CES 2008

Sony Ericsson W760

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)

As we told you on Sunday, Sony Ericsson launched three new handsets at CES. The new models range from high-end (the W760) to the entry-level (the W350) with one in between (the Z555a). I got the chance to handle them at a press event at Caesar's Palace and on the show floor. The W760, which was one of our Best of CES nominees in the cell phones and smartphones category, was the most appealing of the bunch. The slider design is uncomplicated, but attractive, and it had a sturdy feeling in the hand. The slider mechanism also seemed pretty sturdy, and Sony Ericsson appears to have avoided one of its usual downfalls by making a solid keyboard. I did have fun with the motion control for playing games that I originally played with on the W910. Yes, it may be a bit gimmicky, but I like it.

Sony Ericsson W350

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)

On the other hand, I wasn't quite impressed with the W350. The plastic construction felt pretty cheap and the flap covering the keyboard was flimsy. A couple times I felt it would snap right off. The display looked a little washed out, but as this is a low-end Walkman phone, that's to be expected. I'll wait until a review model arrives to give my full assessment, but at this point I'm a little wary. Fans of thin phones, however, probably will be drawn to the W350's slim profile.

Sony Ericsson Z555a

(Credit: Nicole Lee/CNET Networks)

I also examined the Z555a. While its design is certainly unique, I'm not sure it's for me. As I said in my earlier post, I'm not a fan of the hidden display, and the plastic skin wasn't quite appealing. Unfortunately, I didn't try the much-hyped "gesture control" that allows you to silence the phone's ringer with a wave of your hand. A Sony Ericsson rep said the motion must be methodical (understandable) but I'll have to wait for a review model to see it for myself. And hopefully, that will be soon.

New low: a $200 Blu-ray drive.

(Credit: Sony Electronics Inc.)

Funai announced a standalone Blu-ray player that will dip below the $300 mark when it's released next quarter, but if you've got a PC that's up to the challenge, Sony's got an internal Serial ATA Blu-ray drive that will do the trick for even less. The BDU-X10S drive will cost $199.99 when Sony starts shipping it next month (preorder it here). This BD-ROM (that's read, not write) drive comes bundled with CyberLink PowerDVD BD Edition for playing Blu-ray discs in MPEG-2 or H.264 format. It'll also play DVDs and CDs and will work with XP and Vista PCs.

LAS VEGAS--Why do the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TVs from Sony measure only 11 inches across? Because large OLEDs are really tough to make.

While praising the OLED format during a press conference here with a few reporters at the Consumer Electronics Show on Monday morning, Sony executives acknowledged that producing large OLED screens in large quantities remains a work in progress. OLEDs now are mostly used in cell phones, which have small screens.

"The difficult challenge with the larger screen sizes is improving the yields. There are a lot of complications, many more than with LCD," said Katsumi Ihara, executive deputy president and head of Sony's Consumer Products Group. "The yields tend to be low. That is the biggest challenge."

(Credit: Michael Kanellos )

The company declined to provide dates for when it might provide larger versions of the TV for sale. Sony is showing off a 25-inch diameter OLED prototype at the show this year, but it's the same size as a prototype the company showed last year. (We questioned whether yields were an issue in a post on Sunday, and here's your answer.)

Ihara added that Sony may seek collaborators in expanding OLED. Sony and Samsung have a joint venture in LCD TVs, and Sony worked with Toshiba and IBM to develop the Cell processor.

"It is too early to tell, but it is probably one of the options that we will have to consider," he said.

Despite the difficulties, Sony wanted to be first in OLED TVs, added Sir Howard Stringer, Sony's CEO. Sony was late to LCD, he said, and was subsequently forced to catch up.

"I was amused to see analysts say it is not good to be first and that it is better to be last," Stringer said.

Sony Ericsson W350a

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

Most Sony Ericssons tend to be on the pricey side, but every now and then the company gives us a more affordable model for the masses. Last year it rolled out the W200a, and at CES today, the company announced the W350a. At 0.41 inch wide, it sports a design we haven't seen for a while. The keypad is covered by a flap that folds down when you're on a call. The flap not only protects the keypad when it's not in use but it also allows you to get the feel of a flip phone. So in essence, it's a candy-bar handset with flip-phone elements.

But the W350a's design offers another quirk as well. When closed you can access convenient Walkman controls to play your music and shuffle tracks. You also get a choice of four colors: electric black, ice blue, hypnotic black, and graphic white. Beyond the music player, the feature set is pretty average. There's a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, messaging and e-mail, an FM radio, a 262,144-color display, a speakerphone, and personal organizer applications. The triband (GSM 850/1800/1900) W350a should be available in the fourth quarter of this year.

Sony Ericsson W760

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

Sit back and enjoy the ride, 3G fans, as Sony Ericsson has a new cell phone for you. The company's W760, which it announced today at CES, is one of the first handsets to support wireless broadband networks around the globe. It offers support for three UMTS/HSDPA networks (850/900/2100), and as a quad-band world phone (GSM 850/900/1800/1900), it will make calls in most countries. The tri-band 3G support is especially welcome in the United States and Canada; the W760 is only Sony Ericsson's second 3G handset specifically for North America after the Sony Ericsson Z750.

Watch the Sony Ericsson W760 video on CNET TV.

Other features include a Walkman music player with the shake control from the W580, stereo Bluetooth, e-mail and messaging, a speakerphone, USB mass storage, a Memory Stick Micro slot, personal organizer applications, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. The slider handset is available in three colors: rocky silver, fiery red, and intense black.

(Credit: Sony)

Sony just revealed four new standard-definition DVD camcorders for the new year, including a camcorder with a solid-state drive for discless video recording.

The Handycam DCR-DVD610 and DVD710 present Sony's budget-priced DVD camcorders. The DVD610 features a 680,000-pixel sensor and a 40x optical zoom lens, while the DVD710 features a 1-megapixel sensor and a 25x optical zoom lens, just like its miniDV counterparts the DCR-HC52 and HC62. Both camcorders can record still pictures to a Memory Stick Duo. Besides the higher-resolution sensor, the DVD710 features an accessory shoe and supports 5.1-channel audio compared to the DVD610's stereo sound. For just a $50 premium, the DVD710 certainly seems to be a better deal.

On the surface, the Handycam DCR-DVD810 looks like a carbon copy of the DVD710. Both have the same 1-megapixel sensor, 5.1-channel sound, and other basic features. The DVD810, however, is a "Hybrid Plus" camcorder, Sony's term for a camcorder with both removable media and onboard memory. Besides standard mini-DVDs, the DVD810 includes 8GB of onboard flash memory for recording video. While Sony's hard drive-based camcorders like the 120GB Handycam HDR-SR12 dwarf the DVD810's storage, its 8 gigabytes are still enough for a few hours of footage you can transfer directly to your computer without finalizing and ripping a DVD. If you prefer to edit your videos on a computer before sharing them, the DVD810 offers much more flexibility than the DVD-only camcorders.

Finally, the Handycam DCR-DVD910 presents Sony's high-end standard-definition DVD camcorder. It features a 4-megapixel CMOS and a 15x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization. A slow-motion video mode can record 240 frames per second with audio, and a dual-record setting can grab 3-megapixel still photos while shooting video. The DVD910 doesn't have the onboard memory of the DVD810, but its various high-end features justify its stop at the top of the Sony's standard-def DVD camcorder pile.

The Sony Handycam DCR-DVD610, DVD710, and DVD810 ship in the first quarter of 2008 with respective retail prices of $350, $400, and $480. The DVD910 ships in late spring with a suggested retail price of $650.

(Credit: Sony)

Sony's camcorder lineup might be very DVD- and hard-drive-heavy this year, but budget-minded tape lovers are still getting some love. The company just announced two new miniDV camcorders, offering inexpensive alternatives to its myriad DVD and HDD camcorders.

While the Handycam DCR-HC52 and DCR-HC62 don't seem nearly as impressive as the upcoming high-def HDR-HC9 DV/HDV camcorder, their much smaller price tags and simpler designs should appeal to frugal users. The HC52 uses a 680,000-pixel CCD and a 40x optical zoom lens, while the HC62 uses a 1-megapixel CCD and a 25x zoom lens. Though only $50 more than the HC52, the HC62 offers several more features than the HC52. The HC62 can take 1-megapixel stills and record them to a Memory Stick Duo, while the HC52 has no still photo function. The HC62 also features a 2.7-inch wide-screen LCD and a 16:9 electronic viewfinder for framing and playing back wide-screen video; the HC52's viewfinder and 2.5-inch touchscreen use 4:3 ratio.

Both camcorders ship in the first quarter of 2008. The Handycam DCR-HC52 will retail for about $250, and the HC62 for about $300.