Pretty Sony projector weakened by dark Chipzilla video

ELECTRONIC GIANTS Chipzilla and Sony surprised me by having a joint. I mean a joint booth. I'm not sure the result was better than the booth Sony had on display two years ago.

IntelSony booth. Too much empty space for my taste

Overall, I found the Sony booth a bit less attractive than on previous editions. A pair of booth babes had centrino notebooks in their hands, which was a nice change from the "locked-down glass boxes" of two years ago, but there are fewer models on display. I spoke with Mariano Yannattone and he showed me one of Sony's highlights at the show, the VPL-EX3 projector.

Sony notebook showing the Chipzilla promotional video
Too many black backgrounds, didn't make Sony's projector shine...
You can see on the notebook screen that the images being projected won't make any projector shine...

The VPL-EX3 is a very nice projector. Which really shines
when the material being shown isn't dark.
Thumbs up: The expo "special price" was very attractive

When I asked what notebook were they showing there plugged to the VPL-EX3, he told me "it's a small, entry level system", followed by "our emphasis here is the projector". So I focused on the VPLEX3, read the specs sheet, and found that it was indeed an attractive offering. If you are looking for a LCD projector, be sure to consider this one. It can be used "mobile" attached to a notebook, and is also ceiling mountable for fixed locations. The VPL-EX3 supports a 1024x768 resolution and its output is a maximum of 2000 ANSI Lumen, while the output can be switched between "high" -2000- and "standard" -1500 lumen- modes based on the need given the room's light conditions.

VPL-EX3 leaflet handed on Sony's booth

Retailing for around $1,110 (£589) in the U.S., it is being offered during the show down here at 4599 pesos which is around $1483 USD (£786) at today's exchange rate, and that price includes the 21% VAT. Plus, Sony is including a replacement lamp at no charge -which is worth around £280. A very good deal indeed, specially taking into account import duties and all. However, Sony's leaflet warned that they have only 20 units in stock at this special price. There's only one and a half days left for those of you reading this down under.

When I hinted the Sony manager if he could switch the video to one which has brighter images and real-life backgrounds -the one from Intel did have bright images and coloured backgrounds, yet briefly- he said Sony had to show Chipzilla's PR video. "Well... this is a joint booth with Intel...". µ

See Also
Argentina, reversal of fortune
An IT/Telecomms expo where?
Expocomm Argentina 2005 coverage
Expocomm Argentina 2004 coverage