Timeline: Sony during Stringer's CEO reign

(Reuters) - Sony Corp named on Wednesday Kazuo Hirai as chief executive to succeed Howard Stringer at the helm of the iconic gadget maker, now mired in losses as it struggles to re-energize the brand.

Here's a look back at major events at Sony under Stringer's rein, during which the stock fell more than 60 percent.

June 2005

Stringer takes over as CEO and chairman after a successful stint overseeing the U.S. business, where he is credited with turning around its fortunes in music and movies.

April 2006

Sony ships the first Blu-ray players to stores. Blu-Ray discs, backed by Sony, become the sequel to standard DVDs, and the company beats rival Toshiba Corp in a war over formats. But analysts say the company could have better prepared for the shift to watching movies over the Internet.

October 2006

Sony recalls hundreds of thousands of notebook computers and laptop batteries after series of reports of overheating.

November 2006

PlayStation3 game console launched in the United States and Japan, which goes on to sell more than 55 million units globally.

December 2008

As Sony struggles during a recession, Stringer pares $3 billion more off Sony's costs by laying off 16,000 workers and halving the number of suppliers it uses to 1,200 companies.

June 2010

Sony begins selling 3D TVs and begins its push for 3D consumer electronics products.

Jan 2011

Sony takes the famed hacker George Hotz to court after he cracked open the PlayStation3 to let owners run their own software.

March 2011

Devastating earthquake in Japan damages several of Sony's factories and facilities.

April-May 2011

Sony comes under fire after hackers access personal information on 77 million PlayStation Network and Qriocity accounts, 90 percent of which are users in North America or Europe. Sony says at the time that credit card information may have been stolen, sparking lawsuits and casting a shadow over its plans to combine content and hardware products via online services.

October 2011

Sony says it will take over its mobile phone joint venture with Ericsson for $1.5 billion as it seeks to exploit its music and video to help it catch smartphone leaders Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics.

December 2011

Sony agrees to sell its nearly 50 percent stake in an LCD joint venture with Samsung Electronics to the South Korean company for $940 million, freeing it to tap cheaper sources of LCD panels as it struggles to reduce huge losses at its TV business.

November 2011

Sony shocks investors by cutting its sales forecast and warning it will post a net loss for a fourth consecutive year in the financial year to March 2012.

January 2012

Stringer takes the stage at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas alongside actor Will Smith and music star Kelly Clarkson but no new high-profile products are unveiled.

(Corrects year to 2006 from 2008 for when Sony recalled computers and laptop batteries, released the PlayStation)

(Reporting by Mark Bendeich and Liana B. Baker; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)