Sony announced the availability of a new digital media player in Europe - the Sony A810 Walkman. The new Sony A810 Walkman digital media player will support an open platform and include support for Windows Media technology, providing greater choice for downloading and managing music, video and photo collections. Whatever their needs consumers will now be able to quickly and easily transfer their content from their PCs to their Walkman digital media player. The Sony A810 player supports security-enhanced Microsoft Windows Media Audio (WMA), as well as non-secure AAC and MP3 music formats, plus JPEG files for photos, in addition to the AVC (H.264/AVC) Baseline Profile and MPEG-4 video codecs.

Now it’s easy to check shots captured with any HDV or DV camcorder while you’re in the field, in a hotel room or in the office. Sony announces the world’s first HD Video Walkman – the portable solution for viewing HDV and DV tapes while you’re on the move. Packed with professional features, the versatile GV-HD700E plays back HDV as well as miniDV tapes (SP and LP). Its ability to record HDV1080i/DV signals from an external source also makes it ideal as a back-up deck for professional videographers covering weddings and other events. The clear, bright 7-inch widescreen (16:9) LCD offers a resolution of 1,152K (800x480x3[RGB]) dots for monitoring video and still images.

The super-smart, great value new Sony NWD-B100 Series Walkman MP3 Player makes it easy to connect with your precious music collection whenever and wherever you want. Weighing just 30g, the stylish NWD-B100 Series slips effortlessly into a pocket or bag. But despite its tiny size, it’s packed with clever technology that takes the stress out of managing your music files - even if you’re a committed technophobe.

Sony is to launch a major Pan-European marketing campaign to demonstrate the breadth and depth of the company’s HD proposition and to educate consumers about the intricacies of HD. While there is currently high awareness of HD, there is still a significant lack of understanding amongst consumers, with only 59% having heard the term ‘HD Ready’ and 13% knowing about ‘Full HD 1080’. The Sony HD marketing campaign aims to educate and inform consumers about the benefits of HD, and will comprise of TV / cinema advertising, in-store branding, a targeted online PR campaign, dedicated HD Flash microsite and a ‘Guide to HD’ DVD which will provide consumers with an insight into the full range and benefits of HD.

Those who grew up in the time of the Sinclair, Atari and Commodore gaming consoles, where games were the order of the day, or those who entered the gaming world solo or online with their PC, but who chose digital photography as a ‘serious and responsible’ hobby, will reminisce, with melancholy, about last March 23rd 2007 when the Sony PS3 was introduced officially in Europe. Nevertheless, it doesn’t have to remain nostalgia. I found the perfect excuse to account for the purchase of a Sony PlayStation 3; the PS3 console has a few built-in card readers that make it possible to play your digital (family) photos in large format in a digital photo album.

Sony Electronics launched an integrated marketing ad campaign to support its digital imaging product line. The ad campaign, developed with BBDO New York, uses humor to show how Sony Cyber-shot cameras and Handycam high-definition camcorders help capture life’s most precious moments…the right way, the first time. The campaign encompasses multiple media outlets and platforms, including print, television, radio, online, in-store and out-of-home. There will also be promotional tie-ins linked to Mother's Day and the upcoming Sony Pictures Entertainment movie, "Spider-Man 3." Three 30-second television commercials highlight the special features of Cyber-shot digital cameras and Handycam HD camcorders.

Sony’s new AM/FM CD receiver for the car with Bluetooth technology (model MEX-BT2500) multi-tasks as both a CD player and a wireless streaming device. Drivers can make safe, hands-free phone calls, listen to MP3 formatted CDs or wirelessly connect to Bluetooth-compatible digital music players on the road. “This car stereo offers more functionality for less,” said Brennan Mullin, director of marketing for mobile electronics at Sony Electronics. “With Bluetooth hands-free technology and audio streaming capabilities, you can’t afford not to have it in the car. This is a perfect solution so drivers can communicate on their cell phones while driving.”

CMOS sensors are now used in cellular phones and other mobile devices, sales of these devices have been increasing rapidly. Furthermore, demand for CMOS sensors has been increasing in fields that require high-speed imaging functions, such as digital single-lens reflex cameras. While CMOS sensor advantages over CCD include lower power consumption and higher speed, their main strength is in the possibilities for system integration, since analog and digital circuits can be integrated. CMOS sensor can achieve high-speed characteristics that could not be achieved with CCD technology and can provide superb image quality that surpasses that of CCDs by taking advantage of these characteristics.

Sony Europe’s Recording Media & Energy division announced the launch of the Sony 8GB Memory Stick PRO Duo, the largest storage capacity currently available in this format. Sony has reached a new level of storage capacity, again doubling the available recording space on the compact Memory Stick media, responding to the rapidly growing storage needs of digital photographers and enthusiastic users of portable entertainment devices. Robust and capable of operating in extreme working conditions, the Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo 8GB includes a 5 year warranty for peace of mind. Customers can refer to sonydigital-link.com/memstick/ for the latest compatibility information.