The 51st annual IFA, the largest consumer electronics and home appliance show in the world, began it’s five day extravaganza. This is when consumer electronics are redefined for the next twelve months. The size of this show is humongous. Last year in Berlin there were more than 230,000 attendees.
Sony claimed at the Sony IFA 2011 press event that over 800 million people use Sony products. It seems hard to believe, but they are probably counting one person per product. It is more likely that if a person likes Sony, they will own many Sony items. So we can safely dismiss that number as bloated. However, the hype over some of the advancements by Sony is anything but bloated. There are some amazing products to be excited about.
The Sony eReader Wi-Fi PRS-T1 is a mere 6-inches, weighs only 168 grams, and is simply 8.9mm thick. It has a one-month battery life and will be able to be loaned from libraries. The E InkPearl display yields a crystal clear, without glare and high-contrast. There is no eye-strain and it can be read even in direct sunlight. Even more amazing is that you can interact with it as you would an actual book. To turn a page, swipe your finger, to zoom in or out, pinch together or apart, and to define a word, touch and hold. There are ten built-in English language dictionaries. Finally, write with either the stylus or your finger – yes, your finger.
Meanwhile, Sony’s two Android tablets have been renamed Sony Tablet S and Sony Tablet P (previously the Sony S1 and Sony S2, respectively). They will both sport Wi-Fi starting at the end of September.
As for PC’s, the VAIO L 3D (VPCL21S1E/B, technically) has a huge 24-inch Full HD LED backlit display and is an all-in-one computer, according to Sony. It has a 3D HDMI input allowing you to connect your PS3 for 3D games. It is even built to simulate 3D from 2D content, and sports a family 3D paint program. Sony has also introduced a “glasses-free 3D” panel for the 15.5-inch VAIO S Series notebook, that allows you to view 3D Blu-ray movies by placing this screen over your notebook screen.
If you don’t mind looking like a geek while watching 3D, Sony has the HMZ-T1 officially being released. You wear it and stream from a Blu-ray player or PlayStation 3. Inside are two 0.7-inch HD OLED panels that are independent of each other. The viewing angle is a realistic 45 degrees, simulating a 750-inch cinema screen at 20 meters’ distance. They resist cross-talk by displaying the HD video separately.
Sony also announced a new phone called Sony Xperia Arc S that comes with a 4.2-inch screen and 1.4GHz processor. They promised a 25% increase in web page load times. In addition, there is an 8.1MP camera that does 3D panorama sweep. At least there are a few things to be a little excited about here.
Over all, it was great to see Sony pushing forward now, rather than waiting until the next CES. The smoke and mirrors that they actually brought set the mood quite well for what turned out to be exciting news releases.
Pingback: Sony at IFA 2012: Smartphones, Tablets, Laptops, Cameras and TVs | It's a Gadget