Sony said to be planning e-paper watch in test of fast-track innovation

Tokyo

SONY Corp is developing a watch made out of electronic paper for release as soon as next year in a trial of the company's new venture-style approach to creating products, according to people familiar with the matter.

The watch's face and wrist band will be made from a patented material that allows the entire surface area to function as a display and change its appearance, the people said, asking not to be named because it hasn't been announced. The device will emphasise style, rather than trying to outdo more technological offerings like Apple Inc's watch and Sony's own SmartWatch, they said.

At stake is more than a win against Apple and Samsung Electronics Co. A decade of cost reductions and job cuts has soured Sony's culture of innovation, once celebrated for the Walkman and the Trinitron television. Chief executive officer Kazuo Hirai formed a business creation division this year under his dir…