The use of optical discs to store contents may have dwindled over the years due to the rise of faster and more pocket-friendly alternative, but this doesn’t seem to bother Sony and Panasonic one bit as they announced their recent plans of developing a disc with a recording capacity of 300GB.
Apart from having the highest storage capacity known to man, the duo is planning to include other features such dust and water resistance up to a certain degree, not mention having the ability to withstand certain humidity and temperature.
Further details about the mythical 300GB optical disc remains scarce as of the time of writing, but it’s been said that the two firms are looking to launch this product by the end of 2015.
Waterproof, shockproof, dustproof & freezeproof; those are the makings of the Sony HDR-GWP88 Handycam that was launched days ago for the local market. It features 16GB of internal memory and a unique built-in projector. We have one to unbox right now, so read on.
Before anything else, here is the unboxing video that we have for you:
So, taking it out of the box, we have a very compact device. It’s not really light, but it isn’t heavy at all either. When you take it into your hand, the controls fall directly to your fingers, and the ergonomics here work very well. In any way that you hold it, your thumb will always be near the zoom & record/standby controls.
On the back, you’ll find a button for the projector, zoom controls, start/stop and a button for taking photos instantly. Below that is a well sealed compartment where you’ll find the micro SD card slot, the micro USB port, the micro HDMI port and the battery. Up front, all you’ll find is the camera, the flash and a self-recording button.
On top and on the sides, you will find a load of labels and branding, while on the bottom you will see the stand, a lock for the battery door and the speakers.
By simply flipping the screen open, the device is powered on. After that, you are confronted by a very manageable touchscreen display that flips 180 degrees, and behind that is the projector.
So far, so good. We’ve managed to submerge it in water already, took a few shots here & there and project our contents into walls & ceilings – and glad to say it does pretty good. We’ll be getting into the details very soon with our full review, so stay tuned.
Sony HDR-GWP88 specs:
1/3.91 type BSI Exmor R CMOS Sensor
20.4 megapixel still images, 29.8mm Wide Angle Lens G
Optical SteadyShot image stabilization
10x Optical Zoom
16GB internal memory
3.0 inch Clear Photo LCD display
Slow Motion Recording 1/250 – 1/10,000
Waterproof up to 10m
Shockproof up to 1.5m
Dustproof
Freezeproof up to -10 Celsius
Projector
1240mAH NP-BX1 Sony battery
40mm × 108.5mm × 70mm (dimensions)
210g (weight)
The Sony HDR-GWP88 is now available in stores with a suggested retail price of Php34,999, with freebies such as an additional battery, a 16GB micro SD card, a carrying case, etc.
Editor’s Note and Disclosure: Sony Philippine sent us this unit a couple of days before launch and to use it. They also gave the unit for free.
Sony has just revealed their first phablet device – the Xperia Z Ultra. The phone takes in an HD display of 6.4-inches with a new Triluminous display technology, a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 CPU and the same waterproof & dustproof body from the Xperia Z, all at the thinness of 6.5mm.
In addition to those behemoth-like specs, Sony says that the Z Ultra also has support for any pencil or pen whose tip is over 1mm. Not everyone will enjoy a smartphone beyond 5-inches, but other than that and the lower-res 8MP camera, the Sony Xperia Z Ultra just became the smartphone to beat.
Sony Xperia Z Ultra specs:
6.44-inch full HD Triluminous display (1080 x 1920), 342ppi
2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800
Adreno 330 Graphics
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
up to 64GB via microSD card
8MP rear autofocus camera
1080p video recording @ 30fps
2MP front-facing camera, 1080p video
WiFi
Bluetooth
NFC
GPS w/ aGPS support, GLONASS
3,000mAh battery
Dustproof and Waterproof
Android 4.2 Jellybean
Dimension: 179.4 x 92.2 x 6.5 mm
Weight: 212g
Correction: There is no LED flash; sorry for the confusion.
Thought Google Fiber is the fastest internet service money can afford? Well, think again because So-Net Entertainment Corporation, a local ISP in Japan and a subsidiary of Sony Corporation has recently unveiled NURO, the world’s fastest home internet that’s twice the speed of what Google has to offer.
NURO runs on Japan’s GPON (Gigabit-capable Passive Optics Network) which is capable of handling top DL speed of up to 2.49Gbps. From the network, it is distributed to offices and households through optical fiber which then passes through a device called ONU (Optical Network Unit) that converts the signal to broadband internet.
So how fast is So-Net’s NURO? It’s capable of an eye-popping downlink speed of 2Gbps with an upload speed of 1Gbps. It’s so fast that it makes our current LTE service look like dial-up connection when pitted against it.
The service is being offered in Japan for USD51 on a two-year contract plus an additional USD535 for installation fee. Now imagine if we can hook up to that kind of connection. Not bad, considering that you’re getting what you’ve signed up for unlike here in our country.
Lazada, the leading online shopping destination in the Philippines, is giving more Pinoys a more satisfying experience with its Lazada Promise (http://www.lazada.com.ph/lazada-promise/). This new system guarantees that any participating product with the Lazada Promise seal will be sent out within 24 hours on weekdays and 48 hours on weekends from the time of the order.
With its real-time tracking feature, shoppers will receive SMS, email notifications and updates on their order status. Lazada will be giving a P500 voucher to customers whose orders have not been dispatched within 24-48 hours starting February 18th.
Offering a wide array of products from shoes, personal care, apparel, appliances, electronics and books, Lazada has something for every kind of buyer. Top brands featured in the site include Samsung, Sony, Nikon, The Body Shop, Nike, Enfant and Sephora.
More than just reliability, convenience and variety, Lazada shoppers are assured of quick action on their orders as soon as they are placed and paid for.
For shopping fixes that need to be satisfied fast, visit www.lazada.com.ph now.
