Style & Handling
Give or take a fraction of a millimetre difference in the width and length, the iPhone 3G looks virtually identical to the original. The chief difference is the new glossy black, slightly bulbous rear plastic casing, which replaces the brushed stainless steel of the first edition.
This looks and feels a lot better than it sounds, and enables Apple to include the new 3G chipset and the GPS receiver. Despite being larger than many smartphones, the handset still feels great in the hand and the iconic touch-screen interface looks as good as ever.
User Friendliness
Thanks to the large display and ingeniously designed touch-screen user interface, there is no better phone than the iPhone 3G for web browsing, game playing and for viewing photos, videos and music files. However, it must be said that the virtual keypad and QWERTY is not as easy to use for numbers and texts as mechanical alternatives.
Feature Set
The 3G iPhone fills in the gaps that are missing from the original to complete an excellent feature set. The most obvious improvement is the addition of 3G (it’s actually the faster HSDPA) data speeds. You can also download new applications to the iPhone 3G from the pre-installed App Store link.
There’s a suite of enterprise functions, including push-email, calendar and contacts, as well as Microsoft Exchange, which wasn’t available on the original. However, our favourite new addition is the navigation function, which is made possible by a built-in GPS receiver. Navigation with Google Maps and the 3G iPhone’s large touch-screen is a treat.
Performance
The iPhone has always performed admirably, but it’s gone up a notch or two with its new improved features. The addition of 3G makes a real difference to web browsing and download speeds while using the mobile network. We were also very impressed by the phone’s navigation performance.
Battery Power
The battery stood up well to an intensive weekend of full multimedia use, so we have no complaints on this score.
Sony Ericsson C702 Review
Thursday, August 14, 2008Sony Ericsson Unveils the W302 Walkman Phone
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Sony Ericsson today unveiled three new Walkman phones: the W902, W595 and the W302. Here is more info on the W302 more affordable model of the three:
Sony Ericsson's new W302 is packed with impressive Walkman features in an affordable no-compromise 10.5mm slim, aluminium front handset. Targeting all audiences, the phone comes complete with an impressive two megapixel camera, FM radio, TrackID and 512MB Memory Stick Micro (M2).
The W302 allows users to discover and experience music on the go. Play songs randomly or create your own playlists and listen to them anywhere, whether it’s on the bus, walking to work or at college. Listen the radio on the go and if you’re not sure who the artist is, the W302 has TrackID™ music recognition which will give you all the answers. Use the two megapixel camera to send picture messages to your friends and upload images to your W302 blog site using the picture blogging function.
Easy to carry and with no complicated set-up required the MPS-100 portable speakers are the easiest way to share your favourite tunes with others. Just separate the two speakers plug them into your music mobile phone and you are ready to be the king or queen of the party and dance to your heart’s content.
The W302
Discover music with style
• Walkman player – music on the go
• FM Radio –Just plug in the handsfree, turn on the FM radio and tune in
• Premium style and design – compact metal finish and only10.5mm wide
• 2 megapixel camera – capture your favourite moments forever
• Bluetooth Stereo – send & listen your music wirelessly
Sony Ericsson W302 Walkman – At A Glance
Camera
• 2 megapixel camera
• 2.5x digital zoom
• Photo fix
• Picture blogging
• PictBridge printing
• Video recording
Music/Entertainment
• Walkman player
• Bluetooth Stereo (A2DP)
• Music tones (MP3/AAC)
• PlayNow
• TrackID
• FM radio
• 3D games
• Java
• Video viewing
Web/Internet
• WAP 2.0 XHTML
Communication & Messaging
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Speakerphone
• Vibrating alert
• Email
• Text messaging (SMS)
• Picture messaging (MMS)
• Predictive text input
• Sound recorder
Design
• Navigation key
• Picture wallpaper
• Wallpaper animation
Connectivity
• Bluetooth technology
• Modem
• USB mass storage
• USB support
Organiser
• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Flight mode
• Phone book
• Stopwatch
• Tasks
• Timer
Accessories
In-Box:
• Battery,
• Charger,
• USB cable,
• Stereo Portable Handsfree
• 512 MB Memory Stick Micro (M2)
• User guide
Optional:
MPS-100 Portable speakers
Share your favourite tunes with others
Facts and Figures
Size: 100 x 46 x 10,5 mm
Weight: 78 grams
Colours:
Midnight Black
Sparkling White
Screen: 262,144 colour TFT
Resolution: 176x220 pixels
Size: 2 inches
Phone memory: Up to 20MB
Memory Stick Micro (M2) support
Talk time GSM: Up to 7 hrs
Standby time: Up to 300 hrs
Music listening time: Up to 10 hours
Availability and Versions
Networks:
GSM/GPRS/EDGE
850/900/1800/1900
The W302 Walkman is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in Midnight Black and Sparkling White in Q4 2008.
Sony 8GB Memory Stick Micro
Friday, July 11, 2008With the launch of its first 8GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) card, Sony RME (Recording Media & Energy) has pushed up the current 4GB maximum capacity by 100%. To put this in context, upgrading a Sony Ericsson mobile phone with the new 8 GB M2 memory card will give customers a choice of over 5,000 fine quality 5 megapixel photos, over 2000 MP3 songs (4min per song at 128kbps), or over 88 hours of high quality MPEG 4 video (at 192kbps).
Sony M2 Memory Stick
The new 8GB Sony Memory Stick Micro card will be part of a special promotion also including 2GB and 4GB Memory Stick Micro products. Over the Summer Holidays, customers will be entitled to a free WAP download of the full version of Gameloft's top-selling Brain Challenge 2.
Upgrading your mobile phone memory
With so much memory on your mobile phone, easy communication with a Personal Computer is a must. The new, ultra-compact Sony M2 USB adaptor included with 2GB, 4GB and 8GB Memory Stick Micro cards gives you just that in a tiny, easy-to-use format. Having fun has never been simpler. The new Sony Memory Stick Micro cards are precision engineered by Sony Recording Media & Energy (RME) to provide ever-more capacity for games, video, photos and music, transforming your Sony Ericsson mobile phone into a hand-held entertainment centre.
Sony Ericsson to Get Mobile Content from GlobalFun
Sunday, July 6, 2008
GlobalFun, a Sweden-based developer and distributor of mobile games, announced that it entered a new collaboration with Sony Ericsson, currently the fifth largest handset manufacturer in the world. Following the new agreement, GlobalFun and another unnamed company will be the two main "content acquisition partners" for Sony Ericsson's Fun & Downloads and PlayNow Arena services.
Fun & Downloads is the global WAP service and Web portal of Sony Ericsson that offers a wide variety of mobile content, including games, themes, wallpapers, ringtones, videos and even software. The service is, obviously, addressed only to mobile users who own Sony Ericsson handsets.
While the Fun & Downloads portal is accessible for some time now (at this address), the PlayNow Arena website (found at this address) is still marked as "coming soon", although Sony Ericsson had planned it for a May release. When it's finally ready, the PlayNow Arena will bring tons of songs and ringtones for all the music lovers out there.
Talking about the new deal with Sony Ericsson, Bertil Krumnack, EVP Sales & Business Development, GlobalFun, said, "We have since the beginning of our business aimed to provide our customers, of which Sony Ericsson is a highly valued one, with high quality premium content. This appointment serves for us as a proof that our strategy on content acquisition and account management has been and still is the correct one".
Marcus Johansson, GlobalFun's Chief Executive Officer, also said, "The trust that Sony Ericsson is showing us by appointing us as one of two content acquisition partners is very flattering. We will do our very best to exceed the expectations in this area and to continue to grow our mutual business".
GlobalFun has lots of cool games in its portfolio, like the Great Legends Series, Genetica, Johnny Bravo – Johnny Bee Good, Cow & Chicken, Monster Mind and Truck Tycoon. Most probably, these titles will soon be spotted on Sony Ericsson's Fun & Downloads portal too, thus offering SE gamers more options when it comes to mobile fun.
Sony Ericsson Video Phone Concept is Weird
We've seen lots of Sony Ericsson phone concepts until today, and we'll surely see many others from now on, but one of the weirdest and at the same time nicest SE concept is the so-called Sony Ericsson Video Phone.
Like most of the Sony Ericsson concepts, the Video Phone does not come from the Swedish-Japanese company. The VP – we can call it this way – was conceived by Anthony Mapstone, a young designer / student from Cardiff, Wales.
The concept wants to be a user-friendly dual-mode device that combines advanced phone-related features with lots of multimedia goodies. Obviously, this new Sony Ericsson is not a real device - for the moment, at least.
According to the designer, the Sony Ericsson Video Phone should come with only four hardware keys and a wide touchscreen display that can be used either with a stylus or with your finger(s). The display can be rotated at 45 degrees, where it stays locked (if the user wants that) in order to provide a better video-calling experience as well as a better way of viewing videos.
Furthermore, the VP handset would pack a 5 Megapixel camera, Music and Video players, advanced Internet capabilities, a USB port and no less than 8GB of internal memory. If we add 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, GPS, a cool User Interface and maybe a 3.5mm audio jack too, then this handset could be a major hit. Of course, in order to achieve this status, Sony Ericsson has to actually build the phone.
Unfortunately, as the vast majority of the concepts made by fans or design enthusiasts, the Sony Ericsson Video Phone might never be transformed into a real device. Or, who knows, maybe Sony Ericsson is already on the matter, and the VP is actually the next best thing to come from SE.
Sony-Ericsson G700 Business Edition
Friday, June 27, 2008
General
Network GSM900 / GSM1800 / GSM1900 / UMTS
Introduced 2008 Q2
Status Coming soon
Form factor Block
Antenna Internal
Size
Weight 99 g (including battery)
Dimensions 106 x 49 x 13 mm
Display
Type Graphical
Colours TFT touchscreen, 262K colors
Size 240 x 320 pixels
- Wallpapers, screensavers
Memory
Shared Memory 160 MB
- Memory Stick Micro (M2)
- Photocall
Ringtones
Polyphonic Yes
- MP3
Networking
GPRS Yes, Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
3G Yes, 384 kbps
USB Yes, 2.0
Bluetooth Yes, 2.0 with A2DP
WAP Yes
Browser Yes, WAP 2.0/HTML (Opera), RSS reader
Email Client Yes
- Instant Messaging
- Push Email
- Symbian OS, UIQ
Features
Vibration Yes
SMS Send / Receive
MMS Send / Receive
Java Yes
Changeable Games Yes
Games Yes
Clock Yes
Alarm Yes
Calculator Yes
To-Do List Yes
Voice Dialing Yes
Voice Memo Yes
T9 Yes
Handsfree Yes
FM Radio Yes
- MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player
- Handwriting recognition
- StickyNotes
- TrackID music recognition
- Picture editor/blogging
- Document reader/editor
- Organiser
Standard Battery
Type Li-Ion
Sony-Ericsson C905
General
Network GSM900 / GSM1800 / GSM1900 / GSM850 / HSDPA
Introduced 2008 Q2
Status Coming soon
Form factor Slider
Antenna Internal
Size
Weight 136 g (including battery)
Dimensions 104 x 49 x 19.5 mm
Display
Type Graphical
Colours TFT, 262K colors
Size 240 x 320 pixels
- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
Memory
Numbers 1000
Outgoing Calls 30
Received Calls 30
Lost Calls 30
Shared Memory 160 MB
- Memory Stick Micro (M2), 2 GB card included
- Photo call
Ringtones
Polyphonic Yes
- MP3
Networking
GPRS Yes, Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
Modem Yes, EDGE, Class 10, 236.8 kbps
3G Yes, HSDPA
WLAN Yes, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
USB Yes
Bluetooth Yes, 2.0 with A2DP
WAP Yes
Browser Yes, WAP 2.0/HTML (NetFront), RSS reader
Email Client Yes
Features
Vibration Yes
SMS Send / Receive
MMS Send / Receive
Camera Yes, 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, image stabiliser, video, xenon flash; secondary videocall camera
Java Yes
Changeable Games Yes
Games Yes
Clock Yes
Alarm Yes
Calculator Yes
To-Do List Yes
Voice Dialing Yes
Voice Memo Yes
T9 Yes
Handsfree Yes
FM Radio Yes
- Built-in GPS receiver
- A-GPS function
- Camera images geo-tagging
- MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player
- TrackID music recognition
- Picture editor/blogging
- TV out
- Organiser
Standard Battery
Type Li-Ion
Standby Time 380 hours
Talk Time 9 hours
Sony Ericsson launches C902, the thinnest Cyber-shot phone
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
As far as pictures are concerned, the star of the just concluded cell phone exhibition was Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot camera phone.
Many prominent phone brands have had their own camera phones with megapixel capability on the market since 2006. But it wasn't until Sony Ericsson launched its K850i that a 5 megapixel camera phone made sense, with picture quality rivaling that of low-end dedicated digital cameras.
Sony Ericsson C902 has raised the bar even higher with a combination of superb phone features, such as high-speed internet access HSDPA and excellent camera features.
"The new C902 is our first Cyber-shot phones launched in 2008. The phone places ease-of-use and best-in-class picture quality at the heart of its design," Sony Ericsson Indonesia's head of marketing Djunadi Satrio said during the camera phone's launch at the Jakarta Convention Center recently.
At first glance, the C902 looks like a direct descendant of the K850, but it will be another handset to inherit the latter's legacy.
Dubbed as "the thinnest Cyber-shot phone", the C902 designation does break a mold, as all previous Cyber-shot models belong to the K-series. It's now C for Cyber-shot, nice and easy.
The phone is quite compact, at only 10.5 millimeters thick, yet its full metal body adds to the total weight of 107 grams.
The ultra-compact C902 has a surprisingly small 2-inch, 262,144-color TFT display of 320x240 pixel or QVGA resolution. There are eight touch sensitive camera keys that backlight in blue around the display.
As a camera-centric phone, Sony Ericsson C902 bundles up a 5.0 megapixel shooter with a unique lens cover. The camera is slumbered under a sliding top. Once you slide it up, the camera is revealed and you are ready to shoot.
The slim 5.0 megapixel camera phone also offers other good niceties including face detection, image and video stabilizer, BestPic, auto-rotate, macro mode and a proper photoflash LED.
The face detection and automatic focus capabilities enable the camera to detect and focus on the face of your object rather than the background, so that you can take sharp and high quality pictures of your friends.
With C902, you can be confident of getting the perfect shot. The phone incorporates the latest in lighting technology. Photo flash gives you better quality pictures even in low-light conditions.
Also, a light solution has been added to the BestPic application which lets you to take nine photos continuously, choose the best and delete the rest. So now you can use BestPic wherever you are, perhaps even to capture the dance-floor action when you are visiting a club.
The eight camera touch keys come to life and let you choose between camera modes, Photo flash, face detection and automatic focus and more, with just one touch without moving your finger from the shutter button.
The phone's lighting dramatically signals when you are in camera mode by switching from white to blue.
While C902 comes with a better camera and entertainment features, it doesn't come with GPS. You can, however, add optional HGE-100 GPS enabler if you really need the capability.
With 5 megapixel pictures, you can't be more descriptive of places you are visiting.
In the entertainment area, a 3D Need for Speed game is on top of the regular games, while Bluetooth with A2DP allows you to hear music through a wireless stereo headset.
The multimedia package includes a media player with the MegaBass equalizer preset, TV out, FM radio with RDS and TrackID.
The slim C902 also comes with x-Pict story to add music and transitions to your gallery of photos and automatically create your own multimedia slide show to share with your friends.
The C902 is a global phone with quad-band GSM/EDGE support as well HSDPA.
The phone has an internal memory of 160MB, the equivalent of storage for up to 100 high resolution photos. Additional storage comes with the Memory Stick Micro (M2) that can be bundled with the phone depending on the market.
Users can transfer images from the phone to a computer by using the CCR-70 M2 USB Adapter. All you have to do is move your pictures to the memory card, and insert the card into the CCR-70 and then connect the USB adapter to a PC or laptop to complete the transfer.
By emptying the memory card, you will have an ample storage to be filled again with pictures.
So, start taking pictures...
source: The Jakarta Post
Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber-shot first impressions
Friday, June 20, 2008
This is the first Cyber-shot slider phone and the handset slips open and shut with a satisfying chunk
At a glitzy launch in London's Mayfair this week, Sony Ericsson's PR custodians covered the walls of a posh art gallery with scores of photographs ranging in size from postcards to massive A3 posters.
The subjects were a motley bunch - a clutch of sports celebrities such as Lewis Hamilton, Ian Botham and David Gower - combined with apparent holiday snaps of landscapes and tourist resorts. The aim was to show the development of mobile phone cameras from the first sub-megapixel efforts to the latest state-of-the-art Cyber-shot: the 8.2 megapixel Sony Ericsson C905.
When you arrived at the massive A3 photos taken by the C905 you couldn't help but be impressed. The fine detail, even on these poster-sized blow-ups, is breathtaking - there's no sign of JPEG 'mosquitoes' (or compression artefacts) even when leafy trees are contrasted against a bright blue sky - which usually brings out the mozzies in swarms. And the colours are dazzling and still lifelike - especially in the daytime shots (and it was noticeable that 90% of these pictures were daylight exteriors).
So we've seen what the Sony Ericsson C905 is capable of in terms of its photographic output - images that bear comparison to a high-end compact digital camera, or indeed a low-end DSLR. But what about the handset itself? Well we had 20 minutes to play with it at the launch event and our first impressions are very favourable.
First, when you hold the handset in your hands it gives a weighty feeling of durability and quality - it does clock in at a substantial 136g. The casing is a mix of high-impact plastic and metal which feels much more expensive and less 'plasticky' than the previous top-end Cyber-shot, the Sony Ericsson K850i. As is the fashion these days, the back of the case is slightly tapered on the edges and fills out in the centre to accomodate the battery.
This is the first Cyber-shot slider phone and the handset slips open and shut with a satisfying chunk with very little 'wobble' in the vertical axis. The move to a slider form factor means that Sony Ericsson can ditch the unpopular raised rocker switch of the K850i in favour of a more standard - if squarer - controller. The pointless touch sensitive screen keys of the K850i are also jetissoned - yay! - in favour of proper menu keys that form the top of two rows of three keys on either side of the controller.
But best of all is the fact that Sony Ericsson's design department have stopped reinventing the wheel and provided the C905 with a proper keypad at last. Yes, we have four rows of three large sized, rectangular keys with the numbers and letters printed clearly on top. No metallic grains of rice like the W880i or tiny, misaligned plastic chipolatas as found on the K850i. The keys felt solid and responsive and we're pretty sure that texting and dialling will be effortless with this new arrangement.
The C905 is the first Cyber-shot to be equipped with assisted GPS and though we couldn't test this (we were indoors and it requires a SIM card to work) we were assured that it would be more responsive than the lugubrious GPS on the first Nokia N95 and the Sony Ericsson W760i. Like the upcoming iPhone 3G, the Sony Ericsson C905 will also support the geo-tagging of photos out of the box.
As you would expect, the camera features of the C905 are second to none. Not only is there autofocus but there's also the gimmicky, if entertaining, face detection functionality which locks onto your bonce for supposedly better results. Other standard Cyber-shot features - xenon flash, digital 16x zoom, image stabilizer, BestPic - are all present and correct. Normally we take digital zoom with a piece of salt but when you have 8.1 megapixels - or about 3250 x 2500 pixels - to start with, cropping or zooming onto bits of interest can now deliver decent images, especially when combined with image stabilization and autofocus.
The only slightly less-than-impressive feature of the Sony Ericsson C905 was its display. Yes it's reasonably sized at 2.4 inches and delivers the standard 240 by 320 resolution but it didn't seem particularly bright indoors and when viewed alongside the 12-month old Apple iPhone looked very anaemic indeed. Still this is a pre-production model but it will definitely something we'll being close attention to in our full review of the C905.
The C905 has a Wi-Fi antenna and Sony is also bigging up its ability to automatically network with other components - such as a PlayStation 3, Bravia TV or Vaio laptop - using the DLNA standard. DLNA - or Digital Living Network Alliance - is a set of interoperability protocols designed to ensure various electronic devices can easily network with each other without complicated setting up or servers. Its backers include consumer electronics giants such as Sony, Philips and Toshiba as well as mobile phone companies like Nokia, LG, Motorola and - obviously- Sony Ericsson.
We saw the system demonstrated with a Sony Playstation 3 where, with the minimum of fuss, we could browse the music, videos and photos on the Sony Ericsson C905 on a high definition TV using the Playstation controller.
It's an impressive feat - and certainly heralds the future of device networking - but unless you have a PS3 or one of the very latest HDTVs it probably won't be a selling point this year. But it's nice to know that the C905 is prepared for the time the future finally plonks itself down in our living rooms.
Overall then, the Sony Ericsson C905 is a very impressive looking mobile phone. Sony Ericsson has addressed most of the issues with the K850i and come up with a phone that feels good in the hand and does all the standard phone things well, but also boasts the highest specced camera on the market.
We'll give you the full review of the C905 as soon as we can get our hands on one for a proper test, but the early signs are very promising indeed. Perhaps the Apple iPhone isn't going to have the whole market to itself after all.
source: www.knowyourmobile.com
How to set up and view RSS feeds on the Sony Ericsson W580i
Thursday, June 19, 2008This illustrated guide shows how to set up and view RSS web feeds on your Sony Ericsson W580i
The Sony Ericsson W580i comes with a bundled RSS reader that makes it simple to view Web news articles quickly and easily on your mobile. RSS stands for 'Really Simple Syndication' and is used to distribute headlines and summaries quickly to devices with RSS readers. RSS content can range from BBC News Headlines to the latest gossip from Perez Hilton.
The advantage of RSS is that you only download a headline and brief summary rather than an entire web page with graphics - making it far quicker and less expensive to get the latest headlines.
When you click on a link from a headline and summary that interests you, the W580i will only then connect to the Internet and take you to the full story on the site that supplied the feed. You can update your RSS feeds manually or tell the W580i to download them automatically at regular scheduled intervals.
This guide will tell you how to view an existing RSS feed, how to add a new RSS feed and how to schedule the RSS reader to download a feed automatically.
To update and view an existing RSS feed:
1. Go to the Menu screen and click on Messaging
2. In the Messaging menu click on RSS reader
3. You will see a list of currently available feeds. When you highlight a feed it will show you the date and time it was last updated
4. To update the highlighted feed, click on More and select Update now
5. When the feed is updated a green tick will appear next to its name. Click on it now to view the headlines
6. Use the navigation key to move through and highlight the headlines. Click on Select to expand the headline to display the summary as well
7. If you want to view the whole article use the navigation key to highlight the orange icon with an arrow pointing to a globe and click on it. You will be taken to the full article on the feed's website
To add a new feed and schedule updates automatically:
1. Go to the Menu screen and click on Messaging
2. In the Messaging menu click on RSS reader
3. You will see a list of currently available feeds. Click on More and select New feed
4. Enter the full address of the RSS feed and click on Go to
5. When the feed is added and updated a green tick will appear next to its name.
6. Select the field and click on More and then Schedule update
7. Select from one of the options - eg Twice a day. Your feed's headlines and summaries will now be updated twice daily
Quick RSS links
BBC News Headlines
tinyurl.com/8mwkm
BBC Entertainment Headlines
tinyurl.com/2mud8h
Perez Hilton Gossip
tinyurl.com/pevgz
The Sun Headlines
http://tinyurl.com/49uf6c
Daily Jokes from Maxim Magazine
tinyurl.com/2c4esw
Daily Telegraph Sports News
tinyurl.com/ytb7mm
Technology Headlines from The Register
tinyurl.com/jgfp6
Humorous Headlines from The Onion
tinyurl.com/3c9w4w
source: www.knowyourmobile.com
Sony Ericsson Announces Three New Bluetooth
Wednesday, June 18, 2008Sony Ericsson today announced three new Bluetooth headsets and here is more info on these headsets:
The new Sony Ericsson Bluetooth headsets HBH-PV715, 720 and 740 represent the next generation of Bluetooth accessories - high performance headsets that are stylish, practical and versitile, whatever your needs. Building on its long history in developing Bluetooth, Sony Ericsson has used its own development site in the Netherlands to ensure it brings its most innovative Bluetooth™ headsets to date to the market.
Whether practicality, design or size is important, this new range unveiled today has something for everyone. The new Bluetooth family includes Sony Ericsson’s best performance headsets to date placing them at the very top of the market in terms of standby and talk time and also introducing a new Sony Ericsson form factor that is very small and light.
Available in two colours and in a soft design, the HBH-PV-715 is a practical and stylish wireless headset for your everyday life. Perfect for those who want a no-fuss headset, the HBH-PV-715 produces 10 hours of talk time with an impressive 700 hours standby.
For the fashion conscious who want a sophisticated headset that stands out, the HBH-PV-720 is a must have. Available with three Style up covers, removable ear hooks and attached to a black metal necklace, this headset is for those who want to combine flexibility with an edgy street style. To maximise comfort, the ear hooks on this headset are removable and available in different sizes. The HBH-PV-720 has 11 hours talk time and 800 hours standby.
The more career minded among us may invest in the metal HBH-PV740, a new exclusive and complete headset kit for the business user. With 11 hour talk time and two carrying solutions, this professional wireless headset kit for your working day also includes a headset desk stand and a USB charger that will allow you to charge your headset while working. It also has a display with battery indication.
Of course all the headsets have the benefits of wireless call handling and the ability for the user to free their hands while out in the car, office, at home or shopping.
source: www.mobiletechreview.com
Ericsson Melody Creator and Translator 1.0
Wednesday, June 11, 2008Helps you create ringtones for Sony Ericsson phones. The Ericsson Melody Creator and Translator application was designed to help you create ringtones for Sony Ericsson phones. You can create the melody and the software will automaticaly translate the song.
Size/OS: 152 KB, Windows All
Download
Ericsson Phonebook Editor 1.00.03
Read, modify and write the phonebook stored in your SIM-card or in the phone memory
The Ericsson Phonebook Editor application was designed for reading, modifying and writing the phonebook stored in your SIM-card or in the phone memory (only for the telephone models supplying this function).
PC and telephone are joined with a special cable connected to the serial port. This program has been developed for Ericsson phones and uses standard commands; can be that it works for other manufactures too.
NOTE: For non-commercial use.
Requirements:
· Ericsson Mobile phone device connected to your PC
Size / OS: 267 KB, Windows All
download
Sony Ericsson Ringtone Convertor 1.0
Sony Ericsson Ringtone Convertor is a free program for creating .imy Sony Ericsson ringtones
Sony Ericsson Ringtone Convertor is a small, simple and easy-to-use application designed to create the ringtones (imy) for your Sony-Ericsson mobile.
Sony Ericsson Ringtone Convertor also has a simple and easy-to-use interface and is very reliable and smart.
It also has some interesting features and comes with a large ringtones-database.
Size/OS: 1.37 MB, Windows All
Download
Comparative Review: Sony Ericsson W960i vs Nokia N81 8Gb
Sunday, May 18, 2008
It has been almost a year since the last time we put two music-minded handsets face to face – as you probably remember, back then these were the SE W880i and Samsung F300. The former held the upper hand, although the F300 was more than a passable performer on the music front. This time around we are introducing a couple of changes to our routine procedures for comparative reviews. Like before, it is not only the author’s position that is taken account of, the focus group (three men for this article) also has a lot of weight. One of the phone makers humiliated me for recruiting this few people, well, it can’t be helped – the members of the focus group weren’t paid and kindly agreed to help me for free.
I suppose we need to give them some credit here too, so these were: George (he never stays with one phone for too long and almost always employs the for playing his favorite tunes, in a way he is a super-advanced used, for not only he is a savvy consumer, but also a developer), Andrew (worships Windows Mobile devices, which is the reason for a lot of running jokes between us, nevertheless, his participation allowed me to view the things from a different and interesting angle) and Alex (my neighbor, who hasn’t changed his Nokia 5500 yet and he couldn’t care less about the market’s latest and greatest trends – admittedly, the most unbiased user of us). Also, this time I took the liberty to assess these two devices along with these guys. Our rating system hasn’t changed – same pass (+) and fail (-), but! the device that will score for best sound quality will get an extra “+”, and on top of that I reserve the right to give another point to whichever device I favor.
read more www.mobile-review.com
Sony Ericsson T303 review: Small is beautiful
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Key features
* Very compact, sturdy build
* Smooth sliding mechanism
* FM radio with RDS
* MP3 player, TrackID music recognition
* Bluetooth v2.0
* 1.3 MP camera
* 1.8" 65K-color TFT display, 128 x 160 pixels
* 500 phonebook entries, photocall
Main disadvantages
* Meager 8MB of built-in memory, no memory card slot
* Poor screen quality
* USB for charging and mass storage only
* No zoom in picture gallery
* No A2DP Bluetooth profile
Source: gsmarena.com
Read More......
W760, the Future Sony Ericsson Walkman Hit
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Sony Ericsson W760 was first announced at the beginning of the year, during CES 2008, but it has not been launched yet. The W760 is a really unique handset, being the first from Sony Ericsson's Walkman series to come with built-in GPS and also the first to support tri-band 3G / HSDPA connectivity (850 / 1900 / 2100 MHz). The
phone also features quad-band GSM connectivity (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz), hence it can – and it probably will – be released all over the world, unlike most of the handsets, which only get to be launched on select markets.
Besides the above mentioned features, Sony Ericsson W760 also offers a 3.2 Megapixel camera, a 2.2 inch TFT display with 240 x 320 pixels and 256K colors, Google Maps, advanced music capabilities (stereo speakers included), motion sensor for a great gaming experience, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, email, NetFront browser and so on – all packed in a nicely designed slider that weighs 103 grams and measures 103 x 48 x 15 millimeters (when closed). The phone comes with a 1GB memory card, which can be replaced with a bigger one (bigger in memory, of course, and not in dimensions).
The new Walkman phone will be named W760c for China, W760a for the US and W760i for Europe and the rest of the markets. The handset should be available in three color versions, Intense Black, Rocky Silver and Fancy Red, for a retail price of around $400 (260 Euro).
W760's features and design, together with the fact that it will be available for most of the mobile users around the world, make us think the Walkman phone will be a huge success. Its sales will probably be among the highest a music phone has ever had, and this will help Sony Ericsson to consolidate its position as a leading handset manufacturer.
An exact release date for W760 is not known for the moment, but the next month (May) will probably bring the phone to all those who are waiting for it.
Source: Softpedia
Red Sony Ericsson W580i Unveiled
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Images: Sony Ericsson W580i in red
Sony Ericsson loves colors (well, most of them), therefore it continuously brings new color versions of its handsets. The latest Sony Ericsson phone to come with a fresh look is W580i (or simply W580), which is now available in no less and no more than 6 variations: Boulevard Black, Urban Grey, Style White, Metro Pink, Jungle Green and, the latest member of the family, Velvet Red.
Red makes the W580i look really good (not that the other colors make it look really bad), and it's obviously a cool addition to the Walkman series line-up.
First released in the summer of 2007, Sony Ericsson W580i is a slider that weighs 94 grams, measures 99 x 47 x 14 millimeters and brings music-centered features like: Walkman 2.0 music player, TrackID, FM radio with RDS, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP and a 512MB memory card. Moreover, the handset offers quad-band GSM connectivity with GPRS and EDGE, a 2 inch TFT display with 240 x 320 pixels and 256K colors, NetFront browser, email, RSS reader, a 2 Megapixel camera with video recording (but only at a 176 × 144 pixels resolution).
Another SE handset that changed a bit its appearance is the 3G-enabled K660, which was, until now, offered only in "wine on black" and "lime on white". The new versions are "silver on black" and "cyan on black". Although the new colors don't offer an important change in the phone's look, it's still good, as more choices are always welcome.
Measuring 104 x 47 x 15 millimeters and weighing 95 grams, Sony Ericsson K660 is a candybar that was released only two months ago. The phone comes with HSDPA connectivity for data transfer speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps, a 2 inch TFT display similar to the one of W580i, NetFront 3.4 Web browser, email, Instant Messaging, RSS reader, location services, Media player (MP3, AAC and MPEG4 supported), TrackID, FM radio with RDS, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0, a 2 Megapixel camera and a secondary video-call camera.
All in all, the new colors presented by Sony Ericsson are nice to see. We expect even more, and we know SE will soon present other phones in fresh colors.
Source: softpedia
Sony Ericsson W380i Review
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Sony Ericsson W380i is a low mid-level ranged clamshell, which introduces new features into the handset market. Besides the external touch music controls that seem to take advantage of the 'haptic feedback' technology, the clamshell also features gesture control. It is surprising that the Japanese-Swedish joint-venture decided to test new technologies by embedding it onto entry level products. Still, this policy will probably make these handsets sell much better than any other device in their range. Without impressing too much through its design, Sony Ericsson W380i proves to be an excellent choice for those music lovers that cannot afford an expensive Walkman series mobile phone.
Announced in November 2007, Sony Ericsson W380i clamshell was out on the market four months later, in March 2008. Even if it is cheaper than its Walkman series predecessors are, W380i is still worth no less than USD 320$ (SIM free) and is available in four colors: Electric Purple, Magnetic Grey, Black Champagne and Black Orange.
Design
Sony Ericsson W380i features a clamshell form factor, but it will not stand out in the crowd. The phone can very easily stay in a youngster's hands, as well as in a businessman's. It looks funky, but serious at the same time. Measuring 92 x 49 x 16 mm and weighing 100 grams (including battery), the handset fits perfectly into a medium sized pocket. The excellent plastic used gives the phone a stylish and trendy look, but W380i is still far from being a fashion phone. Unfortunately, unfolding it with a single hand is out of the question or at least very hard to carry out.
External keys are limited to a dual volume key found on the right side of the clamshell, and the three touch controls placed near the secondary external display. On the left side of the phone, the proprietary Sony Ericsson port enables users to attach the headset that comes in the sales package, the charger, or the USB cable for synchronization. There is a bad part and a good part about this kind of port. While you cannot charge the phone and listen to music to the headphones also, instead you can charge the battery of the phone during synchronization with a PC. This will definitely take more time, but at least you get this option that is not available for too many handsets. The front part of the clamshell features the secondary external OLED mono display (128 x 36 pixels resolution), which is not visible until you activate the music player or unfold the phone. At a first glance, the 3 external music controls placed right under the small OLED display seem to have only an ornamental purpose, but they're touch keys that control the music player and feature 'haptic feedback'. You don't need to press too hard on the keys, but only pat them gently as they are very responsive.
The 1.3 Megapixel camera has been placed above the small screen together with the speakerphone. On the back of the phone, you will notice a small keylock that unlocks the external touch keys, so you can start the MP3 player without unfolding the clamshell. The internal keypad reveals itself the moment you unfold the phone. It is pretty big and features large spaces between keys, which makes typos impossible. Unfortunately, the buttons are a little bit illegible if not exposed to good light conditions, and a little bit hard to press.
The layout of the keypad is the usual, embedded into all Sony Ericsson's handsets, with one exception: the power button that can be found right under the big D-pad. There are also 2 contextual keys, the Back key, the C (Correct) key and 2 dedicated keys that gives the user direct access to Internet browsing and Task manager. If you press the upper part of the big D-pad (marked with the 'w' letter) it will open the MP3 player application, but you can also designate other shortcuts for the rest of the D-pad (left, right, down). The clamshell features a small prominence at the base right under the keypad, which hinders any possible contact between the 2 parts of the clamshell, thus keeping the keys clean and safe from scratches.
The opening mechanism is sturdy enough so you will not feel any jog even after heavy use. The only drawback I have noticed is the back cover, which opens by inserting your nail into a small gap found on the left side of the phone, right above the volume key. Because the back cover is made of pure plastic and is very slim, this action might seem very dangerous when executed in a hurry and repeatedly. Basically, every time you try to pull out the battery to put in a different SIM or want access to the M2 slot card, you have about 50% chance to severely damage the back cover. Overall, Sony Ericsson W380i is one damn good-looking clamshell, which might seem unusual for the low mid-level handset.
Display and Camera
If you are used with Sony Ericsson's latest Walkman series handsets, then you will be a little bit disappointed by W380i's display performance. Besides the fact that it is rather small (1.9 inches), the TFT main screen only supports 176 x 220 pixels resolution, but 262k colors. Benchmarks revealed that both latest SE models – Z555i and W380i features the same kind of display, thus scored similarly in performance.
Compared with other phones launched by other brands, SE W380i's results are below average, but seem to be better than devices like Nokia's Prism collection or Samsung's mid-level handsets (e.g. SGH-U100). While the internal display is barely visible, the small mono OLED (128 x 36 pixels) external display is totally useless when exposed to strong sunlight.
The 1.3 Megapixel camera features 4x digital zoom, but only when you choose the biggest resolutions (QVGA 320 x 240 pixels or VGA 640 x 480 pixels). The camera lacks autofocus, flash, and video recording capabilities.
There is no doubt about it: Sony Ericsson's W380i camera is not meant for taking pictures. I believe that the only reason this phone has a camera is for the Gesture Control feature, which requires it.
The interface of the camera is very basic and very poor in features: Effects, White balance, Self Timer and Night mode.
Furthermore, sample pictures clearly show that, if you want a good camera phone, then you better pick another device as this one will not do.
Menu and Software
Sony Ericsson W380i runs the same firmware specific to all Walkman series handsets. The most attractive feature of the phone is, without doubt, the Gesture control, which requires you to keep the camera module open. That will clearly drain your battery energy faster, so I suggest more restrain when using this features. Anyway, how does it function? The concept is very simple: when you get a call and you are in a meeting and want to mute the phone, just move your hand in front of the camera and the phone will simply stop ringing turning to 'Mute'. You can do the same thing when snoozing the alarm. Don't forget to turn ON the feature, as the clamshell comes with the Gesture control feature set to OFF by default.
Besides the usual productivity tools included (Calendar, Notes, Calculator, Image viewer, Organizer, World time, and Tasks), multimedia lovers will be happy to discover the usual applications that are not missing from any respectful Walkman series handset: MusicDJ, TrackID, Sound recorder, but also some games (ExtremeAir Snowboarding, QuadraPop and Sims 2). The phone can be customized to look more stylish by taking advantage of the Flash Lite themes support.
The File manager of the phone does a great job and features 3 list modes: All (both memories), phone memory and external memory. MP3 and MIDI files can be added as ringtones, if you want to change the default ringtones. The embedded HTML browser is also poor in features and, because of the small display, it offers a 'crippled' browse experience.
The Java emulator works with just about any compatible application, I had no troubles running any benchmarks, games or productivity software. Nothing really changed into the ‘ol' good’ Sony Ericsson's interface, which makes the user forget that he is using an entry-level phone. Overall, SE's W380i user-interface is very easy to use and offers maximum functionality to a 'noobish' user as well as to a mobile phone freak.
Communication
Only the standard features have been included into W380i clamshell, but that is more than enough, especially if these are working within the parameters. The phone features GPRS and EDGE Class 10, as well as the High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data speed transfer. EDGE speed benchmark revealed average results – 107 Kbit/s download and 53 Kbit/s upload, but it is much better than GPRS at least.
The handset is also Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP compatible; it features USB 2.0 connectivity and a RSS reader. Pity that Bluetooth data transfer speed didn't exceed more than 41 KB/s when sending files and 46 KB/s when receiving files, but at least it works and looks to be average.
In terms of messaging, the clamshell is compatible with SMS, MMS, EMS, RSS feeds, Push email, POP3 and IMAP protocols, and can be used to send Instant Messages.
The triband (GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900) network compatible handset has a good GSM signal reception. The sound is very clear and pretty loud, so don't be afraid to talk in crowded areas. The vibration alert has also very good intensity.
Processor and Memory
Sony Ericsson W380i features an ARM9 family processor running at speeds up to 125 Mhz. This is one of the lowest CPU that has been lately embedded into a Sony Ericsson handset, but the Japanese-Swedish company is renowned for not using powerful CPU's. Not much to talk about it, as the processor does its job, especially that we are handling an entry-level phone. Even if it is a little bit slow, you still get a nice experience when playing some Java compatible games.
The 14MB internal memory is not nearly enough, especially when we are talking about a phone targeting music lovers. Fortunately, the clamshell comes with an additional 512 MB M2 card that can be used to store enough music for a time.
The M2 slot card can be found on the left side of the device, but only after you take out the back cover. The memory is hot-swappable, but if you are planning to pull out the memory card very often, take care of the flimsy back cover. If you think higher, you can take a 2 GB M2 memory card for more storage space.
Multimedia
Sony Ericsson W380i clamshell features only Walkman 2.0 version, but other than that, it is a pure Walkman phone. The Equalizer has the Mega-Bass setting, as well as some others: Bass, Treble boost, Voice and Normal. There is no option for adding new settings if you do not like any of the above-mentioned. The included HPM-64 wired stereo headset offers above-average quality music experience.
You can even change the headset with any 3.5mm compatible headphone, as the sales package also includes an adapter. The speakerphone on the front cover of the clamshell sounds good also, but a little bit low.
If you are fed up of listening the music from your memory card, you can use the Radio FM that features RDS. It can store up to 20 base stations and has the Autoscan feature. The sound is a little bit louder than that of the music player, but I had minor problems with the reception.
There are also a Video player and the usual TrackID music recognition application. Overall, Sony Ericsson's W380i offers an exceptional multimedia experience for a phone in its category.
Battery
Sony Ericsson W380i uses a Li-Ion 920 mAh standard battery that has a standby time of 300 hours and up to 7 hours of talk time. Infact, the phone's battery exhausted after about 4 hours of talk time and about 200 hours in standby mode. Numbers are still great for such a mid-level phone, not to mention that the playback time is about 15 hours, depending on the volume. I would not expect less from a Sony Ericsson handset battery, and it's good that it has become a standard for the company to include good batteries on all its handsets.
Impressions
The first time you notice W380i, you really cannot say that it is a low mid-level clamshell. Because of the polished plastic, the handset seems stylish and sparky. The external touch keys also contribute to this opinion and it doesn't take more than 3 seconds to be caught by its beauty. Sony Ericsson W380i is definitely one of the best-looking mid-level phones, which will probably boost its sales.
The Good
Besides its design, W380i clamshell offers exactly what a Walkman series phone should offer – an excellent multimedia experience. If you are a music lover and cannot afford a much better device, then this is the right choice for you. If you intend to acquire one, you will also get a device with high playback autonomy (around 15 – 16 hours), that doesn't miss any feature embedded into a Walkman series device. Not to mention that the Gesture control function is amazing and works great, even if that means lower talk and standby time.
The Bad
Most of Sony Ericsson's fans are complaining about the low camera module, but I wouldn't put it this way. First of all, it's obvious that this camera has been included for a totally different reason: Gesture control. Yes, you have a Walkman series clamshell that lacks a camera; you don't like it, buy yourself another phone. The only thing that I consider 'negative' about W380i is its high price. There is no way that this phone is worth USD 320$, even if it has some top-notch technology embedded. In addition, I guess SE could have been more resourceful and include a bigger display, as this one is ridiculously small.
Sales package
Sony Ericsson W380i handset
920 mAh Li-Ion Battery (BST-39)
512 MB M2 memory card
Wired stereo headset (HPM-64)
USB data cable
Charger
User Guide
Sony Ericsson PC Suite CD
Source: Softpedia
Sony Ericsson Paris Gets Opened
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Sony Ericsson Paris (also known as P5 or P5i) is one of those mobile phones that can make waves, big waves, even before official details about it are unveiled.
While Sony Ericsson is being quiet about Paris, as the Swedish-Japanese company mentioned absolutely nothing regarding the new handset, leaked photos with the high-end phone continue to appear, raising the interest of mobile enthusiasts.
The Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog, where the first Paris photos appeared, now made public other two pictures with the unconfirmed (yet) phone.
Until now, we only got to see Paris closed, but the new images show it opened, unveiling its full QWERTY keypad (which resembles the one of Sony Ericsson P1, the smartphone released back in 2007).
The first image with the slid Paris is a hands-on one and it shows the phone looking very stylish. This confirms our hunch that Paris has a design that makes it attractive either closed or opened.
The second new image, though, doesn't seem to be a real one, but rather a Photoshop creation, first of all because the video-call camera that appears on the front case of Paris (in the real images) can't be seen here. Anyway, the first photo is probably enough to get you more interested in finding out further details about the new slider.
Details that, for the moment, are only rumors and we can't take them as being 100% correct. Although it was said Paris has a VGA touchscreen display, this might not prove to be true, so we could only get a touchscreen with a QWGA resolution. Anyway, the other (not confirmed) details remain unchanged: 3G, Wi-Fi, built-in GPS, Google Maps, UIQ 3.3 interface and a 5 Megapixel camera with protecting lens cover.
All in all, Paris seems to be the next big hit of Sony Ericsson, together with Xperia X1. Let's wait now for it to become official.
Source: Softpedia