Journal 2, May 31

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20090528/bs_nf/66859

Sony Ericsson, the worlds fifth largest cell phone producer, has sensed the need to improve there product line to compete with today's market and the declined world economy. Announced Thursday, Sony Ericsson introduced there new product called Aino. The primary attraction to this new handheld device is its ability to synchronize with the ever popular Sony PlayStation 3 Console. This new product is the first of its kind for a "dual" company such as Sony Ericsson. It is the first time that a connection has been seen between these high tech handheld devices and the devices of the parent company Sony. This integration of the two may be exactly what Sony Ericsson needs to renew its slipping business. This ability to sync with the gaming console will give the company a large fan base due to the success of the PlayStation 3. Not only is this an attractive feature but Sony Ericsson has also decided to include an eight megapixel camera. This phone will also be capable of wireless connectivity through many forms to better suite the customer. With this upcoming release, it seems to me that Sony Ericsson is targeting a slightly different market. The presence of video games in a large portion of today's homes has supplied for a great marketing target that other manufacturers have not yet tapped into. I think that the ability to synchronize a handheld device with the game console will attract a much younger audience while still providing all the stock features of today's cell phones. As stated by Ben Wood of UK-based research firm CCS Insight, "At last there's a cooperation between a Sony product and a Sony Ericsson phone. Previously, it was just branding. We see it as a statement of intent." This sums up the entire idea; many joint companies see the need to cooperate and bring together its many product lines to better please today's customers in such a difficult economy. To further this idea Sony Ericsson also introduced two other products. The Satio, to incorporate Sony's digital camera line by placing a 12 megapixel camera on a handheld device with a 3.5 inch display to resemble that of today's digital cameras. And the Yari, to further incorporate Sony's gaming audience by adding an accelerometer to make for more interactive gaming on a cellphone. All in all, I see this move being made by Sony Ericsson to further reflect the parent company products, as key to its future success.

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE54R5WL20090528