CES – Sony Betting The Future Is Online
Tom Hanks Appears At CES - Posted By - Perla Jones
Just a few years ago most people were content watching their videos on a TV in the living room. But even though we now watch television over our computers, on high definition flatscreens or even on our iPods, we have still only seen the tip of the iceberg.
That’s according to Japanese electronics giant Sony, which today unveiled a pair of futuristic glasses that project 3D video onto the lens while still allowing you to see the world around you.
The glasses, which are still a prototype, were among the products that Sony unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas – one of the technology industry’s largest showcases, where more than 2,700 exhibitors show off their latest gadgets.
The glasses, which Sony claims could be on the market in just a few years, will also form part of a new push by the company to embrace 3D television – and make all of its technologies internet-connected.
Sir Howard Stringer, the company’s chief executive, said that by 2011, 90% of all the products made by Sony – including television sets, cameras and video players – would be able to connect online..
As an example, he unveiled the company’s latest digital camera – a model with built-in Wi-Fi internet access and even a web browser, allowing budding photographers to upload their pictures directly to the internet without ever touching a computer.
“If you can imagine it, we can help you make it real,” Sir Howard said. “At Sony we’re trying to dream the impossible … to turn imagination into reality. No drop in the economy can change that.”
Sir Howard said that 3D – for years restricted to one-off stunts and B-movies – was now coming of age, and would soon be available in cinemas and on TV screens worldwide. Major Hollywood studios Disney and Dreamworks were among those demonstrating 3D, and John Lasseter – one of the founders of Pixar, famous for films such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo and WALL•E – joined Sir Howard on stage to extol the virtues of high-definition, three-dimensional video.