Gear Patrol

After buying out Ericsson’s share of their joint venture earlier this year, Sony’s inaugural run of solo-branded smartphones shows the Japanese heavyweight has no intention of ceding the market just yet to Korean competitors like Samsung and LG without a fight. The Xperia S features a 4.3-inch 720p display with a 1.5GHZ dual-core processor, a…

4k resolution is still a long way off from replacing lowly 1080p as the new standard for high-definition, but Sony’s latest BDP-S790 Blu-ray player doesn’t mind standing on the cutting edge. Among the slew of players announced, this lone model packs the ability to up convert 1080p content to 4k resolution — which is great…

Sony hopes to shift the tide in the war between micro four-thirds technology and mirrorless DSLRs with their newly announced NEX-7. Its 10.3 ounce, magnesium alloy body contains the same 24.3-megapixel Exmor APS HD sensor that has made Sony’s Alpha line of DSLRs the talk of the camera town. Combined with other features like an…

Precision glass isn’t cheap. Photographers and Apple Store architects have known that for years, as have those in the market for a quality pair of binoculars. In that context, Sony’s digital recording binoculars ($1400+) offer an interesting value proposition and represent an entirely new category of devices — at least for those whose business card…

Taking advantage of speedy new Thunderbolt technology (courtesy, Intel) the all-new ultraportable Sony VAIO Z piles on the specs including a featherweight 2.6 lb weight, 256 GB solid-state hard drive, 1.3 megapixel webcam and a matte 1600×900 or optional 1920×1080 13″ LCD display. But what makes this svelte little machine truly interesting is its optional…

2011 is the year of the tablet, no matter how hard we and our wallets squirm over having another gadget thrust into our lives. But why now? A discussion on that topic could take longer than the birther diatribe if explored in full, but the short answer is we have our smartphones addictions to thank….

Powered by Honeycomb, Sony has unleashed a duo of tablets called, S1 ($599, est) and S2 ($699 est) — we’ll let you guess what the ‘S’ stands for. The S1, designed for media consumption and shaped like a folded magazine features a 9.4″ screen, Tegra 2 SoC processor, Sony’s own customized UI, “Swift” web browser…

Mmmm. Pro gear. At long last, Sony’s pro camcorder with E-mount (think: exchangeable lenses) has arrived. The broadcast quality HD camera is far too much gear for the amateur, but it never hurts to dream. Right? At the heart of the modular-design Sony NEX-FS100 ($5,850-$6,550) is what the Sony calls the Super 35mm sensor —…

Like the idea of 3D, but don’t want to sacrifice the ability to capture tack-sharp full HD video? Sony has just the weapon for you. The Sony Handycam HDR-TD10 Full HD 3D ($1499) captures 1080p HD with both of its dual lenses — something Sony calls Double Full HD. Each lens is backed by a…

The onslaught of video-capable DSLR cameras have brought sexy back to budding filmmakers and photogs making the jump to motion, but even cameras like the Nikon D7000 and Canon 5DMkII are plagued with hair-pulling issues when capturing motion. Nauseating judder, reliability, and proper focusing are enough to cause any operator nightmares. What’s a budget filmmaker…

Logitech may have struck first blood in the Google TV race with their Revue set-top box, but the Sony Internet NSX-GT1 series is the world’s first HDTV line powered by Google TV. Here’s the skinny.

Besides winning the “most appalling product name of the month” award, the Sony Bloggie Touch ($179-$199) does pack an impressive bit of hardware for a pocket camcorder. A 3″ touchscreen, 4GB or 8GB of memory, Exmor CMOS sensor, 1080p video, 12.7 megapixel still image capture, and a fast f2.8 lens give the Bloggie some legit…

Thanks to all who entered our recent Sony Walkman giveaway. Unfortunately, we can only make the water resistant dreams of two lucky random readers who entered come true, so congratulations to Adam Yates and Jeff (doing the Ironman Coeur d’Alene). We hope you’ll both enjoy the sweet rewards of Gear Patrol readership. Drop us a…

Note: This contest has ended! Click here to find out who won. After our review last week, Sony graciously offered up two black Sony Water Resistant Walkman NWZ-W250′s to get Gear Patrol readers geared up with some water-resistant, wire-free goodness. Here’s the skinny. We know some of you have Facebook, some of you have Twitter,…

Nope, no tape players here. The Sony Walkman NWZ-W250 ($60) is a wireless, water-resistant player specifically designed for those who need to be hands-free, literally. Looking at you fellow all-weather runners. Before you yawn at the thought of another Walkman, take a look a the specs. Quickcharge (3 mins gets you 90), 11 hour play…

We’ve got a new player in town. The town of mirrorless, interchangeable-lens digital compacts that is. Think: compact cameras w/swappable lenses. At half the size and weight of Sony’s smallest DSLR (?230), the just-announced Sony Alpha NEX-5 ($600-$700) is Sony’s digital+glass volley into the red-hot interchangeable-lens market. The magnesium bodied Alpha NEX-5 (there’s also a…

We provided a first look on this alarm clock on steroids, take on all comers device by Sony a couple of months ago. Now we’re putting you all on notice that it’s finally on available for $199 at various electronics retailers including Amazon. For a refresher on everything this black box is capable of, check…

Touted as the most powerful ultra portable on the market today thanks to its available 2.66 GHz Intel Core i7 processor (3.33GHz with Turbo Boost), the Sony Z series represents the pinnacle of laptop design in both looks and performance. Featuring a 13.1 full HD LED backlit widescreen display with 1,600 by 900 resolution, and…

We’re not sure how we feel about the glowing ball atop the new Sony PlayStation Move (can we use it as a flashlight in a pinch?), but we do know that Sony’s long awaited foray into motion control should prove interesting. Using a similar dual-controller setup as the Nintendo Wii, the PlayStation Move will be…

Sony is entering the ruggedized camera game with the DSC-TX5 (est. $300), an ultracompact camera capable of handling anything from tame family vacations to full-on nightlifers. Waterproof down to 10 feet (for 60 mins), shockproof from drops of 5 feet, and capable of operating in temperatures as low as 14 degrees F, the DSC-TX5 is…

3D television may be the next big thing if electronics manufacturers have their way, but that doesn’t mean it’s all roses for consumers. What we’re getting at is that you may be fully aware that a new 3D compatible television is required in order to watch 3D content couch side. Non PS3 owners should also…

Back in January, you might have noticed a flurry of online chatter related to the category-bucking Sony Dash. After reviewing the product’s specs and features announced in the device’s initial press release, we were slightly disappointed to learn that the Dash seemed to be positioned really as a jack of all tech trades but master…

More often than not, so-called “green” electronics earn that title thanks to their low or efficient energy consumption. Sony, like Apple, though has decided to up the ante by building this 10-inch netbook system out of 23% recycled CDs. Gee, I wonder where they could have gotten those from?

Complete Control in the Palm of Your Hand

Home theater receivers have always been intimidating products, especially for first time buyers. Four years ago though, picking the best device hinged solely on audio performance. The advent of HDMI and advances in video processing, however, have now changed the game. To serve as both the brains and brawn of home entertainment, modern receivers must…

For Full HD Camcorders, Does Size Really Matter? For manufacturers like Sony, the competition has always been about making cutting-edge technology smaller and lighter. In the race to make the smallest, lightest, AND slimmest full HD camcorder in the world, Sony has beaten everyone to the punch. Putting the power of 1920x1080i high definition recording…

An All-In-One Desktop with Entertainment Center Dreams Sony’s latest entry into the field of all-in-one desktops takes another big step towards erasing the line between the TV and computer, and we couldn’t be happier. Its computing-based feature set includes a 3.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of ram, 256MB Nvidia Geforce video card, and…

[click on image to enlarge] Come early-August you might reconsider switching your old PC laptop for a Macbook. Not everyone needs a Mac after all. The Sony VAIO SR is a gorgeous little machine. It’s a 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (Centrino 2) powered laptop with a 13.3 inch LED backlit XBRITE display, up…

This is Sanyo’s update to the Xacti pistol grip handheld camcorder line. A 1080i HD 30 frame per second camcorder with improved image stabilization, face-recognition (called ‘Face Chaser’) 4 megapixel stills at 7 frames per second, and a very Michael Bay movie-esque flattering 300fps slow-motion mode. The Sanyo Xacti HD1010 weighs in at 9.9 ounces…

[click on image to enlarge] Today while you were lounging at home watching reruns and dreading Monday, Sony announced the XPERIA X1. An incredible looking mobile device and we know you’ll be itching to get one after reading about it. The XPERIA X1 is a Windows Mobile device with a full QWERTY keyboard, 3.2 megapixel…