What's going on?

Sony, the Japanese electronics giant, unveiled a number of new �smart� products at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday, including a virtual personal assistant (think: Siri) and a small single earbud that users can use to interact with their smartphones (it sounds similar to the movie Her).

What does this mean?

This is part of a new Sony strategy for its struggling smartphone business. As we�ve reported, the market for smartphones has become very tough: growth has slowed as most people now have such a device. Also, Apple is dominating the expensive segment of the market while cheaper Chinese competitors dominate the rest. Sony is trying to differentiate itself by offering new products. And the focus is, increasingly, on �smart� devices that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and will likely be linked with the burgeoning �Internet of Things� (where everyday devices are connected to a wireless network).

Why should I care?

For the stock: Sony�s strategy isn�t unique. Most major tech firms have been heavily investing in AI in recent years and since firms like Apple and Google have more users, they�re likely to get the bulk of the traction (and attention from developers that build applications for those platforms).

For you personally: This tech really will change our lives. Siri might struggle to do anything really useful at the moment but it�s changing quickly. In the near future, most everything in your home will likely be connected to your smartphone (or a similar device): you�ll tell your phone to turn your heating on when coming back from a weekend away, for example. And, you�ll probably get a lot more comfortable talking to computers, even about complicated things like healthcare and financial advice�