Sony Brings World's First Wi-Fi Digital Camera With Web Browser to Canada

    Cyber-Shot Camera Lets You Share Your Memories in the Moment

    TORONTO, March 31 /CNW/ - With a focus on making photo sharing easier and
more convenient, Sony of Canada Ltd. today introduced the world's first
Wi-Fi(R) enabled digital camera that uploads photos and videos to Web sites
through any public hotspot due to its built-in Web browser.
    The new Cyber-shot DSC-G3 digital still camera answers one of the most
pressing needs for photo enthusiasts: how to share those amazing photos and
video clips of family, friends and events as soon as you shoot. The Cyber-shot
camera makes it easy to upload images and video directly to popular photo and
video sharing sites wherever a Wi-Fi connection is available.
    "Research shows that our customers greatly value sharing images and video
clips, but they often forget or don't have enough time if they wait to get
home to upload images," said Mio Ozawa, manager of digital camera marketing at
Sony Canada. "Our new Cyber-shot DSC-G3 camera provides the simplicity and
convenience of sharing in the moment, while the impulse is still fresh in
people's minds."
    The camera can wirelessly connect to any public hotspot, including
hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and airports. Like a computer, the camera
can connect to free or fee-based hotspots, as well as to secure and unsecured
access points.Uploads Made EasyThe new camera makes it easy to connect to the Internet and upload
images. By pressing the WLAN button on the camera, you can open its embedded
Web browser.
    After connecting to the Internet via wireless access points, the camera
automatically navigates to the Sony Easy Upload Home Page, which includes
direct links to photo sharing sites like Shutterfly(TM) and Picasa(TM) Web
Albums; video sharing sites like YouTube(TM) and Dailymotion(TM); and a photo
and video sharing site, such as Photobucket(TM). Also, the DSC-G3 camera
allows you to access other sharing sites for uploading photos and videos
through its Web browser.
    Through the Sony Easy Upload Home Page, you can send e-mail notifications
from the sharing Web sites to let friends and family know that you have posted
new images and videos for viewing. This is perfect for sharing with loved ones
that were not with you when you took the pictures or shot the videos.
    When friends and family are nearby, you can use the camera to access
photos you may have already uploaded to sharing sites and display them on its
high resolution 3.5-inch LCD screen.
    The camera supports DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) guidelines. By
connecting to such DLNA-compatible devices as Sony BRAVIA(R) televisions via
access points, photos in the camera can be played back with high-definition
quality. In addition to BRAVIA TVs, the camera can connect to other
DLNA-compatible devices, such as Sony VAIO(R) PCs.Smart CameraIn addition to its wireless sharing capabilities, the new camera is built
for high-performance imaging. The 10-megapixel camera is about three-fourths
of an inch thin and includes a 4X optical zoom Carl Zeiss(R) Vario-Tessar
lens. Although compact enough to fit in the camera's slim dimention, this lens
provides excellent sharpness and colour accuracy.
    The Intelligent Scene Recognition(TM) feature automatically identifies a
total of eight types of scenes - backlight, backlight portrait, twilight,
twilight portrait, twilight using a tripod, portrait, landscape and macro -
and automatically optimizes camera settings for each challenging shooting
situation, taking an additional shot in low and bright light scenarios.
    With Sony's Face Detection technology, the DSC-G3 camera detects faces in
a scene and adjusts auto focus (AF), auto exposure (AE), flash and white
balance accordingly. It can also distinguish between children and adults,
allowing users to prioritize faces according to their preference.
    Combining the Intelligent Scene Recognition feature with Face Detection
technology, the camera includes an anti-blink function that helps make
closed-eye photos a thing of the past. The camera automatically takes two
shots and then determines whether the subject(s) have closed eyes. It will
record images with open-eyed subjects. If both pictures have subject(s) with
closed eyes, the cameras will record one and display a warning so you can try
again.
    Sony's Smile Shutter(TM) technology automatically captures a smile the
moment it happens. You can use the adult or child priority setting when
shooting scenes containing both adults and children, and the camera will
distinguish one face from another.
    The camera's Dynamic Range Optimizer (DRO) determines the best exposure
and contrast settings in almost any shooting environment, giving images a
natural look with clearer details that match what you see with your naked eye.
DRO also balances the contrast in scenes with strong highlight and shadow,
recovering detail normally lost in shadow areas. Combining the benefits of
Optical SteadyShot(TM) image stabilization with high sensitivity mode, Sony's
Double Anti-blur feature helps reduce camera shake blur, especially when there
is low light.Photo LibraryThe Cyber-shot DSC-G3 model is also a "photo album in your pocket" and
has 4GB of internal memory that can store nearly 1,000 full-resolution or
40,000 VGA-quality photos. The 3.5-inch (measured diagonally) wide touch panel
Xtra Fine LCD(TM) screen is perfect for photo-like viewing with high contrast
and wide-angle viewing. This Xtra Fine LCD screen delivers high resolution
images (921,600 dots) that is approximately four times higher than
conventional LCDs.
    The camera also makes it easy to sort thousands of images. While
shooting, images are organized automatically in albums by date. All images in
an album can be displayed simultaneously as thumbnails on the screen, and the
desired image can quickly be selected.
    There are four ways to view photos: standard folder view, date view,
favorites and event view. Images can be stored and managed on both the
camera's 4GB internal memory and an optional Memory Stick(R) media card.
    In addition to the in-camera organization and search functionality,
bundled Picture Motion Browser (PMB) software allows you to quickly organize
images on a compatible PC. The software lets you search and organize images by
event or face, and you can display images in calendar or chronological views
organized into folders.Pricing and Availability

    The Cyber-shot DSC-G3 camera will be available in April for about $600.
The camera and a range of accessories can be purchased online at sonystyle.ca,
at Sony Style(R) retail locations (www.sonystyle.ca/retail) nationwide.

    About Sony of Canada Ltd.
    -------------------------Established in 1955, Sony of Canada Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Sony Corporation, of Tokyo, Japan, a world leader in High Definition. Sony
provides end-to-end solutions through products that include the market-leading
Blu-ray Disc(TM) players, BRAVIA(R) televisions, Cyber-shot(R) digital
cameras, Handycam(R) Camcorders, VAIO(R) computers, broadcast cameras, IPELA
security cameras and video conferencing and many more products that deliver
the true entertainment experience.
    Sony is one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the
world with a portfolio that includes electronics, music, movies, games and
online businesses.
    With headquarters in Toronto, sales offices in Vancouver and Montreal and
distribution centres in Coquitlam, British Columbia, and Whitby, Ontario,
approximately 1,200 employees support a network of more than 500 authorized
dealers and 73 Sony Style retail locations across Canada.
    Sony Canada is proud to support the communities in which it operates
through corporate sponsorships of organizations that include the
Make-A-Wish(R) Canada, the United Way of Canada and Earth Day Canada./NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: Two photos accompanying this release are
    available on the CNW Photo Network and archived at
    http://photos.newswire.ca. Additional archived images are also available
    on the CNW Photo Archive website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are
    free to accredited members of the media/

Image with caption: Sony of Canada Ltd. today introduced the world's first Wi-Fi(R) enabled digital camera that uploads photos and videos to Web sites through any public hotspot due to its built-in Web browser. (CNW Group/Sony of Canada Ltd.)

For further information: Candice Hayman, Sony of Canada Public
Relations, [e-mail], [phone]