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Sony Ericsson has launched the 8 GB touch screen W960i Walkman phone. With room for up to 8,000 songs and finger-touch navigation around playlists, the phone also has a 2.6″ display and a 3.2 megapixel camera. It can be hooked up to the Web using the 3G network or via a Wi-Fi access point. The W960i Walkman phone features a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus within its 16mm frame, and allows picture messaging, email or picture blogging.

It incorporates Sony Ericsson’s TrackID music recognition software, that lets users record a clip of a song on their phone and find out instantly the name of the artist, track and album. The W960i Walkman phone comes bundled with a stereo portable handsfree, is UMTS 2100-GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 and will be available in Vinyl Black for Rs. 28995

At music business fair Midem, mobile phone manufacturer Sony Ericsson has announced partnerships with music labels for its PlayNow mobile download platform. According to a press release, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, EMI, The Orchard, IODA, The PocketGroup, Hungama, X5 Music, Bonnier Amigo and VidZone will together contribute a pool of around 5 million songs. PlayNow was launched in February 2004 as a platform for ringtone downloads. It has since been expanded and aims to launch as a comprehensive mobile music download station, PlayNow Arena, in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland in May of this year.

Further European countries are to follow later in the year. By the end of 2008, Sony Ericsson hopes to have the new service available in around 30 countries. Finnish competitor Nokia already has a mobile music download platform, currently available in the UK only. It is currently looking for further partners from the music industry and hopes to extend its services to other European countries in the coming months.

On Sunday, the world’s fourth mobile phone maker, Sony Ericsson, revealed a new smart cell phone, which uses motion control technology. Z555 can be silenced by a single wave of hand. And this is only one of the new mobile phone’s cool capabilities! For example, the motion control technology also allows users to activate the snooze function of their phone by waving across the device. Sony Ericsson launched Z555 and two other impressive cell phones with the occasion of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show’s news conference from Las Vegas. Excepting the tri-band Z555 model, which features also a music player, FM radio and a 1.3-megapixel camera, Sony Ericsson unveiled two new models for its Walkman music phone handset line-up, including the Walkman W760 model. The W760 mobile phone features satellite positioning technology, as well as mapping software from Google, which allows people to follow step by step directions to their different destinations.

Sony Ericsson announced that the Z555 flip cover mobile phone will be available in the first quarter of 2008; for the Walkman W760 model people will have to wait a little longer, until the second quarter of the year. Sony Ericsson’s Walkman branded music phones have been quite successful in the recent period. However, despite this fact, Sony Ericsson still trails Nokia, Samsung Electronics and Motorola in the global market for cell phones.

Finnish mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson is looking at introducing at least 25 new models this year as it begins 2008 with the introduction of two new handsets to the local market. Sony Ericsson and Smart Communications launched in Cebu City yesterday the Sony Ericsson K850i and K770i mobile phones. The two handset models are available for the first time through the Smart Gold postpaid plan.

Dino Romano, Sony Erics-son account manager for Smart, said the company hopes to be able to introduce this year about the same number of handsets it launched in 2007. “We introduced 25 last year. We’re looking at the same number this year covering all (handset) categories,” he said. While Sony Ericsson ranks fourth among the top five vendors worldwide, according to the research firm IDC, it is confident it would be able to come up with handsets equipped with features that cannot be found in other cellular phones. “We will be introducing new technology into the Walkman phones…such as the shake control and ‘sense me’ features,” he said in an interview.

He added that Sony Ericsson is also looking at mobile phones that enable the user to watch television shows. World number one mobile phone vendor, Nokia, introduced last year a handset with mobileTV features.

Orange announced the launch of its advanced new range of messaging services (MMS) with a further five Orange operations across Europe intending to launch similar services in the coming months. More than 12.8 million Orange customers in the UK will have the opportunity to access these advanced services that move messaging on from standard text, to messages that combine colour, photos, text and sound offering a greatly enriched messaging experience via a new range of Orange MMS handsets. They will also be able to receive update messages on news, sport and entertainment with the pictures to accompany the story. Innovative handsets such as the Sony Ericsson T68i - available with clip-on camera - will be used at launch. The Nokia 7650 is due to launch at the end of August with a broad range of handsets available in the run up to Christmas.

Orange believes that wirefree TM devices with this capability will be used by 40% of its customers by the end. This is further endorsed by Ovum’s prediction that MMS handset penetration will reach up to 50% at this time with MMS messages accounting for up to 30% of all person-to-person messaging in the same year. In the UK, Orange pay monthly customers will benefit from a simple, easy-to-understand pricing structure, where they will be charged 40p per photo message sent. Orange pay as you go customers will be able to access the services later in the year. 

NTT DoCoMo, Inc. announced today that the company will begin marketing two new models of i-shotTM compatible phones, the D251i and the mova F251i, beginning July 15, 2002.The company’s i-shot service, which allows users to transmit still images taken with compatible mobile phones that feature built-in digital cameras, was launched on June 1, 2002, and it quickly became popular among users. The mova D251i phone is compatible with Sony’s Memory Stick DuoTM and is capable of saving a total of 1,670* photos, 700 in the built-in memory and 970 in the removable memory stick. It is equipped with a CCD camera that includes 170,000-pixel resolution, 8x zoom, and a built-in flash. In addition, a 256 STN color sub-LCD on the back of the phone displays the time and information relating to the operating conditions of the handset, such as remaining battery life, and also works as a viewfinder. The main display is a 2.1-inch, 262,144-color TFD LCD. The mova F251i is capable of saving up to 1,000* pictures in its built-in memory and can display the pictures like a slide show, changing photos automatically every four seconds. It is equipped with a CCD camera that features 110,000-pixel resolution. The sub-LCD also works as a viewfinder. The main display is a 2.0-inch, 65,536-color TFT LCD. The F251i also includes an antenna which flashes when the phone rings or at a previously specified time, like an alarm clock.

A user can select the color of the light from among 12 choices. DoCoMo will sell the D251i and F251i through all of the company’s sales channels. The price for the mobile phone is open (not fixed), while a standard accessory kit, which includes a battery pack, an AC adapter, and a desktop holder, costs 7,700 yen for the D251i and 6,400 yen for the F251i. An 8-megabyte Memory Stick Duo and its adaptor will be included with the D251i handset at no extra charge.

In an industry-first, Ericsson today demonstrated cross-technology multimedia messaging services (MMS) over CDMA2000 and GPRS at the 3G World Congress in Hong Kong. MMS enables consumers to send and receive multimedia messages containing images, text and sound. “Ericsson is committed to the evolution of CDMA2000 and to helping operators supply the most innovative mobile Internet services to their customers,” said ke Persson, Head of Ericsson Mobile Systems CDMA.

“This MMS demonstration further solidifies Ericsson’s commitment as the only wireless vendor providing end-to-end support for all paths to 3G.”The cross-technology demonstration, using Ericsson’s market leading MMS solution, includes sending MMS from a CDMA2000-enabled PDA to a GPRS terminal. MMS offers a dramatic increase in mobile-to-mobile messaging capabilities by enabling color images, animations, audio and video clips to be sent along with text. This opens the door to content-rich applications and services such as multimedia presentations and enhanced email messages.

Ericsson announced its latest evolution in low-energy telecommunication solutions, a solar-driven and energy-efficient main-remote GSM base station deployed in conjunction with leading Indonesian operator PT Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel). The breakthrough deployment will provide macro coverage in the untapped areas of Sumatra and address the mobile communications needs in the rural areas in Indonesia. The Main-Remote GSM base station RBS 2111 is part of the Ericsson Communications Expander portfolio.

It has a smaller environmental footprint than a standard base station, consuming up to 60 percent less energy. The remote radio unit is placed at the top of the tower, reducing feeder loss and power use. The solution is also easy to deploy, with the heaviest component weighing only 35kg.The new site solution is ideal for deployment in rural areas with limited electricity supply. The site does not require diesel fuel and has maintenance-free batteries, providing wider coverage while reducing network operating expenses and total cost of ownership.Jan Signell, President at Ericsson South East Asia says: “This alternative-energy site solution helps Telkomsel address the challenge of bringing coverage to areas with limited access to the electricity grid.

It can reduce their operational expenses and bring connectivity to untapped areas in Sumatra, and reflects Ericsson’s commitment to bringing communications to all.”

Ericsson Technology Licensing launches the latest addition to the Bluetooth Suites family. The twin Suites are highly specialized for two markets with vast Bluetooth potential: Bluetooth wireless headsets and wireless Human Interface Devices (HID’s).Wireless keyboards and mice, generally referred to as wireless HID’s, are two Bluetooth products now making their way to the market. Much appreciated by computer users in need of a more flexible desktop environment, Bluetooth offers greater functionality. Mobile phone users, among others, are beginning to enjoy the increased mobility and freedom offered by wireless headsets.

The Bluetooth HID Suite is Ericsson’s answer to semiconductor companies intent on delivering reference designs for Bluetooth keyboards and mice to Original Design Manufacturers (ODM’s) and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s). This new Suite provides Bluetooth radio, baseband and software technology in ready-to-use, easily integrated, total design solutions for fast time-to-market.“Great designs are not enough when competing in this tough industry. A lot of companies can offer the necessary hardware and software, but our Suites give customers access to so much more,” says Johan �kesson, Marketing Director of Ericsson Technology Licensing. “We offer a wide range of Bluetooth services, including training, testing, qualification and custom design services. In fact, Ericsson operates one of the few existing Bluetooth Qualification Test Facilities (BQTF) through which every Bluetooth product must pass.”

Mobile handset vendor Sony Ericsson had some disappointing news to announce on Thursday, with profit for the third quarter dropping from Eur298m a year ago to Eur267m. Sales on the other hand, increased 7 per cent from Eur2.9bn a year ago to Eur3.1bn in the third quarter, Units shipped in the quarter reached approximately 26 million, a 31 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

Although the average sale price of a handset dropped from Eur147 in the third quarter last year to Eur127. “Low- and mid-tier priced models such as the W200 Walkman phone and simple ‘talk and text’ range of phones have been key volume drivers during the quarter, while the high-spec P1 smartphone and W580 slider Walkman phone have been well received and strengthen the portfolio at the higher-end,” said Miles Flint, outgoing president of Sony Ericsson. But Ovum analyst, Martin Garner, said after a very strong run of the last few quarters, “this is disappointing stuff from Sony Ericsson.”Now the company has flipped the concerns with margins improving but sales growth proving more challenging,” he said. Garner believes shipment growth has slowed because of two main factors. First there has been growing channel inventory in China as local vendors have priced aggressively during the last couple of quarters.

This is likely to affect several vendors. Second Sony Ericsson’s portfolio is ageing, especially at the high end. The effects of this have been felt mostly in Japan and Western Europe. “The launches it did during May and June of this year should fix that but those products are only just coming onto the market now,” Garner said.