Strengthen Your (Inner) Bond with Sony

Sony Pictures is getting ready to launch Casino Royale...so Sony's rolling out Bond-style digital gear to help you impress Ms. Moneypenny.

Sony Pictures is ramping up to the premiere of the latest James Bond film, Casino Royale in mid-November, so it should be no surprise that some of the corporate giant’s numerous other divisions are getting in on all the secret-agent action. To whit: Bond-themed Vaio notebook computers and Cyber-shot cameras.

In the U.S., in addition to Bond-themed Sony-Ericsson Cyber-shot phones, espionage fans can get their hands on a the matte-black Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T50/JB digital camera, which matches the specifications of its more-generic T50 siblings (7.2 megapixel resolution, 3-inch LCD screen, 56 MB internal memory, ISO 1000 sensitivity, nd more: see Digital Trends’ review) but adds the 007 gun logo and carrying case for a price tag of $449—which is, oddly enough, $50 below Sony’s own asking price for an unbranded T50.

However, in the Great White North, Sony’s Canadian customers can get their hands on Sony’s VGNTX007C Limited Edition Spy Gear, featuring a bond-themed Sony Vaio TX notebook computer, the Bond Cyber-shot T50, a sleek attache case with molded-foam pockets for ever Bond item, and a privacy filter for the Vaio’s screen, which makes the display visible only to viewers directly in front of the computer: would-be interlopers viewing your computer at an angle—even with a telephoto lens—will be out of luck. The Vaio packs an Intel Core Solo processor (1.2 Ghz), weighs just 2.8 pounds, measures 1 inch thick, offers 11 hours of battery life, and sports an 11.1-inch WXGA LCD display. The Vaio also touts an 80 MB hard drive, Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity, dual-lawyer DVD writer, 100Base-T Ethernet, a PCMCIA slot, 2 USB 2.0 ports, and a four-pin FireWire jack. Canadians can pre-order now for $4,299.99 (about $3,800 USD); no word if Sony requires security clearance an an agency ID, or whether arms export regulations will permit them to make this high-tech gear available stateside.