Sony President Kunitake Ando said he thinks technology could transform Hawai'i, turning it into a hub for digital movie making and enhancing the tourist experience with digital signs, electronic data cards and information on handheld computers.

Ando's interest in Hawai'i "gets people to see us in a different light," Lingle said yesterday at a digital technology conference co-sponsored by the state and Sony.

The event is part of Lingle's attempts to promote Hawai'i as a good place to do business and connect the state with a leading name in technology.

Lingle first met with Sony officials last year during the Sony Open and again during her trip to Japan last summer when she discussed the idea of a technology conference held during the company-sponsored golf tournament at the Waialae Golf Course.

"Hawai'i is an important telecommunications hub for the Pacific," Lingle said.

Lingle especially likes the idea of creating a "Wireless Waikiki" in which visitors in the resort area could access the Internet without cables. She plans to discuss the concept and what the state can do to make it a reality during her State of the State address on Jan. 26.

Several Internet service providers are interested in setting up wireless online access in Waikiki, said Rick Egged, Waikiki Improvement Association president. He said a working system could be set up later this year through a private investment.

At least three companies, including Landmark Networks, has expressed an interest in developing a wireless network throughout the resort.

"I think the potential for Waikiki to be a leader in this field in the visitor industry is good," Egged said.

Murray Towill, Hawai'i Hotel & Lodging Association president, agreed that a wireless Internet access throughout Waikiki "would be an asset for the entire destination."

"Some guests certainly want to have as complete access as possible and this would be one way to remove those kinds of hurdles," Towill said.

Some Waikiki hotels and properties already offer visitors traditional high-speed and wireless Internet access and those services are expected to expand.

At the conference, Sony presented some of its newer technologies, such as digital video communication and a data card called FeliCa that can be used as a train pass, an identification card or for monetary transactions.

The company also showed a Sony CLIE handheld device with global positioning technology and tourist information for Japanese, called Leplan, which it started testing on O'ahu in December.