Sony (NYSE:SNE) disappointed me earlier this week with its anti-piracy disaster, and I'm trying hard to get past that as I ponder its latest announcement. The company has baffled me with many of its recent less-than-stellar moves, and I was equally mystified today when the company unveiled plans for a free voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) product. Say what?
I settled down a bit after digging past the headlines to get the real scoop. Telephones would be an odd fit among Sony's host of consumer product lines, but this is actually a videophone service, which makes a bit more sense.
The new service, not-so-catchily dubbed Instant Video Everywhere, will be bundled on Sony's new Vaio BX laptops. The computers come equipped with built-in video cameras, which should make the transition to videophone easy for any interested users.
Sony's plan is another sign of VoIP's increasing importance, most recently underlined by eBay's (NASDAQ:EBAY) acquisition of Skype. It's not exactly groundbreaking, though. Plenty of other companies have computer-based video and voice chat already available or on the drawing board, including Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO), Time Warner's (NYSE:TWX) America Online, and Apple Computer's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iChat.
Sure, Sony's video chat add-on shows that the company is interested in one of the hottest ideas around. But given Sony's ongoing massive restructuring efforts, and the anti-piracy shenanigans that may have eroded their customers' trust, the company's VoIP efforts might end up overshadowed by larger concerns.
Time Warner and eBay are longtime Motley Fool Stock Advisor picks. To get the full list of recommended stocks from David and Tom Gardner -- including the latest picks -- sign up today for a 30-day free trial.
Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.
