What iPhone 6S? The mobile phone alternatives that prove there’s more to life than Apple September 8, 2015 SONY XPERIA Z3 Coming only six months after the Xperia Z2, this upgrade looks pretty similar from the outside, if slightly squatter and available in more colours. It’s waterproof and dust resistant, so if you’re an outdoorsy type or insist on keeping your phone in your back pocket when you go to the loo, you’re [...]
Fitch ups Sony investment grade status to positive August 18, 2015 Sony inched closer to returning to its investment grade status yesterday after ratings agency Fitch amended its credit outlook from “stable” to “positive”, indicating that a ratings upgrade may be on the horizon. The agency also affirmed its “BB” rating, three grades below investment grade. Efforts to restructure were key to Sony’s improving profitability, in [...]
Sony signs deal to make Emojis, the movie – coming soon to a cinema near you July 23, 2015 It was only a matter of time before this happened: Sony has signed a new deal to make a movie based on emojis, the colourful little smiley faces sand symbols embedded on your mobile device. Is a cash of thumbs up – or more a smiling pile of poo? We're not sure… Reports suggest the [...]
Average Seinfeld episode valued at $1m by Hulu in Sony Pictures deal April 29, 2015 Video streaming site Hulu is believed to have paid $180m for the rights to classic 90s sitcom Seinfeld. The site, which is expected to announce the acquisition at a presentation later today, acquired the rights to all 180 episodes from Sony Pictures Television, valuing each one at $1m on average, according to Variety. Other estimates [...]
Sony halves its stake in Olympus as accounting scandal is settled April 1, 2015 JAPANESE electronics giant Sony yesterday halved its stake in Olympus and is no longer its top shareholder, according to the camera and endoscope maker . Sony now owns five per cent of Olympus shares – worth ¥76bn (£430m) – compared with 10 per cent as of the end of September 2014, Olympus said in a [...]
Sony share price jumps following increase in operating profit March 17, 2015 Sony’s share price opened five per cent higher on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, after the company revised its third-quarter operating profit up 2.2 per cent to 182bn yen (£1bn). The company increased its operating profit for the year from the originally reported 178bn yen, which it said was based on [...]
The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One could be biggest-selling consoles yet for Sony and Microsoft February 19, 2015 The PlayStation 4 is on course to match the success of Sony’s best-selling console the PlayStation 2, while Microsoft’s Xbox One could top the Xbox 360. A new report from technology consultant Strategy Analytics reveals that the games console industry is in fine health as total shipments grew 11 per cent in 2014 to [...]
After 36 years Sony sets its Walkman aside February 18, 2015 Once-mighty Japanese tech giant Sony will spin off yet more of its business arms into separate subsidiaries this year, as it focuses on PlayStation, movies and music publishing for its growth. This time its iconic 36-year-old Walkman business, as well as its video-and-audio businesses, will join the already spun-off computer and TV divisions. Yesterday’s move [...]
Spider-Man’s Marvel return is a business win for both Sony and Disney – here’s why February 10, 2015 Marvel’s friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is coming home. Sony Pictures and the Walt Disney company, which owns Marvel Studios, have agreed a deal to share the Spider-Man franchise. Despite being one of Marvel’s most iconic characters, the film rights to Spider-Man have belonged to Sony’s Hollywood division since it paid around $7m (£4.6m) [...]
Imagination picks former Sony Mobile chief Bert Nordberg as next chairman February 9, 2015 British microchip designer Imagination Technologies yesterday appointed Bert Nordberg as its new chairman. Nordberg, the former president and chief executive of Sony Mobile communications, will succeed Geoff Shingles, who is retiring on 20 March. “It is a great pleasure to welcome Bert to Imagination,” said Imagination’s Senior independent director David Anderson in a statement. “His [...]