Sony Corporation ソニー株式会社
Type	Public (TYO: 6758; NYSE: SNE)
Founded	May 7, 1946 (adopted current name in 1958) by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita[1]
Headquarters	Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan[1]
Key people	Masaru Ibuka: Founder Akio Morita: Founder Sir Howard Stringer: Chairman and CEO[1] Ryoji Chubachi: President and Electronics CEO[1] Katsumi Ihara: Executive Deputy President[1]
Industry	Consumer electronics, electronics, financial services & media
Products	Consumers electronics (audio visual & gaming) Professional audio/video equipment Semiconductors Computer hardware Financial services Film, television, music & game software others
Revenue	▲ ¥8. A public company usually refers to a company that is permitted to offer its registered securities ( Stock, bonds, etc The, or TSE, located in Tokyo, Japan, is the second largest Stock exchange market in the world by market value second only to the New York Stock The New York Stock Exchange ( NYSE) is a Stock exchange based in New York City. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Masaru Ibuka (井深大 Ibuka Masaru, April 11, 1908 in Nikkō City Japan &ndash December 19, 1997 in Tokyo Akio Morita (盛田昭夫 Morita Akio, January 26 1921 in Tokoname Aichi, Japan &ndash October 3 1999 in Tokyo) was a co-founder of is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of March 1 2008, it had an official Population of 217335 and a officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Sir Howard Stringer (born February 19, 1942) is a British Businessman and naturalized American citizen For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" Consumer electronics include electronic equipment intended for everyday use Electronics refers to the flow of charge (moving Electrons through Nonmetal conductors (mainly Semiconductors, whereas electrical Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. Digital media (as opposed to analog media) usually refers to Electronic media that work on digital Codes. In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need A semiconductor' is a Solid material that has Electrical conductivity in between a conductor and an insulator; it can vary over that Typical PC hardware A typical Personal computer consists of a case or chassis in a tower shape (desktop and the following parts Motherboard Financial services refer to services provided by the finance industry. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. In business revenue or revenues is Income that a company receives from its normal business activities usually from the sale of goods and services 2957 trillion YEN ($70. 303 billion USD) (2007)[2]
Operating income	¥71. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been In financial and business Accounting, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT is a measure of a firm's profitability that excludes interest and income tax expenses 75 billion YEN ($608 million USD) (2007)[2]
Net income	¥126. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Net income is equal to the Income that a firm has after subtracting costs and Expenses from the total Revenue. 328 billion YEN ($1. 071 billion USD) (2007)[2]
Employees	163,000 (as of March 31, 2007) [1]
Subsidiaries	Sony Electronics Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Ericsson (50%) Sony Pictures Entertainment Sony BMG (50%) Sony Marketing Sony Life Sony Assurance Sony Bank others
Website	www.sony.net

Sony Corporation (ソニー株式会社, Sonī Kabushiki-gaisha^?) is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and one of the world's largest media conglomerates with revenue of $70. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A subsidiary, in business matters is an entity that is controlled by a bigger and more powerful entity Sony Electronics Inc, headquartered in San Diego Calif is the largest component of Sony Corporation of America, the U ( SCEI) is a Japanese Video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry mostly in Video game consoles and is a full Sony Ericsson is a Joint venture established in 2001 by the Japanese Consumer electronics Company Sony Corporation and the Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc ( SPE) is the television and Film production/distribution unit of Japanese Media conglomerate Sony Sony BMG Music Entertainment is a diverse music and entertainment group Sony Life Insurance Co Ltd (ソニー生命保険株式会社 Sony Seimei Hoken Kabushiki Gaisha) is a Japanese insurance company Corporate information for the Sony Corporation. Shareholders (As of March 31 2007 Moxley & Co A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages Multinational corporation ( MNC) or transnational corporation ( TNC) is a Corporation or enterprise that manages Production or delivers A conglomerate is a large company that consists of diverse divisions officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. A media conglomerate describes companies that own large numbers of companies in various Mass media such as Television, Radio, Publishing, In business revenue or revenues is Income that a company receives from its normal business activities usually from the sale of goods and services 303 billion (as of 2007) based in Minato, Tokyo. is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of March 1 2008, it had an official Population of 217335 and a ^[1] Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game consoles and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets, which developed the company into one of the world's richest companies. Electronics refers to the flow of charge (moving Electrons through Nonmetal conductors (mainly Semiconductors, whereas electrical Video is the technology of electronically capturing, Recording, processing storing transmitting and reconstructing a sequence of Still images Communication is the process of conveying information from a sender to a receiver with the use of a medium in which the communicated information is understood the same way Information technology ( IT) as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA is "the study design development implementation support

Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the parent company of the Sony Group, which is engaged in business through its five operating segments — electronics, games, entertainment (motion pictures and music), financial services and other. The is a Japan-based corporate group primarily focused on the Electronics (such as AV/IT products & components Game (such as PlayStation Entertainment (such as motion pictures and These make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony's principal business operations include Sony Corporation (Sony Electronics in the U. Sony Electronics Inc, headquartered in San Diego Calif is the largest component of Sony Corporation of America, the U S. ), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Sony Ericsson and Sony Financial Holdings. Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc ( SPE) is the television and Film production/distribution unit of Japanese Media conglomerate Sony ( SCEI) is a Japanese Video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry mostly in Video game consoles and is a full Sony BMG Music Entertainment is a diverse music and entertainment group Sony Ericsson is a Joint venture established in 2001 by the Japanese Consumer electronics Company Sony Corporation and the ( is a holding company for Sony 's financial services business As a semiconductor maker, Sony is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders. This article lists the top 20 largest semiconductor companies by sales leaders over the past 20 years The company's slogan is Sony. Like no other. ^[3]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Origin of name 2 Notable Sony products, technologies and proprietary formats 3 Management 3.1 Mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures 3.2 Manufacturing base 4 Controversies 4.1 Fictitious movie reviewer 4.2 Digital rights management 4.3 Advertisements 4.4 Legal 4.5 Batteries 4.6 CCD 5 Environmental record 5.1 Improvement efforts 5.2 Criticism 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links

History

In 1945, after World War II, Masaru Ibuka started a radio repair shop in a bombed-out building in Tokyo. Masaru Ibuka (井深大 Ibuka Masaru, April 11, 1908 in Nikkō City Japan &ndash December 19, 1997 in Tokyo World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Masaru Ibuka (井深大 Ibuka Masaru, April 11, 1908 in Nikkō City Japan &ndash December 19, 1997 in Tokyo Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. ^[4] The next year, he was joined by his colleague Akio Morita and they founded a company called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K. Akio Morita (盛田昭夫 Morita Akio, January 26 1921 in Tokoname Aichi, Japan &ndash October 3 1999 in Tokyo) was a co-founder of K. ^[5], which translates in English to Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation. The company built Japan's first tape recorder called the Type-G. This article deals mainly with analog tape recorders for audio applications information on digital recording, recording of video signals, and ^[6]

In the early 1950s, Ibuka traveled in the United States and heard about Bell Labs' invention of the transistor. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Bell Laboratories (also known as Bell Labs and formerly known as AT&T Bell Laboratories and Bell Telephone Laboratories) is the Research organization In Electronics, a transistor is a Semiconductor device commonly used to amplify or switch electronic signals ^[7] He convinced Bell to license the transistor technology to his Japanese company. While most American companies were researching the transistor for its military applications, Ibuka looked to apply it to communications. Although the American companies Regency and Texas Instruments built the first transistor radios, it was Ibuka's company that made them commercially successful for the first time. Texas Instruments ( better known in the electronics industry (and popularly as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, USA

In August 1955, Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering released the Sony TR-55, Japan's first commercially produced transistor radio. The TR-55, released in 1955 was Sony 's first Transistor radio, and the first to be made in Japan. This article is about an electronic device For the fourth studio album by M ^[8] They followed up in December of the same year by releasing the Sony TR-72, a product that won favor both within Japan and in export markets, including Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Featuring six transistors, push-pull output and greatly improved sound quality, the TR-72 continued to be a popular seller into the early sixties.

In May 1956, the company released the TR-6, which featured an innovative slim design and sound quality capable of rivaling portable tube radios. It was for the TR-6 that Sony first contracted "Atchan", a cartoon character created by Fuyuhiko Okabe, to become its advertising character. An advertising character is a Fictional character that appears in Advertising and Marketing materials for a given product or service Now known as "Sony Boy", the character first appeared in a cartoon ad holding a TR-6 to his ear, but went on to represent the company in ads for a variety of products well into the mid-sixties. ^[9] The following year, 1957, Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering came out with the TR-63 model, then the smallest (112 × 71 × 32 mm) transistor radio in commercial production. It was a worldwide commercial success. ^[10]

University of Arizona professor Michael Brian Schiffer, Ph. The University of Arizona (also referred to as UA, U of A, or Arizona) is a Land-grant and space-grant public institution D. , says, "Sony was not first, but its transistor radio was the most successful. The TR-63 of 1957 cracked open the U. S. market and launched the new industry of consumer microelectronics. " By the mid 1950s, American teens had begun buying portable transistor radios in huge numbers, helping to propel the fledgling industry from an estimated 100,000 units in 1955 to 5,000,000 units by the end of 1968. However, this huge growth in portable transistor radio sales that saw Sony rise to be the dominant player in the consumer electronics field^[11] was not because of the consumers who had bought the earlier generation of tube radio consoles, but was driven by a distinctly new American phenomenon at the time called rock and roll. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African

Origin of name

When Kogyo was looking for a romanized name to use to market themselves, they strongly considered using their initials, TTK. Ginza (銀座 is a district of Chūō Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and The primary reason they did not is that the railway company Tokyo Kyuko was known as TKK. ^[12]. The company occasionally used the acronym "Totsuko" in Japan, but during his visit to the United States, Morita discovered that Americans had trouble pronouncing that name. Another early name that was tried out for a while was "Tokyo Teletech" until Morita discovered that there was an American company already using Teletech as a brand name. ^[13]

The name "Sony" was chosen for the brand as a mix of the Latin word Sony or son(us) and also a little boy sonny, which is the root of sonic and sound as well as familiar word of everybody called a boy in February 1955, and company name changed to Sony in January 1958. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Morita pushed for a word that does not exist in any language so that they could claim the word "Sony" as their own (which paid off when they successfully sued a candy producer using the name, who claimed that "Sony" was an existing word in some language). Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water to which a variety of flavorings and colorants is added ^[12]

At the time of the change, it was extremely unusual for a Japanese company to use Roman letters instead of kanji to spell its name. The romanization of Japanese or ( is the use of the Latin alphabet to write the Japanese language. are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with Hiragana (ひらがな 平仮名 Katakana The move was not without opposition: TTK's principal bank at the time, Mitsui, had strong feelings about the name. is one of the largest corporate conglomerates ( Keiretsu) in Japan and one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world They pushed for a name such as Sony Electronic Industries, or Sony Teletech. Akio Morita was firm, however, as he did not want the company name tied to any particular industry. Akio Morita (盛田昭夫 Morita Akio, January 26 1921 in Tokoname Aichi, Japan &ndash October 3 1999 in Tokyo) was a co-founder of Eventually, both Ibuka and Mitsui Bank's chairman gave their approval. ^[14]

Notable Sony products, technologies and proprietary formats

See also: List of Sony trademarks

Sony has historically been notable for creating its own in-house standards for new recording and storage technologies instead of adopting those of other manufacturers and standards bodies. The following are or were Trademarks of the Sony Corporation or its subsidiaries 0-9 3 MAX+ 700 Series The most infamous of these was the videotape format war of the early 1980s, when Sony marketed the Betamax system for video cassette recorders against the VHS format developed by JVC. The videotape format war was a period of intense competition or " Format war " of incompatible models of Video cassette recorders (VCR in the late 1970s and ---- Betamax is a home Videocassette tape recording format developed by Sony, and released on May 10, 1975. PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THAT THIS IS A GENERAL ARTICLE ABOUT VCRs/VIDEOCASSETTE RECORDERS ( usually referred to as JVC, is an International consumer and professional electronics Corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded In the end, VHS gained critical mass in the marketplace and became the worldwide standard for consumer VCRs and Sony adopted the format. While Betamax is for all practical purposes an obsolete format, a professional-oriented component video format called Betacam that was derived from Betamax is still used today, especially in the film and television industry. This article is about analog component video for the processing of color components in digital video see Digital video, Chroma subsampling and YCbCr Betacam is a family of half-inch professional Videotape products developed by Sony from 1982 onwards

Early Sony products included reel-to-reel tape recorders and transistor radios. Reel-to-reel, open reel tape recording is the form of magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording medium is held on a Reel, rather than being This article is about an electronic device For the fourth studio album by M

In 1968 Sony introduced the Trinitron brand name for its line of aperture grille cathode ray tube televisions and (later) computer monitors. Trinitron is Sony 's Brand name for its line of Aperture grille Cathode ray tube Televisions and A brand is a collection of Images and ideas representing an economic producer more specifically it refers to the descriptive verbal attributes and concrete symbols such as a The cathode ray tube (CRT is a Vacuum tube containing an Electron gun (a source of electrons and a Fluorescent screen with internal or Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic A visual display unit, often called simply a monitor or display, is a piece of Electrical equipment which displays images generated from the Video Trinitron displays are still produced, but only for markets like India and China. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Sony discontinued the last Trinitron-based television set in the USA Spring of 2007. Trinitron computer monitors were discontinued in 2005.

Sony launched the Betamax videocassette recording format in 1975. ---- Betamax is a home Videocassette tape recording format developed by Sony, and released on May 10, 1975. PLEASE BEAR IN MIND THAT THIS IS A GENERAL ARTICLE ABOUT VCRs/VIDEOCASSETTE RECORDERS In 1979 the Walkman brand was introduced, in the form of the world's first portable music player. Walkman is a popular Sony Brand used to market its portable audio and Video players

1982 saw the launch of Sony's professional Betacam videotape format and the collaborative Compact Disc format. Betacam is a family of half-inch professional Videotape products developed by Sony from 1982 onwards A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio In 1983 Sony introduced 90mm micro diskettes (better known as 3. 5-inch floppy disks), which it had developed at a time when there were 4" floppy disks and a lot of variations from different companies to replace the then on-going 5. A floppy disk is an increasingly Obsolete data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin flexible ("floppy" Magnetic storage medium encased 25" floppy disks. Sony had great success and the format became dominant; 3. 5" floppy disks gradually became obsolete as they were replaced by current media formats. In 1983 Sony launched the MSX, a home computer system, and introduced the world (with their counterpart Philips) to the Compact Disc or CD. MSX was the name of a standardized Home computer architecture in the 1980s Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV ( Royal Philips Electronics Inc. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio In 1984 Sony launched the Discman series which extended their Walkman brand to portable CD products. Discman was the nickname given to Sony 's first Portable CD player, the D-50 which was the first on the market in 1983 and adopted for Sony's entire In 1985 Sony launched their Handycam products and the Video8 format. The 8 mm video format refers informally to three related Videocassette formats for the NTSC and PAL / SECAM television systems Video8 and the follow-on hi-band Hi-8 format became popular in the consumer camcorder market. The 8 mm video format refers informally to three related Videocassette formats for the NTSC and PAL / SECAM television systems In 1987 Sony launched the 4mm DAT or Digital Audio Tape as a new digital audio tape standard. Digital Audio Tape (DAT or R-DAT is a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony in the mid 1980s

In addition to developing consumer-based recording media, after the launch of the CD Sony began development of commercially based recording media. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio In 1986 they launched Write-Once optical discs (WO) and in 1988 launched Magneto-optical discs which were around 125MB size for the specific use of archival data storage. A magneto-optical drive is a kind of Optical disc drive capable of writing and rewriting data upon a magneto-optical disc. ^[15]

In the early 1990s two high-density optical storage standards were being developed: one was the MultiMedia Compact Disc (MMCD), backed by Philips and Sony, and the other was the Super Density disc (SD), supported by Toshiba and many others. ( is a multinational conglomerate manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Philips and Sony abandoned their MMCD format and agreed upon Toshiba's SD format with only one modification based on MMCD technology, viz EFMPlus. Eight-to-Fourteen Modulation ( EFM) is a data encoding technique used by CDs and pre- Hi-MD MiniDiscs EFM and EFMPlus were both invented The unified disc format was called DVD which was marketed in 1997. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is

Sony introduced the MiniDisc format in 1993 as an alternative to Philips DCC or Digital Compact Cassette. Discman was the nickname given to Sony 's first Portable CD player, the D-50 which was the first on the market in 1983 and adopted for Sony's entire A MiniDisc ( MD) is a Magneto-optical disc-based Data storage device initially intended for storage of up to 80 minutes of digitized audio Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV ( Royal Philips Electronics Inc. Digital Compact Cassette ( DCC) is an obsolete Magnetic tape sound recording format introduced by Philips and Matsushita in late 1992 Since the introduction of MiniDisc, Sony has attempted to promote its own audio compression technologies under the ATRAC brand, against the more widely used MP3. A MiniDisc ( MD) is a Magneto-optical disc-based Data storage device initially intended for storage of up to 80 minutes of digitized audio Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding ( ATRAC) is a family of proprietary audio compression algorithms developed by Sony. MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a Digital audio encoding format using a form of Lossy data compression Until late 2004, Sony's Network Walkman line of digital portable music players did not support the MP3 de facto standard natively, although the provided software SonicStage would convert MP3 files into the ATRAC or ATRAC3 formats. Walkman is a popular Sony Brand used to market its portable audio and Video players SonicStage is the name for Sony software that is used for managing portable devices when they are plugged into a computer running Microsoft Windows.

In 1993, Sony challenged the industry standard Dolby Digital 5. Dolby Digital is the marketing name for a series of lossy audio compression technologies developed by Dolby 1 surround sound format with a newer and more advanced proprietary motion picture digital audio format called SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound). SDDS stands for Sony Dynamic Digital Sound which is a cinema Sound system developed by Sony This format employed eight channels (7. 1) of audio opposed to just six used in Dolby Digital 5. 1 at the time. Unlike Dolby Digital, SDDS utilized a method of backup by having mirrored arrays of bits on both sides of the film which acted as a measure of reliability in case the film was partially damaged. Ultimately, SDDS has been vastly overshadowed by the preferred DTS (Digital Theatre System) and Dolby Digital standards in the motion picture industry. DTS (also known as Digital Theater Systems) owned by DTS Inc ( is a multi-channel digital Surround sound format used for both commercial/theatrical SDDS was solely developed for use in the theatre circuit; Sony never intended to develop a home theatre version of SDDS.

In 1998, Sony launched their Memory Stick format; flash memory cards for use in Sony lines of digital cameras and portable music players. Memory Stick is a removable flash Memory card format launched by Sony in October 1998, and is also used in general to describe the whole family It has seen little support outside of Sony's own products with Secure Digital (SD) cards commanding considerably greater popularity. Secure Digital ( SD) is a non-volatile Memory card format developed by Matsushita, SanDisk, and Toshiba for use in Sony has made updates to the Memory Stick format with Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Micro. Memory Stick is a removable flash Memory card format launched by Sony in October 1998, and is also used in general to describe the whole family Memory Stick is a removable flash Memory card format launched by Sony in October 1998, and is also used in general to describe the whole family

Sony and Philips jointly developed the Sony-Philips digital interface format (S/PDIF) and the high-fidelity audio system SACD. S/PDIF specifies a Data Link Layer protocol and choice of Physical Layer specifications for carrying Digital audio Super Audio CD ( SACD) is a read-only optical audio disc format that can provide higher fidelity digital audio reproduction than the Red The latter has since been entrenched in a format war with DVD-Audio. DVD-Audio (commonly abbreviated as DVD-A) is a digital format for delivering very High-fidelity audio content on a DVD. At present, neither has gained a major foothold with the general public. CDs are preferred by consumers because of their ubiquitous presence in consumer devices.

In 1994 Sony launched the PlayStation (later PS one). The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console This successful console was succeeded by the PlayStation 2 in 2000, itself succeeded by the PlayStation 3 in 2006. The PlayStation brand was extended to the portable games market in 2005 by the PlayStation Portable. The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP) is a Handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Sony developed the Universal Media Disc (UMD) optical disc medium for use on the PlayStation Portable. The Universal Media Disc ( UMD) is an Optical disc medium developed by Sony for use on the PlayStation Portable. Although Sony tried to push the UMD format for movies, major studios stopped supporting the format in the Spring of 2006.

In 2004, Sony built upon the MiniDisc format by releasing Hi-MD. A MiniDisc ( MD) is a Magneto-optical disc-based Data storage device initially intended for storage of up to 80 minutes of digitized audio A MiniDisc ( MD) is a Magneto-optical disc-based Data storage device initially intended for storage of up to 80 minutes of digitized audio Hi-MD allows the playback and recording of audio on newly-introduced 1GB Hi-MD discs in addition to playback and recording on regular MiniDiscs. Recordings on the Hi-MD Walkmans can be transferred to and from the computer virtually unrestricted, unlike earlier NetMD. A MiniDisc ( MD) is a Magneto-optical disc-based Data storage device initially intended for storage of up to 80 minutes of digitized audio In addition to saving audio on the discs, Hi-MD allows the storage of computer files such as documents, videos and photos. Hi-MD introduced the ability to record CD-quality audio with a linear PCM recording feature. It was the first time since MiniDisc's introduction in 1992 that the ATRAC codec could be bypassed and lossless CD-quality audio could be recorded on the small discs. Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding ( ATRAC) is a family of proprietary audio compression algorithms developed by Sony. A codec is a device or program capable of encoding and/or decoding a Digital Data stream or signal.

Sony is currently touting the Blu-ray Disc optical disc format, which competed with Toshiba's HD DVD. ( is a multinational conglomerate manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being As of quarter three of 2007, Blu-ray Disc had the backing of every major motion picture studio except Universal, Paramount and Dreamworks. ^{[16] [17] [18]}. Since then, Blu-Ray has ended up as the dominant HD media format, with Toshiba announcing their defeat, and plans to stop supporting HD DVD on the 19th of February 2008. ( is a multinational conglomerate manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. not insert the publicly disclosed HD DVD key into this article for the time being In December 2006 Sony debuted their first Blu-ray player, the Sony BDP-S1 with an MSRP of US $999. The Sony BDP-S1 is a first generation Blu-ray Disc (BD Player 95.

On September 10, 2007 Sony unveiled Rolly (Sony), an egg-shaped digital robotic music player which has colour lights that flash as it “dances” and has flapping wings that can twist to its tunes. Rolly is an egg -shaped Digital Robotic Music player made by Sony, combining music functions with robotic dancing A digital system uses discrete (discontinuous values usually but not always Symbolized Numerically (hence called "digital" to represent information for See also Robot Robotics is the science and technology of Robots and their design manufacture and application Movements along with the music downloaded from personal computers and Bluetooth can be set. A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. Bluetooth is a wireless protocol utilizing short-range communications technology facilitating data transmission over short distances from fixed and/or mobile devices creating wireless Rolly, which went on sale in Japan on September 29, 2007, has one gigabyte of memory to store tunes. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. A gigabyte (derived from the SI prefix Giga-) is a unit of Information or Computer In Psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store retain and subsequently retrieve information Sony also developed dog-shaped robots called Aibo and humanoids and Qrio. AIBO ( A rtificial I ntelligence ro' BO' t homonymous with "pal" in Japanese was one of several types of Robotic Pets designed The term " humanoid " refers to any being whose body structure resembles that of a Human. QRIO (" Q uest for cu' RIO' sity" originally named Sony ^[19]

In summary, Sony has over the years introduced these standards: Umatic (~1968), Betamax (1975), Betacam (81), Compact Disc (82), 3. 5 inch Floppy Disk (82), Video8 (85), DAT (87), Hi8 (88), Minidisc (~90), Digital Betacam (~90), miniDV (92), Memory Stick (98), Digital8 (99), PSP Universal Media Disc (~2003), HDV (~2004), Blu-ray Disc (2006).

Management

On June 22, 2005, Nobuyuki Idei stepped down as Sony Corp. Nobuyuki Idei (出井伸之 Idei Nobuyuki; born November 22, 1937) is a former Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Sony Corporation Chairman and Group CEO and was replaced by Howard Stringer, then Chairman and CEO of Sony Corporation of America, Corporate Executive Officer, Vice Chairman and COO Sony Entertainment Business Group. Sir Howard Stringer (born February 19, 1942) is a British Businessman and naturalized American citizen Sony's decision to replace Idei with the British Howard Stringer marked the first time that a foreigner has run a major Japanese electronics firm. On the same date, Kunitake Ando stepped down as President and was replaced by Ryoji Chubachi. Kunitake Ando (安藤国威 Andō Kunitake; born January 1 1942) became president of Sony Corporation in June 2000, having been an ^[20]

Mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures

• 1988 — Acquired CBS Records Group from CBS. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. It was renamed "Sony Music Entertainment". Sony Music Entertainment is a major global Record label controlled by the Sony Corporation of America, being one of the "big four" record companies
• 1989 — Acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment from Coca Cola for US$3. Coca-Cola is a carbonated Soft drink sold in stores restaurants and Vending machines in more than 200 countries 4 billion. It was subsequently renamed "Sony Pictures Entertainment" in 1991. Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc ( SPE) is the television and Film production/distribution unit of Japanese Media conglomerate Sony
• 1993 — Acquired Psygnosis Limited a computer games company based in Liverpool, UK. Psygnosis was a British Video game developer publisher, perhaps best known for their Lemmings, Wipeout Psygnosis director Ian Hetherington was made Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. ^[21]
• 1995 — Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, a 50:50 joint venture of Sony Corporation of America and Michael Jackson. Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC is one of the world's largest music publishing companies Sony Corporation of America (SCA is the United States subsidiary of Japan 's Sony Corporation. Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman
• 1997 — ST Liquid Crystal Display Corporation (STLCD), a 50:50 joint venture of Sony Corporation and Toyota Industries Corporation. Toyota Industries Corporation (株式会社豊田自動織機 Kabushiki-gaisha Toyota Jidō Shokki) is a Japanese machine maker founded in 1926 by
• 2001 — Sony Ericsson, a 50:50 joint venture of Sony Corporation and Ericsson AB, was established in October. Sony Ericsson is a Joint venture established in 2001 by the Japanese Consumer electronics Company Sony Corporation and the Ericsson ( Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson) () one of the largest Swedish companies is a leading provider of telecommunication and data communication systems
• 2002 — Aiwa Corporation in October. was a Japanese consumer Electronics company, founded in 1951.
• 2004 — S-LCD Corporation, a joint venture of Sony Corporation and Samsung Electronics Co. S-LCD Corporation ( Hangul: 에스 엘시디 Japanese: エス・エルシーディー is a joint venture between the Korean Samsung Electronics Co Samsung Electronics (SEC Hangul:삼성전자,,,) is the world's largest Consumer electronics company headquartered in Seocho Samsung Town in Ltd (Samsung Electronics: 50% plus 1 share, Sony: 50% minus 1 share) was established in April.
• 2004 — On July 20, 2004, the EU approved a 50-50 merger between Sony Music Entertainment and BMG. Events 1304 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Fall of Stirling Castle - King Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Sony Music Entertainment is a major global Record label controlled by the Sony Corporation of America, being one of the "big four" record companies The new company was named Sony BMG Music Entertainment and, as of 2005, holds a 21. Sony BMG Music Entertainment is a diverse music and entertainment group 5% share in the global music market, behind worldwide leader Universal Music Group, which has a 25. Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry. 5% share.
• 2005 — On April 8, 2005, The MGM Company (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and United Artists) was acquired by a Sony-led consortium (Providence Equity Partners 29%, Texas Pacific Group 21%, Sony 20%, Comcast 20%, DLJ Merchant Banking Partners 7% and Quadrangle Group 3%) finalised the deal to purchase the film studio for about $4. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group. Providence Equity Partners is a Private equity firm headquartered in Providence Rhode Island that focuses on investments in media and telecommunications TPG Capital (formerly Texas Pacific Group commonly referred to as "TPG" is a Private equity investment firm founded by David Bonderman, James Comcast Corporation ( is the largest Cable television company the second largest Internet service provider and (according to the company the fourth largest telephone The Credit Suisse Group () is a Financial services company headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. 8 billion, including $2bn in debts from Armenian-American Kirk Kerkorian. Kerkor "Kirk" Kerkorian (born June 6, 1917) is an Armenian-American Billionaire, and president/ CEO of Tracinda
• 2006 — Sony NEC Optiarc Inc, a 55:45 (Sony 55%, NEC 45%) joint venture of Sony Corporation and NEC Corporation, was established in April. Sony NEC Optiarc Inc is a 5545 (Sony 55% NEC 45% joint venture of Sony and NEC Corporation, and was established in April 2006 is a Japanese multinational IT company headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan. is a Japanese multinational IT company headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan.
• 2006 — Acquired digital Single Lens Reflex (Digital SLR) cameras section from Konica Minolta including digital camera support and servicing. A digital single-lens reflex camera ( digital SLR or DSLR) is a Digital camera that uses an automatic mirror system and Pentaprism is a Japanese manufacturer of office equipment Medical imaging, Graphic imaging, Optical devices and Measuring instruments The company
• 2006 — Acquired Grouper Networks (now Crackle, Inc.), a Sausalito-based startup company that created a user generated video sharing platform and P2P technology for $65M. For the Bauhaus album see Crackle - The Best of Bauhaus Crackle is a multi-platform Video entertainment Network Sausalito (from Spanish: sauzalito "small willow grove" from sauce "willow" + collective derivative -al meaning "place
• 2007 — Qreatic Design Inc, a 50:50 joint venture of Sony Corporation and Qimonda AG. Qimonda AG ( (pronounced "key-MON-duh" is a Memory company split out of Infineon Technologies AG on May 1 2006 to form the second
• 2007 — Moversa GmbH, a 50:50 joint venture of Sony Corporation and NXP Semiconductors. NXP (for Next eXPerience) Semiconductors is the name for the new Semiconductor company founded by Philips as announced by its CEO Frans
• 2008 — On April 22, 2008, Sony announced that it will acquire Gracenote, Inc. Gracenote Inc is a company that maintains and licenses an Internet-accessible database containing information about the contents of audio Compact discs It provides software for $260M. ^[22]

Manufacturing base

Slightly more than 50% of the electronics' segment's total annual production during the fiscal year 2005 took place in Japan, including the production of digital cameras, video cameras, flat panel televisions, personal computers, semiconductors and components such as batteries and Memory Stick.

Approximately 65% of the annual production in Japan was destined for other regions. China accounted for slightly more than 10% of total annual production, approximately 70% of which was destined for other regions.

Asia, excluding Japan and China, accounted for slightly more than 10% of total annual production with approximately 60% destined for Japan, the US and the EU.

The Americas and Europe together accounted for the remaining slightly less than 25% of total annual production, most of which was destined for local distribution and sale. [1]

Controversies

Fictitious movie reviewer

In July 2000, a marketing executive working for Sony Corporation created a fictitious film critic, David Manning, who gave consistently good reviews for releases from Sony subsidiary Columbia Pictures, which generally received poor reviews amongst real critics. " David Manning " was a Fictitious Film critic, created by a marketing executive working for Sony Corporation around July 2000 to give ^[23]

Digital rights management

Main article: 2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal

In October 2005, it was revealed by Mark Russinovich of Sysinternals that Sony BMG Music Entertainment's music CDs had installed a rootkit on the user's computer as a DRM measure (called Extended Copy Protection by its creator, British company First 4 Internet), which was difficult to detect or remove. The Sony BMG CD copy prevention scandal concerns the Copy prevention measures included by Sony BMG on Compact discs in 2005 Mark Russinovich is a Software engineer and Author who works for Microsoft as a Technical fellow. Sysinternals was a Web site (formerly known as "ntinternals" operated by the company Winternals Software LP, which was located in Austin Texas Sony BMG Music Entertainment is a diverse music and entertainment group A rootkit is a computer virus which consists of a program (or combination of several programs designed to take fundamental control (in Unix terms "root" Digital rights management ( DRM) is a generic term that refers to Access control technologies used by hardware manufacturers publishers and Copyright holders XCP redirects here For other uses see XCP (disambiguation. Extended Copy Protection (XCP is a software package Fortium Technologies is a British company based in Bridgend, South Wales that develops and licenses DRM technology for use on optical discs in ^[24] This constitutes a crime in many countries, and poses a major security risk to affected users. The uninstaller Sony initially provided removed the rootkit, but in turn installed a dial-home program that posed an even greater security risk. Phoning home is unsually surreptitious communication between applications or hardware installed at end-user sites and their manufacturers or developers Sony eventually provided an actual uninstaller that removed all of Sony's DRM program from the user's computer. Sony BMG faced several class action lawsuits regarding this matter. ^[25] On January 31, 2007, the U. Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. S. Federal Trade Commission issued a news release announcing that Sony BMG had agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that Sony BMG committed several offenses against United States federal law. This settlement required that Sony BMG allow consumers to exchange the CDs through June 30, 2007, and to reimburse consumers for up to $150 for the repair of damage to their computers that they may have incurred while removing the software. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

In 2006 Sony started using ARccOS Protection on some of their film DVDs, which caused compatibility problems with some DVD players—including models manufactured by Sony. This article is about Sony's copy-protection system not the trigonometric function Arccos. After complaints, Sony was forced to issue a recall. ^[26]

In August 2007, security firm F-Secure reported that the MicroVault USB thumb drive installs a rootkit in a hidden directory without consent on user computers. The directory is intended to protect fingerprint data, however it can be used for malicious means as most virus scanners will not search for the directory or its contents. ^[27] Sony advised it was conducting an investigation on the third-party product, and would offer a fix by mid-September. ^[28]

Advertisements

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the PlayStation (PS) gaming console in Italy, Sony released an ad depicting a man smiling towards the camera and wearing on his head a crown of thorns with button symbols (Δ, O, X, □). The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest At the bottom, the copy read as "Ten Years of Passion". This supposedly took advantage of the publicity from the Mel Gibson film The Passion of the Christ. Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson, AO (born January 3 1956 The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 film co-written co-produced and directed by Mel Gibson. The ad outraged the Vatican as well as many local Catholics, prompting comments such as "Sony went too far" and "Vatican ex-communicates Sony". The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, commonly known as the Pope, and is the preeminent Episcopal see of the Roman Catholic After the incident, the campaign was quickly discontinued.

Sony also admitted in late 2005 to hiring graffiti artists to spray paint advertisements for their PlayStation Portable game system in seven major U. Graffiti (singular graffito; the plural is used as a Mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched scrawled painted or marked in any manner on property The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP) is a Handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. S. cities including New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. The City of New York Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city ^[29] The mayor of Philadelphia filed a cease and desist order. A cease and desist (also called C & D) is an order or request to halt an activity or else face legal action According to Sony, they paid businesses and building owners for the right to graffiti their walls. ^[30] As of early January 2006, Sony had no plans to keep or withdraw them.

In July 2006, Sony released a Dutch advertising campaign featuring a white model dressed entirely in white and a black model garbed in black. The first ad featured the white model clutching the face of the black model. The words "White is coming" headlined one of the ads. The ad has been viewed as racist by critics. ^[31] A Sony spokesperson responded that the ad does not have a racist message, saying that it was only trying to depict the contrast between the black PSP model and the new ceramic white PSP. Other pictures of the ad campaign include the black model overpowering the white model. ^[32]

In November 2006, a marketing company employed by Sony created a website entitled "All I want for Xmas is a PSP", designed to promote the PSP through viral marketing. The PlayStation Portable (officially abbreviated PSP) is a Handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to Marketing techniques that use pre-existing Social networks to produce increases in Brand awareness The site contained a blog, which was purportedly written by "Charlie", a teenager attempting to get his friend "Jeremy"'s parents to buy him a PSP, providing links to t-shirt iron-ons, Christmas cards, and a "music video" of either Charlie or Jeremy "rapping". However, visitors to the website soon discovered that the website was registered to a marketing company, exposing the site on sites such as YouTube and digg, and Sony was forced to admit the site's true origin in a post on the blog, stating that they would from then on "stick to making cool products" and that they would use the website for "the facts on the PSP". YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload view and share Video clips YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees Digg is a Website made for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the Internet, by submitting links and stories and voting and commenting on submitted The site has since been taken down. In an interview with next-gen. biz, Sony admitted that the idea was "poorly executed". ^[33]

Legal

In 2002, Sony Computer Entertainment America, marketer of the popular PlayStation game consoles, was sued by Immersion Corp. of San Jose, California which claimed that Sony's PlayStation "Dual Shock" controllers infringed on Immersion's patents. The PlayStation (abbreviated PS, PSone, PS1, or informally as PSX) is a 32-bit fifth generation Video game console Immersion Corporation of San Jose California, is a developer of Haptic technology California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. In 2004, a federal jury agreed with Immersion, awarding the company US$82 million in damages. A U. S. district court judge ruled on the matter in March, 2005 and not only agreed with the federal jury's ruling but also added another US$8. 7 million in damages. This is likely the reason that the sixaxis controller for the PlayStation 3 had no rumble feature. The DualShock 3 has since been made available for the PlayStation 3, reintroducing rumble capabilities. The DualShock (officially DUALSHOCK and occasionally referred to as Dual Shock) is a line of vibration-feedback Microsoft Corp. Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer was also sued for its Xbox controller, however, unlike Sony, they settled out of court so they could continue using the technology for the follow-up Xbox 360. The Xbox is a sixth-generation Video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. Washington Post: Pay Judgment Or Game Over, Sony Warned

A California judge ordered Sony to pay Immersion a licensing fee of 1. 37 percent per quarter based on the sales of PlayStation units, Dual Shock controllers, and a selection of PlayStation 2 games that use Immersion's technology. Microsoft is currently suing Immersion due to an alleged breach of contract, apparently stating that Microsoft would be entitled to a portion of any cash settlement between Sony and Immersion.

Batteries

On April of 2006, a Sony laptop battery exploded in Japan and caught fire. A Japanese couple in Tokyo are currently (as of July, 2007) suing both Sony and Apple Japan for over ¥2 million ($16,700 USD) regarding the incident. Apple Inc, ( formerly Apple Computer Inc, is an American Multinational corporation with a focus on designing and manufacturing Consumer electronics The suit argues that the man suffered burns on his finger when the battery burst into flames while being used, and his wife had to be treated for mental distress due to the incident. ^[34]

On August 14, 2006, Sony and Dell admitted to major flaws in several Sony batteries that could result in the battery overheating and catching fire. Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The multinational technology company Dell Inc develops manufactures sells and supports Personal computers and other computer-related products Lithium-ion batteries (sometimes abbreviated Li-ion batteries) are a type of Rechargeable battery in which a Lithium ion moves between the Anode As a result they recalled over 4. 1 million laptop batteries in the largest computer-related recall to that point in history. The cost of this recall is being shared between Dell and Sony. The multinational technology company Dell Inc develops manufactures sells and supports Personal computers and other computer-related products Dell also confirmed that one of its laptops caught fire in Illinois. ^[35][36] This recall also prompted Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to order the companies to investigate the troubles with the batteries. The or METI, is a Japanese government ministry It was created by the 2001 Central Government Reform when the Ministry of International Trade and Industry The ministry said they must report on their findings and draw up a plan to prevent future problems by the end of August, or face a fine under Japan's consumer safety laws. ^[37]

Ten days later on August 24, 2006, Apple Computer recalled 1. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Apple Inc, ( formerly Apple Computer Inc, is an American Multinational corporation with a focus on designing and manufacturing Consumer electronics 8 million Sony built batteries after receiving nine reports of batteries overheating, including two customers who suffered minor burns, and additional reports of property damage. ^[38]

On September 19, 2006, Toshiba announced it was recalling 340 000 Sony laptop batteries. Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ( is a multinational conglomerate manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. ^[39] This recall, however, is not related to the recalls by Apple and Dell, as the batteries are known to cause the laptops to sometimes run out of power. No injuries or other accidents have been reported, according to Toshiba spokesman Keisuke Omori. ^[40]

On September 23, 2006, Sony announced its investigation^[41] of a Lenovo ThinkPad T43 laptop overheated and caught fire in Los Angeles International Airport on September 16, an incident that was confirmed by Lenovo. Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Lenovo Group Limited (,) is China's largest and the world's fourth largest Personal computer manufacturer after Hewlett-Packard and Dell of the U ThinkPad is a brand of portable Laptop and Notebook Personal computers originally designed manufactured and sold by IBM. Events 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers On September 28, 2006, Lenovo and IBM made the global recall of 526 000 laptop batteries. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[42]

On September 28, 2006, Sony announced a global battery exchange program in response to growing consumer concerns. Events 48 BC - Pompey the Great is assassinated on orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[43]

On October 2, 2006, Hewlett-Packard (HP) determined that it was not necessary for them to join the global battery replacement program. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[44]

On October 3, 2006, the Yomiuri Shimbun (a Japanese Newspaper) reported that Sony was aware of faults in its notebook PC batteries in December 2005 but failed to fully study the problem. Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The is a Japanese Newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities ^[45][46]

On October 16, 2006, Fujitsu announced it was recalling 278,000 Sony laptop batteries. Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. is a Japanese company specializing in Semiconductors Computers ( Supercomputers Personal computers, servers, Telecommunications ^[47] It was also reported that Fujitsu, Toshiba, and Hitachi may seek compensation from Sony over the battery recalls. ^[48]

On April 25, 2007, Acer announced that 27,000 batteries from TravelMate and Aspire series notebooks sold from May 2004 to November 2006 were recalled due to 16 reports of overheating and explosions. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Acer Incorporated ( ( is a Taiwanese multinational electronics manufacturer TravelMate is a series of computer notebooks manufactured by Acer. ^[49]

On August 24, 2007, it emerged that some of Sony's batteries that were not recalled, and in use on Dell laptop computers, may be at risk of catching fire and exploding; as another case of a Dell laptop with a Sony battery in it, came to light. Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar 's General Gaius Scribonius Curio is defeated in the Second Battle of the Bagradas River Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[50]

CCD

Initially, in October of 2005, it was reported by Sony that there were problems with the charge-coupled devices (CCD) in 20 models of digital still cameras. A charge-coupled device ( CCD) is an analog Shift register, that enables the transportation of analog signals (electric charges through successive stages (capacitors The problems can prevent the cameras from taking clear pictures, and in some cases, possibly prevent a picture to be taken at all. In late November of 2006, the recall was broadened to eight additional models of digital cameras sold between 2003 and 2005. The problem appears to manifest itself mostly when the camera is used in areas with hot weather. The eight models effected are the following: DSC-F88, DSC-M1, DSC-T1, DSC-T11, DSC-T3, DSC-T33, DSC-U40 and DSC-U50. Sony did indicate that they will repair or replace the affected camera at no charge. Since Sony is one of the largest producers of CCD chips, this recall may affect other manufacturer's and models of cameras, possibly as many as 100 models or more. Other manufacturers of digital cameras, including Canon, Minolta, Nikon, or Fuji have indicated they will replace faulty CCDs in their respective models of cameras if necessary. ^[51]

Environmental record

Sony has received numerous awards and much recognition for their environmental efforts throughout the world. Their achievements in the way of energy and environmental conservation have earned them respect for their green campaign ^[52] despite bad press from a low ranking on Greenpeace's greener electronics report ^[53]. Greenpeace, originally known as the Greenpeace Foundation, was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1972

Improvement efforts

Since 1976, Sony has had an Environmental Conference^[54]. Sony's policies address their effects on global warming, the environment, and resources. They are taking steps to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that they put out as well as regulating the products they get from their suppliers in a process that they call "green procurement" ^[55]. Sony has said that they have signed on to have about 75 percent of their Sony Building running on geothermal power. Geothermal power (from the Greek roots geo, meaning earth and therme, meaning heat is energy generated by heat stored in the earth or the collection The "Sony Take Back Recycling Program" allows consumers to recycle the electronics products that they buy from Sony by taking them to eCycle (Recycling) drop-off points around the U. The term e-cycling refers to the process of recycling the components or metals contained in used or discarded electronic equipment2 otherwise known as electronic waste ( S. The company has also developed a biobattery that runs on sugars and carbohydrates that works similarly to the way living creatures work. This is the most powerful small biobattery to date ^[56].

Criticism

In 2000, Sony was ridiculed for a document entitled "NGO Strategy" that was leaked to the press. This document involved the company's surveillance of environmental activists in an attempt to plan how to counter their movements. This document specifically mentioned environmental groups that were trying to pass laws that held electronics-producing companies responsible for the clean up of the toxic chemicals contained in their merchandise ^[57]. In early July of 2007, Sony ranked 14th on the Greenpeace chart "Guide to Greener Electronics. Greenpeace, originally known as the Greenpeace Foundation, was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1972 " This chart graded major electronics companies on their environmental work. Sony fell from its earlier 11th place ranking due to Greenpeace's claims that Sony had double standards in their waste policies^[58]. Greenpeace, originally known as the Greenpeace Foundation, was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1972

See also

• Made in Japan
• Sony Corporation shareholders and subsidiaries
• Articles whose titles start with Sony
• Sony CISC

References

Further reading

• Made in Japan by Akio Morita and Sony, Harper Collins (1994)
• Sony: The Private Life by John Nathan, Houghton Mifflin (1999)
• Sony Radio, Sony Transistor Radio 35th Anniversary 1955-1990 — information booklet (1990)
• The Portable Radio in American Life by University of Arizona Professor Michael Brian Schiffer, Ph. Made in Japan is a book about the Japanese Sony corporation It was written with the assistance of Edwin M Akio Morita (盛田昭夫 Morita Akio, January 26 1921 in Tokoname Aichi, Japan &ndash October 3 1999 in Tokyo) was a co-founder of HarperCollins is a Publishing company owned by News Corporation. John Nathan (born 1940) is the translator of Japanese works written by celebrated authors such as Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburo Oe. Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational Publisher in the United States. D. (The University of Arizona Press, 1991).
• The Japan Project: Made in Japan. — a documentary about Sony's early history in the U. S. by Terry Sanders. Terry Sanders (b 20 December 1931, New York New York) is a two-time Academy Award winner having produced and/or directed

External links

• Sony Corporation: Global Headquarters
• Sony Product Technical Support
• (Japanese) Sony Japan
• Sony America
• Sony of Canada Ltd.
• Sony India
• Sony Singapore
• Sony South Korea
• Sony Computer Entertainment (Europe)
• Sony BMG
• Sony Ericsson
• Sony Notebook
• Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.
  • Sony CSL Paris
• Article on the recent Sony USB Controversies

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