Sony issues Dylan outtakes to prevent copyrights from expiring in Europe: Well, at least they’re honest about it.
» Positive reviews despite slow sales start: The new movie, starring Andrew Garfield, earned $341 million from its worldwide release thus far — and despite a slower start than any of the films in the previous iteration of the comic-book franchise, it certainly didn’t flop. “Skeptics in Hollywood wondered if it was too soon to remake the franchise, but Sony’s gamble paid off with big ticket sales and an upbeat reception from critics. Seventy-three percent of reviews compiled on website Rotten Tomatoes recommended the movie,” said a report from Reuters.
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Fans of Harry Potter have something new to look forward to, thanks to a new interactive book/game combination being developed by Sony and author J.K. Rowling’s new Pottermore division. Utilizing augmented reality, the Playstation Move camera accessory, and a new WonderBook accessory fans of the ultra-popular Harry Potter book series will get a new look at all of the spells taught to students at Hogwarts. (Photo via LA Times) source
» Last week’s number was the highest since late January, and comes on the heels of electronics-giant Sony announcing 10,000 new layoffs as part of their “One Sony” initiative to turn around the company. (Yahoo also announced mass layoffs recently.) The new numbers follow a so-so monthly jobs report, released last Friday, which showed the economy had only added 120,000 jobs during March. That number was down from approximately 200,000 new jobs a month from December to February. It’s important to note that, prior to last week, this number — which changes weekly — was consistently hitting lows that hadn’t been touched since before the financial crisis in late 2008.
How do smart phones work? Sony’s attempt to kickstart its mobile phone line begins anew with the help of the Wes Anderson-directed clip above. Creation of the 62-second ad required 9 unique sets, 37 custom-made models, and over 10,000 man hours of labor. While charming, we have to wonder, was the ad really worth it? Did the combined imaginations of an eight-year old and Wes Anderson make you an Xperia convert? source
» Two British dudes are facing trial over the alleged heist: You have to be a dedicated MJ fan to steal tens of thousands of Michael Jackson songs — including unreleased songs that Sony planned to milk by releasing over 10 albums in the next seven years. James Marks and James McCormick, the suspects in the musical heist, deny having done so, but that may not be enough to sway prosecutors. Sony, by the way, is basically a broken record when it comes to hacking, so this latest incident comes as no surprise.
Amongst the labels hit: 4AD, Rough Trade, FatCat, Warp, Beggars, Domino, Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar, Dead Oceans, Thrill Jockey, One Little Indian, Touch and Go, Vagrant, Def Jux, Drag City … and we could go on. That’s just a sample.
Watch: PCB gets a visual shout out on GMA’s Yahoo/Tumblr...
Wrote a thing.
Hat tip to this headline writer.
Congrats Tumblr!
Don’t screw this up Yahoo.
In 2007, I was...
I started tumblr when I was at one of the lowest points of...
Dear Sony and Apple: This is what you should’ve done with this guy. Don’t sue him, or work around him. Hire him.
» One computer, many hacks: Investigators say that the computer used in the Sony breach — located in a basement in Gijón, Spain — was responsible for hacks to two Spanish banks, an Italian energy company and numerous government Web sites, including Arab Spring hotspots Egypt and Libya. The main guy was actually arrested back in the middle of May, but his arrest wasn’t publicized until today. The other arrests took place in other parts of the country. So, is it surprising that the PlayStation Network hackers (not any of the other Sony hacks, by the way) appear to have been tied to Anonymous?
Sony just had a rough month, and it continues to be kinda rough. So a console launch like the PlayStation Vita comes as a breath of fresh air for the company, which needs something to take the focus off their security problems and back onto their bread and butter. So, with a brief apology — “I want to apologize both personally and on behalf of my company,” as Sony’s North American head Jack Tretton, put it — it was onto the new console. And what a console it is: An OLED screen, touchpads in the back, and multiple cameras for augmented-reality gaming. Will it be enough to bring gamers back into the fold? source
Today in pointing out that folks don’t really take their security all that seriously, probably because they can’t remember all those passwords.
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