Sony patents PSP-controlled spy car

Check it out, all you budding G. Gordon Liddys -- if the usual assortment of spy gadgets isn't doing the job, Sony's got something in the works that should be right up your alley. According to a little site called Siliconera, Sony's European arm has filed a patent for a remote-controlled car uses the PSP as an interface. This bad boy is equipped with a camera that feeds video back to the hand held and allows the user to upload the footage to a website. If that weren't all, the patent makes mention of an augmented reality racing game incorporating virtual markers and paths that the players physically create -- that is, the junk in your apartment is incorporated into on-screen game play. Innocent fun, right? Well, perhaps -- at least until Iran gets involved. They're still pretty bent by the whole squirrel thing.

Sony Ericsson exec dismisses rumors of a schism

Despite some nasty financial losses and a rumored smackdown of a PSP phone proposal, the Sony Ericsson joint venture is apparently as strong as ever. That's what Senior Marketing Manager Richard Dorman is saying, denying any talks of a split. He also noted that both companies had been losing money in their respective handset division prior to the assimilation, and the partnership is "full steam ahead." That's great, now how about showing us some more Hikaru, hm?

Sony's BRAVIA KDL-46V5100 LCD HDTV goes on sale

Sony told us not to expect its newest BRAVIA V-, S-, and L-series HDTVs until this Spring, but apparently the 46-inch KDL-46V5100 is ready to roll. Available for ordering right now on the company's B2B website, the 52.6 pound set checks in with a 1080p panel, 120Hz Motionflow technology to remove judder, integrated stereo speakers, the BRAVIA Engine 2 and an NTSC / ATSC / ClearQAM TV tuner. Get yours on the way now for $1,899.99, and keep a close eye for availability on all of its siblings -- surely they aren't too far from the shipping dock, either.

Update: Whoa, Charlie! Sony pinged us to say that someone pulled the trigger a tad early, and that this set won't actually ship until early March. Hate to burst your bubble!

Sony's LocationPorter transmits video over 3G at a price you can't afford

At an estimated market price of about $17,900 a pop we don't plan on seeing too many of these in the wild, but if you have a pressing need to broadcast high quality video sans-cables, this is definitely worth a peep: Sony's LocationPorter RVT-SD100 is a big box worn on a strap (not unlike the camcorders of old), but instead of rocking unwieldy cassette tape, this guy streams video back to the station via LAN or 3G, where yet another LocationPorter renders it suitable for transmission. This device uses the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main Profile codec and supports video resolution up to 352 x 240. A single 3G connection yields the bandwidth needed for up to 15 fps (with up to 160 kbps audio), while those of you shelling out for two 3G cards -- and at these prices, why not? -- can rock up to 64 fps (320 kbps audio). If you go with the LAN option, you can get up to 30 fps (at 1024 kbps). And it's definitely a lot safer than Al Franken's head mounted satellite dish. Video after the break

Hey Sony, where's the 1.86GHz VAIO P for America?

We already asked this question with "1.6GHz" in place of "1.86GHz," but seriously Sony, is there some sort of weird embargo on high-speed chips to America that we aren't aware of? While we Yanks have exactly one CPU option for the newly released VAIO P (that'd be the 1.3GHz Atom), those in Japan can order up the VGN-P90S with a 1.86GHz Atom Z540 processor. Of course, it's a ¥15,800 ($174) option over the baseline Z520, but an option nonetheless.

Sony Loses $2.9 Billion, Makes New PSP Colors

What's the best way to recover after a $2.9 billion annual operating loss? Sony says: introduce new PSP colors!

The PSP-3000 is receiving a carnival makeover in Japan with the introduction of four new retina-melting colors: Radiant Red, Vibrant Blue, Bright Yellow and Spirited Green. The PSP hardware specs remain the same, and the ¥24,800 ($279) bundle includes a 4GB MemoryStick, a pouch and a hand strap.

These new colors hit the Tokyo streets in March. No word yet on whether these colors will make it over to North America, or if we'll be left out of the party.