Sony rolls out update for the Xperia Z, fixes sudden death issue

Some users of Sony’s latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z, have complained on Sony forums that their devices have been randomly crashing. Some of these users were able to fix this problem with a hard reset of the device. For those that weren’t able to do so, a fix has been released by Sony to address the issue.

The fix for the Xperia Z is available to users either over the air or via the PC sync software. The update is being rolled out in phases so if you haven’t received the update, you should in the next few days. The update only addresses the issue of the sudden death of the smartphone and doesn’t bring any new functionality or features to the table. If you are one who hasn’t yet received the update and is impatient to update your Xperia Z smartphone, can do so via the XDA developers forum.

The Xperia Z was launched earlier this month and we really liked some of the features of the smartphone. You can check out all the details in our review. The phone is capable of resisting dust and even being immersed in water, apart from sporting an excellent display. We put the durability of the Xperia Z to the test and we have a video to prove its capabilities.

The Xperia Z is Sony’s flagship smartphone boasting of some impressive specifications that includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad core processor clocked at 1.5GHz. The device also sports 2GB RAM and houses a 5-inch Reality Display with a 1920x1080 pixels resolution. The Adreno 320 GPU supports its graphical capabilities. The Xperia Z has 16GB built-in storage expandable via a microSD card slot. The rear of the smartphone houses an 8MP shooter and the 2330 mAh battery powers the entire package.

Source : Sony rolls out update for the Xperia Z, fixes sudden death issue

Sony Releases PlayStation Vita Bug Fix

Sony has released a software update for the PlayStation Vita to fix bugs with the device ahead of its U.S. launch in February. The PlayStation Vita 1.51 firmware comes just over a week after the device was introduced in Japan and fixes an issue that affects progress in NEXT Dynasty Warriors, one of the 26 games available at launch.

The software update is actually the second to come from Sony, if you count the 1.50 firmware, which was available when users first powered up their Vita after purchasing the device. You can grab latest firmware (for those who couldn’t wait until February and imported a Vita) through a PC, PlayStation 3 network function, or the Vita itself, via the Settings/System Update menu.

It’s unclear whether the 1.51 firmware fixes scattered problems some early adopters reported with the Vita. These include various crashes and gameplay lag, as well as sudden device freezes several users documented on YouTube. Sony, however, denied that such glitches exist, hence why the 1.51 update only mentions the NEXT Dynasty Warriors game progress fix.

Sony’s PlayStation Vita has had a solid, yet unspectacular start. In the opening weekend, around 325,000 units were sold in Japan; in comparison, Nintendo’s 3DS handheld sold 371,000 units in its first 48 hours. Some 26 titles were available on day one for the Vita, and Sony announced U.S. and European customers would have 33 games available for purchase when the Vita goes on sale Feb. 22 for $250. A $300 3G-enabled version will also be exclusive with AT&T.

Meanwhile, The Verge reports that Sony updated the Japanese PlayStation Store with a couple of new game demos: the first for Uncharted: Golden Abyss, one of the launch titles, and a second for a yet-unreleased game, Gravity Rush, which is set to arrive soon after the U.S. launch of the Vita

Source : Sony Releases PlayStation Vita Bug Fix

Sony to Possibly Announce NEX-C3

Sony made a serious breakthrough with their digicam/DSLR type models in their Alpha range of cameras, namely the NEX-3 and NEX-5. However, since the NEX-3 seems to have been discontinued in some parts, it seems that a new “replacement” is to be announced in its place – the NEX-C3.

So far the this NEX-C3 is just a rumour and Sony has made no official announcement about it, but some sources have managed to get some pretty clear images of the device.

The specs point out to the C3 having a 16.2 megapixel sensor which is apparently the same sensor that Sony’s Alpha A55 DSLR uses. It would be equipped to handle full HD video capture (1080p), a pop out adjustable LCD display and an external flash. Unfortunately this is all the information that’s available right now but judging from the quality of the images, it seems like it’s quite possible we just might see this camera make it out real soon.

Source : Sony to Possibly Announce NEX-C3, Sucessor to NEX-3

Sony Launches VAIO S Series of Notebooks

Sony launched their new line of notebooks called the S series. The notebooks come with 13.3-inch screens, and are powered by the Intel Sandy Bridge processors. They also include AMD’s Radeon HD6630 graphics solution and have a gigabyte of dedicated memory. A switch allows users to switch the laptop from a more power efficient to a performance mode. The new notebooks weigh around 1.7 kg which make them somewhat lightweight. The higher end model of the series also has a SSD drive for storage. Some of the their nifty features include a multi-touch trackpad and a backlit keyboard. There’s also a WEB button that allows user to access the internet without having to boot up the operating system.

The four models launched under the new lineup are VPCSB19GG/B, VPCSB18GG/B/S, VPCSB17GG/S/B and VPCSB16FG/B/L/P/S. The VPCSB19GG/B model is the most expensive one priced at Rs. 1,09,900 and the cheapest one, the VPCSB16FG will sell for around Rs. 56,990. The laptops will be available in five different colours – black, silver, white, blue and pink. 

Source : Sony Launches VAIO S Series of Notebooks