2011, the year of Network Entertainment.

Being the second day of the New Year, it would only be appropriate to state what I'm expecting from Sony this year, and what else could it be, but Sony's entrance into the world of online entertainment.

Sony in recent years, have struggled to keep up with the digital age, it is safe to say that this is what has lead to Sony's downfall in the last decade. 2011 though, is what in my eyes appears to be a turn for the better for Sony, with the PS3 well on track, and a wealth of online services through the Qriocity store, PS3, Bravia Internet Video and more it appears that 2011 is going to be a big year in network entertainment for Sony, something the company has been searching unsuccessfully for years.

This year, it looks as if Sony will be able to finally realise Akio Morita's dream of convergence and unity of both hardware and software/content, which Sony had tried with the acquisition of CBS and Columbia Pictures. Morita knew that hardware is nothing without complementing software and content. Sony seemed to lose that idea when the 21st century came around and it was particularly evident with the PS3's initial release, an expensive and brilliant piece of hardware with a limited and uninspiring software selection at launch. Sony has always valued itself as primarily a hardware company, creating groundbreaking hardware at premium prices, however in the digital age, software provides the experience and expandability and is arguably the more important of the pair. It has been told that during the development stage of the PS3, Sony hardware developers simply made the PS3 and gave it to the software guys and said 'do something with it.'

This is an area where Sony's change is evident, Sony's current online solutions are providing the right services to the right products, rather than just throwing services at products and seeing what will catch on, which inevitably dilutes the brand value.

The only logical way for Sony now is to expand, continue to add more useful services to Sony devices and unite the services into one easy to access store. Imagine switching on your Bravia Television or your Walkman player and having a wealth of content including ebooks, movies, music, games right at your fingertips, this is the kind of experience Sony should be striving for in 2011.