we actually killed some people and left intrigued by exactly where the extensive weaponry and drone assistance would take us. Sony PS4: Verdict While it's far too early to reach any genuine conclusions on the PS4, what with all games way off completion, few actually playable, the UI and Share features yet to be shown off and the full hardware setup hidden from view, the controller and the implementation of new technology bodes well. The DualShock 4, for us, is an improvement on its predecessor, more comfy in hand and with a wealth of immersive bells and whistles to see it through years of innovation. The PlayStation Camera is clever and fun rather than intrusive and being removed from the console package to keep the price low makes financial sense, though this could stymy software development focusing on the new tech in the same way Xbox struggled with Kinect support. First-party launch games at the moment seem decent rather than stunning, yet the potential, in terms of graphical output, is clear, and is already being exploited to a greater degree outside the PlayStation camp, while the nifty companion app hints at greater connectivity than we first suspected. We're eager to try out more.                                                               Sony PS4 release date: 29 November 2013 Sony PS4 price: £349 |  Pre-order from: Amazon | Zavvi | Tesco | GAME

Sony Xperia Z1 Android Phone Officially Launched

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Behind the 5-inch Full HD Screen lies Sony's latest advances in mobile camera technology, claiming "World's leading camera in a smartphone."

In the recent flood of new Sony Products, the Xperia Z1 has been revealed at the company's IFA Conference in Berlin. Apart from being a followup to the Xperia Z, this new flagship phone is to be Sony's representative of its new focus on camera capabilities in mobile phones. Released with grand claims of being the "world's leading camera in a smartphone" and offering "best in class imaging," Sony appears to be very confident about their new technology. 

The 5-inch phone has a 1080p Triluminos display, which according to Sony, allows for the viewing of a greater range of natural colors, and comes with the company's X-Reality technology to improve the viewing of low-res media. Along with the screen comes the latest development in touch screens that can also be found in the Xperia Z Ultra, as well as 4G support in both devices.

Behind the attractive display sits the quad-core Snapdragon 800 SoC clocked at 2.2 GHz, along with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage space, which can be expanded through a microSD slot by another 64 GB. Measuring 144 x 74 x 8.5 mm and weighing only 170 grams, we are impressed that the phone holds a 3000 mAh battery. Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 initially comes with the phone, but we are hopeful for a later update to Android 4.4 KitKat.

While the phone itself is rather standard, the defining difference between this and previous Sony phones is the camera capabilities. A 20.7MP Camera is located on the back of the phone, which uses a 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS CMOS image sensor, while the lens itself is Sony's G Lens which is a wide angle 27 mm lens with an aperture of f2.0, and can apparently deliver 3x optical zoom without any distortion at all. The actual hardware processor of the image comes courtesy of a Bionz unit that Sony uses in many of its Alpha DSLRs. 

However, to uphold the bold claims of the phone's photographic excellence, the standard Android Software just won't do. Consequently, many apps have been preloaded onto the phone to extend the camera's capabilities, such as Social Life (camera streaming to social media), Timeshift (a burst capture mode to select the best of the images), Info-Eye (uses photos to search online for relevant info), and AR Effect (augmented reality to overlay custom animations onto images). Not withholding, the company has designed the hardware with an open SDK, so that developers can also take full advantage of the hardware available.

While the collection of camera hardware in the phone is impressive, we have noticed a distinct lack of Optical Image Stabilization being mentioned in the press release. While this might not even be a problem for the camera's photo capabilities, we reserve judgement until we can objectively verify the company's claims ourselves. With Nokia's PureView line-up and its Lumia 1020, the Xperia Z1 has its work cut out for it. The phone has IP55 certification (limited dust ingression protection) and a surprising IP58 label (as opposed to IP57), which means that the phone is water resistant up to a certain pressure for long periods of time, as opposed to limited time between depths of 15 cm to 1 m (between half a foot and 3 feet). If you plan to go diving with your Black, White, or Purple Xperia Z1, you will unfortunately have to wait until it hits the shelves "later this month."