Sony slashes prices of its Android smartphones

Now owning Sony Xperia Android smartphones like Xperia SL, U, Sola, Go and Neo L gets even more affordable.

Sony India has slashed prices of its popular Xperia Android smartphones. The price cut has been announced for devices such as Sony Xperia SL, Xperia U, Xperia Sola, Xperia GO and Xperia Neo L. These devices are now available at much lower price as compared to what they were launched or were earlier selling at.

The Sony Xperia SL, which was earlier selling at Rs 28,990, is now available for Rs 25,990. Similarly Sony Xperia U is now available for Rs 13,990, Xperia Neo L is available for Rs 14,990 and both the Xperia Go and Xperia Sola are now available for Rs 14,590.


The reduction in price of the devices will certainly give a boost to the sales of these devices this year. Along with that Sony is also set to lunch its latest Xperia Z smartphone later this year.

Going forth, it is also expected that Sony might announce a price reduction for devices such as the Sony Xperia S and the Sony Xperia Ion.

After the acquisition of Ericsson, Sony had announced a new sales strategy and the past year saw the launch of quite a few Android smartphones under its Xperia brand including the popular Sony Tipo which currently is the cheapest Android smartphone of Sony.

India is fourth largest revenue earner for Sony

India has emerged as the fourth-largest revenue earner for Sony Corp — after the US, China and Japan — raking in over Rs 6,000 crore during April-December 2011, the company announced on Tuesday. It pipped Brazil and Russia to climb up from sixth position in previous fiscal year.

In contrast, Sony Corp reported a 9.6% fall in sales for the year ending March 31, 2012 to 6.49 trillion yen. Its net loss also widened to 456.7 billion yen in the year.

Although Sony attributed the rise of India on revenue ladder to the demand for its televisions (it sold 9lakh sets last fiscal , a 20% rise in revenue) and smartphones, which recorded a 50% rise in revenue, the economic slowdown elsewhere also impacted the new rankings. The company, which has reported seven consecutive quarterly losses globally, is expecting a 30-40 % growth in India this fiscal year.

"We can't expect huge growth on a worldwide basis and have to focus on emerging markets like India and Brazil," Masashi Imamura, senior vicepresident , corporate executive, told reporters. Added Kunimasa Suzuki, president and CEO, Sony Mobile, "CEO Kazuo Hirai and I are spending more time on the India market." However, the company said it had no immediate plans to set up a manufacturing facility in India, unlike its Korean or Japanese competitors .

"If it is needed, we would think about it, but at the moment there is no plan," said Imamura. "We can still manage with 100% imports," added Sony India MD Kenichiro Hibi.

To improve penetration and take on its Korean competitors, Sony is coming out with an "affordable range" of products, basically TV sets, between April and June. The prices will be comparable to those of Samsung and LG but Sony India MD Kenichiro Hibi insisted they were not joining a price war. "We will maintain our premium brand even at the entry level ," he said.

NSE to launch Nifty futures on Japanese exchange next year

The National Stock Exchange ( NSE), the country's leading bourse, will launch yen-denominated Nifty futures on the Osaka Securities Exchange by March next year, a move that will provide Japanese investors exposure to Indian equities.
Osaka Securities Exchange (OSE) is part of Japan Exchange Group (JPX).

The NSE and JPX have entered into an agreement for launching S&P CNX Nifty Futures on OSE.

"This is the first time that retail and institutional investors in Japan will be able to take a view on the Indian markets, in addition to current ETFs, in their own currency and in their own time zone," the NSE said in a joint statement today.

Investors would therefore not face any currency risk, because they would not have to invest in dollar denominated or rupee denominated contracts, it said.
NSE's Managing Director & CEO Ravi Narain and JPX Group CEO Atsushi Saito signed a "letter of intent" for the proposed launch.
The yen-denominated S&P CNX Nifty futures would be listed on the OSE by March 2014.
"Yen denominated S&P CNX Nifty futures contracts will help investors in Japan to effectively diversify their portfolios in their own currency," Narain said.

He said the new contract would help small investors as well as large asset management companies to take a view on a high growth market like India and reap the benefits of a globally diversified portfolio.
According to Saito, Japanese investors have been showing increasing interest in India.

"...JPX and NSE have built a close co-operative relationship, which has already born the fruit of two ETFs that track the S&P CNX Nifty Index listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange [TSE]," Saito added.
Japan Exchange Group, Inc is a holding company established on January 1, 2013 as a result of the business combination between Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Securities Exchange, a prominent derivatives exchange of Japan.

India Yamaha Motor gives R15 Version 2.0 more colour

India Yamaha Motor has launched four new colour variants of its R15 Version 2.0 motorcycle to drive sales.

Speaking about the new variants, Roy Kurian, National Business Head, India Yamaha Motor, said: “Since its launch the R15 version 2.0 has gained immense popularity. Our strategic intent is to provide customers with stylish variants to suit their personalities. We have launched the R15 Version 2.0 in a complete new look in terms of colour and graphics and are confident that these variants will be an instant hit among biking enthusiasts.”

While the new Thundering Green (Special Edition) R15 Version 2.0 costs Rs 112,750, the Racing Blue (Motogp edition) is priced at Rs 113,750 and the Raring Red (Standard colour) and Invincible Black (Standard colour) have a sticker price of Rs 110,750 (all prices ex-showroom Delhi).

JNTO launches Winter Gifts Promotion campaign

Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has announced the launch of its “Winters Gifts Promotion” campaign for its’ Indian Facebook page fans. The campaign is open to Facebook Page users in India from December 22, 2012 – February 28, 2013. 

To take part in the contest, the participants will have to answer to a set of six questions (four quiz questions) after registering themselves at the “Visit Japan from India” Facebook Page. 

At the end of the campaign, the winners will win a prize from a choice of seven souvenirs which includes Evangelion Figure, a famous Japanese Manga character; a Fortune Cat; 2 Thermos Handy Bottles; 5 Shinkansen’s mug cups, 5 mouse pads with Japanese scenery; 5 traditional toys “Akabeko” from Fukushima Prefecture and 5 iPhone Pouches made from Japanese traditional beautiful texture. 

Reflecting on this initiative,  Motonari Adachi, Executive Director, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), Singapore Office, said, “With an increasing number of people adopting social networking platform as a medium of communication in the Indian market, we are pleased to initiate “Winter Gifts Promotion” for our Facebook page fans. 

The page provides an excellent platform to explore and learn interesting facts about destination Japan and simultaneously stand a chance to win exciting prizes. This is a second such opportunity which JNTO has organized exclusively for Indian fans.”

JNTO’s Facebook page features latest tourism trends and visitor information on Japan, interesting travel tips and reviews by experts, destination images and videos besides links to promotional materials by JNTO. 

Sony launches full-frame RX1, a99 cameras in India

As part of the Consumer Electronics Imaging Fair (CEIF) 2013 in New Delhi, Sony India has launched nine cutting-edge high-end camera models across categories. The new models include full-frame DSLRs and compact mirorless models.

Taking forward the success of its DSC-RX100, Sony's new DSC-RX1 has a 35mm full-frame sensor and wide aperture F2 fixed-focal lens into a very compact camera body.

Much smaller and lighter than any full-frame DSLR, the Cyber-shot RX1 offers superb imaging quality thanks to its fixed lens. The camera comes with full manual control options and are easy to operate.

The RX1 will cost Rs 1,79,990.
Sony has also launched its a99, the World's first Translucent Mirror camera. This camera comes with a 24.3MP full-frame 35mm Exmor CMOS sensor paired with an advanced BIONZ image processing engine. The camera also promises superb video shooting and unmatched sound quality.

The a99 will also cost Rs 179,990.

At the same price, NEX-VG900E is a Full HD camcorder with interchangeable lens capability. A uniquely designed product aimed at professional videographers, the camera will have a full-frame 24.3 MP Exmor CMOS sensor. This sensor is twice the size of the APS-C sized sensor found in other interchangeable lens Handycam models.

Sony's latest in the NEX series, the NEX 5R and NEX 6, have also made their way into India and will cost Rs 39,990 and Rs 49,990, respectively.

Kenichiro Hibi, MD, Sony India said the new Full-Frame Imaging sensor camera range from Sony is very high-end and an option for professional quality cameras.

2012 grosses Rs 900 million in India

Sony Pictures' 2012 has crossed the Rs 900 million mark in India to become the highest-grossing Hollywood film ever to make it so big in the country.
In India, the film has had its widest release ever for a Hollywood film with a total of 766 prints in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. 2012 continues to run successfully in all centres in its sixth week.

The film surpassed the previous record-holder Spider-Man 3 that grossed
Rs 680 million, back in 2007.
In its opening weekend, thanks to 90 per cent plus occupancy figures in all centres, gross box-office figures were second only to Spider-Man 3, despite the film not being part of a known franchise. By the end of the first week, the film registered the highest Hollywood opening ever, putting it well on its way to creating new records at the Indian box office.

Said Sony Pictures India managing director Kercy Daruwala, "Our approach to marketing and distributing this film was to engage all sections of the audience, multiplex as well as single screen, metros as well as small towns, much like any large scale Indian film.
"We believe this approach paid off by bringing in audiences who may not generally watch Hollywood films. 2012 has indisputably changed the face of the movie business in India and made Hollywood films a force to reckon with, setting a benchmark in the industry. It will undoubtedly be among the top films of the year in India, in any language."

Sony Pictures India released 2012 across the world on 13 November. Directed by Roland Emmerich who has directed films like Godzilla, Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and 10000 BC, the film reveals the director's vision of the apocalypse that is expected to occur in 2012.