Sony at IFA 2012: Tablet S, 4K TV, Windows 8, and more – The Verge

Sony Xperia TX video preview

2012-08-31T08:31:06-04:00

sony

Sony's IFA 2012 announcements were primarily about the bigger picture, both in terms of the company's One Sony strategy and in the literal sense that the Japanese giant showed off its first 84-inch 4K TV. Still, almost out of habit, Sony also refreshed its Android smartphone lineup with a trio of new handsets: the Xperia T / TX, the Xperia V and the Xperia J.

The distinction between the two versions of the flagship T device is actually bigger than Sony would have you believe: The Germany-only Xperia T has a dual-core Qualcomm processor, clocked at 1.5GHz, is thicker than the Europe-wide Xperia TX, positions the power button differently, and h …

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Samsung and Sony try again at tablets, but Microsoft may have the last laugh

2012-08-29T19:54:05-04:00

Ativ Tab

At large gadget conventions like IFA, the most-talked about company is often the one who isn't there: Apple. This year, the elephant in the room is actually Microsoft and its two Surface tablets. The Surface is now the de facto competitor and the standard by which these Windows 8 OEMs will be judged. Sony and Samsung have revealed their latest tablet strategies at IFA 2012 as they prepare to enter the all-important holiday season. Both have shown off new tablets, hybrids, and phones - but as much as the two companies are going head-to-head with each other, they will also be competing with Microsoft's Surface, and not just on specs.

Samsung' …

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Sony XBR-84X900: hands-on with 84 inches of 4K TV

2012-08-29T17:01:47-04:00

Sony XBR-84X900

It may not have been the most significant of Sony's announcements today at IFA, but it's certainly the largest: the company introduced the XBR-84X900, its first 4K TV. We got a closer look at the TV at a small event in New York City, and there were definitely a few gasps when the first footage - of an orchestra, of all things - came on screen. We spent a few minutes watching the TV's montage of 4K video, and nearly everything we saw looked fantastic (other than the weirdly low-res volume display, that is). It sounded good, too, thanks to a ten-speaker array on the TV. Of course, our expectations are high given the likely sticker price of thi …

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Sony’s Phil Molyneux: ‘consumers weren’t embracing’ split-screen Tablet P

2012-08-29T15:47:06-04:00

Phil Molyneux interview

Sony held a big press event at IFA in Berlin today, but we spent also got to spend some time with Sony Electronics America COO Phil Molyneux in New York. What's interesting is that Sony isn't announcing the intriguing VAIO Duo or Tap 20 Windows 8 PCs in America just yet - Phil told us that SEA wants to announce those later in a more focused way. But we did get to talk about Sony's updated Tablet S, which looks quite nice.

"We put our focus and our energy into creating a beautiful new second-generation tablet."

Interestingly, Phil told me that Sony chose only to update the previous Tablet S and drop the funky dual-screen Tablet P. "The clams …

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Sony Xperia T, TX, V, and J hands-on pictures

2012-08-29T12:19:28-04:00

Xperia 2012 lineup 2

Sony is just about out of letters to use for its Xperia lineup. (Look for the company to patent a new alphabet in the near future.) The company today announced three new phones - the T / TX flagship and the lower-tier V and J models. At face value, there isn't much aesthetic difference - similar design, slightly different materials, the lack of "Xperia" on the front plate for Xperia V and J. (The J in particular also seems especially prone to fingerprints.)

The Xperia T is the clear flagship here, with 4.6-inch HD Reality display and Sony's Mobile Bravia engine. The dedicated hardware camera button did pull up the app fast and taking pictur …

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Sony VAIO Duo 11 hybrid tablet hands-on pictures and video (update)

2012-08-29T11:35:24-04:00

Vaio Duo 11

We've just gotten our first look at Sony's VAIO Duo 11, a "hybrid-style ultrabook" with a hinge that slides the keyboard in, turning it into a Windows 8 tablet. The touch-equipped device looks light as a notebook, but it's hefty as a tablet. The 11.6-inch device is supposed to weigh about 2.9 pounds, a little more than Microsoft's Surface, but it's not too difficult to hold with both hands. The display units have a separate supplementary battery, which adds significantly to the weight. The final battery time isn't set yet; Sony promises us a "full work day" with the supplementary battery attached once the tablet has been released. The versio …

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Sony Xperia Tablet S hands-on pictures and video

2012-08-29T11:07:11-04:00

Tablet s ifa

Sony's new $399 Xperia Tablet S has the familiar "folded magazine" form factor as its previous tablet, but it's way thinner and fairly light. It's quite nice, actually. Performance was smooth in in the time we had it (which, admittedly, are ideal settings), and there's an interesting dongle to cover up the port for complete "splash-proof" protection - but thankfully that can be plugged in and still work with the various stands and docks. Sadly, the Tablet S is running Android 4.0 at this point - no hints of what Jelly Bean might look like on this - and the Remote Control app wasn't functional. A shame, too, since there are some pretty impres …

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Sony’s new Action Cam rugged cameras go straight for GoPro’s bread and butter

2012-08-29T11:00:50-04:00

Gallery Photo: Sony Action Cam pictures

GoPro is the name everyone thinks of when it comes to small rugged cameras that can be mounted virtually anywhere, but now Sony is aiming to grab a piece of that pie. The new Action Cam HDR-AS10 and Wi-Fi-equipped HDR-AS15, announced today, can shoot full 1080p HD video and 16-megapixel stills in nearly any weather condition. Both cameras weigh about three ounces and feature ultra-wide angle Carl Zeiss lenses that can capture a 170-degree field of view and have Sony's SteadyShot image stabilization system.

Sony claims that the camera's Exmor R CMOS sensor offers "stunning low light sensitivity with improved image clarity and drastically red …

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Sony enters the 4K TV era with the XBR-84X900

2012-08-29T10:49:38-04:00

Sony 4kTV

Sony has just officially announced its new 84-inch 4K television at its IFA 2012 press conference, the company's first 4K TV, and its first TV with passive 3D viewing. Sony says the new XBR-84X900 television is capable of upscaling content to 4K (that's a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160) from any source, including things like digital photos from the PlayStation 3. As you can see from the picture above, the panel is a sizable stand-up unit with two long vertical speaker bars - Sony says the TV incorporates a 50 watt "10 unit live speaker system" that provides 5.1 surround sound. The XBR-84X900 is also a connected television with Wi-Fi, and Sony s …

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Sony announces NEX-5R mirrorless camera with Wi-Fi, better focus, and more controls

2012-08-29T10:43:14-04:00

Gallery Photo:

Sony's mirrorless cameras get better and better, and now they're good enough that the company says it's taking aim at your DSLR. Sony just announced the NEX-5R at IFA in Berlin, and the successor to the NEX-5N has a few key new additions. There's finally a physical control dial on the 16.1-megapixel camera, so you can flip through settings much more easily. There's also a new Function button that makes the scroll wheel even more versatile. The camera's autofocus performance has been improved, using a hybrid AF system that combines phase-detect and contrast-detect focus to give both faster and more precise focus - we've seen something similar …

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