May 9 - 5:15pm EDT   E Ink finished the week with news that it has launched a new generation of e-paper cells. Normally used for devices such as the Amazon Kindle or basic displays on flash drives, the new cells are as much as 40 percent thinner and can be cut into either unusual 2D shapes or bent into regular forms, such as curves. They also survive harsher temperatures, the designer says, allowing the extremely power-efficient designs to stand more exposure outside. [full story]

May 9 - 12:25pm EDT   Toshiba has announced plans to launch two new commercial products based on Sony's PlayStation 3 technology, according to a Japanese news site. Tech-On! writes that a forthcoming TV will use the PS3's core Cell processor, in order to enable some high-end features; among these are real-time upscaling of SD signals into HD resolution, and the ability to play and record multiple TV shows at the same time. Unusual is the description of another option, "displaying video as if it is being viewed through opera glasses." This may simply refer to a zoom function. [full story]

May 9 - 2:30am EDT  Apple has been ranked the worst among all major PC vendors and other large electronic firms in the fight against climate change. Climate Counts this week released its second annual Company Scorecard hoping to create a "simple, easy-to-understand ranking of companies would motivate both companies and consumers to step-up their efforts on climate change." Apple was ranked in last place among the list of 12 electronics companies, while companies such as IBM, Canon, Toshiba, Sony, and Hewlett-Packard were near the top of the electronics industry. Top honor went to Nike, which passed last year’s high scorer, Canon, to become the top scored company among the 56 companies evaluated. Apple was the only ... [full story]

May 8 - 7:50pm EDT   Resellers in the US today began stocking the PSP Headset Kit for Skype, the earpiece and remote combo designed to take advantage of the VoIP service on the handheld console. Sony's American release follows just days after the Japanese launch and mirrors its functionality, with both street-style earphones, an adjustable boom mic, and a remote control for managing volume without reaching for the PSP itself. [full story]

May 7 - 3:45pm EDT   Complementing its TP HD home theater PC, Sony on Wednesday rolled out a new home server. The 1TB HS1 and its 1.5TB HS1S counterpart are some of the first VAIO extenders offered by Sony and are built expressly to share content automatically: PCs with Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) compatible software, as well as devices such as the PlayStation 3, can automatically find content from the HS1 and stream it over a gigabit Ethernet link. [full story]

May 6 - 2:35pm EDT   Sony Computer Entertainment Europe on Tuesday announced release dates for its long-awaited PlayTV add-on for the PS3 and Go!View video service for the PSP. PlayTV will enable the PS3's hard drive to record TV shows thanks to its dual TV tuners. The included software has a 7-day programming guide, and the recorded programs can be viewed remotely over Wi-Fi or transferred to the PSP as well. [full story]

May 5 - 4:55pm EDT   Microsoft today repeated its past denials that the company is developing a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360. Following a report on Friday which said Microsoft had contacted ASUS for drives to be used as add-ons for the game system by the fall, Microsoft has echoed its past approach and says that it has "no plans" to launch a Blu-ray reader add-on in the near future. The company prefers to focus on the core gaming of the Xbox, according to a statement. [full story]

May 5 - 4:35pm EDT   Sony Computer Entertainment Japan (SCEJ) announced a PSP Headset with Remote Control on Friday. The kit is meant to be used with the PSP's Skype functionality, which was enabled late in January with firmware update 3.90. To use the devices to make VoIP calles using Skype on the PSP, the gaming system's firmware must be upgraded to version 3.93, according to SCEJ. [full story]

May 2 - 4:35pm EDT   Sony showed off a tiny fuel cell at the Smart Fuel Cells 2008 exhibition that ends today, which combines a fuel cell, Li-polymer battery and control circuit for the first time. In testing conducted in Japan, Sony found a 1Seg video broadcast can play for 14 hours on 10mL of methanol. Use of a refined technology using the fuel cell could significantly boost the run times of today's consumer electronics, specifically laptop and cellphone batteries. [full story]

April 30 - 10:00am EDT   Sony on Tuesday launched the Bravia DAV-F200 home theater system as an alternative to multi-speaker set-ups. The cleanly styled receiver features 2.1-channel virtual surround sound programming and comes with an HDMI output for 1080p video up-converting. The Bravia Sync system allows for integration with Sony's Bravia line of TVs, and controlling both components with just one remote. The DAV-F200 is powered by Sony's 405W and 32-bit S-Master digital amplifier. [full story]

April 28 - 3:20pm EDT   Imagine has released a new video utility for Macs, ShotPut EXpress. The software is intended for use with Sony's EX SxS cards, which are tied to the XDCamHD EX format; after inserting an SxS card into a computer's ExpressCard slot, ShotPut automatically verifies and copies clips to as many as three different locations; alternately, users can choose to copy videos manually. In any case a logfile is produced, naming cards, file destinations and other relevant information. [full story]

April 25 - 8:40pm EDT   Samsung and Sony are paying 1.8 trillion South Korean won (~$1.9 billion) to upgrade the S-LCD Corporation joint venture, allowing the two companies to produce enough 8G LCD panels to meet global demand. The Wall Street Journal reports that the new manufacturing line will be located in the Tangjeong complex southeast of Seoul, where production will start in 2009. Monthly output is initially expected to reach 60,000 units, versus 50,000 sheets currently. [full story]

April 24 - 2:05pm EDT   Sky's upcoming on-demand TV service (now dubbed Go!View) for Sony's PSP will be available this summer, the British TV network said today. The service lets owners of the handheld game system use the Wi-Fi connection to watch shows offered on Sky independently of the satellite connection. Viewers will have the option of either paying per view or else paying a flat-rate subscription fee for watching many more shows. Shows can be downloaded first to the PC for transfer to the PSP later. [full story]

April 23 - 12:25am EDT   Sony is making movement to finally unveil Socratto, its in-house answer to Apple's Shake software, which it acquired from then-startup Nothing Real. A European patent application indicates that Sony is close to realizing its long-discussed video effects software, after ironically losing control of the Shake project when members of the company who worked on the project were hired by Nothing Real. The move comes after Tim Schaaff, a former senior Apple executive, joined the effort in 2006. [full story]

April 22 - 7:45pm EDT   Sony Corporation of America has signed a merger agreement with Gracenote, Inc, and will pay approximately $260 million plus other contingent consideration for the digital media information warehouse. Formerly known as CDDB, Gracenote delivers information -- including lyrics -- on music to various services including Apple iTunes and Yahoo! Music Jukebox. The companies say that Gracenote's existing business will continue to operate separately as a wholly owned Sony subsidiary, and that the senior management team will remain with the company. [full story]