With Christmas just right around the corner, Sony presented a dazzling showcase of their latest and finest products and technologies at the SMX Convention Center last December 5 to 7, 2008. Visitors were treated to a variety of interactive displays and games, each allowing everyone the opportunity to experience Sony’s technologies first-hand. The Manila event was a follow up to the successful Sony Expo held in Cebu last November, an event which also kicked off Sony’s Christmas Treasures campaign.

                                             Anyone can get in for free! Yay!

For those who didn’t make it there last weekend, don’t worry; Hardware Zone has you covered. More pictures after the jump!

                                             Here’s Sony Philippines President and Managing Director Mr. Toshiya Kagita taking the stage to introduce the crowd to Sony’s array of World Breakthroughs and Christmas Treasures.

                                             Sony’s VAIO line of laptop PCs are designed to suit any lifestyle, as proven here by the winners of Sony’s “I Am VAIO” endorser search held earlier this year.

                                             Special guest star and Sony Cyber-shot brand ambassador, Ms. KC Concepcion graced the Expo to talk more about the latest Cyber-shot models and their technologies, as well as to award the winner of Sony’s “My First Sony Experience” blogging contest with a brand-spankin’ new Sony Cyber-shot T700.

                                             Speaking of Sony’s blogging contest, here’s the big winner, cleverly taking advantage of the stage time with the lovely Ms. Concepcion.

                                             There were also live musical performances from Sony BMG bands, such as Roots of Nature (above), Callalily, and the Itchyworms.

                                              But now, let’s move on to the more exciting parts of the show – the gear! The first thing that greeted Expo visitors was Sony’s exhibit of their World Breakthrough products – a selection of products and prototypes that Sony introduced this year. Let’s take a closer look:

                                             What you’re looking at is the profile of the world’s thinnest LCD TV, the Sony BRAVIA ZX1.

                                             Here’s the world’s only noise-cancelling portable music player, the Sony Walkman NWZ-S730.

                                             Also on display was the Sony MDR-NC500D, which Sony hails as the world’s first digital noise-cancelling headphones.

                                             The Sony HDR-TG1 is the world’s smallest and lightest full HD camcorder (as of October 2008).

                                            The 13.9mm Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 is not only a thing of beauty, it’s also the slimmest camera to feature a built-in optical image stabilizer.

                                             A fixture in so many tech expositions and events throughout the year, the Sony XEL-1 is a sign of things to come in the world of entertainment as the world’s first organic panel OLED TV.

                                             Sony’s champion in the realm of digital photography, the α900 is boasts the world’s highest megapixel count among full-frame digital SLR cameras with 24.6 megapixels.

                                             The world’s first notebooks to feature built-in noise-canceling technology belong in Sony’s VAIO T series.

                                             Pushing entertainment ever forward, Sony’s BRAVIA X series offers the world’s first RGB LED-backlit LCD TVs for the modern home.

                                             Last but not least, the Z series of Sony BRAVIA LCD TVs provides astonishing visual quality as the world’s first Motionflow 240Hz LCD TV.

                                             Sony’s HD World was also on showcase, providing previews and demos of the latest innovations when it comes to entertainment in high definition.

                                             The Sony VAIO TP3 is a full-fledged PC that sends home entertainment going full circle. This particular model, the VGX-TP3G goes for about 90 grand.

                                              All you want for Christmas? Why not?

                                             Any array of BRAVIA LCD TVs – much less this one, which offers the TVs at a discount – should get anyone’s mouth watering…

                                             Speedy charging and a battery life that can last up to 28 hours (!) make Sony Walkman E series a treat to portable music lovers.

                                             Meanwhile, the Sony Walkman B series guarantees super-deep bass levels thumping straight into your skull.

                                             Video capable Walkmans (Walkmen?) were also on display, such as these, which are also labeled under the E series.

                                            How about kickin’ it old-school for a bit? With these Sony stereo systems, you can relive the good ol’days of the boombox.

                                             Or maybe a round of karaoke is more your style. The Sony Sparkling KiKS showcase even let some of the guests take on the mic for all to hear.

                                             Of course, not to be outdone is the whole shebang of Sony Ericsson mobile phones, as shown by these examples.

                                             More on the up-and-coming digital entertainment front: The Sony DHZ-AZ77DBT is a mini HiFi system equipped with Bluetooth connectivity.

                                             For the gearheads, there was also showcase of Sony’s Xplod car head units and speaker systems.

                                             There were also a pair of cars already decked out, Sony Xplod-style. Here’s one of them.

                                             Of course, what’s a car showcase without the lovely ladies to show them off?

                                             Over at another showcase, Sony’s IPELA line of professional-grade surveillance cameras showed off their worth. Several units were already installed inside the Sony Expo venue and transmitted visuals on the booth’s big screens.

                                            Sony VAIO unsurprisingly had its own section, and it was among the most popular throughout the event.

                                             The Sony VAIO showcase included setups simulating real-world settings where the VAIO laptops could be ideal tools. Here’s one depicting the interior of an airplane, suggesting in-flight use.

                                             Another popular stop was the Digital Imaging section, where Sony’s many sorts of Handycam camcorders and Cyber-shot cameras were showcased and demoed.

                                             Go ahead, take your pic pick!

                                            Here’s something to complete the Sony digital imaging experience: a Sony digital picture frame!

                                             Sony’s range of α DSLR cameras had their own special showcase. Here are the specs and highlights of the monster α900.

                                             While here are displays of accessories and upgrades for Sony Alpha users.

Well, that about wraps up our photo coverage, but we’re not done talking about the Sony Expo yet!

Sony still has a merry holiday treat for their loyal patrons – especially those who took part and attended the Sony Expo itself: they’re staging another phase to their consumer blogging contest, where up for grabs is a brand new VAIO C series laptop! If you’re interested, all you have to do is to write a creative blog entry talking about the breakthrough products on display during the Sony Expo 2008. More details can be found at www.sony.com.ph. Good luck!