Sony Corporation

(NetworkNewsWire) Until recently, virtual reality was typically the stuff of science fiction, a concept so innovative and unusual that it seemed highly unlikely to become reality anytime soon. For years, the concept remained almost exclusively tied to the futuristic images depicted by movies such as TRON or The Lawnmower Man. However, with rapid technological advancements in recent years, and due to the efforts of companies such as Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), with its Oculus VR, and Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE), with its PlayStation VR, virtual reality has now become a part of our day-to-day lives, already having multiple applications in a number of industries, from health care to manufacturing, education, music, athletics and more.

Asian Activities Report for January 10, 2012 includes: Xinjiang Guanghui Industry (SHA:600256) has agreed to acquire 51% interest in an oil and gas block in Kazakhstan for US$200 million; Asian Citrus Holdings Limited (LON:ACHL) (HKG:0073) announces that the total winter orange crop yield of the Company's two operational plantations was approximately 171,607 tonnes, a 19.4% increase from the total winter orange crop yield in 2010; Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE) (TYO:6758) has unveiled its new XQD(TM) memory cards with up to 1 Gbps write and read speed; Suzuki Motor Corporation (TYO:7269) has showcased Ertiga, a three-row, seven-seater multi-purpose vehicle at the 11th Auto Expo 2012 in New Delhi.

Directors of GoConnect Ltd (ASX:GCN) are pleased to advise that the company's IPTV business channel, World Business Network, has just received approval from LG Inc. (SEO:066570) and has gone live on all LG Internet connected TVs sold globally. The World Business Network is available as a downloadable application on all Internet connected TVs of LG. It currently carries two programs, The Business Show, which distributes a series of sponsored business interviews conducted by Adam Shand, and the ABN Newswire business news programs.

Audio Pixels Holdings Limited (ASX:AKP) (PINK:ADPXY) is pleased to announce that it has signed a Joint Development Agreement with Sony Corporation (TYO:6758) (NYSE:SNE) of Japan for the development of its patented low cost micro-electro mechanical digital speakers.

Nintendo Co., Ltd (PINK:NTDOY) (OSA:7974) predicted a "rocket start" to U.S. sales of the 3DS handheld video-game player, boosted by the device's high-definition graphics and titles that showcase its features.

Wall Street overnight fell on the unexpected drop of the private sector employment data, which raised investors' concern over the key nonfarm payroll figures to be released on Friday. Asian markets were mostly lower Wednesday. Japan's Nikkei index closed slightly lower with a 0.1 per cent fall on the last day of the current fiscal year for most Japanese companies. China's Shanghai Composite and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index both lost 0.6 per cent. Today China is due to release PMI figures for the manufacturing sector.

Asian markets received a bad lead from the US and European stocks while financial, commodity and materials sectors were all hit hard. Most Asian stock markets ended down Thursday ahead of the U.S. jobs report. Japan's Nikkei fell on the deepening fears over Toyota Motor's vehicle recall. China's Shanghai Composite slipped 0.3%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gave up 1.8%.

US market was closed yesterday for public holiday. European shares gained on the back of higher commodity prices overnight. Asian markets ended mixed on Monday while traders are awaiting US corporate earnings. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.2%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 0.9%, China's Shanghai Composite rose 0.4%, South Korea's Kospi gained 0.6% and Taiwan's Taiex slipped 0.2%.

US stocks overnight rose overnight as investors were looking for positive corporate results to fuel the rally after a disappointing start of the earnings season. A brokerage upgrade of drugmaker Merck & Co and an upbeat outlook from Kraft Foods Inc has helped to lift the healthcare and consumer sectors. Financial shares also climbed during a hearing over the financial crisis on Capitol Hill.

Asian markets received a strong lead from Wall Street and mostly opened higher this morning. But gains were trimmed in Tokyo share market after a stronger yen weighed on Japanese exporters. Meanwhile, concerns over companies' massive capital raising plans continue to dent the local sentiment.