Xperia X1 to be first Sony Ericsson phone with Windows Mobile

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB’s first Windows Mobile device, to appear in the second half of 2008, will be called Xperia X1, the company said today.

An arc slider device that will draw obvious touch-screen comparisons to Apple Inc.’s iPhone, the new X1 will also have a full QWERTY keyboard.

Sony Ericsson made the announcement at Mobile World Congress 2008 in Barcelona, Spain. The company also announced two new additions to its Cyber-shot line of phones. Sony Ericsson sold more than 100 million handsets in 2007.

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia smart phone

Xperia is the first brand to come completely from within Sony Ericcson, which is a joint venture of Sony Corp. and LM Ericsson Telephone Co. that was formed in 2001, according to the company.
Sony Ericsson’s Xperia smart phonePricing was not announced, but Sony Ericsson released specifications of the new X1. At 4.3 by 0.7 by 2.1 inches, it weighs 5.1 oz. and features a 3-in. wide VGA display.

It will support the HSDPA/HSUPA and Wi-Fi standards, as well as slower GSM and EDGE networks.

A 3.2-megapixel camera and features of Windows Mobile are included, such as Outlook Mobile for e-mail and Office Mobile for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet Explorer Mobile.

Jack Gold, an analyst at J. Gold Associates, said the X1 announcement is “interesting” because it will extends Microsoft’s presence in Europe and because it indicates that Sony Ericsson may not want to stick with its own user interface known as UIQ, which runs on top of the Symbian operating sytem.

“This may be a trial balloon by Sony Ericsson to see if the Windows Mobile path is a way for it to exit the UIQ,” he said. He suggested it might be a step toward Sony Ericsson’s showing an Android-based device soon. Android is the mobile platform from Google Inc.

By Computerworld

Sony Ericsson K770i

Sony Ericsson’s latest midrange offering is sleek-looking bar-shape handset that fits easily in the pocket thanks to its rounded edges and slim dimensions (just 14mm thick). It’s flush all over, with no protrusions, including the keypad, whose buttons sit just slightly proud, though they’re tactile enough to keep you on track.

It’s one of the slimmest Cyber-shot phones available and exudes minimalist cool, though the Truffle Brown version we tried (it also comes in beige, violet, bronze and black) gave it a bit of a business feel (in a good, serious kind of way).

The camera lens cover is built into the design as an elongated slide on the back that stretches over most of the back panel. While this makes it easy and quick to access the camera, we also found it to be prone to accidental opening in the pocket (this can happen even when the keypad lock is switched on).

The smallish screen offers 262,000 colours which is as good as anything Sony Ericsson is currently offering but feels a little cramped at 29x34mm. Incidentally, the D-pad is a joy to use, feeling firmer than the plasticky keypad buttons, and offering one-press shortcuts to camera album, messages, contacts and another destination of your choice.

The 256MB Memory Stick Micro supplied fits into a slot on the side of the phone, but you’ll need to take the back off to get to it. And if you want to use your phone to carry music or video, you’ll probably need to upgrade to a bigger card (it’ll take up to 2GB cards).The camera certainly isn’t the most sophisticated in Sony Ericsson’s impressive Cyber-shot range, but it’s pretty good nonetheless. The BestPic feature (on the likes of the range-topping K850i), which allows you to take nine pics in quick succession, four before and four after you’ve pressed the shutter button, is missing, though there is a more conventional four-shot burst mode.

Still, it does have Autofocus, very useful for quick snaps which, let’s face it, is the primary function of a cameraphone, and Photo fix, which enhances underexposed pics by adjusting brightness, light and contrast to make them clearer and more vibrant before you transfer them to your PC or your blog.

Fortunately, if you don’t like the results of this rather crude one-touch operation, you can go back to the original version, or edit with more detail thanks to the PhotoDJ application.There’s a 3x digital zoom, but this is only available on the camera’s lowest, VGA, setting and while there’s no Carl Zeiss-style designer lens, it does have a flash, of sorts, though again it suffers by comparison with its brighter Xenon-packing cousins since it’s only an LED flash light, and is only really effective within a metre or two of your subject.

Connectivity-wise it’s tri-band with 3G (though it’s standard, not faster HSDPA 3G) and lest we forget, despite its lack of HSDPA, this is a fully fledged 3G phone, with video calling offered by a minute VGA camera just above the screen.

Sony Ericsson cuts deals with 10 music labels

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson said it had signed deals with 10 music labels to add content to its PlayNow service, which lets users download music via their mobile phones.

Sony Ericsson, owned by Ericsson and Sony Corp., said the deals added 5 million new tracks to its catalogue.

The venture said in a statement late on Sunday it had signed deals with Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, EMI, The Orchard, IODA, The PocketGroup, Hungama, X5Music, Bonnier Amigo and VidZone.

Sony Ericsson, which made the announcement at a trade show in Cannes, France, said it was negotiating further deals with regional labels.

The company introduced PlayNow in February 2004 as a way to listen to and then purchase ringtones for mobile phones. Since then, it as expanded the service, allowing full music tracks and games to be downloaded and other features. It said PlayNow was available in 32 countries.

Sony Ericsson K770i

Sony Ericsson’s latest midrange offering is sleek-looking bar-shape handset that fits easily in the pocket thanks to its rounded edges and slim dimensions (just 14mm thick). It’s flush all over, with no protrusions, including the keypad, whose buttons sit just slightly proud, though they’re tactile enough to keep you on track.

It’s one of the slimmest Cyber-shot phones available and exudes minimalist cool, though the Truffle Brown version we tried (it also comes in beige, violet, bronze and black) gave it a bit of a business feel (in a good, serious kind of way).

The camera lens cover is built into the design as an elongated slide on the back that stretches over most of the back panel. While this makes it easy and quick to access the camera, we also found it to be prone to accidental opening in the pocket (this can happen even when the keypad lock is switched on).

The smallish screen offers 262,000 colours which is as good as anything Sony Ericsson is currently offering but feels a little cramped at 29x34mm. Incidentally, the D-pad is a joy to use, feeling firmer than the plasticky keypad buttons, and offering one-press shortcuts to camera album, messages, contacts and another destination of your choice.

The 256MB Memory Stick Micro supplied fits into a slot on the side of the phone, but you’ll need to take the back off to get to it. And if you want to use your phone to carry music or video, you’ll probably need to upgrade to a bigger card (it’ll take up to 2GB cards).

The camera certainly isn’t the most sophisticated in Sony Ericsson’s impressive Cyber-shot range, but it’s pretty good nonetheless. The BestPic feature (on the likes of the range-topping K850i), which allows you to take nine pics in quick succession, four before and four after you’ve pressed the shutter button, is missing, though there is a more conventional four-shot burst mode.

Sony Ericsson announces T270, T280

Sony Ericsson today announced the launch of the T270 and T280, a stylish duo of affordably priced phones set to appeal to differing audiences.

“We have developed two phones that meet the needs of two distinct audiences,” said Howard Lewis, Vice President and Head of Entry Level products at Sony Ericsson. “The T270 and T280 build on the appeal of iconic Sony Ericsson phones like the T610. They are good looking and tick all of the right boxes; whether it’s for the business user wanting a compact work phone or the everyday user looking for a classic, stylish camera phone.”

At home on the catwalk or in the boardroom

The T270 and T280 offer classic pocket-sized style. At less than 13mm slim and built using brushed light metal with a glass finish, they offer premium design without the premium price tag. Take the T280 to the fashion mall and snap a picture of a possible new purchase or use the T270 at work to send a calendar appointment to a colleague via Bluetooth technology.

Sony Ericsson T280 – In Touch and In Fashion

Minimum fuss
Fast texting and a simple navigation key to switch-on the FM radio or access your contact list. Easy access to the 1.3 megapixel camera and just one click to begin writing a new text message.

Maximum exposure
As well as its good looks, the T280 lets you take and send a photo in just a few clicks. Browse through your pictures on the phone’s screen or send them via Bluetooth to a friend’s phone.

Multitask effortlessly
Both the T280 andits sister-product, the T270, are compatible with Bluetooth Headsets such as the newly announced HBH-PV770. The HBH-PV770 headset sits discretely in your ear and offers remarkably clear audio, even in noisy environments, thanks to its Digital Noise Cancellation and fast Automatic Volume Adjustment features.