Samsung Unveils Bada Smartphone Platform
By Jason Ankeny
Samsung Electronics officially took the wraps off its new bada smartphone platform, first announced in early November. Unveiled at a London launch event, bada (translating to "ocean" in Korean) promises an open, feature-rich platform for creating enhanced mobile consumer experiences--based on Samsung's TouchWiz user interface, bada provides developers with flash control, web control, motion sensing, fine-tuned vibration control and face detection tools, complete with support for context-aware applications incorporating accelerometers, tilt, weather, proximity and activity sensors.
Samsung adds that bada will support a host of service-centric features like social networking, device synchronization, content management, location-based services, and commerce services, all enabled by back-end servers. In addition, bada-based applications can integrate with device functions to make phone calls, send messages or access the contact list--various service applications also can share information such as personal profiles, social relations, schedules or contents contingent on user confirmation.
Samsung also announced the bada Developer Challenge, encouraging programmers to build apps on the bada platform for their share of prizes valued at $2.7 million. The handset maker is also planning a series of Developer Days spread across the 2010 calendar, with events planned in Seoul, London and San Francisco. [FierceMobileContent]
Rumor Mill: Nokia replacing Symbian with Maemo in N-Series devices
By Phil Goldstein
Nokia plans to stop using the Symbian platform by 2012 in its entire N-Series line of devices in favor of Maemo, according to a report on The Really Mobile Project blog.
The blog, citing comments from Nokia's Maemo marketing team at an event in London, said that the transition will be gradual. Nokia's first Maemo-based smartphone, the N900, has been intended as a "bridge" device aimed at developers and tech enthusiasts, the blog said, but the company will gradually release more mass-market Maemo devices in the coming years.
Nokia declined to comment on the specific claims in the report, but said it remains committed to Symbian. "While it is our policy not to disclose details of our product roadmap, we'd like to explicitly communicate that we remain firmly committed to Symbian as our smartphone platform of choice," the company said in a statement. "Any speculation on what our 2012 roadmap, including operating systems and product branding, are completely premature."
In the statement, Nokia said that it has multiple platforms to serve different purposes and address different markets. "Symbian is more successful than ever in bringing smartphones to the masses," Nokia said. "Maemo is our software of choice for devices based on technology that you'd typically find inside a desktop computer. It delivers a different user experience and enables us to widen the market we can address."
Nokia's N-Series typically denotes high-end smartphones that run the Symbian operating system, though Symbian has been trickling down into Nokia's mid-range line of phones.
The N900 went on sale in the United States today for $649, and will be sold online and in Nokia's flagship stores. Notably, the device did not attract support from any of the major U.S. carriers. Amazon.com is selling the device unlocked for $510. [FierceWireless]
Smartphone Social Networking Use Triples Year-over-year
By Jason Ankeny
More than 18.3 million unique U.S. smartphone users turned to their devices for social networking access in July 2009, up from 6.4 million users a year earlier, according to new research issued by Nielsen. Social networking now accounts for 32 percent of all smartphone activity, Nielsen notes, adding that Facebook leads the pack with 14.7 million smartphone users--MySpace follows with 7.1 million, with Twitter at 4.1 million.
"Social networking is probably the most important thing going on with mobile devices because the devices lend themselves to more social networking activities," said Nielsen's research director for technology and search Jon Stewart. "When you're sitting at your PC you're not going to necessarily be Twittering about sitting at your desk, but when you're out and about in the world, you're more likely to have content and experiences that you want to share."
Nielsen reports that 60 percent of smartphone users now engage in text messaging, 31 percent use multimedia messaging, and 25 percent access the mobile web. The study adds that smartphones represent almost one quarter of all mobile devices purchased in the last year. [FierceMobileContent]
Which Smartphones Fill Consumer Content Needs?
iPhone, Android top the list
The iPhone continues to top all other smartphones in measures of consumer satisfaction. In May–June 2009, Crowd Science found it well ahead of the BlackBerry and other smartphones in measures of satisfaction and brand loyalty—and content usage too.
August 2009 data from CFI Group agrees: Users are happier with the functions of their iPhones than with any other smartphone. Android and Palm Pre took second and third place, respectively.
A key finding of the “Smartphone Satisfaction Study 2009” is that the most satisfying smartphones are the ones that offer the best consumer functionality. Users now expect more than just the e-mail and calendar functionality that were critical for early business users.
“The iPhone is the best thing to happen to the smartphone industry because it captured the imagination of a whole new set of consumers that might not have made the smartphone jump,” said Doug Helmreich, program director with CFI Group, in a statement. “The new breed of smartphone consumers expect more from their phones, and the iPhone may represent only the tip of a data-intensive iceberg.”
The Android was closest to the iPhone in several measures of satisfaction, but trailed when it came to hardware issues. CFI Group suggested that as newer devices run the operating system it will pull even with the iPhone. In fact, it surpassed the Apple device when it came to popularity of Web surfing and using maps. And 77% of Android users downloaded apps at least weekly, compared with 71% of iPhone owners.
But what of “other” smartphones?
“Smartphones running the Symbian or Windows Mobile operating systems aren’t even a part of the conversation, even though they run on the majority of smartphones,” according to the report. “These platforms do not adequately support the consumer-oriented functionality that new adopters of smartphones desire.”
In spite of that, iSuppli Corp. expects the installed base of Windows Mobile smartphones to reach 67.9 million worldwide by 2013, putting the Microsoft OS in second position—with Symbian in the lead. Together, the two systems will account for 62.9% of the worldwide smartphone market that year. [eMarketer]
Microsoft May Launch Two Smartphones Using WinMo 7.0
By Sue Marek
Rumors are circulating once again about Microsoft entering the smartphone market. Although the software giant has denied any intention of making a mobile device (the firm only licenses the software), reports indicate the company is developing two smartphones through its Danger subsidiary. Danger, the firm behind the T-Mobile USA Sidekick line of devices, was acquired by Microsoft last year.
Unlike previous rumors, these reports include some detailed descriptions of the proposed devices. Specifically, reports say that one device, codenamed Turtle, will have a square-ish shape and a sliding keyboard. The second device, codenamed Pure, will be rectangular and have a slider. Both devices will supposedly be manufactured by Sharp, which was an OEM for the Sidekick line. Speculation is high that the operating system for both will be Windows Mobile 7.0, and the phones will be introduced at CES but not released until later in 2010.
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, said that Microsoft was working with Verizon on a device, code-named "Pink," that would have additional software capabilities and feature Microsoft's Windows Marketplace for Mobile. There have also been rumors about a possible Microsoft smartphone based on the software giant's Zune digital music player.[FierceWireless]
Dell Hints at Smartphone Plans, but Mystery Remains
By Phil Goldstein
Dell hinted further at its smartphones plans, but did not officially confirm that it would enter the market--thereby again sparking questions about the company's true intentions.
Ronald Garriques, president of Dell's consumer division and former chief of Motorola's cell phone efforts, said the computer maker would work with the top three to four carriers and see what their needs are. Garriques, speaking at the company's annual financial presentation in Texas, did not specify whether that meant the top three or four operators in the United States or in the world. However, according to a report in the Financial Times, he suggested Dell would work to produce smartphones for sale in Asia, Europe and the United States.
According to a PC Magazine report, Dell executives did not specifically claim that the company would enter the smartphone market. However, when analysts made references to Dell entering the market during a question-and-answer session following the presentation, they were not corrected. In any event, Dell likely would outsource the design of a handset to a third party, the report indicated.
Ashok Kumar, a Collins Stewart analyst, told the FT that he thought Dell would soon release a smartphone in China running on Google's Android platform. That jives with an April Reuters report that said Dell would release a smartphone in China before the end of the year. The report said that Dell partnered on the handset design with Chi Mei Communications, a unit of the Taiwanese electronics company Hon Hai, and that Chinese software company Red Office was developing the phone's software.
In March, Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu said in a research note that Dell's initial smartphone prototypes were rejected by the carriers that had seen them. The carriers apparently thought the prototypes, which reportedly were running on Android and Windows Mobile, were too dull and undifferentiated. [FierceWireless]
iPhone Now 69 percent of U.S. Smartphone Traffic
By Jason Ankeny
Apple's iPhone represented 69 percent of U.S. smartphone traffic across mobile advertising marketplace AdMob's network in May 2009, up from 59 percent the previous month. According to AdMob, smartphones now account for 37.3 percent of total U.S. traffic--Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices generated 13 percent of AdMob smartphone traffic last month, followed by devices from HTC (10 percent) and Palm (3 percent).
In all, AdMob reached 15.1 million unique users on iPhone and iPod touch devices on 2,309 applications in its network in May, with the average iPhone user in AdMob's network accessing four applications during that time. AdMob adds that five days after the launch of the iPhone OS 3.0, devices running the update represented 44 percent of iPhone ad requests, while only 1 percent of requests came from iPod touch devices running the revamped OS.
In all, AdMob's worldwide requests increased 6 percent month over month to 8.0 billion in May. 3.8 billion requests originated from the U.S., accounting for 47.6 of total global mobile ad requests--a 0.6 increase over April 2009. After the iPhone and iPod touch, the top U.S. handset in terms of percentage of requests was the Samsung R450, followed by the Motorola Razr V3 and the HTC Dream/Android G1. [FierceMobileContent]
HTC Unveils New Qwerty Smartphone, the Snap
By Phil Goldstein
HTC unveiled a new Qwerty smartphone, the Snap, at the International CTIA Wireless 2009 show in Las Vegas, promising users a more streamlined email experience.
The HSPA phone looks similar to many of Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices, and like those devices is designed for users to send and receive email. However, HTC is touting the phone's "Inner Circle" feature, which allows users to press a dedicated key that brings up emails from a preselected group of people to the top of their inbox.
The phone runs on Windows Mobile 6.1, has WiFi and GPS support and a 2-megapixel camera. The phone will be available in select channels during the second quarter of 2009 and will likely be in wider availability in markets around the world during the second half of the year.
HTC also said an unlocked version supporting HSDPA at 850/1900MHz for the U.S. market will be made available under the name HTC S522 during the summer. The company did not give any pricing details. [FierceWireless]
Memory Cards Deliver Greatest Revenue of all Mobile Handset Accessories
Although cellular handset accessories such as chargers and batteries ship far more units in what is today a $58 billion industry, memory cards provide the greatest revenue of all mobile phone add-ons, according to a new study from ABI Research.
Driven by the photo, audio and video demands of media-centric handsets and smartphones, these memory cards, largely from third-party suppliers such as SanDisk, will see a 17% compound annual growth rate in shipments over the years to 2013.
However, says industry analyst Michael Morgan, it’s not just about units shipped: “Of all accessories, memory cards deliver the best revenue return. In fact, as production has outstripped demand the market is currently oversupplied, leading to a 60% year-over-year fall in per-Megabyte prices. However, the memory capacity of the cards being sold is always increasing, and the resulting higher Megabyte volumes more than offset the decline in ASP.”
Handset makers have been putting inexpensive low-capacity cards into smartphone and media phone boxes for some time. However, notes Morgan, there is currently a point of friction between handset vendors and carriers: the operators want all memory cards out of the box, preferring to sell higher-capacity cards separately. “The challenge for mobile operators,” he says, “is that subsidizing handset accessories means losing some of the high margins that they earn through the sales of these products. But subsidies also mean that many more subscribers will have handset accessories such as memory cards, and will be more likely to use mobile music services or download songs, leading to higher data ARPUs for operators.”
The new ABI Research study, “Mobile Phone Accessories” focuses on key handset accessories and the market for these products, including in-depth analysis for both in-box as well as aftermarket handset accessories. It also examines key market drivers and barriers to growth, technological trends, and future market potential for handset accessories. [ABI Research]
Capacitive Touch-Screens Not the Wave of the Future for Most Mobile Phones
When Apple’s iPhone transformed the public’s idea of how a mobile handset should work, one of its most impressive – and apparently disruptive – features was its slick touch-screen interface. While resistive touch screens activated by physical force had been around for years, the iPhone’s was different: it was of the capacitive type, activated by a finger’s electrical charge.
The great appeal of this interface led many in the industry to conclude that they had seen the future of most mobile handset displays. But according to ABI Research director Kevin Burden, nothing could be further from the truth. “The reality is that existing operating systems, legacy applications, and regional aspirations make the change to capacitive screens for many devices very challenging.”
Applications written for some of the high-end operating systems powering smartphones such as Windows Mobile and Symbian don’t lend themselves to capacitive navigation: there is a long legacy of third-party applications designed for five-way navigation, keypad, or stylus touch input. A change to capacitive screens would make it difficult to ensure continuity and backward compatibility.
Cost is also a major issue: resistive screens are far less expensive than capacitive.
But the most important single factor supporting the continued use of resistive screens is the huge opportunity in the Asian market and its need for screens that support handwriting recognition input with a stylus. A capacitive screen or QWERTY keyboard just won’t suffice in markets like China, given the nature of its alphabet.
“Capacitive screens will continue to make inroads into high-end models,” concludes Burden, “but with the overall market volume still primarily in midrange devices, the resistive screens in devices in this tier will continue to keep resistive technology far ahead of capacitive.” [ABI Research]
Worldwide Smartphone Sales Slow in Q3
By Jason Ankeny
Worldwide smartphone market sales totaled 36.5 million units during the third quarter of 2008 according to market research firm Gartner, which called the 11.5 percent jump over Q3 2007 totals the "weakest year-on-year growth since [the company] began tracking the industry." Nokia retained its overall smartphone lead with 42.4 percent market share in Q3, but for the first time it suffered a sales decline of 3 percent year-over-year, moving 15.4 million units.
Research In Motion captured second place with sales of 5.8 million and now boasts market share of 15.9 percent, an increase of 81.7 percent over the third quarter of 2007. Apple followed in third with iPhone sales of 4.7 million to claim 12.9 percent of the global smartphone market, a 327.5 percent leap over a year earlier. HTC came in fourth with sales of 1.6 million, translating to a 4.5 percent market share and 25.9 percent year-over-year growth, and Sharp placed fifth with sales of 1.2 million (3.4 percent market share and a 19.3 dropoff compared to Q3 2007 totals).
Gartner reports Symbian now commands 49.8 percent of the worldwide smartphone OS market, the first time its share fell below the 50 percent mark--a year ago, Symbian dominated 63.1 percent of smartphone OS sales, with the report blaming the decline on slumping Nokia sales as well as the continued weakness of the Japanese mobile device market.
Gartner adds it expects Symbian's market share to continue to erode in the year ahead, although it will remain the dominant mobile OS. RIM's BlackBerry OS occupies second place with market share of 15.9 percent. Apple's Mac OS X came in third at 12.9 percent, edging past Microsoft's Windows Mobile (11.1 percent) -- Gartner notes that for the first time, iPhone sales topped sales of WinMo devices worldwide and in North America. Linux is in fifth with 7.2 percent, and Palm OS is in sixth with 2.1 percent.
Gartner's other third quarter smartphone findings: North America is the fastest growing market, with a 68 percent increase--together, RIM and Apple accounted for more than 70 percent of the North American smartphone market in the third quarter. Smartphone sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa increased 14 percent year-on-year, with Nokia's share sliding nearly 8 percentage points and Apple vaulting ahead of HTC and RIM to secure the number two spot.
Sales in the Asia/Pacific market fell off 11 percent overall, with Japanese smartphone sales declining 23 percent--in Latin America, overall handset sales slumped, but the smartphone market grew 56 percent, galvanized by the introduction of Apple's iPhone 3G across dozens of markets.
"In 2009, application portfolios will become one of the key strategic considerations for smartphone market players and, if successful, they deliver an alternative revenue stream and will improve consumer stickiness," said Gartner principal analyst Roberta Cozza in a prepared statement. [FierceDeveloper]
Sprint to Release Four One Click Phones Next Week
By Phil Goldstein
Sprint Nextel will release four handsets next week running with its One Click technology. One Click gives the consumer the ability to have favorite applications in the phone's standby screen.
Kevin Packingham, Sprint's senior vice president, product and technology development, said in a conference call for industry analysts yesterday that the carrier would be releasing the phones next week. Sprint unveiled One Click at the CTIA Wireless and Entertainment Conference in San Francisco in September. The technology produces "tiles" on a phone's standby screen and give users one-touch access to any of the phone's features. Sprint had previously announced that One Click would be available on the LG Lotus, Samsung Rant and Samsung Highnote.
Packingham talked specifically about a Google tile allowing a user to access YouTube, GMail and Google Maps. "It's not the Sprint experience that we're giving these customers access to, it's the Google experience that they're used to," he said. "You're not just setting a screensaver. You're making decisions on what kind of content and data is important to you."
In discussing Sprint's idea of what an "open" network meant, Packingham also talked about the possibility of handoffs between Sprint's 3G CDMA network and potentially a WiMAX connection that would be available if the deal between Clearwire and Sprint goes through this year to create the new Clearwire."
If we believe in this open ecosystem environment that we are trying to create it allows us to take a platform approach that is very network agnostic," he said. "I can shift between by CDMA and WiMAX, the Touch Pro or new the BlackBerry. There is a platform capability that allows me to leverage the best network that I have." [FieceWireless]
cellity Communicator Enhances Google’s New Android-powered G1 Phone
Free software turns Google’s smartphone into a mobile communications center
Google’s G1 Android Phone, for which 1.5 million pre-orders have apparently been made, will go on sale in the US for the first time on October 22. As was the case with the iPhone, mobile Web-based applications are a key feature with the search-engine giant’s first smartphone on the Android platform.
Before sales start for the Android-powered G1, as one of the leading suppliers of mobile communications applications, cellity (http://www.cellity.com/) optimized its cellity Communicator for the Google cellphone and by doing so expanded features available for smartphone mobile communication. In addition to significantly less expensive voicemail, text messaging, and email functions, the address book can be automatically updated and backed up using the cellity Communicator.
cellity will unveil yet another key innovation in the area of contact data management when Google cellphone G1 hits the UK market.
“Because the sources of new contacts is constantly changing, managing contact data is becoming an ever greater challenge not only for smartphone users who use cellphone applications very extensively, but also for other cellphone owners,” explains Benjamin Körber, VP Operations at cellity AG. “With the new addressbook 2.0 G1 owners can automatically synchronize all contact details from Outlook, their cellphone, social networks and many other sources, and in this way have access to constantly updated information about their communications partners at any time, no matter where they are.”
cellity’s award winning cellphone software has already been downloaded more than 5.5 million times.
The cellity Communicator at a glance
- Combined mobile email, freeSMS, SMS, groupCALL, worldCALL, remoteCALL, Twitter and the new addressbook 2.0 (available November 2008) in a fast and graphically appealing solution
- freeSMS: Send and receive text messages free anywhere in the world.
- groupCALL: Easily make conference calls at competitive rates on your cell phone
- worldCALL: Make international calls at low prices from anywhere in the world
- Tweeter: cellity’s twitter software for your cellphone
- Multi-platform enabled: runs on WAP, on the Web, the iPhone and as a mobile application on all Java-capable cellphones and the Android G1 smartphone.
Overview of the new cellity addressbook 2.0 application (available November 2008)
- Automatic synchronization and updating of contact data from a cellphone, Outlook, social networks, and Twitter platforms .
- Automatic sorting of frequent contacts: The most important contacts are always easily accessible
- Backup copy: contact data can be recovered at any time by using this option
- Sending a message using various communication channels
- All important communications channels (SMS, freeSMS, email, phone conferencing, Twitter) can be used directly from addressbook 2.0
- An intelligent search utility
- Users are independent of any particular service provider or network (free transfer of all data is always possible) . PR
HP to Release Consumer-oriented Smartphone
By Phil Goldstein
Hewlett-Packard is planning on releasing a consumer-oriented smartphone, making a sharp break with their previous plan of providing more enterprise-focused devices, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
The unnamed device will be released first in Europe, sometime in the late fourth quarter, and will be marketed by a mobile carrier and sold in retail stores. The phone will run on Windows Mobile 6.1, be a touch-screen device and have a full QWERTY keyboard. A worldwide release is scheduled for sometime in 2009.
The device is the latest in HP's line of iPaq devices, which have been marketed as business-oriented devices similar to some of Research In Motion's BlackBerry handsets, though HP does not have nearly the market share that RIM has. [FierceWireless]
Nokia to Launch Its First Touch Screen Phone
By Phil Goldstein
Come one, come all to the touch screen phone market.
A day after the launch of T-Mobile's G1, photos of Nokia's touch screen phone, the Tube, were leaked and several reports say its launch is imminent--possibly as soon as Oct. 2.
The Tube will be launched into an increasingly crowded smartphone market. The most visible new entrants in that space include the iPhone 3G and the Google G1. Plus, Research In Motion's BlackBerry Storm is expected to launch in the coming months.
The Tube mimics some of the iPhone's features, including an accelerometer to determine if the device should display photos in landscape or portrait mode. It also is expected to have GPS, built-in WiFi, be HSDPA-capable and have a TV out signal. [FierceWireless]
Nokia Launches Three N-Series Smartphones
By Sue Marek
Nokia launched three new N-Series smartphones--the video-centric N96, the N85, and the N79, a candy bar-styled phone with changeable covers. Although the manufacturer doesn't have a U.S. carrier deal for the phones, they will be available through Nokia stores and online.
All three HSDPA phones have WiFi connectivity and use the Symbian Series 60 Version 3operating system. They come with a microSD memory card slot, GPS and a 5-megapixel camera. The N85, which has an OLED screen, will be available for $600 to $650. The N96, which supports DVB-H (a mobile TV standard not available in the U.S.) will cost $750 to $800. The N79, which has removable covers, will be available for $500 to $550. All phones will be available before yearend.
For more:
- See this PC Magazine article
Motorola, RIM Surge in Smartphones?
Motorola may have finally turned the corner on its decline in mobile devices and Research In Motion's BlackBerry now represents one in every 10 smartphones sold in the United States, according to a report released today from Strategy Analytics.
Mobile-phone shipments for the U.S. market grew 5.3 percent annually year over year in the second quarter of 2008, reaching 41.9 million units. Motorola (NYSE: MOT) kept its No. 1 position with a 25.8 percent market share.
"In a nutshell I think Motorola may have hit the bottom and is now on the rebound," Bonny Joy, an analyst covering wireless device strategies for Strategy Analytics, told InternetNews.com.
The research firm attributes RIM's (NASDAQ: RIMM) double-digit achievement and Motorola's continued traction to "attractive" carrier bundle plans the two vendors have put in place, and new devices hitting the market. Joy also said Motorola's appointment of a new mobile division leader bodes well for third-quarter expectations.
Read more - Internet News
Sony Ericsson Unveils James Bond's Latest Phone
Sony Ericsson is launching a limited edition Titanium silver C902 Cyber-shot(TM) phone as used by James Bond in the eagerly awaited QUANTUM OF SOLACE which will be released worldwide November 2008. The new mobile phone will make sure you are ready for any challenge, immersing you into the world of a secret agent with interactive 007 content and a spy-style game.
Sony Ericsson is excited to unveil an exclusive partnership between the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures/Columbia Pictures release of EON Productions' 22nd James Bond adventure, QUANTUM OF SOLACE, and the C902 Titanium silver edition. The phone, as used by James Bond - played by actor Daniel Craig in the new film - will be available for a limited period and include a memory card loaded with a host of 007 content.
Users will get the chance to know exactly what it takes to be a secret agent like James Bond with the first level* of an exclusive pre-loaded spy-style game. In addition, the full colour trailer of the film, behind-the-scenes interviews with the stars and exclusive content such as wallpapers and screen savers will be available on the phone and the memory card**.
The C902 Cyber-shot phone is used throughout the film by James Bond to capture evidence and assist the agent on his mission. The 5MP camera, with a unique slide-out lens cover, illuminated touch icons providing quick and easy access to camera options, Face detection, Photo flash and Auto focus enables James Bond to send high resolution shots back to MI6 for quick recognition of his enemies. The phone also offers BestPic which allows users to take nine pictures of a moving object simultaneously and choose the best shot to use, plus Picture blogging for uploading photos to blogsites and PictBridge for printing direct to a printer, without the need for a PC or laptop.
In August 2006, Sony Ericsson also teamed up with James Bond to launch the limited edition James Bond Casino Royale silver K800i Cyber-shot camera phone and in November 2002 the Sony Ericsson P900 and T68i mobile phones were used by several of the cast in the 20th James Bond film, Die Another Day.
Lennard Hoornik, Corporate Vice President and Global Head of Marketing, Sony Ericsson comments, "We are excited to announce the continuation of our relationship with the James Bond films and unveil James Bond's new phone for this year - the limited edition version of our C902 Cyber-shot(TM) phone. With the rich array of content both on the phone and preloaded on a memory card bundled with the C902 Titanium silver limited edition, fans of the secret agent will only get more James Bond with Sony Ericsson."
Daniel Craig reprises his role as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007 in QUANTUM OF SOLACE, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures/Columbia Pictures release of EON Productions' 22nd adventure in the longest-running film franchise in motion picture history. The film is directed by Marc Forster. The screenplay is by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Paul Haggis. Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli produce. [FierceWireless]
Music is Reborn as Sony Ericsson Announces Three New Walkman Phones
Building on three year's experience and technology 30 years in the making, Sony Ericsson continues to lead the way in the mobile phone music arena with cutting edge music technology and unique accessories.
Today, Sony Ericsson unveils its latest innovative additions to the Walkman phone family: the W902, W595 and W302, and seven new music accessories. Sony Ericsson is unveiling phones and accessories with superior sound quality and pioneering features that take Walkman phones beyond music and expectations with fantastic extras such as great imaging and video capabilities.
"Since the launch of our first Walkman phone in 2005, Sony Ericsson has continued to pioneer a superior mobile music experience - and the 77 million Walkman phones sold to date are testament to this commitment," says Ben Padley, Head of the Music Category at Sony Ericsson. "With this latest range of phones and accessories, we are offering high quality sound and a rich feature set that cements our position as a leader in the music phone category. We are pushing the boundaries of what people think is possible and are offering best-in-class sound quality and our most exciting Walkman phones to date."
The list of pioneering and innovative features found on Walkman phones continues to be unmatched in the industry. Features like the music recognition application TrackID, SensMe, for matching your mood to the music and Shake control to change tracks with the flick of your hand make Walkman phones stand out from the rest.
Sony Ericsson can now also announce best-in-class sound quality and a clear audio experience from its W902 Walkman. The W902 features the same superior sound quality as the newly launched W980 which was rated "best audio experience" this month, in a trial conducted in Germany by TESTfactory*.
With the W902, users can listen to music the way it should be heard: true to original. It's also a mobile phone for those that want it all, with a five megapixel camera and great video capturing and sharing capabilities, an 8GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) for storing more than 8,000 songs**, the W902 is a top-of-the-range device that will make you the envy of your friends.
The W595 Walkman is perfect for those who want to share sounds with their friends. Store and play more than 1,900 songs** through the built in stereo speakers. Plug in the in-box sharing jack to listen silently to your tunes with a friend or Bluetooth your sounds to Sony Ericsson's range of wireless speakers.
The new W302 Walkman is packed with impressive features in an affordable no-compromise slim handset. Targeting all audiences, the phone comes complete with an impressive two megapixel camera, FM radio, TrackID and 512MB Memory Stick Micro (M2).
The next generation of accessories includes three new sets of speakers, the MBS-200, MBS-400 and MPS-100, to help music lovers go beyond the individual and play music directly from their mobile phone. Enhancing its music accessories collection Sony Ericsson has also introduced three new stereo headphones, HBH-IS800, HPM-88 and HPM-66 for the optimal listening experience. [ABI Research]
Sony Ericsson Debuts Motion Gaming Phones
Today's announcement sees Sony Ericsson putting gaming at the heart of its latest phone release. Targeted firmly at a youth audience, the F305 with Motion Gaming lets users control games with the flick of a wrist or the swing of an arm, and then see the results straightaway on the screen. Using advanced motion sensor technology, the phone can, for example, follow your actions to imitate bowling or casting a fishing line.
With the F305 your favourite game is only one-click away. Enjoy the full gaming experience with stereo speakers, which also come in handy for sharing the latest track on the media player. Add a 2.0" screen into this pocket-sized slider phone and the F305 takes playing games on your mobile to a whole new level.
"Gaming is no longer something you do on your own. It's about having fun with your friends and interacting with the game" says Sven Totté, Head of Product Marketing at Sony Ericsson. "We have used motion sensor technology before in our phones and integrating it into gameplay is a natural progression."
To complement the F305 there is also now a handy new accessory available for the serious gamer. Although the F305 gives you up to 8 hours of gameplay, there is always now a back-up with the Power Pack CPP-100. Attach it to your keyring and when you need it, simply plug it into the phone to receive an instant battery power boost.
The F305 is about more than just gaming. Slide it open and find it packed with the latest Sony Ericsson features. Never miss a fun or unexpected moment with the phones 2.0 megapixel camera. Share your photos or music with friends via Bluetooth or Memory Stick Micro (M2TM). It will also be possible to change the look of your phone with Style-up covers - two covers to choose from in box. /PR
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