Sony Expo 2007 in Honolulu
Update: Sony Expo 2008 coverage just posted!
A steady stream of visitors flowed through the double doors at the Ala Moana Hotel this weekend to try to win a Playstation 3, 40-inch Bravia LCD television, and a few other prizes being given away at this year’s Sony Expo in Honolulu. Because Hawaii is one of the states that doesn’t have a Sony Style retail store, residents flocked to the annual event to see, touch, and drool over the company’s latest gear.
Sony didn’t use the expo to unveil anything new, but it was still nice to see everything in person. Check out some of the gadgets that were on display below.
The lighting inside the Hibiscus Ballroom was really poor and no one else had a camera, but my husband still managed to snap the following pictures.
UX Micro PC
Yes, even though I’ve written countless reviews and use my UX180P daily, I still needed these shots.
Playstation 3
You can’t tell from the picture, but nearly everyone stood in line to play some kind of RPG on the PS3. The glare is horrible, but the console is in the display. There were also a couple of "loose" PS3s that people could actually touch and pick up at various spots in the room.
Audio
I don’t think anyone even glanced at this next display. I saw a few people playing with some of the DAPs, but in general, anything related to audio gear generated very little interest.
Bravia TVs
Sony made the mistake of setting up furniture in front of all the TVs displayed around the ballroom. Don’t they know anything about turnover? I think a lot of folks plopped themselves onto those couches for hours. And one look at the Bravia tells you why. The picture quality is exceptional and quite mesmerizing. We stepped over a handful of dropped jaws.
Computers
Not many people seemed interested in any of the Vaio notebooks. The only LCDs everyone wanted to look at were the ones on TVs (and hooked up to a PS3).
Photo & Video
This was one of the largest displays at the expo, and one that attracted a lot of children and high school girls.
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson had a sad little table set up showcasing a few non-working models. This walkman phone was the most extravagant display, so it’s pretty obvious that cell phones weren’t exactly the driving force behind the expo.
The Sony Expo 2007 ended tonight at 9 pm with the selection (by random drawing) of the prize winners. Our phone didn’t ring, so I guess we weren’t one of the lucky ones. Oh well. At least we got to see some pretty cool stuff.
