Steam now 65 million users strong as Valve makes a push for the living room

News: Valve's Steam service for PC distribution and sales has over 65 million users playing its over 3,000 games, the company announced this afternoon. That's a 30 percent increase (15 million accounts) over the last 12 months -- not too shabby! -- putting the service's userbase well above that of Microsoft's Xbox Live (which has 48 million, according to MS). Not quite the 110 million that belong to Sony's PlayStation Network, but not too shabby.

The new Steam number comes ahead of Valve's planned hardware beta, which intends to test the three main components of the company's big living room push:SteamOS, Steam Controller, and Steam Machines. The first of those components, SteamOS, is a Linux-based navigation solution for gaming PCs in the living room. While in can be installed on any PC (and it's free), it'll come installed on the physical Steam Machines that Valve ships to 300 beta participants (alongside the aforementioned Steam Controller). That said, at 65 million users, you have 0.0005 percent chance of being chosen for the beta. Best of luck with that!

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Engadget.com

Sony SmartWatch 2 review: a fair effort that still hasn't cracked it

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Cast your mind back to the period between August and October 2012, and there was barely a whisper about a smartwatch round these parts. Pebble was funded and well underway, and we discovered a curious Google patent -- but that was pretty much it. In that same period one year later, you'll find nearly 40 news stories on Engadget alone. There's definitely been a climate change.

One player in this year's wrist-based technology battle is Sony's SmartWatch 2. That number appended to the end of its name lets you know that this isn't the company's first foray into this area (it's technically its third). Because it's a tech giant, then, and also one of the more established players in this market, our expectations were rather high. So, can Sony show the competition how it's done.

ENGADGET

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Xbox 360'sGames with Gold' becomes permanent, still no word on Xbox One version

Microsoft's Xbox 360 monthly free game promo, "Games with Gold," is being extended indefinitely. The program is essentially Microsoft's response on Xbox 360 to Sony's PlayStation Plus initiative on PlayStation 3 and Vita: members who pay the monthly or annual fee to the programs receive a variety of free games each month. Sony announced an extension of its program to its next game console, the PlayStation 4, back at E3 2013 -- anyone who already pays for PS Plus on PS3 or Vita is automatically a member on PS4.

Microsoft, however, won't say if "Games with Gold" will extend to its upcoming game console, the Xbox One."We're excited to announce we are extending Games with Gold for Xbox 360. We will share more details on the program soon. Stay tuned for our plans on Xbox One," a Microsoft spokesperson told Engadget. There are, of course, many other benefits to paying for an Xbox Live Gold account on the Xbox One, the least of which is the ability to play online multiplayer games.

Technology News in Hindi

engadget.com

Sony Alpha 7 and 7R: the full-frame mirrorless ILC is finally here!

Photo junkies, brace yourselves for some very big news. Sony has finally announced its much-anticipated (and leaked) mirrorless camera, debuting not one, but two feature-packed models. The $1,700 Alpha 7, which is positioned as a step-up cam for APS-C interchangeable-lens camera owners, includes a 24.3-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor. The $2,300 Alpha 7R, for its part, will be of particular interest to professionals -- that flagship model packs a 36.3-megapixel sensor without a low-pass filter. Both cameras ship with a new BIONZ X processor, enabling 14-bit RAW, a 25,600 top ISO, improved area-specific noise reduction, upgraded detail reproduction and diffraction-reduction technology that helps eliminate the blurriness you may experience when shooting at higher apertures.

Source- Technology News in Hindi

engadget.com

Sony VAIO Flip 15 review: Sony's new convertible is cheaper, bigger than most

 

When Sony first teased the VAIO Flip series, we were sure it was going to look like the LenovoYoga. After all, here was a laptop with a screen that presumably could fold back so that it faced away from the keyboard. And with Sony comparing its new laptops to origami projects, well, it was hard not to imagine something inspired by the Yoga. As it turns out, though, Sony was watching the competition carefully, crafting a product that would avoid some of the mistakes other companies made. Though the Flip does indeed have a screen that can face outward, it folds over itself so that even when you're using the PC in tablet mode, the keyboard doesn't end up exposed like it does on the Yoga.

Also, whereas Sony's rivals have mainly stuck with 11- to 13-inch models, Sony's new convertibles are bigger, ranging in size from 13 to 15 inches. Though the specs and prices vary from size to size, we're taking a look at the 15-inch model today. And there's a reason for that: aside from the Acer Aspire R7, we haven't encountered many big-screen convertibles. And with starting prices of $800 and $750 for the 15- and 14-inch models, respectively, these are also some of the only mid-range machines we can think of that also sport funky form factors. So is this design any more useful than the other convertibles out there? Let's see.

Source- Technology News in Hindi

engadget.com

Sony Xperia Z1 f with 4.3-inch display, 20.7-megapixel camera launched

 

Sony has finally taken the wraps off its latest smartphone, the Xperia Z1 f which is a mini-variant of the flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z1.

The device has been introduced under Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo's winter smartphone line-up, and is expected to be released in late December 2013. No pricing details for the newly introduced Xperia Z1 f have been revealed by Sony and NTT DoCoMo.

The Sony Xperia Z1 f (SO-02F) features a 4.3-inch TRILUMINOS HD (720x1280) display with X-Reality for Mobiles. It is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm MSM8974 processor along with 2GB of RAM, much like its elder sibling. The Xperia Z1 f runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box and is manufactured by a single aluminium frame with tampered glass on back and front panel. It comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable up to 64GB with the help of microSD card.

ndtv.com

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NTT Docomo's winter lineup arrives, includes Sony Xperia Z1 mini and Samsung Galaxy J

  

As is tradition this time of year, NTT Docomo's annual winter/spring lineup has just fallen in our laps, unveiling a slew of devices that includes ten smartphones, a tablet, two feature phones, a photo panel and two mobile WiFi routers. On the smartphone front, several standouts include the new LG G2, the Galaxy Note 3, the Sony Xperia Z1, the Sony Xperia Z1 f and the odd Japan-only Samsung Galaxy J. The latter two are of particular interest, as this marks their first official unveiling. The Xperia Z1 f is essentially a miniaturized Xperia Z1 -- it has a 4.3-inch screen instead of a 5-inch one -- and packs in specs that are similar to its bigger brother, such as a 2.2GHz MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 processor and a 20.7-megapixel camera. The Galaxy J, meanwhile, has a 5-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display, a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 processor and a 13.2-megapixel camera.

engadget.com

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Valve unveils Steam Machines, a hardware beta for its living room game console

Valve announced Steam Machines today, a living room game console that launches at some point in 2014. The company also announced a hardware beta for its own version of the console; the beta starts this year. Today's news is the second of three planned announcements this week meant to expand the company's digital game distribution service, Steam. The company's issuing just 300 hardware prototypes in 2013 -- "free of charge, for testing" -- and you can enter to become one of those lucky 300 through your existing Steam account (an "eligibility quest" was added to Steam's quest page that will guide you through the process).

Valve says that a variety of "Steam Machines" -- the new name for the company's "Steambox," a living room gaming console for playing PC games -- will become available next year "made by different manufacturers," including Valve itself. The hardware beta, which we first told you about many moons ago, only includes Valve's version of the Steam Machine. All the machines will run SteamOS, the operating system that'll power Valve's big living room push (it was announced earlier this week). There aren't any specs given for the various devices. Valve says that, since there will be a few different options, there'll be "an array of specifications, price, and performance" when we learn more "soon." It sounds like the 300 beta testers can share their experience with the rest of us, though, as Valve's asking for loud, public feedback.

Apparently the beta will include "the nearly 3,000 games" that are available on Steam including the "hundreds already running natively on SteamOS." Everything else is streamable, says Valve. In terms of using a mouse-and-keyboard setup in your living room, Valve says that's an option, but "we have some more to say very soon on the topic of input."

Today's announcement is the second that further elucidates Valve's "Steambox" initiative; a program that's attempting to bring PC games to the living room, squarely aimed at competing with the big three entrenched game console manufacturers (Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony). Both Microsoft and Sony have new game consoles launching this year in the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, respectively.

A new countdown for the Valve's third Steam announcement kicked off just as today's expired, leaving another 48 hours before the final piece of news. Sounds like a controller of some form is in the works for Friday, which we'll have here for you as soon as it goes live. 

Source: News in Hindi

Sony's Cyber-shot QX100 lens camera is fantastic, impractical (sample photos)

At Sony's IFA press event, reps handed out samples of the company's $250 lens cameras to everyone in the room. We really enjoyed our time with the Cyber-shot QX10, but that model's more powerful sibling, the QX100, promised even better performance, albeit in a substantially larger package. Unfortunately, it's been a bit difficult to come by, and our loaner missed the deadline for a review. We'll examine it here instead.

At $500, the QX100 is an incredibly pricey smartphone accessory, but when you consider that the cam features the same optics as Sony's $750 RX100 Mark II, that ambitious sticker price is a bit easier to swallow. Still, for the QX's target demographic -- smartphone users looking to boost the quality of Twitpics and Instagram photos -- bigger doesn't necessarily mean better.

Both the QX10 and QX100 function in much the same way, but internally, they're entirely unique. The base model includes a 1/2.3-inch sensor and a 10x optical zoom lens, while the more expensive version, available for twice the price, features a much larger 1-inch sensor and a higher-quality 3.6x Carl Zeiss lens. It's essentially an RX100 Mark II without the LCD, and with limited advanced control. Instead, like with the QX10, you use a connected smartphone as your viewfinder. Unlike with that flavor, however, you now have the ability to tweak the aperture (down to f/1.8). On paper, it's a much better fit for advanced photographers, and the image quality is good indeed, but ultimately this is an accessory for your smartphone. Keeping that in mind, let's see how it performs.

Source: News in Hindi

Sony Xperia Z1 review: a high-spec cameraphone without the hump

It's time to set the record straight: the original Xperia Z, launched back in February, was a decent phone. A solid phone. It was as if Sony had suddenly paused its chaotic schedule of handset releases in order to take stock of what Android users actually want: things like 1080p, microSD and a premium look and feel. And yet, the Xperia Z failed to be compelling. It wasn't just its subpar battery life that held it back. It was also the lack of a standout feature, which caused the phone to be buried amidst all the news of the GS4 and the HTC One -- and also by the announcement of the Lumia 1020 Windows Phone, whose camera suddenly made Sony's pokey, 13-megapixel module look like old technology.

That's why today, just seven months later, we're looking at a new flagship: the Xperia Z1 (codenamed Honami, and not to be confused with the Xperia ZL), with a far more boast-worthy camera and some other subtle-but-important enhancements. Buyers of the Xperia Z may understandably be displeased at being left behind so soon, but -- as much as we feel for them -- we'd hazard a guess that they don't constitute an especially large population anyway. In contrast, the Xperia Z1 should have much greater mainstream appeal. Read on to discover why.

Source: News in Hindi

Sony Xperia Z1 review: a high-spec cameraphone without the hump

It's time to set the record straight: the original Xperia Z, launched back in February, was a decent phone. A solid phone. It was as if Sony had suddenly paused its chaotic schedule of handset releases in order to take stock of what Android users actually want: things like 1080p, microSD and a premium look and feel. And yet, the Xperia Z failed to be compelling. It wasn't just its subpar battery life that held it back. It was also the lack of a standout feature, which caused the phone to be buried amidst all the news of the GS4 and the HTC One -- and also by the announcement of the Lumia 1020 Windows Phone, whose camera suddenly made Sony's pokey, 13-megapixel module look like old technology.

That's why today, just seven months later, we're looking at a new flagship: the Xperia Z1 (codenamed Honami, and not to be confused with the Xperia ZL), with a far more boast-worthy camera and some other subtle-but-important enhancements. Buyers of the Xperia Z may understandably be displeased at being left behind so soon, but -- as much as we feel for them -- we'd hazard a guess that they don't constitute an especially large population anyway. In contrast, the Xperia Z1 should have much greater mainstream appeal. Read on to discover why.

Source: News in Hindi

Sony unveils bevy of Walkman devices, puts premium on hi-res audio playback

If you prefer Walkman hardware instead of its app incarnation, Sony's got a fleet of new models for you to consider. Headlining the new gadgets are the ZX1 and F880 series, which boast a 1GHz dual-core processor, 854 × 480 touch screen, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, an "S-Master HX" digital amp and high-res audio playback (192kHz/24bit) in AIFF, ALAC, FLAC and WAV. Since they both run full-fledged Android 4.1, the mobile players have access to Google Play and can run games and other apps. A silver ZX1 will hit Japanese shelves on December 7th with 128GB of storage in tow, and set audiophiles back the princely sum of 75,000 yen, or roughly $760. The F880 line will arrive in the manufacturer's homeland in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB options -- each available in black, blue, pink or white -- priced at 27,000, 30,000 and 40,000 yen (in the neighborhood of $273, $304 and $405), respectively.

Sony's positioned the new S series Walkmans as its battery life-conscious option, as it squeezes out about 77 hours of music playback with a 320 × 240 LCD and up to 32GB of space. Endurance music listeners will be able to snag the device for as little 18,000 yen (approximately $182) come October 19th. Also available alongside the marathon-minded portables is the E line of players, which has just 4GB of storage and starts at 11,000 yen (around $111). The M series packs 16GB worth of tunes in a tube-like form factor, and it'll be available December 7th 18,000 yen, or roughly $182. Finally, the Walkman parade is rounded out with an update to its waterproof in-ear Bluetooth headphones, doubling capacity to 8GB. When October 19th rolls around, the water-friendly cans will go for 15,000 yen (or around $152). There's no word on when the barrage of new products will make it stateside, but you can dive into the source for more in the meantime.

ENGADGET

Source: Hindi News

Features And Price of Sony Xperia Z Ultra

अभी तक टेक मार्केट इसी खबर से गर्म थी कि जल्द ही लॉन्च होने वाला सोनी एक्सपीरिया जेड अल्ट्रा सबसे पहले ब्रिटेन के बाजार में उपलब्ध होगा। लेकिन ताजा खबर के अनुसार सोनी का यह नया उत्पाद आगामी 31 जुलाई को हांगकांग में लॉन्च किया जाएगा। जबकि कंपनी ने अभी तक इस फोन से जुड़ी कोई भी जानकारी सार्वजनिक नहीं की है तो बहुत हद तक यह भी माना जा रहा था सोनी एक्सपीरिया जेड अल्ट्रा फोन या टैबलेट नहीं बल्कि अत्याधुनिक फैबलेट होगा।

सोनी एक्सपीरिया जेड अल्ट्रा 6.4 इंच का फैबलेट हो सकता है और उम्मीद है कि इसे करीब 6198 हांगकांग डॉलर कीमत के साथ बाजार में उतारा जाएगा। अगर आप इस फोन को अभी ऑर्डर करना चाहते हैं तो आप सोनी हांगकांग की आधिकारिक वेबसाइट पर जाकर इस फोन के लिए ऑर्डर कर सकते हैं। इंट्रोडक्ट्री ऑफर के तौर पर कंपनी आपको मोबाइल केस भी मुहैया करवाएगी। लेकिन ऑर्डर करने से पहले आपको यह बात जान लेनी चाहिए कि यह फोन नॉन-एलटीई (लॉंग टर्म इवोल्यूशन) वाला है यानि यह हाइ-स्पीड मोबाइल डेटा को सपोर्ट नहीं करेगा। यूरोपियन और अमेरिकी मार्केट में सोनी एक्सपीरिया जेड अल्ट्रा की कीमत 799 डॉलर रखी जाएगी अर्थात भारत में इसकी कीमत करीब 47,000 रुपये तक या इससे ज्यादा भी हो सकती है। 

फुल एचडी स्क्रीन वाला यह फैबलेट क्वालकॉम स्नैपड्रैगन 800 क्वाड कोर प्रोसेसर 2.2 गीगाहर्ट्ज पर काम करेगा। इस फोन की इंटरनल मेमोरी 16 जीबी है जिसे 64 जीबी तक बढ़ाया जा सकता है। इसके अलावा यह फोन 2 जीबी रैम पर काम करेगा। सोनी एक्सपीरिया जेड अल्ट्रा में 8 मेगापिक्सल के रियर और 2 मेगापिक्सल के फ्रंट कैमरे के अलावा 4.2 जेलीबीन एंड्रायड ओएस के साथ-साथ और भी कई अत्याधुनिक फीचर उपलब्ध होंगे।

खास बात यह है कि 2013 में सोनी ने अपने जिन-जिन मुख्य उत्पादों को लॉन्च किया है उनकी ही तरह यह फोन भी पूरी तरह वाटरप्रूफ होगा।

Source: Hindi News

Sony teases new smartwatch announcement for next week

Sony's got us waiting on a super-sized Xperia smartphone, but it could have a new wearable to show Mobile Asia Expo attendees in Shanghai next week. In recent days, its Sony Xperia account has been tweeting cryptically about its existing Smartwatch, the demand for smart devices and (well, it is Sony) the company's portable tech heritage. Sony is set to host a Shanghai-based media event on Tuesday next week, and we'll be there to cover it.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Mobile, Sony

Via: Xperia Blog
Source: Sony Xperia (Twitter) (1), (2)

PlayStation 3 firmware update coming June 27th, promises to fix bricked systems

Are you one of the "small number" of folks with a PlayStation 3 that was bricked in this week's 4.45 firmware update? Though Sony's been aware of the issue since the update launched, apparently a fix isn't coming until June 27th -- that's nine days after 4.45 launched to an unsuspecting populace. The PlayStation Europe Twitter account announced as much this morning in a tweet. "We have identified the issue related to PS3 software update (4.45) that impacted a small number of PS3 systems earlier this week," the feed reads.

"A new system software update is planned to be released on June 27 that resolves that issue," it adds. There's also a bit of an apology, but that won't do much for the folks who are without their PlayStation 3 for the next six days. PlayStation's US arm also confirmed that the update will arrive in North America on the same date.

Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony

Via: The Verge
Source: Sony, @PlayStationEU

Sony touts high-speed 17.7 megapixel CMOS sensor for cellphones

"Sony introduced the world's first 16.41 megapixel CMOS sensor for cellphones (pictured at right), but the company's now finally back with another entrant in the megapxiel race: a 17.7 megapixel sensor. This one delivers more than just a higher resolution, though, as it's also Sony's first sensor with a bandwidth of 34.8Gbps (or about five times faster than previous CMOS sensors), which promises to allow for 120 fps video at full resolution -- assuming the phone's processor and storage are able to keep up, of course.

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