Sony Corp said on May 16, it would launch the world's first notebook personal computer equipped with a next-generation Blu-ray optical disk drive in Japan in June.
The Japanese electronics and entertainment conglomerate also said it would unveil in June a handheld PC that uses NAND flash memory instead of a hard disk drive.
Sony had said earlier this year it would launch notebook and desktop personal computers with Blu-ray drives in early summer in the United States.
Sony's Blu-ray technology competes with the HD DVD format, which is supported by another Japanese electronics maker, Toshiba Corp.
At the core of both formats are blue lasers, which have a shorter wavelength than the red lasers used in current DVD equipment, enabling discs to store data at the higher densities needed for high-definition movies and TV.
Sony said it expected the notebook PC to retail for about 400,000 yen ($3,600). It will also sell a Blu-ray equipped desktop PC with display for about 440,000 yen.