Stories about: VIA

"A very limited number" of three 40in Sony BRAVIA LCD TV models sold during 2007 and 2008 could in rare cases "over-heat and ignite", emitting smoking and melting the TV's rear plastic casing. Sony has voluntarily initiated a repair program, with in-house inspections of possibly-affected televisions.

Whether you're running a business out of your den or from a penthouse in the sky, you don't have time or money to waste on second-rate tools. These well-designed services and resources are among the best the Web offers for small and midsize businesses. Some include apps for smartphones and downloads for your desktop, but all of them provide the bulk of their features within a Web browser.

Vodafone will exclusively sell Sony Ericsson's XPERIA Ray Android phone in Australia when it launches down under at the end of this month.

The Panasonic DMR-PWT500 fits a Blu-ray and DVD player into a personal video recorder with a HD tuner -- it’s like the Samsung BD-C8900, except with twin tuners. Like the BD-C8900 it’s quite stylish and has some nifty extra features, but you’re paying a premium for the convenience of having several functions in the one device.

The Sony BDP-S580 is the best Blu-ray player that Sony makes. The only thing that makes it better than the $50 cheaper BDP-S480, though, is its integrated Wi-Fi networking -- something we don't think should come at an extra price. If you're willing to pay the extra, though, you'll be pleased to know that the Sony BDP-S580 is just as competent and full of extra features as its cheaper siblings.

The Sony BRAVIA KDL-55HX925 is, surprisingly, the smallest model in the company’s top range of LED-backlit LCD televisions. Despite being a 55in panel it’s dwarfed by the gargantuan 65in KDL-65HX925, which hasn’t been released yet but will command a price tag even higher than the 55in’s $4499. The BRAVIA KDL-55HX925 has every feature Sony has built into its 2011 range of LED TVs, so gadget geeks will be spoilt, but the HX925’s glossy design -- attractive and stylish though it is -- means it is not appropriate for watching in a bright room.

The Sony BDP-S480 sits in the middle of Sony's line-up -- it's $30 more expensive than the cheap Sony BDP-S380, but this small price premium gets you 3D video playback and remote control via a free iOS or Android app on your smartphone. We don't think the top-end BDP-S580's extra $50 for inbuilt Wi-Fi is justified -- it should be in the BDP-S480 at no extra cost.

The latest addition to Sony Ericsson's XPERIA range of Android phones is the XPERIA Ray, best described as a smaller version of the flagship XPERIA Arc.

If you live an active lifestyle and need a phone to match, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Active will definitely interest you: it's the company's first dust proof and water resistant Android smartphone.

Sony Ericsson unveiled the Xperia Ray and Xperia Active, new phones that will come equipped with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, at the CommunicAsia conference in Singapore.