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Earlier Tuesday, Kmart.com jumped the gun on the announcement and accidentally posted an ad on its home page that revealed a price cut to the "old" 80GB and 160GB PS3s to $299 and $399 respectively and hinted at the impending arrival of the new PS3 Slim.

In Cologne, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai performed the unveiling, taking the stage and announcing the PS3 was "getting a new model" and that indeed it was called the PS3 Slim.

The Slim is hitting stores the first week in September and will cost $299 (or for those who live in other regions, 299 euros or 29980 yen). Hirai says it has the same features and functions as the "old" PS3 but is 33 percent smaller, 36 percent lighter, and comes with a 120GB hard drive.

Source: Cnet News

The KDL-40ZX1 LCD TV from Sony has a clear USP – thinness. It’s only 28mm at its widest point, slimming down to a frightfully slender 9.9mm for half the time.

And, weighing 12.2kg, it’s probably one of the first 40in TVs you could carry out of the shop under your arm.

This, then, is a ‘designer’ product, with a distinctly ‘designer’ price tag. But, unfortunately, AV performance has taken a bit of a hit.

The ZX1 is so thin that it can’t pack a TV tuner or speakers. Fair enough, other screens have done that. Yet it also lacks the room to fit full LED back lighting, instead using LED edge lighting, which isn’t capable of localised dimming.

Connectivity is either via a single HDMI input, or the external media box, which packs the Freeview tuner. The box is wireless, using a 5GHz RF system for streaming. It’s stable, but unable to deliver 1080p. So Blu-ray owners will end up using that HDMI input anyway.

TOKYO (AFP) – Sony’s game unit said Tuesday it was delaying for the second time the launch of an online virtual universe for the PlayStation 3 because the service needs further development.”Home” had originally been scheduled for launch in late 2007 but was delayed until early 2008. Now Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. plans to open up an early version of the virtual universe in the second half of 2008.

“We understand that we are asking PS3 and prospective PS3 users to wait a bit longer, but we have come to the conclusion that we need more time to refine the service to ensure a more focused gaming entertainment experience than what it is today,” said the head of Sony’s game unit, Kazuo Hirai.

The delay is another setback to Sony, which has much riding on the PS3 but faces fierce competition from Microsoft’s XBox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii.

Sony has said previously that the free service would allow PS3 users to set up an apartment for life-like virtual characters, or avatars, who can invite friends over, share pictures and videos, and play online games.

Users can personalise their virtual home with furniture, art and other items and chat through audio or video links.

The service is seen as a cross between social community website MySpace and Linden Lab’s Second Life, which allows “residents” to build homes, create vehicles, nightclubs and stores, and to communicate with instant messaging.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday that Sony was preparing to launch a separate online video service for the PS3 as soon as the US summer, quoting unnamed studio executives familiar with the plan.

Source: Yahoo! News