Netbooks boom leads to Sony, Harvey Norman partnership

Peter Dinham
Monday, 27 July 2009 13:44

IT Industry - Market

Sony and Harvey Norman have opened their standalone kiosk – or “VAIO Village” as it’s called - in Sydney’s Westfield Bondi Junction. Harvey Norman executive chairman, Gerry Harvey, said today initiatives like the VAIO Village provided an interactive product experience and “help to lower barriers to purchase, as well as drive sales.

“It’s the right time for Harvey Norman to partner with Sony to capitalise on this growth,” Norman said.

Sony Australia’s managing director, Carl Rose, said that the use of social networking sites was going from strength to strength in Australia, and he maintained that with popularity at an all time high, people were looking for “convenience and mobility to get online and check their Facebook page, update their Twitter or view the latest videos on YouTube.”

Companies like Sony, Rose said, were building notebook PCs with this in mind, ensuring lightweight, portable designs and simple navigation to functions like the Internet and in-built cameras.

“As usage increases, consumers look to personalise their notebook experience, so it’s about delivering the right mix of models, designs and colour variations to complement each individual’s style.

“The VAIO range in 2009 offers products that suit a variety of consumer needs, including home entertainment hubs and portable, ultra-small PCs that are ideal for social networking on the go. The VAIO Village offers all these choices in the one place, for consumers to easily trial and decide which one best suits their lifestyle,” Rose said.
 
In support of Sony and Harvey Norman, Microsoft’s Jeff Putt claims, in fact, that 7.5 million Australians have a Windows Live ID with their Hotmail or Messenger logins, “giving them easy access to a single aggregation point for their favourite social networking sites.”

“Social networking is growing exponentially with sites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace becoming mainstream methods of communication and fun social interaction for millions. It’s great to see the 2009 VAIO range provide innovative, lightweight and fully-functioning Windows notebooks which are ideal for people who want to stay connected to their social networks on the move.”