Betreff: JULES VERNE : SONY EQUIPMENT SUPPORTING KINGFISHER2'S RECORD BID AND PROVIDES ON-BOARD ENTERTAINMENT FOR ELLEN AND HER CREW....
Absender: "Team Kingfisher"
Datum: 08. Feb 2003 12:59
* SONY PRODUCTS go down a storm on board KINGFISHER2 - "Several times I have made the journey from one hull to the other and seen 5 or 6 Sony Clie's in action in one go - they are absolutely perfect for what we are doing here, private and functional," Ellen MacArthur....
* SONY provided each crew with the new SONY CLIE handheld before they departed on KINGFISHER2's non-stop round the world Jules Verne record attempt so the crew could send emails, listen to music or even watch videos in the comfort of their own bunks!
* The SONY CLIE's operate using Wireless LAN technology - the first time this system has been utilised on board a racing boat...
* SONY have also provided IT and digital imaging equipment including VAIO notebooks and DV cameras with custom-made waterproof housing.
Go to
http://www.comet.co.uk/cometbrowse/jsp/makelink.jsp?url=/comet/content/promotions/ellen/html/ellen.htm&zone=eCometZone to enter the Comet competition to win some top prizes including Ellen MacArthur's autiobiography 'Taking on the World' plus a SONY CLIE...
IN DETAIL:
Just a few weeks before the KINGFISHER2 left France on their non-stop round the world Jules Verne record attempt, Sony came on board as a new Performance Partner to Offshore Challenges providing the latest Sony IT and digital imaging equipment for Ellen MacArthur and her crew on KINGFISHER2.
The equipment provided a wireless network on board for the first time, the display all the digital information the crew needs in their bid to break the 64-day Jules Verne record and enabled it to reindex in contact with its UK base, families, supporters and the media at all times. The wireless network has been created between the VAIO notebooks and CLIE handhelds using Wireless LAN technology. This means that crew members, who are each equipped with a CLIE, may now communicate more easily with land at all times and transfer moving and still images to the media centre at the touch of a button.
A couple of days ago Ellen sent back this email: "Just thought I should send a note back to you guys to tell you what a blinding success the Sony Clie's are...even the most sceptical initially are now using them regularly. Be it for emails, music or even the films. I never thought I would find Hervé Jan lying in his bunk watching 'The Holy Grail'! Several times have made the journey from one hull to the other and seen 5 or 6 Clie's in action in one go. They are absolutely perfect for what we are doing here, private and functional. Even completely waterproof once they are in their cases!"
Offshore Challenges, the company set up by Ellen MacArthur and business partner Mark Turner to manage their sailing events, recognised that Sony was the perfect fit for them with its breadth of high quality products and compatible technology. After several discussions concerning the boats technological needs, a partnership agreement was reached.
Four VAIO notebooks (PCG-GRX series) sit in the nerve centres of each hull and are split into two groups: the first group is uploaded with charts of the world for navigation and weather information while one in the second group is connected to the mast to gauge the strain on it so the boat can be pushed to the limit. The two Video Walkman models (GV-D1000E) make up the media centre where KINGFISHER2 crew member, Andrew Preece who is responsible for on-board image production and communication, will upload information and images to be transmitted via satellite to sites that may be accessed by the media and sponsors. Six microphones (ECM-77B) and webcams (assisted by Sony cameras) installed throughout the boat will also monitor all conversations and provide live pictures of the boat.
In addition two professional Sony TRV-950 camcorders with sports and underwater housing have been provided to record high-quality footage, while four single chip camcorders and two digital stills cameras will be used by the crew to record video diaries and store their own memories of the trip. This footage will also be used in video news releases sent to TV programmes worldwide for the duration of the race and will be included in the BBC documentary that will be broadcast shortly after the finish of the record record attempt. The CLIE handhelds will also live up to their name of entertainment device as they will be supplied with Memory Sticks storing films and music as well as giving the crew access to news websites.
"We are pleased to support this important sailing challenge and provide the crew with the means to set up their first on-board wireless network," commented Roy Dickens, Marketing Development Manager at Sony. "It is also a great opportunity for us to demonstrate how our products work together and what this type of connectivity can achieve. This is a highly competent sailing team and it is a privilege to support them in a way that will make a significant difference to their trip."
ENDS
For further information, vist http://www.teamkingfisher.com/sony
For further information about KINGFISHER2 and the Jules Verne record attempt, visit http://www.teamkingfisher.com
About Sony
Sony manufactures audio, video, communications and information technology products for the global consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, game and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to become a leading personal broadband entertainment company in the 21st century. In Europe, Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of EUR 14.90 billion (yen 1,473,780 million) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001, based on an average market exchange rate for the same period of yen 98.9 to the EUR. Sony Europe, headquartered at the Sony center, Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, is responsible for the company’s European electronics business and registered consolidated sales of EUR 10.37 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001. Sony United Kingdom Limited was founded in 1968 and is responsible for the hardware areas of Sony’s UK business, incorporating consumer, broadcast & professional, computer peripherals & components and recording media & energy products, as well as all UK manufacturing.
For more information on Sony United Kingdom Limited, please visit: www.sony.co.uk
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