sony

If sound bars are the everyman's home audio system, the Sony HT-CT260 feels like the everyman's sound bar.

It starts with excellent sound quality, topping last year's sonic champ, the Haier SBEV40-Slim, and holding its own with the best we've heard this year, too. There's built-in Bluetooth, making it easy to wirelessly stream audio from just about every tablet and smartphone, and it throws in decoding for Dolby Digital and DTS for good measure. It has a signature, geometric design that's compact enough to unobtrusively sit under most TVs, but it also has a … Read more

After years of juggling laptops with names such as the Vaio S, Vaio Z, and Vaio E, Sony is starting to simplify its lineup with the newly announced Vaio Fit line.

The Fit laptops appear to be Sony's new mainstream line, and the company says they are for "students and business users who are looking for a step up and want more of a premium design but still at an entry-level price point."

In person, the Vaio Fit 14 (reviewed here) looks very upscale for an inexpensive laptop, and it starts at $649. That includes an aluminum … Read more

If you've been wondering when Sony's latest flagship Android handset would hit American shores, speculate no longer. The global and unlocked device is now for sale at Sony's U.S. Web site for $629.99.

Keep in mind that the Xperia Z is not to be confused with the Xperia ZL. While both smartphones boast huge 5-inch full HD screens, have fabulous cameras, run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, along with a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, plus 2GB of RAM, the Xperia Z sports premium design and materials.

Unlike the ZL's plastic chassis, the Xperia … Read more

Documents listed on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Web site suggest that T-Mobile may soon offer a version of the Sony Xperia Z.

Details show that this flagship Sony smartphone will support T-Mobile's newly launched LTE network as well as pentaband HSPA+. In addition to the standard fare of photos and test results, the docs reveal the user manual and features such as Wi-Fi calling.

First announced in January at CES, the Sony Xperia Z has yet to find a home in the United States. Hardware specifications include a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, a 13-megapixel rear … Read more

Sony's Xperia Tablet Z is now available for preorder through Sony's Web site. The tablet is expected to ship on May 24 and prices for the 16GB and 32GB models are $499 and $599, respectively.

The 10.1-inch Xperia Tablet Z's physical dimensions make it one of the thinnest and lightest tablets on the market and, according to Sony, its waterproof and dustproof build makes it highly durable.

Not to be outshone by its good looks, the Xperia Tablet Z ships with the Android 4.1.2 operating system, houses a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor and … Read more

Hot on the heels of Microsoft's invitation to check out the next Xbox, Sony pushed out a shiny, new YouTube video highlighting the added features of the PlayStation 4 controller, along with a healthy peppering of praise from its creators.

"Everything's been tuned -- the feel of the analog sticks, the sensitivity of both different types of triggers," Scott Rohde, PlayStation product development SVP, says in the video.… Read more

Sony has been one of the few bright spots in the slothlike AV receiver market, with last year's STR-DN1030 being the first with long-overdue features like built-in Bluetooth, AirPlay, and Wi-Fi in a $500 receiver.

Rather than resting on its laurels, Sony goes even further with its two new AV receivers, packing in more features. The STR-DN840 and STR-DN1040 continue to stand alone this year in offering Wi-Fi, AirPlay, and Bluetooth, while the STR-DN1040 has upped the ante with eight HDMI inputs and an overhauled user interface.

Here's how I'd break down the most important features:

STR-DN840 ($… Read more

Although Sony has been in a bit of trouble over the last few years, things appear to be looking up.

The company on Thursday revised its initial forecast for the fiscal year ended March 31, saying that its sales will rise 3 percent compared to its initial forecast, landing at 6.8 trillion yen (about $69 billion). Better yet, Sony has bumped up its operating income and net income figures by 76.9 percent and 100 percent, respectively.

If Sony's final numbers for the fiscal year match its forecasts, the company will have dramatically improved its performance over the … Read more

Sony, trying to bring digital technology to a market that's remained stubbornly analog, has upgraded its digital binocular with the announcement today of the $2,000 DEV-50V.

The binoculars, due to ship in June, are vastly more expensive than even high-end binoculars from rivals such as Canon and Nikon. But Sony's digital binoculars -- which capture a scene with image sensors then display it with small electronic viewfinder (EVF) -- can do something ordinary binoculars can't.

Namely, they'll help you remember what you saw by taking a video or photo. And, if you like, it'll … Read more