Sony Hawaii showed off a 40-inch flat-screen television at its annual Sony Expo yesterday that is thinner than many wallets — even in this wavering economy.

The Bravia KLV-40ZX1M was probably the main wow-factor gizmo this year with a 9.9-millimeter-thick screen. Sony senior vice president Karl Okemura noted that it's about as thin as nine credit cards and weighs only 26 pounds, about a fourth of what many similar-sized traditional sets weigh.

The sales folks said it costs about $4,200 retail.

The expo began yesterday and concludes today at the Ala Moana Hotel, drawing the usual crowds of the tech-savvy and just plain curious.

The display runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today at the Ala Moana Hotel's Hibiscus Ballroom. It's free and open to the public. (For more information, call 834-6611.)

Sony Hawaii showcased its newest products and celebrated 40 years in Hawai'i as one of consumers' favorite brands.

In addition to TVs and DVD players, Sony showed off laptop Vaio computers, camcorders and other cameras and music players.

Noting the economic dip, Okemura said the company remains hopeful for the holiday sales. "TV has always been a hot seller," he said, because most people see a television as an investment that will last five to 10 years and will provide it's money's worth of entertainment over that span.

While travel and restaurant sales may falter, Okemura thinks products in the home may still attract consumers. "They cocoon, and stay home and watch TV," he said.

Another Bravia model boasted "a 240Hz Motionflow frame rate," which offers crisp motion detail in movies, sports and video games.

An array of cameras will also be on display, some featuring a new gimmick called "Happy Face," which can alter a photo of an unsmiling face in a group shot where others did grin.

Okemura said the cameras retail from $129 to $3,000 but expects a lot of stores will drop prices early to get consumers in. "Black Friday, all bets are off," he said.

Two other features of the expo this year are: