This year Sony is putting out several smart products and now a tablet is expected to drop in the fall. In 2009 and 2010 Sony lost money, and fired executives: Sony Online Entertainment, publisher and developer behind DC Universe Online and The failed (or postponed?) ‘The Agency, laid off 35 employees.

For Sony, a cloud based delivery of music, videos, games and eBooks means that you need not own anything ever again. Good for them, not for you. Does the world need another device that picks and chooses what it will do online like a vegan at a buffet? Apparently, instead of releasing a product that helps you to digest existing content that you are interested in, they want to recreate the content, the Internet too, and resell it to you. The terms ‘Qriocity device’ invokes the Sony streaming platform. This is Sony’s dream come true. But only in their reality, because Sony has clueless consumer insight. Once again they make what is in their best interest, not what is convenient or helpful. Remember UMDs? And the glow balls?

Sony’s S1 tablet is planned to be a 9.4-inch, Android 3.0 machine. Sony development teams from PlayStation, Vaio, Reader and Sony Ericsson, are said to be working on the project. With the group supposedly being led by the Vaio team you would have to wonder why on earth they picked Android for the tablet instead of Windows. Sony’s S1 with a Wi-Fi only version is a pricey $599 considering no Android devices have been successful up to now.

Next they have the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play coming up, shortly after the release of PSP Go. Ericsson, believe it or not was a company that was involved with the original invention of the cell phone. An industry pioneer, until Sony got a hold of it of course. With a 4 inch screen versus the latter’s 3.8-inch TFT LCD the Xperia Play’s much higher resolution at 854×480 competes against Sony’s own PSP Go, with only 480×272 resolution. What is a fan boy to do? The Xperia Play is far more powerful than the PSP Go. Its 1GHz processor and 512MB RAM make the old handheld’s 333MHz processor and 64MB RAM look lame. Releasing both the PSP Go, and the Xperia Play at almost the same time shows how insecure they are about what strategy will work. And their complete disregard for what their customers needs are.

Then they may wonder why people are asking, “What are we supposed to do with these?” Instead of “I NEED THAT!” The way that Apple products do. When you suffer for Apple products, you are getting your share of pleasure to make up for it. Apple makes sexy tech.

One of the problems is the failing PS3, since they have been unable to capitalize on a network with micro transactions like they had counted on. Sony’s schemes to charge you for things that you don’t buy has failed. They even began to charge for premium PSN service. They can’t even keep the free network populated. Multiplayer games on PS3 are often empty.

A community can’t just be herded together. It is unpredictable where people are going to congregate. Like a popular party in the mud behind a barn or the dull party in a posh club, Sony can’t keep their party going. It isn’t always due to bad hardware either; Sony has been unable to replicate the staggering droves of Xbox Live members. Those XBL members, are so forgiving of the hardware that some of them are on their fourth Xbox 360.

Many have tried to form communities. MMO’s for example, for whatever reason the greater number of people chose WoW to hang out in, even though they marched through several other, perhaps better designed MMO’s, only to end up back in WoW. Sort of like the log jam of people at a house party who are congregated in front of the fridge.

Sony can’t get out of its own way either. They have released software updates for the PS3 which have successively throttled the machine with DRM anti pirating software. Eventually obsoleting some of the original, and most expensive machines. The cold impersonal lack of support and connection with Sony consumers is what is ultimately doing them in. Their marketing seems to be fear based, like a novice artist, who would rather keep their painting, rather than sell it. Sony has repeatedly released items with proprietary software, and unusual Sony-only media formats. They keep attempting to make the same money over again with the same content.

With the tablet market attempting to prove itself against the iPad, Sony’s tablet is on the high end. What is really needed is a decent tablet that runs Windows Seven, making the Dell tablet also a disappointment. Although the iPad is amazing and beautiful, and I carry mine where ever I go. It has its limitations. There are storage issues. It isn’t limitless, so storing lots of photos videos and documents isn’t possible. There are many applications that are absolutely miserable to deal with in iPad too. Word Press is terrible on iPad. Of course Flash isn’t happening. Although Skyfire will play Flash video on iPad.

I end up using the iPad and a netbook PC together to finish any job. I doubt that I am the only person doing this type of work around. What I would like, and I doubt I’m unique, is a tablet with a real OS, not a phone operating system. That way I’d have the convenience of two tablets, one PC to play MMO’s and casual browser games. And the iPad for writing, reading, art, music, and magic.

At GamingAngels.com, we have reported on this company many times before; Gelaskins is known for their fantastic artwork that can be placed onto many gadget surfaces.

GelaSkins is now offering a feature that lets you create an original piece of work for your gadget.  You can take images of your own and make one of a kind GelaSkins. Talk about originality! Of course, the first thing that you are thinking about is how is this going to work? How much work is it going to be?

Well you don’t have to be a tech or artist to make this happen. First, you need to arrive at the site with either an image in mind or if you have already found an image that you like, use that instead. If you don’t have an image, you can either go the gallery or explore collaboration. The difference between the two is the fact that Collaboration deals with existing artwork from Tokidoki, Marvel, Dark Horse, Tim Burton and the Gallery has many different images from artists that have already contributed to the site.  You can “favorite” images to use in your own version of the skin.

Once you arrive head to the top bar icon which states, “Create Your Own”. Then, you have to choose which gadget you are creating the skin for. There is a wide selection of gadgets to choose from: iPhone, DSi, PSP, game controllers, and of course a variety of laptops. I decided to go with a 17 inch Laptop for my skin and began creating.   If you are unsure about the medium of creation, there is a tutorial that is very helpful available before beginning. After you have created your skin to your specifications, you can preview the skin and purchase.

All in all, the system is very easy to use and straight forward. I could create a really cool looking skin in a short amount of time. Of course I didn’t have a perfect time with the system. There were times when the system shut down, and froze up while in creation mode, and one time my favorites that I collected through the gallery did not show up.  But for the most part, GelaSkins has created a way to help keep that creativity and originality flowing.

This nothing like the CES to get the gadgets section full of items. It is also no surprise that a number of large electronic companies have waited to unveil new and up coming items. Dell has unveiled a number of new items that they will be selling within the coming year. They are sub divided into three headings, smartphones, laptops and tablets.

Smartphone:
In terms of smartphones, Dell is moving into that business. They showed the Mini 3. This phone is a phone that is based off the Andriod phone and was developed in conjunction with AT&T. The phone will be available on AT&T’s network, which makes it the first Andriod based phone to appear on the network. Also, Dell has an agreement with other service providers outside the US such as Vodafone in Europe, Australia and New Zealand; AT&T in the United States; M1 and Starhub in Singapore; Maxis in Malaysia; China Mobile in China; and Claro in Brazil, to sell the Mini 3.

This move to develop smartphones, was out of Dell’s participation in a study of those types of phones.

“Smart phones are an extension of Dell’s strategy to develop intelligent and more mobile products that meet the needs of operators and customers,” said Ron Garriques, president, Dell Communication Solutions. “The Mini 3 is a result of listening to customers and creating products that allow people to do the things they want, whenever and wherever they want to do them.”

Source:

Laptops and Personal Computers:

It’s no surprise that that majority of the new from Dell was about computers. To be correct, the news was mainly focused on gaming

and studio computers. They announced the new Alienware M11x, the revamp of the Studio 14 and the continued improvement to the Inspiron line.
(All information was taken from the press releases)

Alien M11x:
· The Alienware M11x demonstrates the graphics power of a 15-inch laptop in an 11-inch form factor

· Play all of your games and media, whether at home or away, at HD 720p resolution

· With the Alienware M11x, gamers can enjoy the feel of the gaming without compromise anywhere they go

The M11x is a part of the Mx line which also includes a 15 and 17 inch laptops. Stats can be found for both of these laptops on Alienware’s site. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a information on the status of the M11x on the website.

Studio:

· Refreshed Studio laptops feature Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and are perfect for sharing photos, music and videos with friends and family.

· Portable Studio 14 available in North America later this month with prices starting at $699.

· Studio 15 has high-definition, 15.6-inch LED widescreen design and is rich with multimedia technology, like True HD resolutions that show off content crisply, starting at $849

· Studio 17 features beautiful 17.3-inch display, with unbelievably realistic audio. Prices start at $949

Tablets:

The last thing that Dell announced was the 5 inch tablet. To date I am unable to find anything about the tablets specs, only images takenfrom the press release. At this time, all I can say is, it looks pretty. When I am able to provide more information, since there was none in the press release, I will post it.

Dell’s Alienware line of gaming PC’s have made an announcement about a partnership with Steam. Gaming Desktops and laptops such as the Area-51, Aurora, M17X and M15X will now have Steam pre-installed on each system. On top of that  that that ever so popular physics puzzle game Portal. You remember portal right? I mean how can you not!?

What does that mean for PC gamers? Well according to the press release,

With Steam pre-installed on all these PCs, Alienware gamers can expect a higher level of service from their gaming experience right out of the box as existing Steam gamers may simply sign into their account to access all their purchased products. Customers new to Steam will find over 950 games at their finger tips, all supported by automatic updates, the Steam Friends Community of networking services, and more.

That’s not too shaddy for those of us you enjoy our PC games. If anyone is a little vague on that Steam provides on their service of games, you should check out http://store.steampowered.com/.

Dell marketing to women

Dell has recently launched Della, a site to market Dell products specifically to women. Jezebel has pointed out that the marketing is offensive because under Tech Tips they discuss yoga, calorie counting, and cooking. But is this really offensive? Or is Dell going after the mommy bloggers and moms that just don’t want to be on a PC or laptop?

Looking at the URL, Della.com is actually just part of Dell.com. But it’s a marketing section that has a completely different look than the rest of the site.

The products page showcases the Mini 10 Netbook as well as product accessories. Here the things they choose to highlight are:
* Enjoy a resized keyboard for a convenient fit – even in your bag
* Stay connected with friends, family and colleagues through email
* Check the weather, movie times or restaurant directions wherever you go

The featured Artist page doesn’t exactly make sense. Darling Robin is part of The Dell Lounge, a new lifestyle website provided by Dell. In this episode Robin talks about a vintage clothing store.

On the Tech Tips page is where things get interesting. First, on the right hand side is a video that is created to explain why would anyone want a netbook. The video is actually very well done and explains how a netbook can compliment a Laptop and what the advantages are to a netbook.

The text tips are the area that many seem to have a problem with. First tip brings up E-Reading. Second talks about tracking workouts and calories. Third is about finding recipes. Fourth is to get organized. Next is to meditate and then they talk about ease of travel. Last is the notion of “Cloud computing”.

I’m interested in what you think about this marketing approach. Here are my opinions. Personally I’m interested in a netbook as an easy way to update on the road. But I already know what I can do with a netbook, I want to go straight to a netbook specs page. Which I would do on Dell.com product page.

But they aren’t targeting people like me. They are targeting people that would never look at specs. I believe with this campaign they are marketing to a new generation of moms. Mom’s that want to use portable computing to update their blogs or keep track of schedules. The real crux of what they need is to be portable. The suggestions or tech tips are mostly very stereotypical of what a woman might do on their netbook, but does that mean that they are being offensive? Or just pointing out what they have polled from mom’s about what they do on a pc?

From personal experience, my mom is the least technical of the family. We have a family of hardcore pc/mac users that never need anything explained and we often debate about hardware or tech news. My dad recently bought a Mac which my mom uses. What does she like to do on it? IM me. She wants to chat because she knows I’m online. She’ll also look stuff up, but it’s very limited use. She’s not building images in Photoshop. She’s uploading pictures from a camera and emailing them. It’s all very basic, but the point is she chose to do this on a Mac because Macs are incredibly user friendly.

Ease of use and portability are the two main reasons to get a netbook. Netbooks are not for the hardcore unless they are to supplement what the user already has. For that reason, I see nothing wrong with the way Dell is choosing to market their netbooks via Della.

“Beginning today, Dell will offer deals from the Dell Outlet exclusive to Twitter in the U.S. With over 11,000 followers, our team wanted to show their thanks to the Twitter world through these new deals which will continue each week.”

It will be great to see more companies start to reward people for their twitter obsession.

Since Blu-Ray is now the accepted next-gen media format, it definitely gives movie watchers affordable alternative if they need to buy a laptop.

The Blu-Ray player is backwards compatible, which means it plays DVDS and CDs. The laptop has a 15.4 inch display and has an HDMI port so you can connect it to HDTVs. This way you can actually stream something from your laptop onto your high def television.

Currently there are some great instant savings right now for the Inspiron 1525. The most expensive one at $1,123 is on sale for $799. No word on how long the sale is, so if you are looking for a cheap laptop this might be a way to go.