Sony's President and Chief Executive Officer Kazuo Hirai
unveiled an array of Xperia smartphones, a new
Xperia-branded Tablet, VAIO PCs, and a showstopping 84"
BRAVIA 4KTV at IFA 2012.
"This is an extraordinary company going through
extraordinary times. It forces us to confront difficult
realities and make hard business decisions. We must look at
ourselves honestly and hold true to the values and purpose
of Sony. I am determined to do this with a laser-like
focus, speed and execution," said Hirai, "The products I
unveil today will show Sony's long-standing ambition to
deliver what customers value - a simpler, easier, more
entertaining and user-friendly experience."
The range of new products announced in Berlin includes
three new Xperia smartphones - one featured in the
forthcoming James Bond movie Skyfall - a new splash proof
Tablet, a new hybrid slate/laptop VAIO PC, a new NEX camera
with built in Wi-Fi enabling feature-adds post purchase and
enhanced NFC enabled headphones and audio devices.
Sony also unveiled a 84" BRAVIA 4K TV, promising a totally
immersive experience and building on Sony's professional
expertise in 4K with acclaimed broadcast camera the
CineAlta F65 and 4K cinema projection system.
Hirai vowed that each product would reflect the 'One Sony'
ambition, the organisation's drive to deliver
technically-advanced products and compelling consumer
experiences through greater synergies across all Sony's
businesses from electronics to games, movies and music.
"As "One Sony" we are joined together by a single vision,
which I define with one particular Japanese word - Kando.
It means to move people emotionally. Sony will bring a
smile to the faces of a global audience" said Hirai.
Xperia Smartphones
The company launched the first Sony smartphones to market
earlier this year - the Xperia NXT (NEXT) series.
Featuring in the upcoming James Bond cinema release
Skyfall, Xperia T (also coming in a variant known as Xperia
TX for some specific markets) is the new global flagship
model, providing Sony's best HD smartphone screen, camera
and easy 'One-touch' functions enabled by NFC (Near Field
Communications). Xperia V shares many of the same features
with Xperia T, but is also LTE enabled. Xperia J has
eye-catching design with a stand-out screen size. Xperia
Tablet S brings Xperia to the world of tablet for the first
time. Xperia T will launch globally over the next few
weeks. Xperia V and Xperia J will launch globally in
calendar Q4 2012.
Xperia T and Xperia V combine Sony's best screen, camera
and connectivity. The more affordable Xperia T, Xperia V
and Xperia J build on the same design language first
introduced by the Xperia arc and Xperia arc S.
Sony's media applications ("WALKMAN", Album and Movies)
form an integral part of the UI on Xperia smartphones,
tablets and VAIO PCs.
Through the "WALKMAN" application, consumers can enjoy
Sony's recommended sound in great clarity and presence
across the entire spectrum of sound by just activating
Sony's ClearAudio+ mode. A wide variety of music can be
accessed from this application, including consumer's music
stored in their PCs, a list of songs "liked" by a
consumer's Facebook friends and millions of songs through
Music Unlimited.
The Album application combines a user interface that
enables consumers to view, sort, and share pictures with an
ability to consolidate photos posted on social media such
as Facebook.
Consumers can enjoy video content in high picture and sound
quality through the Movies application. It also provides
movies synopsis from the rich database of Gracenote.
Furthermore, with Album and Movies applications, consumers
can remotely enjoy their photos and movie content stored in
their home digital media servers.
Xperia smartphones shipping from September until the end of
the year will come with a free 60 day trial of Sony
Entertainment Network's cloud-based digital streaming music
service Music Unlimited.
Sony is also putting NFC at the heart of content sharing
through its 'One-touch' function, taking NFC beyond the
traditional uses such as eticketing and payments. Now,
consumers can instantaneously enjoy their music and photos
across an array of NFC enabled Sony devices, by simply
touching one to another to establish a wireless connection
without a cumbersome pairing process.
Product Details
Xperia T key features:
- 4.6" HD Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA
Engine
- 13MP fast capture camera that goes from sleep mode to
snap in just over a second
- Full 1080p HD video recording capabilities and a 720p HD
front camera
- Easy connectivity with 'One-touch' function enabled by
NFC
- PlayStation Certified
- Latest generation 1.5GHz dual core processor
- Android version 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Will be
upgraded to Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) following
launch.
- MHL connectivity for viewing content on a big screen
without the need for a charger
- Use Xperia TV Dock with MHL to HDMI converter and
charging connector to enjoy photos and videos on an HDMI
enabled TV
- In some markets Xperia T will be known as Xperia TX
- Available in Black, Silver and White colours
Xperia V key features:
- 4.3" HD Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA
Engine 2
- 13 MP fast capture camera with full HD video recording.
- Latest generation 1.5GHz dual core processor
- Easy connectivity with One-touch 'One-touch' enabled by
NFC
- Clear audio+
- PlayStation Certified
- Android version 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Will be
upgraded to Android version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) following
launch.
- Dust and water resistance ensure protection from the
effects of immersion up to 1m for 30 minutes
- MHL connectivity
- Available in Black, Pink and White colours
Xperia J key features:
- 9.2mm slim design
- 4.0" FWVGA Display
- Social media updates with illumination
- 5MP AF camera
- Front chat camera
- Available in Black, Gold, White and Pink colours
The new Xperia Tablet S combines splash proof body with high
quality sound and a thinner design than its predecessor. It
also offers a new app called 'Socialife' which enables
users to enjoy SNS and news feeds in one viewer with a
magazine-like layout.
Featuring a 9.4 inch screen, the Xperia is the second
tablet from Sony, which released its first models in April
last year. It is running a NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core
processor and Android 4.0.3 platform.
The device also includes a full-sized SD card slot for
expanded storage and HDMI connectivity with optional HDMI
adapter cable. With built-in Wi-Fi compatibility, users can
browse the internet, check e-mail and access digital
content anywhere there is a Wi-Fi connection.
Sound quality is enhanced with ClearAudio+ mode.
Preloaded onto the device are the Sony Entertainment
Network Services, giving users access to their favorite
songs, movies and TV shows with a single sign on:
- Purchase or rent on-demand hit movies and TV shows with
Video Unlimited.
- Discover and listen to millions of songs from all your
favorite artists with a Music Unlimited subscription, now
with the ability to cache playlists for offline listening.
- Store your photos and videos in the cloud and share on
any device at any time with friends through PlayMemories
Online service.
Book lovers can also purchase and read their favorite
eBooks with the pre-loaded Reader application and manage
their bookshelf across multiple devices, including Sony
Reader and Xperia Smartphones. This fall, Sony Xperia
Tablet S owners will also be able to enjoy dedicated
content from PlayStation Mobile on their tablets.
Small Apps allow tablet owners to truly multi-task by using
a minimized version of the browser, calculator, remote
control, recorder, timer, memo or clip simultaneously while
using another application.
Scrapbook, a new app available at launch, allows users to
clip from websites, services or apps to create their own
scrapbooks. Users can then share clips or scrapbooks as
images across multiple apps. Users can download Socialife,
a fun, stylish viewer to manage your social networking
sites and news feeds in one place.
The Xperia tablet will retail in the U.S. from September 7,
costing $399 for a 16 gigabyte version and $599 for a 64
gigabyte model, the company said in a press release. Like
Microsoft's device it is also available with a keyboard
that doubles as a cover, for which consumers will be asked
to pay an addition $99.99.
Xperia Tablet S key features:
- Slim new aluminium body and splash-proof design
- 9.4" HD display with OptiContrast Panel with low-friction
coating
- NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor and Android 4.0.3
operating system
- Various experiences with original applications and Sony's
network services
VAIO Duo 11
VAIO Duo 11 is a Surf-Slider design hybrid PC which allows
smooth sliding between slate mode and keyboard mode. It
features a thin body with high performance, digitizer
stylus for the easy capture of handwritten digital notes,
maximizing the touch capability of Windows 8.
The tablet will run on Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro OS and it
is powered by Intel Core i7-3517U, Intel Core i5-3317U or
Intel Core i3-3217U processors. It comes with a 29.4cm
(11.6") OptiContrast Panel -
Full HD (1920x1080) with wide (16:9) aspect ratio; Intel HD
Graphics 4000, 4GB or 8GB DDR3L 1600MHz SDRAM, 128GB or
256GB SSD, WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n; Bluetooth Ver. 4.0 + HS;
Ethernet (1000BASE-T/100BASE-TX/10BASE-T x 1); USB 3.0, USB
3.0 with USB charge (x1); VGA out; HDMI out; Memory Stick
Duo / SD memory card combined slot; stereo speakers with
xLOUD ; Full HD Web Cameras (x2, front and rear facing)
powered by 'Exmor for PC' (2.07 megapixels); Sensors (NFC,
GPS, Accelerometer, Gyro, Digital Compass); Windows button;
rotation lock button; digitizer stylus; optional extended
battery pack.
VAIO Tap 20
VAIO Tap 20, designed to leverage Windows 8, is a 20-inch,
tabletop PC which tilts from desktop to lay-flat style. It
can be a conventional desk top PC for personal use or a
multi-media device ? if used flat ? for family use, for
everything from playing board games to music editing or
reading.
The battery-powered VAIO Tap 20 fits right into any living
space - from bedrooms and kids - play areas to the kitchen
or garden.
It comes with a 50.8 cm (20") panel (1600x900 with wide
16:9 aspect ratio,) 10-point multi-touch operation,
ClearAudio+ and it is powered by Intel Core i7-3517U, Intel
Core i5-3317U or Intel Core i3-3217U processors. Other
features include 4GB to 8GB DDR3L 1600MHz SDRAM, 750GB or
1TB HDD 5400rpm, Intel HD Graphics 4000, WLAN 802.11
a/b/g/n; Bluetooth Ver. 4.0 + HS; Ethernet
(1000BASE-T/100BASE-TX/10BASE-T x 1); USB 3.0 (x1), USB 3.0
with USB charge (x1); Memory Stick Duo / SD memory card
combined slot; 2.1ch speakers with S-Force Front Surround
3D; HD Web Camera powered by 'Exmor for PC' (1.31
megapixels); Web and Assist buttons.
Sony's first 84-inch BRAVIA 4KTV
The new Sony 84-inch BRAVIA 4K TV boasts a 4K (3840 x 2160)
LCD panel in the industry?s largest inch class and
incorporates Sony's '4K X-Reality PRO' super-resolution
high picture quality engine, meaning users will be able to
reproduce a variety of content - including movies, TV
programs, photos and games - to 4K picture quality ready
to enjoy on the stunning 84-inch screen.
High-resolution processing also powers a 3D viewing
experience that exceeds Full HD resolution. The
accompanying 3D glasses use a light passive design.
The 4K TV also incorporates a 10 Unit Live Speaker system
which is optimized for this large-sized screen.
By simply connecting a digital camera, digital photos can
be displayed on the large screen at 4K resolution.
PlayStation 3 software such as PlayMemories Studio can be
used to manage and playback photographs at 4K resolution.
The XBR 4K TV also has full network connectivity. With
built-in WiFi they can access movies, TV shows, and online
video and music through the Sony Entertainment Network
suite of services including Music Unlimited, Video
Unlimited, Netflix, Pandora, Yahoo Broadcast Interactivity
and more than 50 other popular internet entertainment
providers.
The new BRAVIA 4K TV will be available worldwide, from the
end of 2012.