Looking to regain some of the luster it has lost in the electronics market over the last few years, Sony Corp. unveiled Wednesday a slate of new products, including a new Xperia brand tablet aimed at filling consumers' needs for an all-around TV control device.
Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai showed off Sony's new Xperia Tablet S, along with several new Xperia smartphones and an 84-inch Bravia television, at the IFA electronics show in Berlin. In a statement announcing the new products, Hirai admitted that Sony is dealing with issues that challenge how relevant the fabled Japanese electronics company will be in the future.
"This is an extraordinary company going through extraordinary times," Hirai said."It forces us to confront difficult realities and make hard business decisions."
Those decisions include doubling down on tablet and smartphone technology running on Google Inc.'s Android operating system. One of Sony's central devices announced Wednesday is the Android-based Xperia Tablet S, which will go on sale Sept. 7.
In addition to standard tablet functions such as Web access, the new Xperia will enable users to control their TVs and cable set-top boxes directly via a universal remote control app that's pre-loaded on the device. The app is also designed to run other devices such as home stereos and Blu-ray disc players.
The Xperia S will come in three models: a 16-gigabyte version for $399, a 32GB model for $499, and a 64GB device for $599.
U.S.-listed shares of Sony rose 2% to $11.72 following the announcements.
Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai showed off Sony's new Xperia Tablet S, along with several new Xperia smartphones and an 84-inch Bravia television, at the IFA electronics show in Berlin. In a statement announcing the new products, Hirai admitted that Sony is dealing with issues that challenge how relevant the fabled Japanese electronics company will be in the future.
"This is an extraordinary company going through extraordinary times," Hirai said."It forces us to confront difficult realities and make hard business decisions."
Those decisions include doubling down on tablet and smartphone technology running on Google Inc.'s Android operating system. One of Sony's central devices announced Wednesday is the Android-based Xperia Tablet S, which will go on sale Sept. 7.In addition to standard tablet functions such as Web access, the new Xperia will enable users to control their TVs and cable set-top boxes directly via a universal remote control app that's pre-loaded on the device. The app is also designed to run other devices such as home stereos and Blu-ray disc players.
The Xperia S will come in three models: a 16-gigabyte version for $399, a 32GB model for $499, and a 64GB device for $599.
U.S.-listed shares of Sony rose 2% to $11.72 following the announcements.