At the time of this review, the site was heavily cross-promoting the release of the new Sony Pictures movie "Spider-Man," with colorful graphics and merchandising to match (now at: this page). Among other paraphernalia, the visitor can buy an "Action Figure" for US$ 9.99 at the official "Spider-Man Online Store." Unfortunately for the youngsters who are likely to be among the targeted demographics, the action figure displays are static and dull. Clicks on the pictures merely zoom them up, without any cartoonish CRASH, BANG, BOOM effects. It is a lost opportunity to wrap the visitor into a brand promise such as "uncompromised entertainment" (a concept which fits Sony better than "static and dull").

The TV set on display does not strike me as the most striking representative of Sony's design style. A click on "View all models" brought me straight to the model already displayed, which was probably a mix up in the codes. Facing the TV set page, users may easily feel as though they are in the slick hands of a used-car dealer making loud claims of free shipping, no payment, no interest for 90 days… A click on the picture gives the visitor more details of the specs or even a zoomed-in picture, but certainly no positive emotions reinforcing the brand.

Among the products displayed on the home page, the NR70V Color CLIÉ showed an intriguing industrial design in line with what the visitor might expect from a site called Sony Style. This is what this site should be all about. A couple of clicks, and the visitor lands in the world of the CLIÉ Showcase, with a sleek product enhanced by a black background. This new CLIÉ handheld is apparently, in Sony's words, the "ultimate in handheld convergence." Among its traits, it takes pictures with a built-in digital camera, offers MP3 music, displays color videos and images, provides all the functions of a Palm organizer, plus a QWERTY keyboard, all in one compact stylish unit. In short, it's the Sony version of the Swiss Army knife!

Curiously enough, CLIÉ seems to have two different sites on Sony Style, with two different layouts, imagery, and textures. Obviously, this is rather confusing. One is in the Vaio department, and the other one is buried at www.sonystyle.com/micros/clie/, which I only located through a third-party link. If someone at Sony could explain, they should feel free to call.

It is unfortunate that this "micro" site of CLIÉ is not given a prominent position in Sony Style's menu. Indeed, it truly captures the spirit of Sony, with splashy pictures, outgoing colors, and statements such as "Let the handheld revolution begin," as well as a presentation of musician Herbie Hancock. Using Flash to demo the CLIÉ PEG-NR70V allows Sony to include animations and 360-degree display to stunning effect. Browsing this area of the site provides a brand experience very Sony! Why can't the whole official e-shop be that way?