Sony Ericsson Adds Three New Phones
Sony Ericsson is strengthening its product line-up with the introduction of three new handsets offering a combination of design quality, ease of use and value that reaches out to a broad range of consumers with basic mobile phone needs for calling and texting.
The new models are:
- J220 - a stick phone optimised for ease of use with simplified one click menu access
- J230 - a stick phone offering simplified menu access along with the benefit of an FM radio
- Z300 - an attractive clamshell with beautiful design lines
These new phones will appeal to consumers looking for handsets with great design from a trusted brand that are reliable, affordable and simple to use. Each handset has its own appeal and is firmly focused on making voice and text communications as easy as possible with the use of features such as one click navigation, single icon menus and colour screens.
“We are continuously expanding the Sony Ericsson offering to a wider range of consumers and customer needs,” said Steve Walker, Vice President Product Marketing. “With this launch, even more people that aspire to the Sony Ericsson brand can now afford to own one of our handsets and importantly, they have real choice from a range of phones, all of which are simple to use and beautifully designed.”
J220 - Simplicity and ease of use
The J220 is designed for ease of use. Consumers can choose their most familiar menu - either a single icon menu that is visually simple or the popular Sony Ericsson multi-icon menu that gives an at-a-glance overview of all the key functions. The one-click navigation key and icon markings on the navigation key make it simpler and easier to access the most commonly used functions. It has a large storage capacity for phone numbers (up to 500) and SMS (up to 200) and Style-Up(TM) covers are available from accessory outlets allow personalization. J220 is available in smooth black or sky blue.
J230 - Stay tuned in
A built in stereo FM radio enables consumers to be always tuned into their favourite stations for music, sports or news with the click of one button from the navigation key. The phone also comes equipped with a stereo hands free to enhance the user experience. A speaker phone in the back of the phone completes the package. J230 also allows a choice between the single or multi-icon menu styles and easy access to handset features with the one-click interface. Listening to the radio, answering a call, looking up a phone number, and starting an SMS message are all done in one click. The J230 comes in cosmo white, cherry red or deep blue and can also be personalised with the Style-Up(TM) covers. In addition J230 offers a large phone book (up to 500 phone numbers) and large SMS storage (up to 200)
Z300 - An elegant clamshell
This small, elegant clamshell available in granite grey or amethyst purple has great appeal for the style-conscious individuals looking for a simple phone that fits their mood, taste and lifestyle. Open the clam to reveal a bright, sharp colour display and a surprisingly large keypad plus a navigation key that reaches all the main functions in one click. Close the clam to lock the phone and the outer display shows the clock and incoming caller information. The Z300’s focus is on voice and text, but it also offers a phone book, calendar, reminders and alarm clock. Also it offers consumers to personalize their phones with the Style-Up(TM) covers available from accessory outlets. Also in addition there will be Crystal Décor included in every box, allowing customers to make their handsets more personal
8 out of 10 Cell Phone Customers Choose GSM Service
BELLEVUE, Wash., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ — Wireless industry trade association 3G Americas reports that the GSM family of wireless technologies — GSM, GPRS, EDGE and UMTS/HSDPA — added more than 112 million new customers in three months (Q3 2005), increasing its global market share to 77.6% with more than 1.6 billion customers.
“The continuing growth of the GSM family of technologies is unprecedented, and not only in the wireless industry,” commented Chris Pearson, of 3G Americas. “It was decades before fixed phone lines or even televisions reached more than a billion units sold, while more than 1.6 billion GSM-family customers are talking on cell phones today since the first GSM network launched in 1992. Now we are seeing a surge in next generation applications, and even more uses for the wireless mobile device including email, music, Internet browsing, and also mobile television.”
With 381 million customer additions since Q3 2004, GSM added more new customers in the one-year period than the entire customer base of any other mobile digital technology. The GSM family of technologies is used by more than 670 mobile wireless service providers in 212 countries and territories, which clearly indicates that no other wireless technology matches GSM’s scope and scale.
The Western Hemisphere continues to experience healthy GSM growth with more than 84.5 million new GSM customers between Q3 2004 and Q3 2005. This represents 94% of the more than 90 million net customer additions in the Americas region. With a 41% market share in the Americas, GSM is the number one technology in the region with an annual growth rate of 90%, which is more than three and a half times CDMA’s growth rate.
Pearson added, “The Americas region has led the way for CDMA and TDMA operators transitioning to the GSM family of technologies. That trend continues in other parts of the world, such as the recent report by Telstra of Australia that they are replacing their CDMA mobile network with a national 3G GSM (UMTS) network.”
“In Latin America and the Caribbean, GSM continues to lead the marketplace by providing excellent solutions for customers — quality, coverage, handset selection and exciting new services and features,” stated Erasmo Rojas, Director of Latin America and the Caribbean. “A look at the statistics wholly supports this fact: GSM gained more than 58 million new customers for a 127% annual growth-three times the growth rate of CDMA at 41%.”
GSM holds a 47% market share in the Latin American region, followed by TDMA with 26% and CDMA with 24.7%. The top five GSM markets in the region as of September 2005 were Brazil with 38.1 million GSM customers, followed by Mexico (22.6 million), Colombia (10.8 million), Argentina (7.5 million) and Chile (6.1 million).
In the United States and Canada, the new customers added for GSM over a one-year period through Q3 2005 totaled 26 million versus the market leader, CDMA, which added 14.9 million new customers.
The continued growth of GSM is contributing to the proliferation of EDGE and UMTS (WCDMA) high-speed wireless voice and data services. More than 100 operators in 65 countries have launched commercial EDGE networks, with another 83 networks in various deployment stages. These operators represent more than 870 million customers within their current subscriber base. Additionally, UMTS is demonstrating even more growth than GSM at the same point of maturation. At the end of Q3 2004, there were 11 million UMTS customers worldwide, nearly 17 million at the start of this year, and UMTS customers have more than doubled to nearly 35 million at the end of Q3 2005 compared to more than 17 million CDMA 1xEV-DO according to the UMTS Forum (as of September 6). To date, there are 92 operators offering commercial UMTS service around the world, with another 70 operators either pre-commercial, in deployment, or with planned UMTS networks. This makes UMTS the leading 3G technology today based on the number of operators, the number of customers and the anticipated market potential due to operator commitments.
UMTS will be further enhanced with HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) to deliver even higher speeds, lower latency, greater spectral capacity and lower costs for operators and their customers. The first UMTS/HSDPA deployments occurred in October 2005 with Cingular Wireless activating its HSDPA network in Dallas, Phoenix and Seattle, followed by O2/Manx Telecom on the Isle of Man. To date, another 46 HSDPA networks are planned or in deployment with additional ongoing trials.
Data is based on figures from Informa Telecoms & Media World Cellular Information Service (WCIS). Detailed charts on GSM growth, as well as EDGE and UMTS deployment lists, are available at 3G Americas’ website: http://www.3gamericas.org/English/statistics/index.cfm.
Sony Ericsson W550 Review
Mobile Burn has several pages on the W550, much like the W550i that I looked at earlier.
Sony Ericsson decided to launch their second Walkman branded handset, the W550, with a spinner form factor much like the S700, and throw in a 1.3 megapixel camera and a whopping 256MB of on board memory to boot. Similar to the W800, the W550 also comes in a vibrant orange, but features exchangeable faceplates. This would definitely appeal to those who love to personalize their phones.
The W550 is a tri band (900/1800/1900MHz) phone, and features GPRS connectivity. So how does the W550 perform as a Walkman handset, and more importantly, how well does it carry out its task as a phone?
Nextel Launches Direct Send Picture
Sprint Nextel customers that use the Nextel Push-To-Talk (PTT) service can now add a new extension onto that by allowing users to snap and send pictures over the PTT network. The new service is called the Nextel Direct Send Picture service, and as per its namesake users can take a picture with the cell phone’s camera and have it be sent to another person’s screen, and this all can happen without ending the Walkie Talkie session.
Currently the Nextel Direct Send Picture is available on the Motorola i870, but it will be available for all of Nextel’s future handsets and a software upgrade for select handsets is already in the market, and will be rolling out over the coming weeks.
The service is currently free until February 28, 2006, and after that it will only be 25 cents per picture.
Panasonic VS2 Review
Slowly and surely as technology has advanced, cell phones have looked better on the inside and out, and that is especially true with the new 16 million color QVGA display that the VS2 from Panasonic sports. The phone comes as a sleek clamshell phone in three striking colors, Silver, Dark Brown and Pink. The tri-band (900/1800/1900Mhz) VS2 also sports a 1.3 megapixel camera and GPRS connectivity. Even better than having such a great LCD, and a decent camera and feature set as well as a nice design the VS2 is considered an entry-level cell phone, and thus will carry a lower price tag than certain other models.
From Mobile Burn:
Measuring 96mm x 46mm x 18.2mm (3.77” x 1.81” x 0.71”), the VS2 slips easily into my jeans pocket, and it will not weigh any pants or handbags down coming in at a mere 98g (3.45oz). On the front of the VS2, you will find the 1.3 megapixel camera perched at the top. The design is very similar to the X800, but this time the VS2 does without changeable covers. Unfortunately, Panasonic decided to keep costs down by omitting an external display. The indicator light flashes whenever a call comes in or an SMS is received, but this only happens for a few seconds.
One of the things that I think is a bit of a set back for this camera is that it does not support any external memory and only contains 32MB, which is more than enough for normal camera features such as address books and whatnot, but for taking images with the digital camera, or using the MP3 support that the VS2 includes, it is too small.
Overall the VS2 from Panasonic is considered a well rounded phone and one of the better phones from Panasonic, it has many features, and a great UI. The screen puts it over the top and makes this phone a highly recommended product.
Johnson Electric Technology Promises Better Pictures
Cameras on cell phones have never been able to take decent pictures. They are grainy, out of focus and those that want any quality from the images are constantly complaining.
Johnson Electric has heard the unhappy wails of frustration, and have announed a product that might just fix those blurry shots. The NanoLens is a new motion technology for auto-focus in phone cameras.
NanoLens promises to increase speed, accuracy, smoothness and repeatablility of image quality. The technology is on display to manufacturers this month in Hong Kong and will be available early next year.
No word yet on price, or ease of implementation.
Samsung Presents New Slim Line-up
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world’s third largest producer of mobile phones, introduces 5 new mobile phones for the European market. The average of the newly unveiled phones are under 15mm and offer the latest multimedia features, such as music playback capability, megapixel camera and Bluetooth connectivity. The lineups include two 3G phones (model: SGH-Z510, SGH-Z540), two slide-up GSM/GPRS phones (model: SGH-D800, SGH-D820), and a credit-card size mobile phone (Model: SGH-P300).
Samsung’s mobile phone leadership is based on its ability to design phones with innovative form factors, such as the clamshell phones, slide-up phones, and TV viewable landscape phones. This reputation is further cemented by its introduction of phones with ever slimmer designs. It was the first to reveal a 9.8mm slim mobile phone (SPH-N2000) in 2001.
The current trend in mobile phone design is moving towards “slim & wide” design. The “slim & wide” design concept offers better portability with its lightweight and thinness, as well as enriches multimedia features in a mobile environment with larger screens.
Kitae Lee, President of the Telecommunication Network Business at Samsung Electronics, says “Samsung’s new slim phones are equipped with the latest multimedia features and meet the highest standard of quality. Our values for quality, extraordinary design, and essential multimedia features were not compromised to bring to market our innovative slim concept.” He adds, “We will continue to add more ‘slim & wide’ designs with varying form factors and features to the award-winning Samsung product line-up.”
SGH-Z510 and Z540 are the slimmest 3G phones at a depth of 14.9mm. Equipped with a 1.3 megapixel camera and 4x digital zoom, the two phones offers a full spectrum of 3G features, including video telephony, real-time video streaming and video messaging.
The SGH-Z510’s 2.2-inch QVGA screen displays crisp high-speed video streaming clips. It also includes MP3 playback functionality, allowing users to listen to 3D sound quality music content anywhere and at anytime.
The SGH-Z540 is a modernistic and exquisitely designed phone that will attract fashion-conscious consumers and working professionals who desire the many features of 3G in a superior slim design. It holds 150MB of content and supports Bluetooth and USB transfers.
The SGH-D800 is a 14.9mm slim slide-up phone that is packed with today’s latest technology – 1.3 megapixel camera, document viewer, Bluetooth, PictBridge, and TV-out. Encased in a black and silver metal, it exudes modernity and elegance.
At a depth of 15.2 mm, the SGH-D820 is slim slide-up phone with a full line-up of multimedia features. It features a wide (2.12-inch) and high resolution (QVGA) LCD screen and 1.3 megapixel camera. With Quad Band capability, the SGH-D820 is functional across all GSM frequency bands. It also supports microSD external memory. With its modern, premium exterior design, the phone is the best fit for sophisticated business users who desire top-quality features in a sleek appearance.
Samsung’s SGH-P300 is packed with the most advanced features in an elegant ultra slim package with mere 8.9mm thinness. This easy-to-carry mobile device shares the look and dimension of an ordinary credit card, yet comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera with flash, music player, and video recording capabilities. Its premium feather-light weight and stylish mini design is sure to turn heads everywhere you go. Nicknamed “The Card,” the P300 is perfect for users who desire the most advanced mobile technical features in a slim, unique appearance.
All phones will be launched in Europe in the fourth quarter of this year.
LG Turns to Java for Cell Phone OS
Java is said to be a slower running language by some of the developers I know, but more and more it seems to be the most versatile language as it appears in just about every device and on every operating system. LG Electronics has decided to use an operating system completely programmed in Java for its latest handset.
SavaJe OS is an advanced open operating system for handsets, based on Sun Microsystems’ Java technology. Unlike other handset operating systems, all handset applications, including the handset UI are written in Java.
This LG Electronics says, allows the company to easily offer operator customisations, while using a common software platform.
“The SavaJe and LG Electronics implementation of a complete handset operating system based on Java technologies extends significant opportunities to developers”, said Alan Brenner, Vice President, Client Systems Group, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Dr. Skott Ahn, Executive Vice President, LG Electronics, said “Creating an open OS is a significant achievement in itself. To do so using Java, offering this level of performance for the entire applications platform, including full telephony support, brings a new era of opportunity for developers, operators and end-users”.
I guess only time will really tell if this was the powerful move that the LG executives make it sound like it is.
Sony Ericsson W550i
The latest edition of the Sony Ericsson Walkman series the W550i is another in a line of Sony Ericsson handsets that is being marketed to the music interested youth market that every company seems to be attempting to exploit as fast as possible.
With its tri-band GSM phone that includes music, Java, Internet and e-mail capabilities, it might have got it pretty close to right with the W550i.
The most noticeable design elements on the W550i are the speakers and the spin flip design. They are bold and unique, and for those looking for something a little different from the clamshell or regular slider design, this is something a little new.
The speakers are prominent on top and side which makes it very easy to tell that the phone is used for audio needs, though it is said that when it is closed it sounds pretty much like the K750 series with its 40 tone polyphonic range.
For talk time, you can expect the battery to last around 8.3 hours and a really decent 400 hours of standby time.
Some of the secondary features of the W550i include upgradeable firmware, Java application support, POP3 e-mail ready and the WAP service is complemented by a fully compatible HTML browser.
Also included is a 1.3 megapixel digital camera witout any optical zoom, but with a flash strong enough to capture clear pictures in a dark room. The quality of the images is said to be good, and its video capture abilities are decent and look nice on the nice screen included with the Sony Ericsson W550i.
Other things which I think are as important as the Mp3 abilities include a built in FM radio which is nice when you have listened to everything you have on your phone, which is complete with Radio Data Support (RDS) feeds. This means you can see a weather or news ticker over the radio screen, and also included are some nice pre-installed games which include Worms Fortress 3D and the classic Gauntlet.
The main problem for music enthusiasts will be the lack of a removable storage card. I am surprised that Sony did not make room to through a memory stick in the mix, but the W500i still has ample storage for a cell phone with 256MB of onboard memory.
Expect this phone to make it pretty high on the most wanted list, as it is very well rounded and not just another Mp3 phone.
Green Bay Packers Say “Not Acceptable” to Ringing Cell Phone
At a news conference on Wednesday, a cell phone went off, and ended the event early.
Head coach Mike Sherman was about 16 minutes into his normal 25-minute news conference answering a question, when a cell phone began to ring. The Packers cancelled the rest of the press conference when the culprit failed to admit his mistake and apologize.
“This wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction,” a team spokesman said. “This is a problem that’s been ongoing for several weeks, and despite repeated attempts to ask people to turn off their cell phones before every single press conference, it continued to happen.”
Hopefully this sets precedent and the media and everyone else listens. Show respect, and turn off your cell phones in the situations that common sense requires it.
“I don’t understand that,” Sherman said as he walked away from the podium. “That stuff to me … is a total lack of respect for each other. Forget me, you don’t have to respect me. But respect each other.”
Categories
- 3G
- Apple
- Article
- Articles
- Audiovox
- BlackBerry
- Camera Phone
- Hacks
- HTC
- Kyocera
- LG
- Motorola
- News
- Nokia
- Palm
- Panasonic
- Pantech
- Reviews
- Sagem
- Samsung
- Sanyo
- Sharp
- Siemens
- Sony Ericsson
- Telco
- Tips and Tricks
- Tools
- Toshiba
Recent Posts
- Postpaid versus Prepaid
- Nokia 5200 XpressMusic
- Cellphone Scandals
- BlackBerry 8830 World Edition
- Prepaid Lines, Budget Friendly
Related Blogs
E-mail Subscription
