Tom Hanks Makes Surprise Visit at Sony Presentation

Tom Hanks insisted he wasn’t at CES solely to promote his upcoming Sony Pictures release “Angels & Demons” but rather, as repentance for choosing to buy VHS instead of a Sony Betamax, so many years ago. Hanks’ introduction of Sony chairman Sir Howard Stringer got attendees laughing during a conference that has also included the pall of the global recession hanging over the consumer electronics industry.

Stringer talked about some of Sony’s new developments including Flex, a screen so thin one can squeeze it — and Stringer did. We tweeted much of the event (click here to follow us) that was held at the Venetian/Sands convention center, we’re headed now to the LVCC to catch up with CNN.com SVP and GM KC Estenson.

• Stringer: Oled tech makes screen so thin it will fold. Flex “could be the e-leader.” Squeezes Beyonce video. “Good thing Jay-Z isn’t here.”

• Stringer: Sony Web alarm clock to incorporate music, video, news headlines including, “from my alma mater CBS News.”

• Stringer: Intros Wifi cybershot camera. AT&T users get free access from 10,000 hotspots to send pictures wirelessly to blogs, other sites.

• Stringer lists the “CES 7″ initiatives including: Be be a service enhanced industry or face obsolescence & “Advance the shared experience.”

• Stringer: These are certainly challenging times. Our products need to me must-haves at affordable prices.

• Hanks is a hit as he leaves the stage. “I feel the evil forces of Samsung pulling me away. Don’t send me to the Casio hellhole.”

• Stringer about Hanks: “We’ll still be friends after the movie.” Hanks: “I’m here because you keep writing it into my contract.”

• Hanks delivers Sony-is-great speech, jokingly, begrudgingly “They write the lines but I tell the truth.”

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.