CES - Sony unveils new gadgets in celebrity revue

By Franklin Paul and Kiyoshi Takenaka

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Sony Corp introduced on Thursday a bendable video screen, a Wi-Fi camera and eyeglasses that display movies, saying the industry must keep innovating in the midst of a severe economic slump.

The Japanese firm, which pioneered the Walkman and once dominated the high-end electronics marketplace, is hoping a swathe of new products will spur spending and lift its consumer division out of a business malaise.

On Thursday, Chief Executive Howard Stringer demonstrated a range of new devices at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, including a flexible OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screen playing a video of singer Beyonce.

Sony in 2007 launched the world's first OLED TV, which is slimmer, more energy efficient, and offers crispier pictures than liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs. The bendable OLED screen, which is still in the development stage, would offer flexibility in design, making possible such applications as wearable displays.

Stringer and Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks also demonstrated prototype eyeglasses with built-in video screens that can show full-length movies.

Besides Hanks, other celebrities who cameo-ed at Stringer's keynote speech included R&B singer Usher and baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, underscoring a unique business structure that combines the world's leading electronics conglomerate and entertainment group under one roof.

Sony said on Wednesday sales of some of its best-selling products exceeded expectations during the U.S. holiday season.

"No drop in the economy can change the fact that this is still one of the most innovative industries on the face of the planet," Stringer said during the day's first event.