Sony Australia yesterday launched a bundle of new consumer gear at one of its famed “Sony Sessions” briefings for the media – this time, mercifully, not in a back-street Alexandria factory, but at Sydney’s downtown Establishment.
Among other things, it announced immediate availability of its “Video On Demand powered by Qriocity” movie service in Australia. Sony is facing a battle to establish this service worldwide, given the ease with which hackers were recently able to purloin the personal details – possibly including credit card details – of Qriocity users.
Prices Down Under will range from $3.99 to $6.99 for a 48-hour rental for those who sign up.
On another note, Sony introduced a number of new Vaio notebook PCs, including the 15-inch “E” series, in a shimmering metallic fish-scale finish – user’s choice of pink, blue, black or real fishy silver. They have touchscreens which enable simple gestures like a swipe to change a music selection. Prices start at $699.
Also new to Australia is the all-in-one Vaio “L” all-in-one desktop, now sporting a 3D-capable touchscreen display – pictured. Prices start at $2599, glasses included.
Top new Vaio laptop is the 13-inch “Z series” thin and lightweight (1.16kg) model, aimed at constantly travelling professional users. With two inbuilt solid state drives, the Z series boots up in a claimed 15 seconds, and comes with a plug-in “Power Media Dock” gadget, connected with a “Light Peak” cable that lets it connect to three external displays as well as the inbuilt screen.
Light Peak is another name for the fast-connection technology that inventors Intel and Apple call Thunderbolt, though the connector on the Sony Z looks nothing like those used on Thunderbolt-equipped Macs.
Battery life is put at 6.5 hours, and an optional flat-sheet battery that slips under the laptop is claimed to provide an additional 6.5 hours. The Z series will sell from $3999.
