Details like, for instance, the camera resolutions were left unmentioned. Previous rumors have said it would carry a 12-megapixels camera together with the front camera. The faster processor is supposed to offer it 1,080-pixel video recording. The phone may ship with the outdated operating system Android 2.3.5, although it would have a new-looking version of the Timescape interface of Sony Ericsson.

If Sony will keep what it did this year, its new phone Xperia Arc HD might be unveiled at CES in January and would ship within other few months. If the phone will not be available by that time, it will have to wait until late February, at the Mobile World Congress.

Both bundles will be available only in North America and will have specifications depending on the country. The bundle destined to the United States will provide the 3G model of the Vita linked to AT&T at a price of $350. In Canada, where there is no 3G provider, the Wi-Fi model will be available at a lower price o $300.

Pre-orders have started. For instance, Amazon lists the plain editions.

An eventual larger bundle might help giving an answer to concerns related to saving games on the Vita. Games that do not save to the own storage card of the title will need a memory card to be able to run and therefore the number of games a user can play without needing to buy a card later is limited.

Hirai added that Sony has been cooperating with several external security companies to implement significant security measures meant to detect unauthorized activity and able to provide customers with improved protection of personal information. The cited measures involve automated software monitoring, increased levels of information protection, significantly improved intrusion detection as well as implementation of supplementary firewalls.

As a sign of its good will, Sony is giving its customers both a “complimentary offering” and an appreciation program to welcome them back. They will be established in each country at a local level. A thirty days free service for members of PlayStation Plus, as well as a free subscription for thirty days to the PlayStation Plus service will be included for regular customers of the PlayStation Network. Subscribers to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity will equally receive a free service for thirty days.

Although the company confirmed the fact that personal information of the 77 million PSN members had been exposed, it renewed the idea that it had no evidence of customer credit card details stolen. Sony promised to assist users to enroll in services or programs dedicated to identity theft protection and said it will soon give additional details.

The response will probably conciliate some customers, but a certain time is necessary to restore complete customer confidence in Sony’s services following the recent PR disaster. The situation could even get worse if it is proved that information about customers’ credit cards have really been exposed as rumors go, although there is no confirmation of it so far.

The design of the S1 should be familiar to iPad users since it reminds them the iPad in a case prepared for “typing mode”. Sony suggests that the design is meant to enhance stability and improve grip while changing the “torque” and concentrating the weight at the top of the device, which can be used in either a vertical or horizontal position, the same way people usually hold a folded-over magazine or even an iPad placed in a folio-style case. Another feature of the S1 is infrared technology which allows it to be utilized in controlling various AV devices, such as the Bravia line of Sony itself. DLNA technology allows users to simply “throw” content they are listening or watching to on the tablet to wireless speakers or HDTV.

The second unveiled tablet is the Sony S2, which has a fascinating dual-screen clamshell-like design. It sports two 5.5-inch screens with high resolution at 1,024×480 pixels. A Tegra 2 is also present like in the S1, but there is only a rear facing camera incorporated unlike the two cameras of the Sony S1. Thanks to its two screens, the device can be used in different ways, as the screens allow a flexible, simultaneous usage. For instance, when using the e-mail application, the bottom screen shows the keyboard, while the upper screen displays the message. Like its stablemate, the device is also PlayStation Certified and can support both 3G and 4G networks.

The destination of the two models is mainly entertainment consumption, but since all the abilities provided by Android 3.0 are present, web browsing or e-mail are also included, as well as the added feature permitting access to the premium cloud-based networks of Sony, which provide various content, such as the Reader store for e-books, the PlayStation Suite allowing users to purchase and play any first-generation PlayStation game, or the Qriosity network for video and music services.

Kunimasa Suzuki, the head of personal computers at Sony, declared that both new tablets would be available this fall globally, but they could probably appear sooner in the United States. As he said, the company’s goal is to be in second place in the tablet industry which is currently led by iPad and is evaluated at $49 billion by 2015.

Sony says that the technology used to make these modules includes some advancements over solutions based on nickel-cadmium or lead-acid. Extended lifespan is the first and main benefit, as batteries in these modules are supposed to have a life of about ten years. They do not have a “memory effect” and therefore do not need to be totally discharged before a new recharge. Recharging is very fast, since the modules can be restored up to ninety percent of their capacity in just an hour. Scalability is another positive aspect, as modules can be combined in parallel or serially in order to expand capacity or voltage. Unlike other batteries which use Ni-Cad or lead-acid systems, Li-ion based systems do not use any rare metal or toxic lead which would damage the environment.

The modules present a 2U form factor and therefore can easily fit into 19-inch server racks, which are a standard. No price has been announced yet.

Yahoo applications will offer Twitter and Facebook applications, but also with finance and sports information in addition to news. Access to Billabong for surf videos and news, Mochcam for live music concerts and Hulu Plus for TV shows will be available too.

Despite the recent announcement, Sony didn’t mention anything on the prices for the sets, even if most of these are already available in stores.

Sony’s smaller MDR-NC13 noise cancelling in-ear headphones are especially designed for travelers. The company claims that these can reduce ambient noise by almost 87.4 percent. The set is shipped with a manganese battery. However, adding a single AAA alkaline battery would result in a total assumed life of 100 hours.

Both of Sony’s new sets of headphones will start shipping in April, even if the manufacturer hasn’t yet mentioned anything about the price.

Sony recently launched accusations against Hotz for registering ‘blickmaniac’ as a PSN account name, although the defendant claimed not to have registered an account at all. Hotz’ lawyers suggested a mismatch of the PlayStation serial numbers, while another person has claimed to be the owner of the same account.

The PSN accounts debate is considered as important, as Sony centers its arguments around the allegation that George Hotz had accepted the terms of service for the PSN. The defendant’s lawyers claim that the terms refer only to software and have been created after the moment of the accusations related to the opening of an account by Hotz.

The filing says that the only way Sony tries to demonstrate Hotz’ ownership of the ‘blickmaniac’ account is an authenticated blog posting where a certain individual attempts to sell an unlocked phone that is also on sale at major retailers like Amazon. At the same time, a search for ‘blickmaniac’ leads to a blog posting where a person with the name ‘eepog’ acknowledges being the owner of the account and claims that the PSN account had been created by him.

The jailbreaker’s attorneys also argue that SCEA is not capable of justifying the request for jurisdiction in California, based on the download locations. They suggest pursuing the trial in New Jersey, because Hotz is a young person and certainly does not have the financial resources of a corporation.

They say that SCEA filed the action and claimed jurisdiction in California and afterwards used its lawyers and employees to offer misleading and ambiguous information. According to the lawyers, the company also indicated that jurisdiction in California would be proper for Hotz through jurisdictional discovery. They continued by saying that after the defendant’s computer hard drives as well as a graphing calculator have been confiscated and his discovery responses timely submitted, SCEA is still unable to bring evidence proving that the jurisdictional challenges asserted by Hotz were false. In their opinion, SCEA only continued to provide a flood of dubious information like irrelevant blog postings or misleading declarations coming from some enigmatic employees who did not explain which were the sources of their personal knowledge.

Another accusation the attorneys made against Sony is for using abusive discovery documents and trying to harass George Hotz.

Apart the core accusations related to DMCA violations, Sony’s recent filings accused Hotz of the removal of some parts from hard drives that were involved in the case and of departing to South America with the intention of interfering with the discovery process.

Sony’s NEX-FS100JK makes use of a Super 35mm format and Sony’s Exmor Super35 CMOS sensor. The camcorder is able to record 1080p video at 60 frames per second in AVCHD format at 28Mbps. Moreover, standard def content can be saved in MPEG-2 format. In what storage media is concerned, SDXC, SDHC and SD cards can be added, as well as Memory Stick Pro Duo Class 4 cards. The camcorder benefits from an HS-SDI output for professionals, alongside the more ordinary, consumer-grade XLR and HDMI outputs. The device will be available in Japan in late spring, being sold under a 690,000 Yen (the equivalent of almost $8,500) price tag.

Sony’s more compact HXR-NX70J benefits from a 6.65Mpix Exmor R CMOS sensor, as well as from a fixed G-series Sony lens with a 10x optical zoom. This is able to record AVCHD 1080/60p video at 28Mbps alongside MPEG-2 PS SD videos. The camcorder offers 96MB of integrated memory, as well as a Memory Stick slot and SDXC Class 4-compatible memory slot. However, XLR inputs are available. The camera should be available in Japan only so far sometime this summer, at a price of 330,750 Yen (almost $4,100).

Many Sony plants have their operations suspended, including those which are involved in producing Lithium-Ion secondary batteries or magnetic tapes like the pro-grade videotape formats mentioned earlier, conventional DVDs and CDs, or IC cards and semiconductor lasers. The Sendai Technology Center situated in the Miyagi Prefecture, in Tagaiyo, has been shut down due to quake damages. Other capacities, situated in nearby areas, like Motomiya, Kuki, Koriyama and Ibaraki also have suspended their operations due to less-severe damages or problems related to the tsunami or power-outage.

Other Sony plants, including those in Atsugi, Tochigi and Kanuma, although not appreciably damaged, have temporarily suspended operations voluntarily in order to contribute to the alleviation of power outages. Sony facilities situated in areas of the country not affected by the earthquake are continuing operations.

Media suppliers and tape resellers all over the United States have reported shortages of videotape as well as other media from all brands, due to alternative sources that are not capable to completely substitute loss caused by Sony’s situation. Searches for HDCAM on Twitter return numerous demands for sources of HDCAM-SR and HDCAM, which are largely used in TV production. Although other HD formats are available to satisfy some demands, HDCAM-SR is especially important for primetime TV production and big-budget theatrical filmmaking as well.

The good news, despite the heavy short-time impact on media industries, is that major Japanese media producers like Sony, Panasonic or Grass Valley have reported only a few incidents of injury related to their employees, according to Broadcasting & Cable.