Sony has recorded a modest increase in quarterly profits amid a concerning outlook for the consumer electronics sector, it has emerged.

The impact of the credit crunch, weaker markets and the strength of the yen currency has dented international sales of the firm’s products, reports Reuters.

Holiday demand for Sony’s Cyber-shot digital cameras and its range of camcorders reportedly boosted sales for the quarter.

PC World recently lauded the firm’s new Alpha DSLR-A700 digital SLR camera as a deliverer of "exceptionally sharp, well-exposed shots" and good value for money, despite being slightly large in size.

Cutting production costs to the Playstation 3 meant Sony’s games division returned to profit, the news provider added.

The recent downturn in the stock market has reportedly led the firm to lower its operating profit forecast for the year to March from ¥450 billion (£2.13 billion) to ¥410 billion.

Takeshi Osawa, senior fund manager at Norinchukin Zenkyoren Asset Management told the new provider: "The US economic outlook is a cause of concern for its [Sony’s] consumer electronics business."

Sony has upgraded its Vaio laptop series which are built around Intel’s latest Core 2 Duo processors.

The VAIO AR60 series now features 4GB of RAM and has a 17 inch black screen built with two lamps. It features the Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 processor. The AR61 now also has an analogue DVB-T tuner and an HDMI output to make it into a multimedia machine.

Hidetoshi Takigawa, marketing director for Vaio of Europe, said: "With High Definition already shaping the future in so many ways, VAIO is ever-more focussed on HD performance. Better still, the clear advantage offered by the new Intel silicon is leveraged by Blu-ray Disc."

Weighing nearly four pounds and with an increased battery life, the SZ71 is being sold as an extremely mobile laptop. The TZ31 is even lighter at just 2.6 pounds and has a maximum battery life of seven hours.

Sony is a global manufacturer of audio, video, communications and information technology.

Canon has designed a new printer range aimed specifically at companies which operate in a small office space.

The new i-SENSYS LBP3310 and i-SENSYS LBP3370 allow for double suited printing in a range of styles specifically aimed at smaller businesses.

The LBP3310 model is a stand alone printer which offers networking capabilities and can take a number of different printer cartridges, while the LBP3370 boasts a built in Ethernet port- making it easy for companies to build the machine into a local area network.

Morgens Jensen, head of Canon consumer imaging, stated that the i-SENSYS range’s "compact design, high performance and reliability" have made it a "massive success" with small to medium businesses throughout the UK.

"The i-SENSYS LBP3310 and i-SENSYS LBP3370 complete an extensive portfolio of mono laser printers that caters for a variety of business users - from home office to busy workgroup," he continued.

Meanwhile, Canon printers will soon arrive in stores bearing a green label advertising their eco-friendly features.

Printers which make up the Generation Green brand include the Pixma and Selphy photo inkjets.

The 2008 Lumix-LZ series has been unveiled by consumer electronics firm Panasonic.

The LZ10 and LZ8 models are intended to maximise the digital photography experience through power, performance and quality, Panasonic said.

Born out of a partnership with Leica, the devices feature wide-angle lenses capable of expansive scenic shots, the firm noted.

The cameras come with a 2.5-inch LCD screen with 230,000 dot high-resolution that is easy to use when taking shots over a crowd of people or a tall object due to the software’s high angle mode.

Professional features are added to a user-friendly and affordable digital camera in the new 2008 Lumix LZ-series, said Alex Fried, national marketing manager of imaging for Panasonic.

"Panasonic’s commitment to research and innovation, our partnership with Leica, and our dedication to providing our consumers with the technologies they need to take professional-quality images resulted in an extraordinary feat with the 2008 Lumix LZ-Series," he added.

The firm’s Viera 2007 range featuring LCD and Plasma screen televisions are among the range of products viewable at Panasonic’s website.

Novel colour multifunctional products (MFPs) have been launched by digital office equipment provider Ricoh, it has emerged.

The firm has released details of its Aficio MP C6000 and MP C7500 digital imaging systems this week, which are designed for commercial printing and graphic houses.

Both products offer print speeds of 55 pages a minute with black and white documents at 600 dots per inch and internal calibrations to maintain toner consistency, Ricoh revealed.

The Aficio MP C6000/C7500 series claims to enable users to incorporate colour into their documents on a cost-effective basis.

Ron Potesky, vice president of corporate product marketing at Ricoh, commented: "These digital imaging systems give businesses the opportunity to invigorate their document world with colour, while also realising a more productive, cost-efficient means to manage their document workflow."

Copiers, printers, fax machines and digital duplicators are among the additional office products produced by Ricoh.

Sharp has launched the world’s thinnest LCD TV and announced that it will be made available in Europe in September 2008.

The Aquos X Series of LCD TV’s has been labelled as the thinnest in the world, measuring just 3.44cm at the widest point of the TV.

Although the product is being launched now in Japan, it will be an anxious eight month wait for people looking to get their hands on one of the TVs in Europe. Sharp has said the delay is due to different technical standards in Europe compared to Japan.

With an electricity consumption of less than 0.5W, the Aquos X Series is also being given the billing of the most eco-friendly TV in its category.

It will be available in screen sizes of 37 inch, 42 inch and 46 inch and will be unveiled I Europe at the IFA consumer electronics event which is due to be held in Berlin.

The Sharp Corporation was established in 1912, and introduced the world’s first LCD TVs in 2000.

HP has added three thin office machines to its range, including its first mobile offering.

The new HP Compaq t5730 and t5735 laptop machines offer wireless internet capabilities and high-end graphic specifications, while running on Windows’ XPe system.

They have been designed for use with other HP products including its environmentally-friendly HP printer cartridge suitable printer.

Alongside these products is the 6720t-a mobile office machine aimed at office workers.

With a 15.4 inch display screen and enhanced security with no data residing in the notebook and no hard drive or fan, HP claims this product is ideal for "on-the-go professionals".

Klaus Besier, vice president of HP thin-client solutions, said: "HP recognises thin clients play an integral role in driving next-generation business computing platforms and we will continue innovating across our remote computing solutions portfolio to help customers achieve their business goals."

Meanwhile, Apple recently unveiled the world’s thinnest laptop at its annual Macworld conference.

The "ultra-portable" device has a maximum height of 1.9 centimetres and a 33.8 cm display.

Acer has teamed up with renowned Italian car manufacturer Ferrari on a new laptop, it has emerged.

Both companies have agreed on the production of the Ferrari 1100 notebook, which incorporates carbon fibre materials and a 64 times two dual-core mobile technology processor.

Priced at £1,499, the device also features two independent Turion 64 megabit processors.

Weighting 1.9 kilograms, the lightweight laptop also comes with a 12.1-inch display that features Acer’s Crystalbrite Technology.

"Providing maximum portability for mobile users the 1100 is ideal for consumers who demands superior quality products that are also reliable, rigid, and stylish," commented Mark Prosser, product marketing manager for Acer Computer Middle East.

Last month Acer announced an agreement with the International Olympic Committee that will see the firm act as a partner in the official computing equipment product category for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Photography firm Fujifilm has unveiled Xerox as its digital press supplier, it has emerged.

Xerox will use its iGens3 digital production presses at the US firm’s film processing laboratories for its digital-based photo calendars.

The electro-photographic presses allow high productivity and reliability for the high volume and quick turnaround of processing required at Fujifilm during peak periods.

The iGen3 technology allows 110 page-per-minute printing for the firm’s retail photo departments and ink-based folded greeting cards and notebooks may later be incorporated with the production tool.

Commenting on the deal with Xerox, Fuijifilm US vice president of operations and business development Joe Palaggi said: "Xerox was a logical first choice to be our digital press supplier because of the strong, global corporate relationship established between Fujifilm and Xerox over the years."

"But the deciding factor for choosing the Xerox iGen3 was its high productivity and image quality," he added.

On its website Xerox provides details of its office products, production solutions and document outsourcing services.

Fujifilm UK has unveiled the latest model in its FinePix range.

According to the firm, the FinePix F100fd digital camera is "the most accomplished model in the range yet".

It offers a whole host of up-to-date technologies, such as face detection 3.0 with automatic red-eye removal, wide dynamic range and dual image stabilisation. It also features ISO settings of up to a ISO 12800.

What’s more, the camera has an impressive 12 megapixel 8th generation super CCD with a powerful Fujinon 5x wide angle optical zoom lens, as well as a 2.7-inch high-resolution 230,000 pixel wide angle view LCD.

It is also kitted out with high speed playback and a portrait enhancer mode which gives the effect of "natural looking portraits".

Little wonder then the company has declared the FinePix F100fd to be "one of the most sophisticated compact digital cameras Fujifilm has ever produced".