Has Sony Got Game?

Burning batteries are two words that Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer would never like to hear again. Before reports surfaced last summer that Sony-made lithium-ion batteries had an occasional tendency to fry Apple, Dell and other laptops, the boss of the sprawling Japanese media conglomerate was having a great year. For four quarters, Sony had beaten financial expectations (though it wasn't always profitable). The firm was leaner, following more than 10,000 job cuts and the closure of nine factories. The consumer-electronics division was back in the black. And the movie studio was riding high, led by The Da Vinci Code. Meanwhile,...