Author: Serkadis

Maria Bartiromo: One On One With Jim Rogers – If you want to know what Jim Rogers is thinking comprehensively, this is the opportunity. In this 15 minutes footage, Rogers touched topics including his critical view towards Fed and US Treasury, US Dollar vs. Foreign Currency, Gold (and Silver), Commodity, Agriculture, etc.. – Gurufocus.com

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Peak Gold, Easier to Model than Peak Oil? – Part I – Posted by Luis de Sousa – … In a two part article, Jean analyses how gold mining is subject to depletion. od1  In this first installment, an assessment of reserves and a production model is presented for each of major gold-producing countries in the world. … – The Oil Drum: Europe
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Ten Bold Predictions and Big Trades for 2010 – RON COBY – Minyanville

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Chart of the Day    – For some perspective on the current state of the stock market, today’s chart presents the long-term trend of the Russell 2000 (small-cap stocks).  … Currently, the Russell 2000 is testing resistance (red dashed line) of its two-year downtrend channel for the second time since the financial crisis. …
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Treasury Yield Curve Steepest Since at Least 1980 After Auction – By Cordell Eddings and Susanne Walker – Treasuries fell, with the gap in yields between 2- and 30-year securities reaching the widest margin since at least 1980, after a $13 billion offering of 30- year bonds drew lower-than-forecast demand.  The so-called yield curve touched 373 basis points, the most in at least 29 years, as the bonds drew a yield of 4.52 percent, … The so-called yield curve has widened from 191 basis points at the end of 2008, … – Bloomberg

and
great counterpoint on why a steep curve is bad …  Treasury Yield Curve as Steep as Since 1980: But With a Twist – Bloomberg piece here noting a very steep treasury yield which typically signals strong growth. That’s good news right? Not so fast, it’s actually bad news. – Blind Reason Blog 
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BubbleWatch: Chinese Pop will be Global Event – Several outlier investors (and by outlier I mean non-mainstream thinkers) have put tremendous effort into articulating why China is in a bubble – has links to 3 commentaries supporting this view – Plan B Economics

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3 themes of 2009 – My Two Cents – “Closing out 2009″ – has details –
Theme #1 for 2009 – The blowout federal deficit
Theme #2 for 2009 – States Circle the Wagons for bailouts
Theme #3 for 2009 – Creative Financing to Induce Borrowing
– Andrew Sutton Associates

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Morgan Stanley’s Roach Sees ‘Great Risk’ in Fed Exit Strategy – By Simon Kennedy – The Federal Reserve may cause another crisis by botching the withdrawal of liquidity from the U.S. economy, Morgan Stanley Asia Chairman Stephen Roach said.  The Fed is the “weak link” among central banks and may fail to tighten monetary policy in time to stop asset bubbles from forming, Roach said at a conference in Berlin today –  Bloomberg
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Requiem for the Dollar – By JAMES GRANT – first rate piece on history of dollar’s decline and what must be done – Wall Street Journal Life and Style

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Lotus

The pieces to the puzzle that is the upcoming Formula One season are coming together bit by bit. In the latest development, the upstart Lotus F1 Racing team has announced the signing of two veteran drivers: Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen.

A former Monaco Grand Prix race winner, Trulli has driven for five different teams over the course of the past twelve years on the grid. Speculation was that he could switch to NASCAR following a recent test with Michael Waltrip Racing, particularly as the Toyota team for which he’d been driving for the past six years announced its withdrawal from the series. Finnish driver Kovalainen, meanwhile, is also a former race winner, left without a ride when McLaren replaced him with reigning world champion Jenson Button. Local aspirant Fairuz Fauzy, formerly of Malaysia’s A1GP team, will serve as reserve/test driver.

The announcement was made by Malaysia’s prime minister, whose government is backing the team. Although the outfit has no direct ties with the automaker of the same name – save for mutual patronage by Malaysia’s state-run Proton – the British sportscar-maker and engineering firm could buy into the team at some point in the future as part of its comprehensive racing plan, giving Lotus the kind of operation Ferrari has run for decades.

With the Lotus drivers in place and Force India having recently confirmed the retention of Adrian Sutil and Tonio Liuzzi, the 2010 grid is rapidly taking form. The only remaining seats are with Mercedes/Brawn GP (which has yet to announce Nico Rosberg‘s team-mate as speculation intensifies over Michael Schumacher’s return), Renault (which has yet to announce a wingman for Robert Kubica as the team’s future remains in question), Sauber (which was only recently approved for next season), Toro Rosso, Campos Meta (which has announced only Bruno Senna), Virgin/Manor (which has confirmed only Timo Glock so far) and USF1.

Follow the jump for the full press release from Lotus.

[Source: Lotus F1 Team | Image: Bongarts/Getty]

Continue reading 2010 F1 grid comes into focus as Lotus signs Trulli and Kovalainen

2010 F1 grid comes into focus as Lotus signs Trulli and Kovalainen originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re planning on boarding your dog over the holidays, make sure your pet has been vaccinated for kennel cough (infectious tracheobronchitis). It’s highly contagious and your best friend may be more vulnerable when stressed.

Bordetella bacteria can cause kennel cough, or it may develop as a secondary infection with a virus. The viruses that cause kennel cough include canine distemper, canine adenovirus 2 and canine parainfluenza.

Dogs that have been exposed to kennel cough may exhibit symptoms five to 10 days later. Symptoms include a dry cough that sounds loud and may be worse after activity. Dogs infected with kennel cough sometimes gag after coughing. The cough, whether constant or periodic, is usually the only sign of kennel cough. Coughing will sound worse for the first week, but gradually get better, leaving completely within three weeks.

If kennel cough becomes very severe, dogs may suffer appetite loss and subsequent weight loss. If you suspect your dog has kennel cough, describe your dog’s symptoms to your vet, including information about the potential source of exposure.

Treatment for kennel cough often includes medicine to suppress cough. In some cases, dogs may need antibiotics to improve. To avoid complications like pneumonia or secondary infections, your dog should receive prompt treatment. Find out more about kennel cough with The Humane Society kennel cough fact sheet.

(Image via flickr/dtweney)

Post from: Blisstree

Recognizing Kennel Cough in Dogs

One of the major reasons why Blu-ray is still struggling to catch on (despite winning the long drawn out victory over competing format HD-DVD) is that you’re extremely limited in what you can do with Blu-ray content. In an era when people are used to being able to move content and time- and place-shift it at will, Blu-ray is quite limiting. This has become a growing concern to those in Hollywood who thought Blu-ray was going to be its savior. Unfortunately, the response is being equally bungled by Hollywood. The key concept is the idea of “managed copies,” which (in theory) will let users make limited DRM’d copies for time- and place-shifting.

Of course, that assumes that the offering actually works. And right now it’s nearly impossible to tell. Jerry Leichter alerts us to a story of one small studio that’s trying to implement “managed copy” offerings and is finding it to be nearly impossible. The instructions on how to do it are not at all clear, and the studio is not getting much in the way of help from those behind the standard. Furthermore, there’s simply no way to test to see if they’re doing it right, since there’s no equipment that can handle managed copies yet. And this is from a studio, Scenic Labs, that believes DRM is pointless and “piracy is going to happen.” So why is it even bothering? It basically has no choice. If you’re creating commercial Blu-ray discs, this is the only option you get: it must include this poorly documented DRM if you want to offer a copyable version.

Of course, there is one alternative. As the head of the studio notes, if they screwed up the process, they have no interest in remastering the discs, so they’ll just ask buyers to send a cameraphone photo of the purchased DVD, and they’ll send them a digital file over the internet.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, SUV, Europe, Crossover, Alfa Romeo

If this crossover looks a little familiar, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. Alfa Romeo unveiled this concept vehicle at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show. It was called the Kamal, and it was supposed to have gone into production by now. But things have been a little crazy over at the Fiat group. Mergers and acquisitions have collapsed and others have gone through, forcing the Italian automaker to change its product strategy at every turn.

What has us asking questions all over again is this batch of spy shots reportedly leaked by an employee at Fiat’s Elasis research and development facility in Pomigliano, Italy. Of course, it’s entirely possible the original concept was being moved from one storage facility to another, but then they could be bringing it out again for another reason. One way or another, we should find out soon as Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne prepares to decide on Alfa’s fate in due course.

[Source: alvolante.it via Worldcarfans]

Spy Shots: Alfa Romeo Kamal Concept snapped at Fiat R&D facility? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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John Williams, who runs the popular counter government data manipulation site Shadowstats, has thrown down the gauntlet to deflationists, and in an extensive report concludes that the probability of a hyperinflationary episode in America over the next year has reached critical levels. While the debate between deflationists and (hyper)inflationists has been a long and painful one, numerous events set off in motion by the Bernanke Fed (as a direct legacy of the Greenspan multi-decade period of cheap and boundless credit) may have well cast America as the unwilling protagonist in the sequel of the failed monetary policy economic experiment better known as Zimbabwe.

Williams does not mince his words:

The U.S. economic and systemic solvency crises of the last two years are just precursors to a Great Collapse: a hyperinflationary great depression. Such will reflect a complete collapse in the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar, a collapse in the normal stream of U.S. commercial and economic activity, a collapse in the U.S. financial system as we know it, and a likely realignment of the U.S. political environment. The current U.S. financial markets, financial system and economy remain highly unstable and vulnerable to unexpected shocks. The Federal Reserve is dedicated to preventing deflation, to debasing the U.S. dollar. The results of those efforts are being seen in tentative selling pressures against the U.S. currency and in the rallying price of gold.

Read the whole thing at Zero Hedge >>

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• WSJ Has Published Three Articles This Month On Single Hyperinflation Fund
• DEFLATION: Oil Now On Its Longest Losing Streak In Eight Years
• Get Ready For A Couple Of Hot Inflation Numbers

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Marketing/Advertising, BMW, Cadillac

This guy. So, some of you no doubt remember the Cadillac CTS-V Challenge. If you don’t, here’s a refresher: General Motors vice-chairman Maximum Bob Lutz challenged any journalist to bring a CTS-V competitor to California’s Laguna Seca where the 77-year-old Lutz would mop the floor with he/she and whatever fancy-pants, Euro sedan they done brung. Of course, the event got moved to New York’s Monticello Motor Club, and to guarantee that the Cadillac didn’t lose, GM brought in a backup pilot, John Hienricy, the company’s noted hot shoe engineer and race car driver. And then every other manufacturer (Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar) decided not to play into GM’s marketing ploy, and withdrew their cars’ support.

To be frank, we here at Autoblog toyed with the idea of throwing our hoon-hat in the ring, but after Heinricy became Cadillac’s ace in the hole, we figured the whole challenge was unwinnable (we’ve driven with Mr. Heinricy – he’s that good). While it would no doubt have been fun, totally playing into General Motor’s hands like that (by also losing), well, not so much. Luckily, privateer Michael Cooper and his BMW M3 wasn’t in on our conference call.

Mr. Cooper showed up to the Caddy Challenge and laid down a 2:50.424, beating not only Bob Lutz’s 2:56.321 in the way more powerful CTS-V, but our pals Lawrence Ulrich (2:53:026) and Jack Baruth (2:51:153), both of whom were driving the big supercharged Caddy. Not surprisingly, Heinricy blew the doors off of every single person, ripping off a 2:46.560. Probably while flossing. But let’s not overlook young Michael Cooper, who with 142 less horsepower and a boatload less torque to work with came in less than four seconds behind John (ringer *cough* ringer) Hienricy.

BMW was so taken by Mr. Cooper’s feat of good driving that they reportedly invited him down to their North American headquarters in New Jersey and gave him a BMW Performance Multifunction Steering Wheel. How else to thank the guy that tossed such an effective monkey wrench into GM’s marketing plans? BMW installed the wheel in Cooper’s M3 while he was given a ride in a special BMW Performance enhanced 335i Sedan. So, one more time, a hearty Autoblog congratulations to Michael Cooper and his Cadillac CTS-V challenging BMW M3. The one with the fancy new steering wheel.

[Source: BMW Blog]

CTS-V Challenge driver and M3 owner Michael Cooper gets pat on the back from BMW originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canvi and Temps (click both links!) [culturesdelcanvi.com] are two impressive network browsing spaces by the datavis group Bestiario. These historical (with citations since 1927) and transversal (with more than 30 categories of fields of knowledge) visualizations offer access to the collection of approaches, strategies and tactics, research methods and interests known as “complexity science“. The project is based on various data sets including articles, pages, persons and links that relate with the topic of complexity in science.

“Temps” highlights the interest in representing changes associated with complexity science through time (starting from 1927, which is the chronological reference in the field). Temps allows to see changes on the usage intensity of the tags through time, and includes an interactive time slider bar and mouse hovering actions to access more detailed information.

“Canvi” is an interface that enables browsing a network with a local vision of a node’s surroundings while allowing moving through the network through their relation. Canvi combines different techniques (so-called “geometric paradigms”) subtly alternating between nodes and their relation. This means that the visual representation of the network is in constant movement (a breathing sort of movement), this way offering a broader perception of the local network.

More information at Bestiario Blog.

LG Electronics U.S.A. Inc. (LG Mobile Phones), in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox and Lightstorm Entertainment, has created a multi-faceted marketing campaign tied to the highly anticipated epic adventure film – AVATAR – written and directed by Oscar®-winning filmmaker James Cameron ("Titanic").

LG Mobile Phones has created a marketing campaign that will appeal to forward-thinking technology enthusiasts. The marketing execution includes a TV spot that features the "Avatar" movie trailer footage being projected from LG eXpo, a smartphone handset that features a detachable mobile projector. To further support the campaign, LG developed an interactive micro site, www.lgexpo.com, which includes exclusive movie content, and is also launching an exclusive joint-sponsored Facebook page between FOX and MTV.

"AVATAR was created using a revolutionary technology with a new generation of special effects to tell this story. I was grateful to have the opportunity to work with a cast and crew that allowed me to take risks," said AVATAR Director James Cameron. "To be supported by a brand such as LG Mobile Phones, which continually strives to push technological boundaries, provided additional reinforcement for this endeavour."

In AVATAR, human "drivers" have their consciousness linked to an avatar, a remotely-controlled biological body that can survive in alien world’s lethal air. These avatars are genetically engineered hybrids of human DNA mixed with DNA from the natives of Pandora… the Na’vi. LG Mobile Phones is bringing users one step closer to their own Avatar-like experience through the advanced projection capabilities of LG eXpo, which allows users to digitally project their own images, videos, and documents – anywhere, anytime, and to anyone.

"Just as AVATAR breaks through all levels of filmmaking technology, LG eXpo offers unprecedented advances in mobile technology," said Ehtisham Rabbani, vice president of product strategy and marketing for LG Mobile Phones. "We share in the excitement around this cutting-edge, highly anticipated movie. As a technology leader, LG values and appreciates the research and development required to create a groundbreaking film – or product – that transports consumers to a place they have never experienced before."

CAMPAIGN DETAILS

TV Advertising – To promote the film and its involvement, LG Mobile Phones created a 30-second TV spot, which features the movie trailer for the highly anticipated film. The spot showcases a humorous interchange between co-workers who compete to be in the know about the latest and greatest in technology. The ad will begin appearing on national TV (network and cable programming) on December 7, 2009.

LG Mobile Phones Facebook Page and Exclusive Applications – The campaign also includes an interactive joint-sponsored Facebook page between FOX, MTV and LG. The page will promote the live event on Dec. 3 with James Cameron and the stars of "Avatar" that will be hosted by MTV’s Josh Horowitz, and presented by LG. During the live event, fans will hear about the director’s and cast members’ experiences. The director and cast will answer live pre-submitted questions about the highly anticipated blockbuster film. This is only the third time Facebook has hosted a live talkback. The page will feature an application that allows movie enthusiasts to submit questions via video. Five of the video questions will be chosen and played for the film’s director and cast members, who will respond during the live talkback.

LG Mobile Phones Micro Site – The movie-themed micro site, www.lgexpo.com, will give fans a deep, rich movie-tie in experience. The site, set to launch on December 3, contains exclusive content from the film. It also features two characters – Jim and Dale – who are the ultimate Avatar and LG eXpo fans and give visitors to the site, an online video demonstration of LG eXpo and its advanced exclusive features, such as the Mobile Projector.

The video above is part of the promo, showing the director and producer of Avatar talking about LG’s latest smartphone.

Over the years we’ve certainly grown a lot, and so, we have lots of new readers and we get a ton of stories submitted — which is great — but I wanted to run a quick post reminding people that the best way to submit a story is to use the story submission page. This makes it easy to track, manage and format story submissions. It is, by far, the best way to submit a story. Also, when submitting a story, please make sure to include a title (preferably a descriptive one). It also helps to give a brief description of the story and why you think it’s interesting — or, if you’re ambitious, feel free to write a thorough analysis yourself. Submissions with no title, or just links often get ignored in the pile. If something is particularly urgent, alerting us via a message directed at our Twitter account can work as well, but there’s a lot of noise there, and sometimes stories get lost, so use the submission page as well. We’re thrilled that so many people want to help out and participate in the community here, so thanks to our fans for all those great story submissions. These days, we get probably three times as many good story submissions as we can write up, so we apologize if we don’t cover everything sent in, but the quality of story submissions has grown quite a bit in the last few years, and it helps keep this site dynamic and interesting — so thanks to everyone for pitching in.

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Tranter International AB – a world leader in heat transfer equipment – has recently supplied plate heat exchanger (PHE) equipment to CATALANA DE TRACTAMENT D’OLIS RESIDUALS S.A. a company that specializes in the integral management of used oil. The application is a particularly testing one, given that the refining of waste oil involves treatment with a potassium hydroxide at high temperature. The PHE unit is manufactured from Hastelloy C267 to resist corrosive effects.

The PHE is a Tranter Supermax SM-07-H-06-HS-76 unit designed to withstand the aggressive medium which has to be cooled from temperatures in excess of 200 degrees Celsius to 120 degrees. The previous installation had used Inconel as a material but the new unit has now been in operation for a year and has proved much more suitable for this application.

CATOR (Group GBI Serveis) was established in July 1993 and is a concessionary operation of the public service of the Generalitat de Catalunya charged with the integral management of waste oil. It provides a collection service for all garages and industries in Catalonia and recycles all types of used oil products.

High performance key switches ideal for automotive, industrial and off-road applications…

C&K Components has developed two series of high reliability key switches. Designated the K6 and K12 Series, the key switches are offered in detect or single- or double-action tactile feedback versions, and feature excellent tactile feel for low-level switching applications.

“The key switches are offered with an extensive range of LED colors, travel and actuator force options, and also feature extended life cycles and sealing to IP67 requirements for use in harsh environments,” said Rodolphe Gie, product manager for C&K Components. “The versatility and high reliability of these products allow us to meet all of our customers’ application-specific needs in the automotive, industrial and off-road markets.”

Specific applications for the K6 and K12 key switches include window lifts, seat adjustments and steering wheel functions in the automotive arena, as well as command panels for industrial and off-road equipment such as excavators, fork lifts and tractors.

Featuring electrical and mechanical life to 1,000 cycles and self-cleaning contacts, actuation force for the momentary action K6 and K12 Series key switches ranges from 1.5N to 9N, with a mechanical travel range from 1mm to 2mm. RoHS compliant and compatible with lead-free wave soldering processes, the miniature K6 key switch measures just 11 x 7.4 x 8.4mm while the K12 key switch measures 12 x 11 x 11mm.

Raytek, a leading worldwide provider of infrared (IR) thermometry, has introduced the Raytek CM, a compact, integrated IR noncontact thermometer intended for continuous temperature monitoring in a wide range of industrial manufacturing processes and OEM applications. The Raytek CM sensor is designed to measure target temperatures ranging from -20°C to 500°C. Its onboard electronics are protected by a rugged IP 65 stainless steel housing, allowing the sensor to function in ambient temperatures to 70°C without cooling. This rugged, IP65 sealed, single-piece integrated sensor offers powerful features to handle nearly any temperature measurement requirement. Designed for easy integration, the CM sensor can easily replace traditional contact probes with a J-type or K-type thermocouple output, or with a user-scaleable 0-5 volt output. The Raytek CM includes precision, high-resolution silicon optics, providing excellent optical resolution at a very attractive price. An RS232 digital interface allows the user to configure all programmable sensor variables via the powerful Raytek DataTemp® Multidrop software. These include a 24 volt DC alarm output triggered by target temperature or head ambient temperature; peak hold, valley hold or variable averaging signal processing; adjustable target emissivity settings; and adjustable window transmissivity setting. A built-in sensor health LED provides a convenient on-line indicator of the sensor’s operating status.

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Porsche

When the Porsche 997 Turbo first came out and it was discovered that you could get from 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds in the Tiptronic automatic transmission (which was quicker than the manual gearbox), that was incredible enough. In the updated 997 Turbo with PDK, however, you can apparently get to 100 mph in less than eight seconds with just three fingers on the wheel and a bottle of Coke at your lips.

Things coming out of Stuttgart are no longer incredible, they’re outrageous. Follow the jump to watch Chris Harris do a bit of drinking and driving.

[Source: EVO]

Continue reading VIDEO: EVO does 0-100 mph in Porsche’s new 911 Turbo… with a Coke and a smile

VIDEO: EVO does 0-100 mph in Porsche’s new 911 Turbo… with a Coke and a smile originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2009 has been interesting for many of us – the world has changed so much this year and it is a relief to have some good old fashioned holiday spirit. Looking forward, we are on the verge of a new decade and what seems like a new era in technology. I can’t think of a better time to invest some money in a nice quality Sony gift for someone to enjoy this holiday season and in the new year. We stopped by SonyStyle in Atlanta, Georgia yesterday and offer some recommendations for nice holiday Sony gifts in the sub $300 price range. Enjoy! Click here for more gift ideas from Sony.

Here are our recommendations in a list:

PSP Go ($249) – The most portable PlayStation Portable system yet, the PSP Go lets you download rich, immersive digital gaming or the best movies and TV shows directly to the ample 16GB hard drive with room for expansion via Memory Stick Micro (M2). Browse the incredibly deep lineup of PSP gaming and movie content from the PlayStation Network. Use built-in Bluetooth support to connect a wireless headset and talk with friends via Skype, or connect a PS3 DualShock controller. Plus, an ultra-crisp 3.8-inch LCD screen make your games and movies come alive – we feel its the best screen ever implemented in any PSP product.

PS3 Slim ($299) – While the form factor may have changed, the new slimmer and lighter PlayStation 3 120GB system still comes with free PlayStation Network membership, integrated Wi-Fi and 120GB of hard disk drive storage for your games, music, videos and photos. Plus, every PS3 system comes with a built-in Blu-ray Disc player to give you pristine picture quality and the best high-definition viewing experience available. Whether it’s gaming, Blu-ray movies, CDs, DVDs, music or online services, you can experience it all with the PlayStation 3 system.

Reader Pocket ($199) – The Reader Pocket Edition lets you access up to 350 of your favorite books from anywhere (512MB total storage). Its elegant, lightweight design is small enough to slip into a purse or jacket pocket, and features a 5″ display with E-Ink Vizplex paper-like screen technology for easy reading, even in direct sunlight. For added versatility, it supports multiple file formats including ePub and PDF, offering access to more books from more places, including the Reader Store and over one million free public domain titles from Google Books. Enjoy up to two full weeks of reading (7,500 continuous page turns) on a single battery charge.

Reader Touch ($299) – Thinner, smaller and lighter than most magazines, the Reader Touch Edition lets you access up to 350 (512mb built-in storage, or more with SD/Memory Stick Duo memory expansion card slots) of your favorite books from anywhere. The intuitive 6″ touchscreen display makes navigation a breeze, letting you turn pages with the swipe of a finger. An included stylus offers freehand highlighting and annotation. With support for multiple file formats including ePub and PDF, you can enjoy books from more places, including the Reader Store and over one million free public domain titles from Google Books.

Cyber-shot Digital Camera DSC-WX1 (normally $349, available for $299) – A compact and attractive body, a 2.7″ Clear Photo LCD Plus and phenomenal imaging technology, the Cyber-shot DCS-WX1 digital camera delivers high-quality photos (and 720p HD video) in high style. A 24mm wide-angle Premium G lens and a new “Exmor R” CMOS Sensor works in combination with the BIONZ image processor for super-fast processing to make it easy to get the best shot. You can now shoot 10 frames per second at an incredible 10.2 megapixels per shot—perfect for those hard-to-get moments. You can even shoot beautiful landscape shots with ease and capture clear photos in dark environments. Not sure which mode to use in challenging lighting conditions? Let the Intelligent Auto (iAuto) Mode choose the setting for you.

Reach beyond the traditional wide angle lens, and capture more breathtaking shots with Sweep Panorama Mode. Simply press the shutter button and sweep the camera in the desired direction and the camera continuously shoots at a high speed, then seamlessly stitches the images together with automatic position adjustment to create one stunning panoramic image.

Multi-function Clock Radio for iPod ICF-CL75iP ($149) – Update your bedroom, living room, or office with contemporary flair. The ICF-CL75iP multi-function clock radio packs an array of innovative features into a space-saving design and gives you a 21st century alarm clock and photo frame. View photos and videos on the 7″ LCD screen or slide out the retractable docking tray to charge or listen to your iPod/iPhone music and video. There’s even a 2-5-7 day alarm for waking to the radio, iPod, iPhone, Nature Sounds, or a pre-recorded personal message. Additionally, this clock radio includes 1GB built-in memory, plus inputs for Memory Stick media, Secure Digital (SD) memory cards and USB.

Sony Camera Case ($19-39) – Safeguard your Cyber-shot or non-Sony camera digital camera with a carrying case. Some are even designed to match the color of your camera, and most come with a caribiner clip for easy attachment to your belt loop or handbag.

Of course, there are many other gifts under $300 by Sony, so check out SonyStyle for more ideas.