Author: Serkadis

Just when you think you’ve read all the camera announcements from Sony, they debut yet another item – this time in their high zoom Cyber-shot range. The DSC-HX5V is an update to the popular DSC-HX1, and is upgraded slightly with the addition of a 10 megapixel “Exmor R” CMOS sensor, but still has the same 3” LCD and a slightly lesser 10x wide angle 25mm zoom lens (compared to last year’s 20x, 28mm). Like the HX1 of yesteryear, it also has the ability to record AVCHD, but this time in a higher quality 1920 x 1080 at 60i (full HD). Other useful specifications for image taking include Active/Optical Steady Shot, Intelligent Sweep Panorama (which allows you to take panoramic pictures in mere seconds), Backlight Correction HDR (High Dynamic Range), incredible low-light performance, and the ability to take 10 MP resolution images at up to 10 fps, helping to ensure you never miss the precise moment you’re intending to capture.

A new feature this year is the addition of GPS and Compass capabilities, which adds location and direction information on photo files. Sony has also integrated Transfer Jet wireless technology into the camera, which allows you to send (at 560mbps) pictures and movies from your Cyber-shot camera to your Transfer Jet receiver, such as a computer. This allows for people to not worry about taking out the memory card or looking for the USB cord when they want to get the pictures off their camera. Some notable software additions include iAuto, which detects eight scenes and optimizes camera settings accordingly.

Another nice surprise is the price – it will only cost about $350 and should be available in black this March. That’s not a bad deal considering the DSC-HX1 was nearly $500 when it debuted and has less features than this update.

As people throughout Illinois make resolutions for the New Year, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) is hoping many will resolve to become better prepared for emergencies during 2010.

To help with those resolutions, the agency today launched a year-long preparedness effort called the “12-Month Preparedness Campaign.”

“People sometimes think emergency preparedness is too daunting, so they don’t do anything,” said IEMA Director Andrew Velasquez III.

“By focusing on one aspect of preparedness each month, we’ll take people through preparedness step by step.  Hopefully, by the end of this year people will find it was easy to become better prepared for disasters.”

Velasquez said IEMA will focus on a different preparedness topic each month in 2010, beginning with home preparedness in January.

Throughout the month, the agency will feature personal and family preparedness tips and guidance on the Ready Illinois Web site (Ready.Illinois.gov), as well as photos, videos and additional preparedness information through the Ready Illinois Facebook page.

Directions on assembling a disaster supply kit and information about family emergency plans are two of the subjects that will be featured during January.

Other topics to be addressed during the year-long campaign include workplace preparedness, earthquake preparedness, children and preparedness, weather-related preparedness, cyber security, preparedness for people with pets and livestock and preparedness for people with functional needs.

The Ready Illinois website (Ready.Illinois.gov) offers comprehensive information on steps people can take before emergencies happen, what to do once a disaster has occurred, and tips for recovery after the event.

In addition, during large-scale emergencies, IEMA regularly posts current information about the situation on the site.

Google ha anunciado por fin su teléfono Nexus One, tras haber generado unas expectativas sólo al alcance de Apple. ¿El resultado? Satisfacción para los que esperaban un gran terminal a la altura de los mejores del mercado, decepción para los que pensaran que el movimiento iba a “revolucionar las telecomunicaciones”. Respecto a lo primero, hay análisis sobre las características del teléfono e información sobre su precio y comercialización en Xataka, TechCrunch, Engadget, Xataka Móvil. El veredicto es que Google Nexus One es el mejor terminal con Andorid del mercado y que gracias a la marca “Google” va a vender mucho más que si se ofreciese bajo la de HTC.

No hay mucho más. El teléfono se podrá comprar subvencionado por operadora o libre directamente a Google, como casi cualquier otro (hay excepciones, por ejemplo iPhone en la mayoría de países). Nada de precio más barato por consumo de publicidad en el móvil, nada de precios de escándalo, nada que permita saltarse a los operadores imprescindibles para las comunicaciones de voz y datos. Un buen terminal Android que competirá con los de los fabricantes – a los que Google trata de cuidar ofreciéndoles fabricas los teléfonos que ofrece con su marca – y que también venderá también a través de los operadores, únicos capaces de ponerlos en el mercado a un precio accesible a cambio de contratos de permanencia.

El Google Nexus One se queda en una buena operación de marketing: en la compañía del buscador quieren que Android suba su cuota de mercado y han puesto más carne en el asador. De momento, no va más allá de eso, quizás apuntar a una constante en algunos de los últimos movimientos de Google es su deseo de no depender de intermediarios: Chrome para saltarse a navegadores y sistemas operativos, Google Voice y Gizmo para intermediar a su vez a las operadoras, teléfono propio para que la marca visible y las aplicaciones preinstaladas para los clientes sean las suyas y no las del fabricante… a largo plazo esta estrategia es una amenaza para todos estos que ahora son socios comerciales suyos. Pero eso es pensando en un hipotético largo plazo, a día de hoy Nexus One es un teléfono sobresaliente a precio de mercado, sólo eso.

Relacionados: Android como el Windows de los dispositivos móviles, La lucha por ser el interfaz en el internet móvil y la búsqueda por localización. Tendencia 2010.

Foursquare, the addictive and yet slightly creepy location-based status updater/mobile game, has gone global. When it first launched, users were limited to checking in to stores, restaurants and other locations in select North American cities; Foursquare scaled out to 15 European cities last November, and now, there’s no limit to where users can check in from.

At stake are the bragging rights for being the most far-reaching—and ultimately, most-utilized—mobile social location-tagging service, as well as potential local ad revenues from businesses that want to offer coupons and discounts to users. As CNET notes, Rival Gowalla is better-funded and had global capabilities before Foursquare did. Other challengers include Loopt and Brightkite.

The catch is that newer cities and neighborhoods aren’t auto-populated in the Foursquare app, meaning people need to enter a name like “Valley Stream,” or “Playa del Rey,” to check in to a location in lesser-known locales. The company is “soft-launching” the global option, meaning not all users will see it yet.

Related

• Interview: Outside.in’s Josephson On Where The Local-Ad Market Is Headed
• Location-Aware Social Network Gowalla Raises $8.4 Million
• Social App Foursquare Takes in $1.35 Million in Funding From Union Square

Filed under: By the Numbers

Subaru, Kia and Hyundai increase alone, FoMoCo loses least

Most automakers giving themselves a pat on the back for a strong sales performance in December should take a second look at the books. A good month of sales to finish off a crappy year still equals a crappy year of sales. The chart below makes this perfectly evident, as only three individual brands and no multi-brand automakers managed to make it through 2009 selling more vehicles than they did in 2008. Not surprisingly, Subaru, Kia and Hyundai (in that order) were the three brands to post an overall sales increase in 2009, with Subaru posting a double-digit rise of 15 percent. With 216,652 sales overall, Subaru now sells more vehicles in the U.S. than Volkswagen and Mazda, two direct competitors with larger lineups.

Though no multi-brand automaker can claim a sales victory in 2009, you might be surprised to learn that Ford Motor Company with its Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo brands performed the best. FoMoCo sales in 2009 fell 15 percent, a smaller drop than any of its competitors. Toyota Motor Company sales (Toyota and Lexus combined) fell over 20 percent, but the Japanese juggernaut still managed to beat Ford in number of vehicles sold (1.77 million to 1.68 million).

The rest of the industry’s performance can be viewed in the chart below. Note that there were 308 selling days in both 2008 and 2009, so the percent change in volume sold will equal the percent change in the daily average sales rate.

By the Numbers – 2009: Up and Down Year Ends Down For Most Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Chevrolet, Ford, By the Numbers

It’s official: The Ford Mustang outsold the Chevrolet Camaro in 2009, despite the Bowtie Brand’s contender putting together a string of month-on-month sales leads over the Blue Oval’s pony car. But it was a close race.

According to sales data released by both Ford and General Motors, the Mustang sold 66,623 units in 2009, with GM coming in close behind at 61,618 Camaros sold for the year.

Early on there was speculation that the Camaro could overtake the Mustang if its sales streak continued, but despite pent up demand for the Chevy’s retromobile, Ford sold 6,327 Mustangs last month – over 60 percent more than it did in November. Not a huge surprise, but a good showing nonetheless, and with all of the updates to the 2011 Mustang, we suspect that next year’s race won’t be nearly as entertaining.

[Sources: Ford, General Motors]

Ford Mustang takes 2009 Pony Car sales crown from Chevrolet Camaro originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rally Software, a company that provides agile project management applications to for software development, has just raised $16 million in funding led by Greylock Partners. The brings Rally’s total funding up to nearly $50 million. The new funding will be used to hire additional engineers. Tom Bogan, Venture Partner of Greylock, will join Rally’s board of directors.

Rally’s products and services helps businesses implement Agile software development and Lean practices with the right combination of tools, services and best practices. Rally’s clients include Cisco, Microsoft, AOL, and Hewlett-Packard. Last year, the company acquired 6th Sense Analytics.

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The mobile Web grew 110 percent in the U.S. last year and 148 percent worldwide as measured by growth in pageviews, according to a new Quantcast Mobile Trends report (embedded below). Even so, the mobile Web accounted for only 1.26 percent of Web consumption in the U.S. (and 0.99 percent worldwide).

Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch drove much of this growth. In the U.S., Apple has a commanding 65 percent market share of mobile Web access as of the end of December, 2009. Only 41 percent of that is from the iPhone. The other 24 percent comes from the iPod Touch, which has been growing rapidly as a mobile Web device even though it only has WiFi. Globally, Apple also dominates in every market except Africa (where simpler and cheaper Java phones still rule).

Android isn’t really much of a player yet outside the U.S. But inside the U.S, Android is coming up fast, with 12 percent market share. Android is now the No. 2 mobile Web operating system, recently beating out Blackberry’s RIM OS, which has an 8.7 percent market share.

The sudden growth spurt of Android jives with Admob data showing that it doubled since October. And that’s before today’s release of the Nexus One. Most of that share comes from HTC handsets, and Verizon’s launch of the Droid in November. (Motorola’s Droid is the yellow part of the chart below.

Quantcast Mobile Report1

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Today, AT&T announced that it has completed HSPA 7.2 updates to all its 3G cell sites across the U.S. This was completed earlier than expected as AT&T decided to “expedite” the process to improve customer experience. But don’t get too excited just yet. Despite the upgrade, the faster bandwidth promised by HSPA 7.2 is still limited to a handful of select test cities, we’re told.

HSPA 7.2 is the technology that was promising to deliver data speeds about twice (7.2 Mbps, hence, the name) those of AT&T’s current 3G network. The technology became a topic of dicussion last year when it was revealed that the iPhone 3GS would be HSPA 7.2-compatible. Unfortunately, besides the select users in the initial test markets (Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami), no one with the device has been able to utilize the speed increase and likely won’t for some time still.

So what’s the point of this upgrade if it doesn’t offer the faster promised speeds? Well, AT&T says the software upgrades done to make HSPA 7.2 possible will “result in a better overall customer experience by generally improving consistency in accessing data sessions.” Undoubtedly, this move comes at least partially as a result of a new round of criticism about the reliability of AT&T’s network. It also comes on the day that T-Mobile says it has fully upgraded its network to HSPA 7.2. Like AT&T, T-Mobile is the other major GSM network in the U.S.

The move also comes amid all the hoopla Google and T-Mobile are getting today thanks to the new Nexus One device. While the unlocked phone will work on AT&T’s network, it won’t be compatible with AT&T’s 3G service. The Nexus One will, however, be able to run on T-Mobile at 7.2 Mbps, apparently.

The key to getting AT&T’s network up to the 7.2Mbps speed it upgrading its backhaul connections. That’s what AT&T is currently doing in the cities where it is testing the faster speeds, and it says it will continue rolling that out to more markets in 2010, and complete it in 2011. Of course, by then, hopefully we’ll be close to having LTE (next generation networks) coverage around the country.

AT&T says it has currently has 10 HSPA 7.2-compatible devices. They are:

• iPhone 3GS
• HTC PURE
• HTC Tilt2
• Samsung Jack
• LG eXpo
• LaptopConnect Mercury
• LaptopConnect Lightning
• Acer Aspire One
• Samsung Go
• HP Mini Netbook

[photo: flickr/ethan prater]

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The U.S. release of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is just around the corner, so it should come as no surprise that a premium arcade stick from Mad Catz will accompany the game’s Stateside debut. Priced at $79.99 on the GameShark store, the official Tatsunoko vs. Capcom FightSticks is expected to be available between the middle and end of this month.

This latest FightStick pretty much looks like what you’d expect from Capcom and Mad Catz, with the standard eight buttons, joystick, and a turbo option — all topped off with some snazzy artwork from Japanese illustrator Shinkiro. It’ll connect directly to any Wii remotes you happen to have lying around, so there’s absolutely no chance of your kid sister tripping over the cables while you’re trying to pull off a particularly gnarly combo.

As an added bonus, Mad Catz also revealed that the Tatsunoko vs. Capcom FightStick will work with many of the arcade classics on the Virtual Console. They didn’t go into specifics, but it’s a safe bet that most of Capcom’s own vintage lineup will be supported.

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One thing that Google made clear today is that the HTC-built Nexus One is the first in a line of so-called ‘Superphones.’ And HTC doesn’t have the exclusive right to manufacture them, Google’s VP of Product Management Mario Queiroz said today.

“We could very well do a Nexus Two with Motorola,” he said. “We’re working as quickly as possible.”

So that might appease the handset maker, which launched the Droid two months ago only to have it overshadowed by the Nexus One. In deciding to put its marketing muscle behind an HTC-manufactured device, Google risks alienating the very manufacturing partners that have helped the Android operating system become a credible competitor in the smartphone space.

Queiroz didn’t say when a Nexus Two, Three or Six might show up. But judging by Google’s pace in going from 1 to 20 Android-based phones in a single year, the next phone could come soon.

(”Nexus Two” isn’t trademarked yet, so the second one could have some other name variation. But “Nexus One” belongs to Google, not to HTC, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.)

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Don’t have time to read through the thousands of long, gadget-nerdy posts about Google’s new Nexus One phone flooding the Internet today?

We’ve made you a cheat sheet that compares the top three status-phones: Nexus, Droid and iPhone. We’ll also tell you which one to buy when you’re done comparing.

Price

• Nexus One: $179 with service plan, $529 unlocked
• Droid: $199 with service plan. $599 unlocked
• iPhone: $99 and up with service plan. $199 for the fast one, $599 for the fast one unlocked

Carrier(s)

• Nexus One: T-Mobile. Coming soon to Verizon and to Vodaphone in Europe
• Droid: Verizon
• iPhone: AT&T

Size

• Nexus One: 4.7″ x 2.4″ x 0.45″
• Droid: 2.4″ x 4.6″ x 0.5″
• iPhone: 4.5″ x 2.4″ x 0.48″

Weight

• Nexus One: 4.5 ounces
• Droid: 6.0 ounces
• iPhone: 4.8 ounces

Manufacturer

• Nexus One: HTC
• Droid: Motorola
• iPhone: Apple

Operating System

• Nexus One: Android 2.1
• Droid: Android 2.0
• iPhone: iPhone OS 3.0

Screen Size

• Nexus One: 3.7″
• Droid: 3.7″
• iPhone: 3.5″

Screen Resolution

• Nexus One: 800 x 480 pixels, 267 pixels per inch
• Droid: , 854 x 480 pixels, 267 pixels per inch
• iPhone: 480 x 320 pixels, 163 pixels per inch

Standby Time on 3G network

• Nexus One: 250 hours
• Droid: 270 hours
• iPhone: 300 hours

Internet Use battery life

• Nexus One: 5 hours on 3G, 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi
• Droid: 6.4 hours
• iPhone: 5 hours on 3G, 9 hours on Wi-Fi

Talk Time on 3G network

• Nexus One: 420 minutes
• Droid: 420 minutes
• iPhone: 300 minutes

Camera

• Nexus One: 5 megapixels
• Droid: 5 megapixels
• iPhone: 3 megapixels

Number of available apps

• Nexus One: 10,000
• Droid: 10,000
• iPhone: 100,000 — yes, 10 times as many as Android Market

One Big Thing it has that the other two don’t

• Nexus One: Amazing text-to-speech conversion
• Droid: A real keyboard
• iPhone: The most apps

Where can I get it?

• Nexus One: Google’s new online store.
• Droid: At the Verizon store or online.
• iPhone: At the Apple or AT&T stores, or online.

Watch out for …

• Nexus One: Multitasking apps is cool, but can drain the battery quickly.
• Droid: Heavier than the rest. The camera “sucks,” says Gizmodo.
• iPhone: No multitasking for apps. AT&T coverage in San Francisco and New York is hard-to-believe bad.

Which one should you buy? You’re reading VentureBeat, so you’re very likely an entrepreneur, VC or bizdev professional.

Get the Droid. You have work to do. Droid’s physical keyboard lets you type much faster than the touchscreens on the iPhone and Nexus One. It’s almost — almost — as good as a BlackBerry for text and email.

But even more important, the Droid is the only one of these phones available with a service plan from Verizon for now. The Nexus One will eventually add Verizon as an option, and there are rumors that the iPhone will too — but is there any more discredited phrase in the mobile industry than coming soon? Verizon’s huge network footprint means the Droid will work in more places than the other two, with minimal call drops.

Here’s a chart from BillShrink comparing the phone’s features and costs.

[ Droid photo: Technetz.com]

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The two-screen Alex e-reader, from Cupertino, California startup Spring Design, is a new electronic book reader that runs Google’s Android operating system. One screen is for paper-like, black-and-white reading. The other is for looking at pictures and video, surfing the Web, or browsing for books.

Spring Design announced today that the Alex, which will debut at this week’s enormous Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, can download and read a million titles from Google Books’ collection of digitized books, through a deal with Google. The price for the Alex has not yet been announced.

Alex connects via Wi-Fi to browse and download books. It also has audio and video playback, image viewing, and the ability to run some, but not all  Google Android applications.

Spring Design, founded in Cupertino in 2006, is a privately held company best known for the lawsuit Spring Design filed against Barnes & Noble in November 2009, claiming Barnes & Noble’s Nook e-reader stole the dual-screen concept and other features after meeting with Spring Design to discuss licensing the Alex as B&N’s e-reader.

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Auto-lending is loosening up and rates are dropping thanks to a trillion-dollar government program which guarantees auto-loans sold to investors. Interest rates are at their lowest point since December of ‘08, and December 2009’s sales figures for cars and light trucks is expected to be the highest since cash-for-clunkers ended in August.

While the financial arm of the industry is loosening up, not everyone should be jumping for joy. Yes, those with top-tier credit can find rates in the 5’s, but those with bad credit are actually paying rates higher than before. Banks are still apprehensive to lend to high-risk borrowers.

The program, dubbed TALF, or the Term Asset Backed Loan Facility program, began last March and is scheduled to conclude in March of 2010. The question remains however on whether or not the market for securitized loans is one that can stand on its own. Only time will tell.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: MSNBC

According to Compete’s Q3 2009 Smartphone Intelligence Survey of nearly 2,000 smartphone owners, 37% purchased something non-mobile with their handset in the past 6 months. While that’s still far from a majority, the study found that at least 68% of smartphone users conduct some mobile shopping activity, such as looking for reviews, shipping information, or store coupons.

The study found that iPhone and Android users were the most likely to conduct shopping related activities. Over 40% of iPhone and Android users said that they are likely to check sale prices at alternative locations on their mobile phones while they are shopping. They are also likely to read product reviews while out shopping, with 39 percent of iPhone owners and 31 percent of Android owners saying they’ve looked at reviews from their handset before making a purchase.

The most frequently purchased items on smartphones were music, books, DVDs, video games, and movie tickets — all relatively low priced items. Android and iPhone users, however, expressed a much greater interest in making larger purchases by phone, with more than 50% saying they would spend more than $25 on a single item purchased by smartphone.

Comscore’s research on media usage of smartphone owners reached a similar conclusion — that iPhone and Android owners are much more likely than other smartphone users to engage in activities beyond basic smartphone functions like reading email. For example, the study showed that 80% of Android and iPhone owners read the news on their devices, compared to only 65% of total smartphone users and only 14% of non-smartphone users.

Comscore estimates that there were 37.5 million U.S. smartphone subscribers above the age of 13 in November 2009, and recent Forrester data shows a rapid growth rate year over year. Certainly this holiday season, which was not included in any of these surveys, left an increasing number of smartphone owners frustrated with the performance of mobile commerce sites. According to the survey:

“Compete’s Q3 Smartphone Intelligence survey found that eight percent of smartphone owners that tried to purchase a product on their device were unable to do so. 45 percent of those that abandoned the process reported that they did so because the site would not load, and an additional 38 percent left the site because it was not developed specifically for smartphone users.”

The excitement about Nexus One, the Android phone released by Google today, will surely speed the adoption of smartphones. The question is, are retailers leaving money on the table by not having mobile optimized sites or apps? Expect a boom for m-commerce technology companies like Usablenet, Digby, and mPoria.

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SyncMate is one of the best sync client available on the net, well they just got better and added sync over Bluetooth in version 2.5. Eltima Software announced their newest update will be immediately availability. The update for the Mac and Windows Mobile syncing client update brings support for transferring data via Bluetooth connections. SyncMate 2.5 is priced at a very good US$39.95 and is available for download currently.

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Synchronizing your Mac with multiple devices is now possible with SyncMate! And you can sync all your devices at the very same moment.

With SyncMate you can sync data in your Mac with other Mac computers as well as with other PC (!!!) computers. No need to look for exhausting data transfer methods. All you need is one SyncMate!

Keep your Mac in sync with your mobile phone! Windows Mobile devices and Nokia S40 phones are supported.

Can’t imagine your everyday life without Google account? SyncMate will sync your Google Contacts and Calendars with your Mac for FREE!

SyncMate also syncs your Mac with USB drives or Sony PSP. With SyncMate you can backup PSP or USB drive files and folders at your Mac and restore them in couple of clicks when needed.

Eltima also offers special online storage to SyncMate users. Store your Learn how to increase USB synchronization speed with SyncMate
important data there and access it from any spot on the globe easily.

AT&T has completed the software upgrade that prepares 3G cell sites across the nation for the 7.2 HSPA upgrade. The 3G speed bump will come as an enhanced cell site backhaul is deployed over the course of 2010 and 2011.

After full testing of HSPA 7.2 software, AT&T decided to expedite deployment of this initial upgrade, which will result in a better overall customer experience by generally improving consistency in accessing data sessions. The software upgrade also prepares the network for faster speeds and increases network efficiency.

The backhaul process has already begun in the initial test markets of Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami, and AT&T expects to have the majority of their 3G data traffic running on the 7.2 network by the end of the year. [PRNewswire]

Sony announced during CES 2010 a refresh to their Flash Memory Handycam line of camcorders – similar to the HDR-CX models of 2009. The new models (HDR-CX550V, HDR-CX350V, HDR-CX300, HDR-CX150, and HDR-CX110) have some great additions inside and out compared to last year and range from $500 to $1300. All of these camcorders will be available in February and are compatible with PC and Mac. We’re really excited about these new models because it is the first time Sony has included the ability to HD video at 24Mbps, which other manufacturers have had in their AVCHD-based camcorders for a while. For those of you tired of limited options in the past, I’m also pleased to inform you that Sony put Memory Stick PRO Duo, Secure Digital (SD), and SDHC storage card slots on each model. We’re also seeing mention of the ability to down-convert from AVCHD to MPEG2, and are seeking clarification on this feature and if its built-in to the device or something external.

The Sony HDR-CX550V High-Definition flash memory Handycam Camcorder will be the flagship model at $1300, and features full 1920×1080 high-definition video recording at up to 24Mbps and 12-megapixel still image capture. Sony has also included the 64GB embedded flash memory again this year, which is enormous and probably more than sufficient for most consumers. Within, you’ll have confidence in every shot as the lens is a masterful “Exmor-R” CMOS sensor with accelerated auto focus and is also a Wide Angle G-lens for a 2x larger shooting area. And speaking of shooting area, you will never miss a detail on the extremely large 3.5” touchscreen Xtra Fine TruBlack LCD (921K) with a newer, improved interface.

Like other Handycams this year, the CX550V has Optical Steady Shot with Active Mode, from wide to telephoto end. The high-speed BIONZ imaging processor enables some new advanced features such as Golf Shot (renders two seconds of motion into sequence of up to 22 still images) and iAuto (11 optimized settings depending on the scene). Incredible face detection, Smile Shutter, and Face Touch recognizes up to eight faces to auto correct and prioritize a subject with one touch, while also taking photos. To ensure you remember where you took your video, the CX550V has a built-in GPS receiver with integrated Navteq maps technology that automatically geo-tags content for you.

Aside from the mini HDMI port, USB, and excellent storage card compatibility the XR550V has mic and headphone inputs as well as an assignable dial for manual control (Iris/Shutter/Exposure/WB/Focus).

For nearly four hundred dollars less, the HDR-CX350V High-Definition flash memory Handycam Camcorder is a good alternative that still packs solid features in comparison to the CX550V. It has full 1920×1080 high-definition video recording at up to 24Mbps and 7-megapixel still image capture. Sony has also included 32GB of embedded flash memory in this model, which is about 32GB less than the CX550V but I find it hard to believe that this will be considered a limitation by most people – its a lot of hard drive space.

Within, you’ll have confidence in every shot as the lens is a masterful “Exmor-R” CMOS sensor with accelerated auto focus that also is a Wide Angle G-lens for a 2x larger shooting area. A powerful 12X optical zoom and higher digital zoom allow you to crop that perfect frame, or simply peer far off into the distance. And speaking of shooting area, it will be hard to miss a detail on the nice touchscreen 2.7” Clear Photo LCD Plus screen (230K) with a newer, improved interface.

Like other Handycams this year, the CX350V has Optical Steady Shot with Active Mode, from wide to telephoto end. The high-speed BIONZ imaging processor enables some new advanced features such as Golf Shot (renders two seconds of motion into sequence of up to 22 still images) and iAuto (11 optimized settings depending on the scene). Incredible face detection, Smile Shutter, and Face Touch recognizes up to eight faces to auto correct and prioritize a subject with one touch, while also taking photos. It however does not have the GPS option like the CX550V.

The $800 sibling to the CX350V is the Sony HDR-CX300 HD Flash Memory Handycam Camcorder, which differs by having only 16GB of included storage, but is virtually the same in all other aspects.

Sony is also introducing a $550 HDR-CX150 High-Definition flash memory Handycam Camcorder that does an impressive full 1920×1080 high-definition video recording at up to 24Mbps, but is far lower than the other models with only the ability to do 3-megapixel still image capture. Unusually enough, Sony was coy to style this model a little as it also is available in two colors: black and red. Sony has also included 16GB embedded flash memory in this model and a 2.7-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus screen (230K). The high quality “Exmor-R” CMOS sensor with accelerated auto focus and Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 25X optical zoom lens will make this camcorder a strong contender in its price range.

Like other Handycams this year, the CX150V has Optical Steady Shot with Active Mode, from wide to telephoto end. The high-speed BIONZ imaging processor enables some new advanced features such as Golf Shot (renders two seconds of motion into sequence of up to 22 still images) and iAuto (11 optimized settings depending on the scene). Incredible face detection, Smile Shutter, and Face Touch recognizes up to eight faces to auto correct and prioritize a subject with one touch, while also taking photos. It however does not have the GPS option like the CX550V.

As if this list of new CX series camcorders wasn’t exhaustive enough, Sony also mentioned a $500 HDR-CX110 that costs $500. The key difference between it and the HDR-CX150 is that it has no embedded flash memory so you will need to purchase a memory card with this device. It is the same specifications wise in every other aspect, except for the fact that it comes in black, red, and blue. Nifty.

Aside from the introduction of a Blu-ray 3D player, Sony also is refreshing their regular Blu-ray player line with the introduction of the BDP-S570 (pictured above) and BDP-S370. Available this spring, both Blu-ray players feature full HD 1080p and can play Blu-ray disc, DVD, SA-CD, and CD’s. Both models have also been graced with Sony’s Monolithic Design concept, which is predominately black and the front face of the unit with a 6 degree slant will match several BRAVIA TV’s released this year quite nicely. I think these are the most attractive Sony Blu-ray players to date as I’m keen on concealed touch sensors, and the combination of both glossy and matte finishes that will make it easy to blend this into any decor. Both devices have access to Bravia Internet Video, which means this Blu-ray player gives you access to content from Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube, Slacker Internet Radio, Pandora, NPR, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, and more than 25 total content providers.

We noticed an exciting new feature this year – the remote is bluetooth, and Sony will offer a free Blu-ray remote control application for iPhone and iPod Touch devices on the App Store. Sweet! We believe it does have an IR port for those of you who have existing remotes, however.

DVD owners will enjoy a higher quality experience to 1080p with Precision Cinema HD Upscaling. You’ll have the best possible sound from any disc with integrated Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio decoding, too. We also see mention of a Entertainment Database Browser with Gracenote technology and Photo/Music/Video Playback via USB and DLNA.

There are several differences between the S570 and S370 (pictured above), which largely revolves around the fact that the S570 has built-in Wi-Fi and the S370 is Wi-Fi ready, meaning you will need to purchase a USB wireless LAN adapter separately. The S570 also has the thoughtful IP Content Noise Reduction feature, which ensures your streaming online video will appear in the best quality possible.