Press Release

(20 January 2005, Hong Kong) The 1st eLife Awards, organised by ESDlife to honour digital products and e-services that help to enhance people's lives, were presented at a ceremony today in the Grand Hyatt. Winners were chosen by combining votes from more than 16,600 members of the public with marks from a distinguished panel of judges. Fifteen winners were selected, with Sony, OSIM and Sony Playstation receiving the best results overall and receiving Grand Assessment Awards.

The 1st eLife Awards, which were hotly contested by many well-known brands, had eight categories of 20 awards and three Grand Assessment Awards. The eight categories were: e-banking and e-payment services; computer products; digital cameras; video equipment; audio equipment; mobile phones; home appliances; and family games consoles. (Please refer to the attached List of Winners).

"ESDlife, which is dedicated to providing convenient e-services to the public, organised the eLife Awards to honour companies that are innovative and make life easier for consumers through digital products and e-services," said Mr Tony Ma, Chief Operating Officer of ESDlife. "The 15 winning brands have been widely supported by Hong Kong consumers and come highly recommended by industry experts. I believe the perception of consumers to these brands will be enhanced as a result of them having won an eLife Award. I congratulate all the winners, and look forward to more outstanding products and services being provided to consumers in 2005."

The eLife Awards are based on a combination of votes from the public and marks from a specially invited judging panel, with each accounting for 50% of the total. Over the three-week public voting period, more than 16,600 people cast their vote at the ESDlife web site (www.esdlife.com). The panel of judges comprised industry experts as well as editors of a variety of reputable publications. Judging criteria included the quality and features of products that make life easier, performance, innovation, design, usability and price. The judging panel comprised:

Ms Amy Chan, Managing Editor, e-zone
Mr Tango Chan, Chief Editor, IT Times
Mr Chan York Heng, Editor in Chief, Game Weekly
Ms Mott Cheng, Chief Editor, Lisa Magazine
Mr Eric Fung, Managing Editor, AV Magazine
Mr Kam Kwok Leung, Chief Executive Officer, Metro Broadcast
Mr Lee Lik Chee, Film Director
Mr Sunny Lee, President, Hong Kong Computer Society
Mr Lui Shu Fat, Editor in Chief, Economic Digest
Mr Alex Ng, Chief Editor, Photo Magazine / Senior Lecturer, Shu Yan College
Mr Arthur Shek, Associate Publisher & Head of Research Department, Hong Kong Economic Times
Mr Sin Chung Kai, Legislative Councilor
Ms Doris Tsang, Managing Editor, Living Jetso
Dr Gino Yu, Head of Multimedia Innovation Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Sony was the most successful brand in the inaugural Awards, winning four categories: "Best Notebook Computer"; "Best Digital Video Camera"; "Best Plasma TV"; and "Best LCD TV". The company was extremely popular with consumers, receiving a total of 23,783 votes in the four categories, allowing it to also win the "eLife Consumers' Choice" Award. Moreover, Sony Playstation received the greatest number of votes (12,094) in an individual category and was highly praised by the judges. As a result, it won the "Best Family Game Console" Award and the "Grand eLife Award".

Mr. Kunihiko Kawakita, Division Managing Director of Hong Kong Marketing Company, Sony Corporation of Hong Kong Limited, said: "First of all, we greatly appreciate customers' support. We are grateful and honoured that Sony has won the eLife Awards in four categories and the Grand Assessment Award. Sony has been devoting its efforts to bring the best audio-visual enjoyment and the latest IT technology to consumers in Hong Kong, hoping that every Sony product brings not just innovation but greater convenience and productivity to people. Sony remains committed to offering unique and quality products that exceed customers' expectations and needs."

Another outstanding performer in the Awards was OSIM, which received the highest mark from the judging panel to win the "Best Healthcare Product" and the "eLife Experts'Choice" Award. Ms Jenny Yip, Marketing Manager for OSIM, said: "We are dedicated to providing quality health care products. The eLife Awards recognise our commitment to offering high-quality digital products that enhance the life of our customers."

Presenting the Awards at today's ceremony were: Mr Takanori Kitamura; Consul-General of Japan, Mr Chu Pui Hing, Director of Broadcasting; Mr Lee Lik Chik, film director; Mr Arthur Shek, Associate Publisher & Head of Research Department, Hong Kong Economic Times; Ms Shirley Yeung Sze Ki, artiste and 2001 Miss Hong Kong; Ms Cho Mandy Lee, artiste and 2003 Miss Hong Kong; and supermodel Rosemary V.

Distinguished Electronic Financial Services

	Best Online Banking Service	-	HSBC
	Best Electronic Payment Service	-	Octopus

Distinguished Computer Products

	Best Desktop Computer	-	IBM
	Best Notebook Computer	-	Sony
	Best PDA	-	HP
	Best LCD Monitor	-	Viewsonic
	Best Printer	-	HP

Distinguished Camera

	Best Professional Digital Camera	-	Canon
	Best Snapshot Digital Camera	-	Canon
	Best Digital Video Camera	-	Sony

Distinguished Video Equipment

	Best Plasma TV	-	Sony
	Best LCD TV	-	Sony
	Best Video Projector	-	Epson
	Best DVD Recorder	-	Pioneer

Distinguished Audio Equipment

	Best MP3 Player	-	Apple
	Best Digital Home Theatre System	-	B&O

Distinguished Mobile Phones

Best Mobile Phone

-

Nokia

Distinguished Electronic Home Appliances

	Best Kitchen Equipment	-	TGC
	Best Healthcare Product	-	OSIM

Distinguished Entertainment Games

Best Family Game Console

-

Sony Playstation

Assessment Awards:

	eLife Experts' Choice	-	OSIM
	eLife Consumers' Choice	-	Sony
	Grand eLife Award	-	Sony Playstation

Media Enquiries:
Caris Wan,    ESD Services Ltd.    Tel:2128-9880    Email: cariswan@esdlife.com