Live from Sony's (first) CES 2009 press event

It's Sony's answer to the netbook: its latest very slim P-series Vaio. But even that is taking a backseat to none other than Jeopardy!, another Sony property, complete with Alex Trebek live and in person.

Jacqueline Emigh, 4:39 pm PST: The show begins with Sony Senior Vice President for Communications Rick Clancy speaking, after having been introduced by none other than Alex Trebek. They're filming Jeopardy! at the booth next door.

Next, the head of Sony's US electronics division, Stan Glasgow, introduces products. "I don't have to tell you that the last few months were very challenging," Glasgow began. "There were moments that I found myself struggling to be optimistic."

While US sales were down, for the holidays, Bravia TVs and several other products exceeded expectations, he went on.

Angela Gunn, 4:48 pm PST: Glasgow had an amazingly honest moment right up front, talking about how the economy these past few months was "staggering" and "disorienting."

JE, 4:43 pm PST: "We are also taking the lead in the US with Internet TV," Glasgow added.

Sony's display at CES this year will be divided into two areas. One is "Out-of-Home," where the company will showcase products like its Walkman X series with integrated Wi-Fi and noise cancellation. Another is the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 handset.

Sony will introduce the W508 Walkman at CES, along with a new Cybershot camera with noise cancellation, and five new digital photo frames.

The new HDR-520V camcorder will include a 240 GB hard drive. And another new personal camcorder series called the "Webbie HD" will support MPEG-4 compression on-board, picture motion browser software, 5x optical zoom, and 20x digital zoom. That model will be available starting tonight at Sony Style stores. A second model will ship in the spring.

JE, 4:48 pm PST: Glasgow then introduces the Sony Vaio P-series computer. It fits in a purse or jacket pocket, unlike many other netbooks, and it features Wi-Fi and cellular wireless access with an option for Verizon Wireless. It also includes the Xross Media Bar made popular on the PS3.

AG, 4:49 pm PST: It weighs about 1.4 pounds, and is about the size of a business envelope. It includes 3G broadband, Bluetooth, and 802.11. Pre-orders for the device will begin tonight online and in Sony Stores.

Seriously, people were cooing. I saw it before the presentation kicked off, and it's insanely small. My only caveat is the chiclet-style keyboard.

JE, 4:51 pm PST: In the "In Home" area at the opposite end of Sony, Glasgow says, "HD is in everything we do." Blu-ray is doing well, he reports, adding "PS3 is driving everything we do."

"In the home, virtually all products need a great display. Last year, we shipped the world's first organic LED TV. It was gratifying to see this reaction, [just] gratifying."

This year, the company will be introducing more OLED TVs, including one with a 0.9-inch display. Sony will have more to say about this during its keynote address tomorrow, Glasgow said.

AG, 4:55 pm PST: How funny, considering that Sharp said flat-out at noon that OLED "still has a way to go" before prime time.

JE, 4:55 pm PST: "When other people talk about green computing, it's just talk." Now, Sony is reading its Eco series of green TVs. They use a hot cathode fluorescent lamp (HSFL), and an eco-switch for zero-watt consumption. They'll join three other new Bravia models.

AG, 4:56 pm PST: Sony did the recycling-partner thing last year, so they're that much ahead. It's new goal: For every pound of product created, a pound of waste will be recycled.

And especially to make some readers' heads explode, we speak now of environmental programs -- a slew of them, best delineated when we're not so much in a rush. For now, think "Eco Bravia" -- six environmentally aware sets in all, plus tons of support tech.

Bravia's Internet video technology will be built into its new top-of-the-line XBR9 sets -- "interactivity integral." Glasgow had an earlier model at his own home, and is clearly an actual fan.

JE, 4:59 pm PST: Sony added its Internet link module two years ago, and was the first to stream video from YouTube, etc. Now Sony is building that Internet link directly into Bravia, in new models available in the spring. The Eco Bravias will be available later in the summer, and these too will be supported by Internet Widgets from Yahoo.

AG, 5:01 pm PST: Yahoo widgets are the stealth partnership of the day, and here we hear them again. Perhaps widget are the company's true calling post-Yang.

JE, 5:02 pm PST: There's a hint that CEO Sir Howard Stringer will also have a 3-D-related announcement during tomorrow morning's Sony keynote.