Analysis: Is Sony buying time – or problems?

File photo of President and CEO of Sony Corporation Hirai at news conference before start of IFA consumer electronics fair in BerlinTOKYO (Reuters) – Sony Corp CEO Kazuo Hirai has spent $1.8 billion in the past three months snapping up an assortment of businesses such as medical equipment and cloud gaming, leaving investors to worry he is blowing his firm's waning finances on a muddled plan to revive the fading giant. Hirai, a Sony veteran of nearly three decades, took over the top spot in April pledging to reshape the once-stellar brand around the pillars of gaming, digital imaging and mobile devices. Since his promotion, the company's stock market value has fallen by around $8 billion. …