Sony Electronics  

I’m here in Las Vegas (yet again) for Sony’s annual product line show for our dealers from all over the country.  And one of the areas creating some buzz (believe it or not) is our new Walkman lineup. A lot of the focus in the new models is on noise cancelling integration, bigger video displays and wireless Bluetooth capability. By the way, a recent check of U.S. market share data showed Sony moving up into third position for digital music players among American consumers. It’s been a tough road in this category these past few years, but the rebound has begun. I invite you to read and comment on Mitch Li’s guest post below. He’s a senior product manager in our Digital Imaging and Audio Division responsible for the Walkman, Reader and Rolly product lines.

There’s nothing like listening to your favorite music and hearing every note – the sound of fingers hitting the strings of a bass, the strumming of a guitar, every note sung by the singer. The clearer and crisper the sound, the better the experience- it’s like you’re in the studio with the musicians themselves. But as we all know, somewhere between the recording studio and a digital music file, that crispness can get lost. When this is lost, part of recording experience and artist’s performance is diminished. We at Sony are well aware of this, as we both make music and the devices to play it back. To minimize this loss, Walkman players have incorporated technology to make digital music sound more like it did in the studio. As part of this evolving process, we believe we have integrated “relevant” technological improvements in the latest line of Walkman players to deliver an amazing out of box experience to the consumer.

First there is S710F series. Similar to the S610F launched in the fall, this device builds on the benefits of this device and takes it to the next level by integrating active noise cancellation into the device, and it also includes noise canceling EX series headphones in the box. With up to 33 hours of audio playback without noise cancellation and well over 20 hours of audio playback while using noise cancellation, you can enjoy every note of a song without having to turn up the volume to block out the noise around you. This player will come in both 4GB and 8GB capacities.

Next, for consumers who want an even better viewing experience, the A720 series incorporates a bright, vivid 2.4” screen. With a bigger display, it is easier for people who like to watch video clips or viewing photos on a portable device. But, the key thing to remember is that even with an improved viewing experience, we haven’t forgotten about the importance of the audio experience. Integrating the same clear audio technologies found in the A810 series from the fall, we have also included the same EX series earbuds in the box. Out of box experience is important; to that end, there are different sized earbud tips to optimize fit and even a detachable kick stand that attaches to the back of the device to prop up the walkman as you view videos. These models come in 4, 8 and 16 GB versions.

Finally, for that discerning consumer who hates wires, we are introducing the A820 series. This series takes the A720 series and integrates Bluetooth technology. Now, streaming your music to Bluetooth stereo headphones, in the high quality you’d expect from Sony products is now possible. By “cutting the cord” we believe that there will be consumers who find this only helps improve their workout experience. This series will come in either an 8GB bundle where a pair of Bluetooth stereo headphones are included, or as a standalone 16GB version.

From easy convenience of no chords, to a bigger screen to noise cancellation, we feel our spring lineup continues to focus on you the customer as we try to improve on the user experience. By staying true to the music and by continuing to improve the product experience out of the box, we hope that we continue to deliver value to consumers.

One of the side benefits of working for Sony all these years is the opportunity to experience a bit of Japanese culture and custom when I travel to that country.  And one of the things that I get a kick out of are Japanese holidays.

Earlier this month I was in Japan for Valentine’s Day, which is on Feb. 14.  Although Valentine’s Day is not an official holiday in Japan, the women there do recognize the day as a time for honoring the men in their lives, including male colleagues, bosses, friends and, yes, even lovers (the more loving, the bigger the gift). So I was flattered when my female colleagues in Tokyo had some chocolates waiting for me.

Now women aren’t totally left out. They just have to wait for their own version of the festivities, called White Day, which comes in March.  That’s when all the gifts, including white chocolates, come their way.

In general, Japan’s holidays don’t have the religious or nationalistic overtones that ours do in America. Although these are not the exact names, there is Old People’s Day, Young People’s (or Coming of Age) Day, Ocean Day, Arts Day and Sports Day, just to name a few.  They even have a name for multiple days of a holiday called Golden Week as the old year turns into the new one.

And while the Japanese enjoy the Christmas season, I gather that Christmas Eve is a major “date night” where wedding proposals often come about. Something to think about if you’re single and planning a visit to The Land of the Rising Sun.

Since this blog is meant more as a place for commentary and perspective, I have held off gloating over the news about the recent Blu-ray Disc victory in the next-generation HD format war. A plethora of news outlets around the world have reported on the war’s conclusion just fine, thank you.  But having been through a few of these in the past, I would like to take a moment to reflect on some noteworthy distinctions this time around. 

First off, there has been a strong commitment throughout the world of Sony to a team approach to making Blu-ray the standard-bearer.  Within the company, our Chairman and Chief Executive Sir Howard Stringer has been advocating the concept of “Sony United,” which was illustrated at a high level throughout the war.  Blu-ray has been at the head of the list of key issues for executives, engineers and marketers at every level, in every country, and across all of the various Sony businesses.  From the East Coast to the West Coast, from the U.S. to Europe to Japan, and from electronics and video-gaming to motion pictures and home video, Blu-ray has been top priority.

And with BD the teamwork was evident not just across the Sony Group, but also with every conceivable business partner and competitor, including other CE companies, computer manufacturers, disc replicators, retailers and, or course, Hollywood studios.

Obviously, the death knell to the competing format was delivered with Warner’s proclamation of exclusive Blu-ray support following the critical Holiday selling season in the U.S.  In anticipation of this possibility, Sony and the BD collaborators made every effort to deliver strong consumer demand and sales before the year’s end, which is exactly what we did.  And then this was followed by still more retailer commitments, including Best Buy, Netflix and Wal-mart.

Sony has been engaged in a number of format wars over the years where we supported the most advanced technology.  But with the Blu-ray initiative, I’m pleased to say that the effort was not inhibited by two negative aspects of Sony’s otherwise long and proud tradition:  arrogance and silos. 

Within Sony, the BD effort wasn’t just driven by one segment of our business or a handful of Japanese executives. Sony’s television and home video units were on board, as was the Playstation team and Sony Pictures.  Plus, there was corporate marketing and advertising support on a global scale.

And at the outset, beyond Sony, there was no question that we were just one member of the Blu-ray camp, as opposed to being the only CE company driving the bus.  In the U.S. for example, the Blu-ray Disc Association’s principal spokesman has been a Pioneer executive.  In addition, we sought Hollywood support at an early stage from such heavyweights as Disney and Fox. 

I’m not sure the same can be said for the other camp, where all the moves seem to have been determined by a single electronics maker and a large software company, whose agenda was never entirely clear. The unfortunate aspect of this resistance was that the battle played out longer than necessary, perhaps keeping millions of consumers on the fence.

Now our mission, along with those of our Blu-ray collaborators/competitors, is to encourage the public to check out the beauty of BD in all of its full1080p high-definition impact, hopefully with a magnificent BRAVIA flat-panel LCD television to go right along with it.  And it just so happens we will have some Blu-ray player announcements in the days ahead, which you can check out on our news and information web site at www.sony.com/news.

While I am in Tokyo for various meetings this week, I asked one of our blog moderators, Marcy Cohen, to spotlight some of the hot red (and pink) products from Sony that make great Valentine’s gifts. Check out our post below and stay tuned for some observations from Japan when I return.

 Valentine’s Day is approaching this week and if you haven’t yet figured out what to get your favorite girl consider a sparkling new piece of… technology. Yes, I said technology. It may not be something you’ve considered but what woman wouldn’t want the latest flat screen LCD TV or the latest point and shoot digital camera? And wouldn’t you know it—Sony is offering some of out hottest products in red and pink this Valentine’s Day. 

And for the man in your life, well, what guy wouldn’t want a Sony? Below is a list of my favorites. All of these gift ideas could work for a man or woman, depending on the color you choose. 

And to put a more personalized touch on your gift we’re offering free engraving on select products, including everything listed below.

Let’s start with the Sony Reader. In celebration of the holiday, Sony has partnered with Harlequin to offer 14 free romantic eBook titles with purchase.  And we are also offering free for a limited time a kitschy pink “Cross Your Heart” protective cover from Skinlit. The Reader also comes with more subdued covers.

If she’s been dreaming of the latest flat screen BRAVIA LCD TV, why not surprise her with the 26” S Series in Cosmo Pink? And if she’s nice, maybe she’ll even let you watch your favorite episode of COPS on it.

If you can’t be together this Valentine’s Day keep in touch with the Red Collection VAIO CR notebook with built-in webcam. It comes with a matching red mouse, case and Dooney and Bourke heart keychain for just under $1000.

Put together an unforgettable play list of your favorite romantic tunes and download it onto Sony’s latest Walkman Video MP3 player which comes in red, pink, silver and black.

Capture her huge smile when you give a Cyber-shot T2 with Smile Shutter technology. Available in a very hot pink, this head-turning design (and color) features 8.1 megapixels and 4GB of internal memory to store up to 40,000 digital photos. The T2 also comes in black, blue, green and white.

And finally, Sony Ericsson is offering the Z310A mobile phone in pink which can be personalized with special icons and lighting effects that identify a caller.  

So if you’re thinking of jewelry for her yet again this year, reconsider and go with a different kind of bling. And for the guy, you won’t go wrong with any of the above.

During PMA, I interviewed two of Sony’s top digital imaging executives globally and in the U.S. about the company’s direction and vision in this critically important business segment incorporating digital still cameras, camcorders and accessories. During the 20-minute session I was joined by Shigeki Ishizuka, the president of Sony’s global Digital Imaging Business Group, and Steve Haber, senior vice president of the Digital Imaging and Audio Division in the U.S. If you have the time, I invite you to check it out.