[ TECH ]
Sony to flood Oahu
with new gadgets
Sony has been a leader in teasing consumers with a lust for electronics. Each of their expos presents the latest technology as must-have devices to make our music, television, videos, computer, digital and photography look or sound better.
The trouble with past expos that some of the futuristic products were indeed in the future -- months away from availability or still trapped in the conceptual realm.
That's changed.
The Hawaii Sony Expo tomorrow through Thursday at the Ala Moana Hotel features only products that are on the market. A sneak preview revealed that you'll see few major technology breakthroughs, but the electronics giant has refined and improved its product line to make them more compact, more efficient, and include more features.
SONY
The rear-projection television ($7,000), top, has both i LINK and CVI-HDTV digital interfaces; the DVD handycam camcorder ($1,099) records on 3-inch writeable and re-writeable discs that play back on most PC DVD players.
Sony Hawaii Expo
Where: Ala Moana Hotel, Hibiscus BallroomWhen: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow and Wednesday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday
The biggest news is in Sony's televisions, hand-held devices, video and DVD camcorders, and the company's return to making a portable DVD player.
Sony has extended its flat-screen televisions by introducing its first integrated high-definition, flat-panel plasma and Grand WEGA Rear Projection LCD models.
The second-generation WEGA Engine system featured in the new Plasma WEGA sets and Grand WEGA LCD rear projection models maximizes picture performance from any video source by minimizing the number of digital-to-analog conversion processes.
Three XBR series models (KDE-42XBR950, KDE-50XBR950, KDE-61XBR950) include the 61-inch screen size with a built-in ATSC tuner for access to over-the-air high-definition broadcasts, as well as access to digital terrestrial and unscrambled local digital channels from many cable service providers. The new XBR plasma models incorporate a re-engineered plasma panel driver that allows for greater color contrast and sharpness, resulting in brilliant and crisp images. The resolution for the models above are 1024 x 768 ($9,000), 1365 x 768 ($13,000) and 1365 x 768 ($20,000), respectively.
New to the popular Grand WEGA LCD-based rear projection lineup are the 60-inch KDF-60XBR950 ($5,500) and 70-inch KDF-70XBR950 ($7,000) widescreen models with built-in ATSC tuner, Uniform Brightness Screen technology, enhanced Memory Stick media playback, both i.LINK and DVI-HDTV digital interfaces. The XBR Grand WEGA models incorporate the WEGA Engine system with a proprietary LCD Optical Engine, which contains the new 0.87-inch-wide XGA LCD panels (one for each of the RGB signals). These panels achieve 3.28 million dots resolution, resulting in detailed picture quality.
In the hand-held devices category, Sony has upgraded its Clie to a "personal entertainment communicator." The PEG-UX50 ($700) integrates Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technologies, enabling users to access Web-based content and communicate via the Internet. It also incorporates an integrated digital camera, voice recorder, digital audio player and high-resolution color screen.
Users are able to wirelessly access the Internet and share e-mail either via a Wi-Fi enabled local area network or a cell phone with Bluetooth technology. The Clie can detect Wi-Fi signals in any geographic region through embedded "sniffer" technology. This application virtually eliminates any kind of cable or wire setup.
The company's new line of DVD Handycam camcorders -- DCR-DVD100 ($899), DCR-DVD200 ($999) and DCR-DVD300 ($1,099) -- record on 3-inch, DVD-R and DVD-RW media, producing DVD recordings that play back in most current home and PC DVD players, and some Macs. All three models can take thousands of still shots at the highest still resolution on a single 3-inch disc.
Other features include Super SteadyShot Picture Stabilization; USB 2.0 Interface; Super NightShot O Lux/Color Slow Shutter Recording System, which can capture video in total darkness up to 10 feet away; and a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens with 10X optical/120X precision digital zoom.
The new 3-CCD consumer camcorder DCR-VX2100 MiniDV Handycam ($3,000) has many of the features of its predecessor but with improved optics and audio. The camera improves the minimum illumination, delivering low-light performance without the use of infrared technology. By increasing the CCD's sensitivity to light, the DCR-VX2100 model produces clearer, brighter video with more lifelike color reproduction, even in dim environments.
Other features: 16:9 widescreen recording capability, 12x optical and 48x digital zoom, SteadyShot picture stabilization and i.LINK Digital Video Interface.
Sony has "ruggedized" its popular Cyber-shot digital still camera line with the DSC-U60 ($250), which comes with waterproof O-ring sealing closures and shock-absorbent protection. The camera can be used underwater to a depth of 5 feet. Its vertical orientation is designed for one-handed operation, and it has a fast start-up time of less than a second. There's an underwater setting (marked by a fish icon) to adjust for the ocean's blue hue, and an action setting (running man icon) for capturing fast-moving subjects.
Sony dropped out of the portable DVD player game a few years ago but is back with the new DVP-FX700 ($600), which offers a 7-inch, 16:9 aspect ratio, LCD screen and lithium ion battery providing up to three hours of viewing. Other features include a headphone jack with volume control, built-in tuner stereo speakers, a remote control, S-Video output and additional A/V jacks.
But you're not going to get much out of reading about them. You must see and listen and make your own comparisons.
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