Sony Ericsson releases alpha ROM for developers

With Android Ice Cream Sandwich only officially available on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, there are sure to be plenty of Android fans who want to get a glimpse of the new version running on a different phone. Sony Ericsson has come to the rescue with this demonstration video, showing an early build running on an Xperia Arc S.

The company recently announced they would be releasing an Ice Cream Sandwich update for their 2011 range of Xperia-branded devices, however it’s a lengthy and complex process and with the source code only a few weeks old, owners still have to wait before it officially arrives.

Rather than work away without input from users, Sony Ericsson has released an “alpha build” ICS ROM to accompany the video. It’s compatible with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S, the Xperia Ray and the Xperia Neo V, and provided they have an unlocked bootloader the ROM can be installed.

But before downloading it, one should know that the ROM is designed for developmental testing, and not for everyday use. Sony Ericsson wants to get as much feedback as possible, and has therefore disabled the modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, the FM radio and the antenna inside the ROM.

Yes, they’re spoilsports, but the alpha ROM still does a great job of showing how Ice Cream Sandwich looks and performs on devices other than the Galaxy Nexus. If you’re confident to start messing around with your Xperia phone, Sony Ericsson provides full instructions on how to apply the ROM on their developer site, and even recommends to join the XDA community afterwards to converse with like-minded hackers.

Sony Ericsson eyes Android market, launches two new phones

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson has unveiled two new Android models in a bid to grab more of the burgeoning smartphone market.

The company, a joint venture between L.M. Ericsson and Sony Corp., plans to launch the Xperia ray and Xperia active models during the third quarter, said Chief Marketing Officer Steve Walker in Singapore.

The new models should help the company expand its 11 percent market share of the Android segment, Walker said.

"Android smartphones is a rapidly growing part of the market, and we see our share within that market growing," added Walker.

London-based Sony Ericsson, which saw its phone unit sales drop 23 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, is moving away from cheaper phone models and seeking to take on Apple Inc.'s iPhone, Research in Motion's Blackberry and Nokia Corp.'s N9 in the higher-priced smartphone market.

By 2015, about 60 percent of mobile phones sold in the Asia-Pacific region will likely be smartphones, up from 20 percent in 2010, Walker said.

"We made quite a fundamental shift in strategy and decided to focus a large part of our efforts into smartphones, to focus on the mid- and high-end part of the business," Walker said. "In many markets, we see a dramatic shift from feature phones to smartphones."

The company said in April that smartphones accounted for more than 60 percent of its sales during the first quarter.

Sony Ericsson's latest models that run on Goggle Inc.'s Android platform, the Xperia ray and active, will likely be priced below the high-end Xperia arc.

Xperia active is water resistant and works if fingers are wet or sweaty, while the Xperia ray seeks to combine a sleek design with a device that is 9.4 millimeters thick.

Sony Ericsson also plans to introduce a less expensive model that highlights texting service and is aimed at teenagers.

Sony Ericsson to launch smartphone for China Mobile

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson has announced that it would introduce its first smartphone for the Chinese market that runs on the network of China Mobile, the world's biggest mobile carrier.

Sony Ericsson, owned by Ericsson and Sony Corp, said it had developed the A8i with China Mobile to operate on its TD-SCDMA network.

"China is a hugely important market for Sony Ericsson and we are committed to maintaining our strong position and driving growth by continually introducing new and exciting products into this market," Sony Ericsson Chief Executive Berg Nordberg said. Smartphones have been garnering a bigger share of the handset market as users look for functions like gaming and video on their mobiles.

Sony Ericsson's strategy is to grab a bigger slice of the higher-priced smartphone market to boost profitability.

Rachael - Sony Ericsson's Google Android Phone Leaked

For quite some time, it is known that Sony Ericsson is working on a Google Android-based mobile phone, but the company has been keeping mum on details. However, pictures leaked by a Danish site appear to reveal Sony Ericsson's upcoming Android phone.
According to the Danish Mobil magazine, Sony Ericsson's Android phone will be code-named Rachael and will bw announced later this year. The phone will be part of SE's XPERIA series, which so far includes the Windows Mobile-based X1 model.

Mobil says that the Android-loving Sony Ericsson Rachel is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform (QSD8250), which would give the phone processor speeds of up to 1GHz and 7.2Mbit per second HSPA downlink speeds.

The leaked pictures also show the Sony Ericsson’s upcoming Android Phone featuring an 8.1-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash. At the top of the phone a 3.5mm headphone jack and a miniUSB port are also present. No specific details on the phone's display size or resolution were released, but the Dutch magazine says it has a pressure-sensitive touchscreen.

Some of the specifications of Sony Ericsson's Android phone are looking very good in comparison to other smartphones present in the market today. An 8.1-megapixel camera would be most powerful on an Android handset yet, and remarkably better than the 3-megapixel camera on the latest iPhone 3GS. On the Android realm, the HTC Hero and the Samsung Galaxy have only a 5-megapixel camera.

It's highly expected that Sony Ericsson Rachel will run on the upcoming 2.0 version of Google Android operating system, which is also expected to be released toward the end of this year. As for Adobe Flash, it is yet unclear whether this phone will feature this capability.

Sony Ericsson unveils greener phones: C901 GreenHeart and Naite

Cellphone maker Sony Ericsson has unveiled two handset models, which are said to be more eco-friendly, adding that the company will push greener features across its product line in the next two years.

The new models, C901 GreenHeart and Naite, will be sold in smaller packages and have user manuals that are electronic. The devices use more recycled materials and consume less energy.

"Today we are announcing a commitment to roll out these innovations across the broader portfolio in 2010 and 2011," Sony Ericsson Chief Executive Hideki Komiyama said in a statement.

The role of greener products is increasing rapidly in the cellphone industry, with a recent ABI Research survey saying nearly half of U.S. consumers are likely to be influenced by suppliers' green credentials when purchasing devices.

Sony Ericsson said on Thursday it targets a cut of 20 percent of its carbon dioxide emissions by 2015.

The handset industry is closely followed by environmental organizations around the world due to its large scale. More than 1 billion phones are sold globally each year, which requires the use of sales boxes, add-ons and tons of rare raw materials.

The world's top cellphone maker, Nokia, started to renew its packaging in 2006, and has said it saved 100 million euros ($142.9 million) in less than a year.

Sony Ericsson said its new models will use at least 50 percent recycled plastics, similar to Nokia's 3110 Evolve model, which the Finnish firm introduced last year.

Last year Nokia's chief executive, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, showed a prototype of a phone made fully of recycled materials at the Mobile World Congress trade show, but the model has not reached production.

Sony Ericsson, the world's fifth-biggest handset maker, is in need of new models to renew its offering since the appeal of the years-old Sony-branded Cybershot cameraphones and Walkman music phones has faded.

Sony Ericsson launches W995 Walkman Phone

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson has unveiled an 8 megapixel camera phone and unlimited movie download service for mobile phones.

The W995 Walkman phone is an 8-megapixel sliding cameraphone with an additional sliding-lens cover for its camera.

The W995 has a 2.6-inch screen, a full Web browser, email, and a high-quality camera with face detection and an image stabilizer. It comes in three colors: red, silver and black.

The company also said it would bring to the market in the second half of the year a 12.1 megapixel camera phone codenamed –Idou (just a concept name).

According to Sony Ericsson, the Idou is a 12.1-megapixel cameraphone running a future version of the Symbian OS that doesn't even have a name yet. It has a 3.5-inch, 16:9 ratio 640x480 resistive touch screen, music and video players.

Sony Ericsson will give the Idou a real model name and release more details about it before it launches in the second half of 2009.

Sony Ericsson launches PlayNow Kiosk - new mobile entertainment service

Sony Ericsson has launched a new service for mobile entertainment. Using this service handphone users in the Asia Pacific region can download the latest movies, TV series, games and music from its retail stores.

The new service called PlayNow Kiosk is limited to Sony Ericsson handphone users and is part of the firm's efforts to differentiate itself amid tougher competition due to the global economic crisis.

According to Sony Ericsson, “during the first phase of the launch, the service will be available at more than 80 Sony Ericsson stores in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia”.

The stores will feature a station where customers can plug in their phones, browse and download the latest movies within just three to four minutes for a fee.

Popular television series, games, ringtones and music, including more than 1,800 albums and 23,000 individual tracks, are available.

PlayNow Kiosk is expected to "create an opportunity for impulse buys and instant gratification" as the service is available in strategic places such as train stations.

Xperia X1 from Sony Ericsson at Rs. 44,500

Sony Ericsson has recently launched a new hi-tech mobile phone, integrated with nine-panel user interfaces, for the high-end mobile users against a price tag of Rs. 44,500. The new smartphone, ‘Xperia X1’, is highly customized particularly to stimulate the fashion conscious tech-savvy GenNext youngsters.

Xperia X1 has been designed exclusively keeping in mind the style needs of the GenNext fashion conscious youngsters. The new 3.0-inch Sony Ericsson model with its 16-bit color TFT touchscreen amidst 800×480 resolution will surely affect lifestyle of its users.

It is expected that the arrivals of ‘Xperia X1’ will open a new chapter in the history of mobile-phone evolution. Primarily, the company has targeted to deliver a new dimension in the spheres of web communication experience by designing the high cost phone. According to Sony Ericsson India President Anil Sethi, “Xperia, aimed to offer energizing communication and premium mobile experience, with the promise of quality and functionality.” “We have launched this high-end phone to target the premium multi-media devices market, which is doubling every year”, he added.

According to Sudhin Mathur, General Manager of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, “Xperia X1 can be personalized through nine panel user interfaces to suit to the user’s mood and lifestyle. Users can access content quickly and directly through touch-screen, easily switching between applications by touching one of the unique customized panels. With Windows Mobile, high data transfer rate and Wi-Fi support, one can enjoy favorite entertainment and work efficiently on the move”.

Across US “Xperia X1” is available from November 28 @ $799. The handset is available in two shades: Steel Silver and Solid Black.

The mind blowing ‘Xperia X1’ model is loaded with Windows Mobile 6.1 Operating System. Its technical specifications include 3inch wide touchscreen supporting a resolution of 800 × 480 pixels (WVGA), metal-finish body, a 4 GB card extendable up to 32 GB, a full keyboard, one 158 grams Lithium-Polymer battery with 1500 mAh capacity sufficient enough for 10 hrs GSM talk time and 6 hrs of WCDMA usage, and 65-thousand color TFT display, etc.

Other vital characteristics include operating compatibility for HSPA and Quad-band GSM networks, 3G, Handwriting recognition, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.1, Optical joystick, and USB, etc.

Sony Ericsson to launch eco-friendly biodegradable cell phone

Sony Ericsson is venturing in the field of manufacturing environmentally safe biodegradable cell phones. The company seemingly wants to prove that a biodegradable phone is a feasible idea.

This phone was conceived under the the “GreenHeart” concept which encompasses green technologies, using bio-plastic housings, recycled plastic keypads, zero charger with 3.5mW standby power, digital manuals, a game style educational application “Ecomate” and environmentally conscious packaging.

Mats Pellback-Scharp, Head of Corporate Sustainability for Sony Ericsson, was reported to have said, “The global take back scheme and the GreenHeart project bring us closer to our vision of being a leader in sustainability in the mobile phone industry.”

Sony Ericsson reportedly setup collection points for acquiring used cell phones. There are more than 500 collection points in contries like India, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Singapore, USA and Mexico presently. The company expects to expand this project in all the countries where it provides service by the year 2009.

Sony Ericsson launches bluetooth watch for ladies

Sony Ericsson launched the Bluetooth MBW-200 range of Bluetooth watches for ladies which is an expansion of the Bluetooth MBW-150 range.

The collection consists of three different designs of watch that can control your phone. The watches will come with scratch resistant mineral crystal glass with an anti-glare coating for optimum readability and glow.

The collection has been made in partnership with Fossil. With the help of Bluetooth technology, the watches display the caller ID and intimate the user about an incoming call or SMS through vibration as well as give out-of-range warning, when the watch is 10m away from your phone . The watches also have a button to reject or mute a call. The water resistant watches control the phone’s music player too. Besides, the clear monochrome OLED display is invisible when not in use.

The MBW-200 series comes in three distinct designs named sparkling allure, contemporary elegance and evening classic which are modelled by 19-year-old Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova, 18-year-old Danish player Caroline Wozniacki, and 19-year-old Hungarian superstar Agnes Szavay respectively.

Karmen Mandic, product business manager, Sony Ericsson stated, “The MBW-200 series is the next step in the development of Bluetooth wireless technology.” He further added, “Now women can buy a Bluetooth watch that gives them both wireless functionality and an opportunity to express their personal taste. We’re all looking for products that make our lives more convenient. With a glance at your watch, you can see who is calling, what the time is and with a push of a button you can change your music or use it as a music remote control when your phone is on the other side of the room all in one stylish device.” The MBW-200 range will reportedly be available in selected markets from early Q4 2008.

Sony Ericsson announces music service for mobile phones

Sony Ericsson has announced the launch of a mobile phone service with unlimited music downloads named Play Now Plus very shortly. This move is intended to give competition to Nokia which already lunched mobile phones with music subscription service.

The Play Now Plus promises access to millions of songs to the subscribers who would be able to keep up to 300 songs after the subscription expires whereas Nokia allows users unlimited download of music for the 12 months and keep those songs forever.

Sony Ericsson’s marketing head Lennard Hoornik informed that Telenor will initially launch the service in Sweden and expand to other Western European countries gradually. Rob Lewis, the head of Omnifone which is a technology partner for Sony Ericsson stated, “In the long term music lovers will clearly be drawn to devices which will come with unlimited access to music. It is such an attractive proposition.”

R300 Radio from Sony Ericsson hits the Indian market

Sony Ericsson R300 Radio mobile phone got launched in India. R300 is designed to deliver a credible radio-listening experience to a global audience, and ideally suited to emerging markets such as India. The new phone supports AM/FM frequency channels aiming to target the entry level buyers as its potential customer. The phone is designed to make live entertainment shows on FM channels as well as live cricket commentary on AM channels accessible to its users.

Preset buttons on the front of R300 let you switch easily between your favourite stations. It takes just one click to boost the volume when you want to share music on the radio or the live action from the sports ground.

The phone features a voice recording as well as radio recording function along with volume boosters for clarity of sound. The other features that the phone boasts of include an integrated camera, loud speaker, alarm clock with radio, MP3 ringtones, bluetooth experience, and predictive text input.

The R300 Radio is available in two colours: Antique Copper and Steel Black. It is a GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets from Q2 2008. The R300a Radio is a GSM/GPRS 850/1800/1900 phone, available in the same timeframe.

The device is priced approximately Rs. 4,395.

Sony Ericsson launches C902- goes James Bond way to promote

Sony Ericsson unveiled the C902 cybershot camera phone Titanium silver edition to coincide with the upcoming James Bond film “Quantum of Solace”.

The C902, which is the company's trademark cybershot phone featuring a 5 megapixel camera, is used by popular film character Bond in the upcoming movie.

This isn't the first time Sony has used virtual marketing to promote its product. Casino Royale, which marked Daniel Craig's debut as James Bond, showcased an array of Sony products right from its Vaio range of laptops, digital cameras and mobile phones.

Vesper Lynd, who according to the story was Bond's first and last love interest but actually was a double agent working with Mr. White - the film's villain representing the Quantum Organization - also used a Sony Ericsson phone.

The phones weighs Size 107 grams and is 108 mm long. With a built in memory of 60 MB which can be extended using a memory card, the phone has a screen size of two inches. The limited Titanium edition will come pre-loaded with Bond ring tones and wallpapers.

Nokia too has used this marketing strategy in the past. In the recently released Batman movie - The Dark Knight - Nokia used the strategy to showcase their upcoming Tube mobile phone, which will be the Finnish major's new full touch screen mobile phone.

C902 will cost Rs.20,995 in the Indian market.

Sony Ericsson unveiled T700 ultra thin mobile handset

Sony Ericsson has recently unveiled the T700 phone. This ultra thin phone is meant to be the successor of the T610 style icon. This T700 mobile handset is 10 mm thick and sports a flawless design with premium features.

The T700 is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 UMTS/HSDPA 2100 phone that will be available in selected markets in the colours Black on Silver, Black on Red and Shining Silver from early Q4 of 2008. It has an optimal memory of 512 MB. The camera is 3.2 mega pixel and has the self portrait facility using which you can click your own photographs.

Few specific features of T700 are as following:
• The perfect slim elegant phone – slick stick design with premium metal finish
• 3.2 megapixel camera – snap a great shot and share with your friends via your blog or web page
• High quality stereo speakers – share your music with friends
• Colour matched headset – colour co-ordinate your accessories with your phone
• High speed sharing – via the operator network or Bluetooth™
• 512MB memory card memory in box – and even more to expand
• 2" TFT display – add more emotion when you’re in motion, download film clips and view in vivid colours

This phone is intended to take on the Motorola L6, L7 and the Nokia 6300 and 5310 Xpress Music series. The T700 has a talk time of 9 hours and 30 minutes and a standby time of 370 hours.

The T700 is a slim elegant phone for the mass market – whether you want a phone that looks good or one that is perfect to show off in an important business meeting. The pricing of the mobile handset has not yet been declared.

Sony Ericsson launches 5 megapixel Cyber Shot C902

After LG and Nokia, it’s Sony Ericsson which has launched a phone with a 5 megapixel camera. Its latest offering is the Cyber Shot C902.

C902 sports of a 16 x zoom with auto focus and face detection. Eight keys facilitate selection of various modes of the camera. The photo flash can adjust for low light conditions. There are facilities to click nine photos one after the other in quick succession.

Mr Sudhin Mathur, General Manager Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, India remarks, “There is a change in the trend of more and more people replacing the camera with the camera phones. The Cyber-shot C902 is a perfect combination of style with superb camera features. Its unique camera features lets you capture your beautiful moments with the perfect shot”.

C902 has a talk time of 9 hrs and a standby time GSM of up to 400 hours. It has a blue tooth headset and is GPS enabled. The carrying case is attractive too. For Rs 20,995 it is going to provide a stiff competition to its challengers.

Sony Ericsson’s Cyber-Shot range are arguably the best of the cameraphones.