Sony has announced a new WiFi Blu-ray player that connects to the Internet via your wireless home network. The Sony S560 is due to hit stores in July with an MSRP of $349.

It is said to feature a "quick start" function that will play Blu-ray discs in just six seconds and will also have BD Live capability, so you can connect to the Internet and download BD Live content such as additional movie scenes, shorts, trailers and more. The S560 also lets you wirelessly stream digital photos from your PC to the player and view photos on your HDTV. In addition, it upscales your existing DVD collection to (near) HD quality via HDMI.

Other features include TrueHD and dts-HD audio codecs for up to 7.1 channels of high-definition sound, a built-in USB port, BRAVIA Sync capability, Picture-in-picture capability, and is 24p True Cinema capable, so you can watch movies the way they were shot and mastered.

For more information visit www.sonystyle.com.

Buying a new cell phone, iPod, camera or even laptop computer? What do you do with the old one? Many people simply throw them in a drawer…or even worse…toss them in the trash. Sony just announced that they are doing their part in helping out the environment by offering their GreenFill recycling service – an in-store drop-box where you can dispose of your unwanted small electronics – regardless of the brand.

At launch, 81 retail stores are offering the GreenFill e-Recycle Drop Box.

With this free service, there's no reason for you not to do your part in keeping the Earth green. So go ahead…visit www.sony.com/green for a complete list of drop-off locations (with more to come).

The buzz has been that Sony would be dropping the price of their PlayStation 2 gaming console soon, and sure enough today they announced just that. Starting tomorrow (April 1st) you will be able to pick up a PlayStation 2 at your local store for $99.99. A pretty good deal considering the library of games will hit almost 1,900 titles this year. 1,900!! No doubt there is something to please everyone in your family.

But just because they're dropping the price, don't think they'll stop delivering new games for the PS2. Sony says they will continue to offer new titles for families, the avid gamer, and everyone in between.

Jack Tretton, president and CEO, SCEA said, "Demand for PlayStation 2 remains strong throughout the world, and the new $99 price point will bring in new consumers who will discover how PlayStation platforms are an outstanding choice for their gaming and home entertainment needs. Just as PlayStation 2 is delivering on a 10-year lifecycle and helped expand and solidify the DVD format for home entertainment along the way, we believe PLAYSTATION 3 offers the same promise by helping secure the Blu-ray format and delivering unprecedented value as the total home entertainment solution for the next decade."

Hmm….with the PS2 going down in price, does this mean the PlayStation 3 will drop its' price sometime soon?

Even though there are still a couple of weeks until PMA, press releases have started trickling out on some of the cameras being shown at the annual photo trade show. One of them being information on Sony’s latest “intelligent” Cyber-shot digital cameras. The new T900, T90, W290 and H20 all feature an intelligent auto mode, which supposedly "think" for you and detect scene conditions and then adjust the settings for you. Seems very useful in difficult lighting situations. The intelligent auto mode can also tell when the person you are taking a picture of has closed eyes, it enhances the skin tone of the subject and can also reduce blur without reducing the quality of the image.

Other features include Sony's Smile Shutter technology and iSCN advanced – when a scene has difficult lighting, the camera will take two shots using two different settings, then you select the picture you prefer. Read more

Sony jumps on the eco bandwagon with the announcement of its new BRAVIA WE5 ‘Eco TV’. The WE5 LCD TV sports full HD 1080p and will be available in 40 and 46-inch models this Spring. It consumes a whopping 50% less power than last year’s BRAVIA models by using a new micro-tubular Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (HCFL) backlight and a Presence Sensor that detects boy heat and movement of people in the room. If you leave, the sensor activates a ‘picture off’ mode while leaving the sound on. As soon as you return, the picture comes back on. Do you have a tendency to fall asleep in front of the TV? No worries, the WE5 automatically switches to standby after 30 minutes.

Other energy saving features include a new Energy Saving Switch that cuts electricity bills even more. TV’s, even when in standby mode still use some power, but the WE5 has a switch to turn the set off completely. Switch it back on again and the TV returns to its previous state. Much easier than unplugging the TV when you’re not watching it. The operation manual is even on-screen…no more printed paper instructions. Read more

Ever since gaming became possible, its detractors have hurled the same criticism against those who partake: gaming is anti-social. Sony dissents. By changing their PlayStation Home product for the PS3 from a closed beta to an open party (as of December 11, 2008), it is now easier than ever for gamers to connect, communicate, and congregate.

PlayStation Home is a free application that is downloadable through Sony and accessible through the starting menu. Once inside, each user has the freedom to create his own avatar and explore the virtual landscape. Included in these landscapes are specific environments dedicated to specific games, as well as corporate sponsored games and spaces. Did I mention you can also create your own apartment in the community?

Like a visual message board, the PlayStation Home makes it easier to locate and converse with gamers around the world, not to mention all the multiplayer games that will undoubtedly be born through this virtual community. In addition to modern video games, community members can meet up to go bowling, play pool, or just shoot the breeze.

PlayStation Home makes obsolete one of the most voiced (and possibly strongest) criticisms against the video game lifestyle. In addition to this, it also facilitates the meeting of people with common interests in a customizable virtual reality. It is rare to be able to point to what “the next big thing” will be, but I have very high expectations for PlayStation Home.