Sony

Akio Morita,75, the entrepreneurwho co-founded Sony Corp. and helped give new meaning to the words "Made in Japan," died today in Tokyo, Kyodo news service reported.Ted Arison,75, the American-Israeli billionaire who founded Carnival Cruise Lines, died of a heart attack Friday in Jerusalem.Pub Date: 10/03/99

Here is an excerpt of an editorial from the Times of India (New Delhi), which was published Monday.Sony founder Akio Morita was more than just a spectacularly successful businessman; in many ways, he was a Promethean exemplar who wrested the torch of technological innovation from the Western world -- which had unleashed on [Japan] the most terrifying and subjugatory of its inventions in the form of the atomic bomb.The Walkman and the other electronic products pioneered by Sony ushered a cultural revolution whose battlefield was the microchip.

He walks and barks, wags his tail and even kicks a ball. But this doggy is unlike any pooch you've ever seen.This pup doesn't make messes because it never chows down or laps up water. He doesn't require veterinarian visits, petting or treats.That's because he's powered by a battery and made of steel, with computer parts for innards: a 64-bit processor, internal memory chip, a camera in his head and touch, hearing, sight and balance sensors that allow its 18 joints to move its 3 1/2 pounds.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Sony Metreon isn't a suburban high school hangout, and it's not Disneyland either. It's somewhere in between and somewhere far beyond."

Sony's top-of-the-line DVD player available for about half-priceAs one of the inventors of the format, Sony was one of the first to produce consumer DVD players, and the first to market a high-end model. Sony's DVP-S7000 ($600) has garnered a reputation as a stellar performer, collecting a fistful of awards. Because Sony is about to produce an even better player, it's now possible to get the DVP-S7000 for slightly more than half of what it cost a month ago.As you'd expect from Sony's top DVD player, the video quality is simply amazing.

Sony Corp. plans to buy about 5 percent of NextLevel Systems Inc. -- a Chicago-based maker of set-top boxes that process cable television signals for display on TV sets -- for about $188 million, the firms said yesterday.Sony would pay about $25 each for 7.5 million new shares of NextLevel, which next month changes its name back to General Instrument Corp. That is a 37 percent premium over NextLevel's closing price of $18.18 last week. The firm's shares closed yesterday at $19.75, up $1.57.

SWANSFIELD RESIDENT Drew Woodbury returned last week from a three-week trip to California and Japan.He was one of 50 students nationwide chosen for the Sony Student Project Abroad, sponsored by Sony Electronics Inc. and Sony Corp. of Japan."I really profited from this experience," said Drew, who will be a senior this year in the Technology Magnet Program at River Hill High School."I was really interested in seeing what the world was up to in electronics," he added. "And I made lifelong contacts."

The critics have ranted against it, the filmgoers have flamed it, it's tanking at theaters as we speak. But even though "Godzilla" seems to be getting its due out there in the world, something more is in order.Something like, well, moral outrage.Because even though it looks as though justice is being served in the marketplace, it's not. After all, the film's stars were handsomely paid to stand in front of a blue screen and pretend to be scared. Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, who co-produced and co-wrote "Godzilla," took their money and will live to make movies another day. Sony Entertainment, the parent company of the film's distributor, Tristar Pictures, will most likely break even on its investment, albeit after a few sleepless nights (they just sold the broadcast rights of "Godzilla" to NBC for a piddling $25 million, at least $10 million less than they had planned)

If you've been looking for a portable computer that you can carry around without getting a hernia and buy without refinancing your house, you're in luck.A new category of personal computer called the mininotebook offers Windows 98 performance in a package that's smaller and lighter than a conventional notebook PC but bigger and more user-friendly than hand-held PCs with their tiny keyboards.The main contenders in this bantamweight class include the Sony 505 ($2,000), Toshiba Libretto ($1,700)

NEW YORK -- Sony Corp. and Cineplex Odeon Corp. said yesterday that Sony will merge its Loews Theaters unit with Cineplex to create one of the world's largest movie theater companies, with annual revenue of about $1 billion.Sony will own 49.9 percent of the voting shares of the combined company, to be called Loews Cineplex Entertainment.Seagram Co.'s Universal Studios, which already owned a Cineplex stake, will own 26.7 percent of the company after investing $85 million in the new company, the companies said.

1 p.m. [Comcast SportsNet] This is a sort-of Slam, but it has the big names. That includes Rafael Nadal, who plays in the men's quarterfinals. (Sorry, the Serena-Venus match is at night.)

OK, Amazon. You win. Remember me? I'm that reviewer who panned your original Kindle. "Poor design," I said. "What do you mean I have to pay $10 for an e-book?" I whined, and "Why can't I keep track of my progress through a text on this thing?" Well, you took a design lesson from Apple. The Kindle2, which hit the market several weeks ago, is sleek, lightweight and easy to hold. Those buttons that used to run down the entire edge of the device are now limited to a few inches, so clumsy individuals such as myself are less likely to skip through untold pages and become completely lost.

Pettitte files for free agency baseball New York Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte filed for free agency yesterday after repeatedly saying he hopes to return to the club next year. Pettitte went 14-14 last season with a 4.54 ERA - his highest ERA since 1999. General manager Brian Cashman said last week that he wants Pettitte to return next season, but the 36-year-old veteran said Friday night that he hadn't heard from the team. Pettitte likely would have to agree to a cut from his $16 million salary last season, when he was 2-7 with a 6.23 ERA in his final 11 starts, and missed his last turn because of a sore pitching shoulder.

Corridor transportation strategies talk Thursday The Corridor Transportation Corp. will present a "Moving Mid-Maryland: Baltimore-Washington Corridor Transportation Summit II" from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursday at the BWI Marriott, 1743 W. Nursery Road, Linthicum. The summit will focus on strategies for regional cooperation, identifying and offering creative solutions, the potential of funding options and establishing achievable goals. The cost is $115 for a full day, $65 for the morning session (including breakfast)

M&T securities acquires Pikesville brokerage M&T Securities Inc., the brokerage and insurance arm of M&T Bank Corp., said yesterday that it has acquired Pikesville-based brokerage firm Peremel & Co. from PNC Investments LLC. M&T will operate the business as a standalone investment center under the M&T name at its current location on Reisterstown Road. The brokerage, which has eight employees, has 6,000 customers and $700 million in assets, M&T said. M&T Bank Corp. is a bank holding company for banking subsidiary M&T Bank, which operates branches in seven states, including Maryland, and Washington.

TELEVISION 1.American Idol (Tuesday), Fox 2.American Idol (Wednesday), Fox 3.Survivor, CBS 4.Lost, ABC 5.Extreme Makeover Home Edition, ABC FILMS 1. Horton Hears a Who!, Fox 2.10,000 B.C., Warner Bros. 3.Never Back Down, Summit Entertainment 4.College Road Trip, Disney 5.Vantage Point, Sony SINGLES 1.Love in This Club, Usher featuring Young Jeezy 2.With You, Chris Brown 3.Low, Flo Rida featuring T-Pain 4.Love Song, Sara Bareilles 5.Don't Stop the Music, Rihanna ALBUMS 1.Good Time, Alan Jackson 2.Sleep Through the Static, Jack Johnson 3.Discipline, Janet Jackson 4.Float, Flogging Molly 5.Warpaint, The Black Crowes DVDS (SALES)

HONOLULU -- Every shot brought a tough decision. Every swing brought an unpredictable result. K.J. Choi never imagined having to work so hard in paradise, even with a four-stroke lead in the Sony Open. When he finally calmed his nerves and his putting stroke, however, he wound up as the champion. Choi survived the blustery conditions at Waialae and a spirited charge by Rory Sabbatini, closing with a 1-over-par 71 for a three-shot victory yesterday that put him in elite company. It was Choi's fourth straight year with a PGA Tour win, joining Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh with active streaks that long.

Imagine a television set so thin that you could roll it up and carry it in your briefcase. It's not as far off as you might think. The Sony Corp. is now selling a futuristic TV in Japan that is only about an eighth of an inch thick - that's one notch on a tailor's tape measure. The new television sets, which began arriving in Japanese stores this month, have an 11-inch screen and cost 200,000 yen (almost $1,800), said Jon Reilly, a product marketing manager at Sony Electronics. The sets replace the bulky backlighting of typical LCD televisions with a thin film that glows with colors even when viewed from the side.

Michelle Wie might start her 2008 season in Hawaii, but not at the Sony Open. Wie, who has played the PGA event every year since 2004, did not receive one of the four unrestricted sponsor exemptions, tournament director Ray Stosik said yesterday. Swing coach David Leadbetter said the 18-year-old from Honolulu likely would ask for exemptions at one or both of the LPGA events in Hawaii that begin the women's golf season in February. He also said competition against the men would probably be on hold until Wie gets her health and her game back together.

HEROES: SEASON ONE Universal Studios Home Entertainment -- $59.98 A comic-book artist who draws future calamities. A Japanese office worker who can manipulate space and time. An online stripper with superhuman strength. A cop who can hear people's thoughts. A congressional candidate who can fly. A cheerleader who's invulnerable. 3:10 TO YUMA Sony -- $19.95 Glenn Ford and Van Heflin star in this measured, thoughtful rumination on Old West civility and honor, even in the face of lawlessness and desperation.