Sony at Boracay, Part 2: Cameras and the Bloggie
By Rico, 9:09 am Thu Mar 4 2010 - Events, Featured - 1 Opinion
Aside from showcasing upcoming 3D TV technology and Bravia HDTVs already out on the market, Sony Philippines also featured some cameras and the blogger-friendly Bloggie.
To recap, I’m Andry Rakotoniaina, the French office mate of Rico. He was busy enjoying Bangkok, so he asked me to enjoy the white sands in front of Shangri-La Boracay. Who was I to disagree, especially since this was my first time to the Filipino tourist attraction?
Anyways, Sony organized the local media in attendance (on the company’s expense) into teams. We were made to do an Amazing Race type thing, to help us discover more about Sony’s new Cyber-shot (camera) and Handycam (camcorder) products.
The Cyber-shot TX5 also has the auto-panorama and auto HDR features of the TX1, and the same 10.2 megapixel Exmor R sensor. And, according to the Sony Style USA website, both cameras are priced at $350. The TX5 however is waterproof (up to 3 meters), dustproof, and shockproof. Too bad I didn’t get to try out the last “-proof” too much!
Among the Handycams featured was a model that could do 60x zoom. I’ll update this article once I get more details, such as whether or not that zoom is digital or optical (unlikely), as well as availability and pricing info [you should've asked for that during the trip! -Rico]. Sony however saved the best for last. From the get-go they made it clear that the star attraction of the event was the MHS-PM5K Bloggie, a gadget designed to making sharing stuff online easy.
The Bloggie has a 5 megapixel camera, and comes pre-installed with software that facilitates uploading content to Facebook and YouTube. The lens on its own swivels 270 degrees, but with the included 360 clip on, it’s possible to capture panoramic videos! Even better, the 2.4 screen provides enough space to properly review videos and pictures before sharing them.
At the very least, the Bloggie is also Sony’s admission that not everyone is into Memory Sticks; the pocket camcorder also accepts SD/SDHC cards. The price of admission? P15,000.
One thing I don’t like about the Bloggie: like the Flip MinoHD, the Bloggie’s USB plug is built into the unit. I’m not comfortable putting the Bloggie’s entire weight on one USB port. Other than that though, I was pretty impressed with the gadget!
I’ll leave you with some marketing from Sony Philippines: “According to Universal McCann, the Philippines is one of the top countries in terms of video uploading.” Hope Sony can send us a review unit soon!
Editor’s Note: While the TX5 and TX1 cost $350 in the US, the latter retails for P34,000 locally. So can we expect the same price for the TX5? In any case, I want a Bloggie!
warfab
11:11 pm Thu Mar 4 2010
How about the Sony Bloggie MHS-CM5? Is Sony Philippines just going to offer the MHS-PM5K?