S312 – A Smart, Stylish Cameraphone From Sony Ericsson

The new Sony Ericsson S312 offers a snapshot imaging experience, featuring a 2.0 megapixel camera with horizontal UI, illuminated imaging shortcuts on the keypad, dedicated video camera key, easy picture blogging and image optimization with Photo fix. In addition to offering a media player, TrackID track recognition service and FM radio, the S312 supports 3D gaming on a two inch scratch-resistant 262,144 color TFT screen.

“Capture life’s spontaneous moments the easy way with the S312 and its instant video recording.” said Quentin Cordier, Marketing business manager at Sony Ericsson. “The S312 also allows you to get organised and keep track of your hectic lifestyle by ensuring that you never miss another birthday or appointment again – store all you important dates, add reminders – then sit back and relax.”

The S312 phone also includes 15MB internal memory, Memory Stick Micro (M2) removable storage compatibility, Bluetooth and HTML browser. Talk time GSM/GPRS/EDGE is up 8 hrs, with standby time for GSM/GPRS/EDGE up to 400 hrs. The S312 supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE/900/1800 and will be available in selected markets from Q2 in the colors Dawn Blue and Honey Silver.

Sony Ericsson also introduced a Clip-on Bluetooth Handsfree VH300 – an easy to use headset with rich sound. The stylish handsfree features one-touch call handling, handy volume control and an ultra discreet reversible clip-on which will match any outfit. Talk and stand-by time  for the VH300 averages 10h talk /250h standby. The Clip-on Bluetooth Handsfree VH300 will be available on selected markets from Q3 2009.

Sony Ericsson Intros Entry-level W205 Walkman Phone

Get the most out of your best music and favorite radio channels with new W205 Walkman mobile phone music player. With FM radio and TrackID music recognition, this is a nice entry-level headset for someone who wishes to listen to music on the go. The slider mobile phone comes with a complete package of entertainment features and the power to set up playlists to ensure you have the right music no matter the occasion. You can even record a sample of a song from the radio to use as your new ringtone.

Other features include a 1.3 megapixel camera (with 2.2x digital zoom and video recording), Bluetooth, and multiple phone books – keep your contacts in order if someone needs to borrow your phone. The main screen is an 1.8 inch 65,536 colour TFT at a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels. Phone memory is mostly limited at 5MB, but
memory card support includes Memory Stick Micro (M2) up to 2GB.

Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 9 hrs; Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 425 hrs; Music listening time: Up to 13hrs 30 min. The W205 Walkman supports GSM/GPRS/900/1800 and W205a supports GSM/GPRS 850/1900. W205 Walkman will be available in selected markets from Q3 in the color Ambient Black.

Sony is also showing off a MS410 Snap-on Speaker Stand which offers compact convenience and an integrated FM radio antenna. The MS410 has an unique sliding mechanism to fit all Walkman phones. The MS410 Snap-on Speaker Stand will be available in selected markets from Q2 2009.

Sony Ericsson Appoints New President For USA

Sony Ericsson  announced that Anderson Teixeira, currently Head of Region Western Europe is appointed President of Sony Ericsson US and Head of Region North America effective 1st June and will be based at the company’s US operations in Raleigh, North Carolina. Kristian Tear will succeed Teixeira as Head of Region Western Europe effective 1st June and will combine this new role with his current responsibilities as Head of Sony Ericsson’s Global Customer Operations. Tear will be based in Munich, Germany.

A native of Brazil, Teixeira has been part of Sony Ericsson since the formation of the joint venture in 2001. He has led the company’s operations in Latin America, as Head of Region Latin America, based in Miami, Florida, and subsequently in Western Europe, based in Munich.   As President of Sony Ericsson US, Teixeira will report to Sony Ericsson President Dick Komiyama. In his role as Head of Region North America, Teixeira will have overall responsibility for Sony Ericsson’s sales and marketing operations in the US and Canada and will report to Anders Runevad, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Sales & Marketing. As announced previously, Runevad is overseeing the North American market until 1st June.

A native of Sweden, Tear joined Sony Ericsson from Ericsson in 2005 to be responsible for s trategic account management and relations with major global operators across more than 80 accounts worldwide. Under his leadership Sony Ericsson has successfully grown its market share and established a position as a leading supplier and partner. Prior to joining Sony Ericsson, Tear spent 17 years at Ericsson in various senior management positions.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Dick Komiyama, President of Sony Ericsson, said, “Anderson has successfully led our Western European region through a difficult period and will provide Region North America with excellent leadership and a strong commercial focus. His international expertise, gained from a long and successful career in both Ericsson and Sony Ericsson in a number of markets will ensure that our North American operation strengthens its market position.”

“Kristian has been a very effective leader in his current role as Head of Global Customer Operations. His experience of managing strategic global operator relations, both at Sony Ericsson and previously at Ericsson, will ensure that Kristian will build on the strong foundations in place and further develop our position in Western Europe.”

Sony Ericsson Prototype Phones Get Snatched

Interesting story was reported by IDG News Service today about stolen prototype SE phones and police was able to acquire a SE employee who was able to pretty much get a number of those phones and bring them to his home. This is pretty serious as if any pictures or specs got leaked to the internets, it could damage the companies future plans on releasing new products. However we cannot confirm whether the leak has actually occurred. Check the story below for more info:

A number of stolen prototypes of Sony Ericsson mobile phones were found at the home of a company employee, Swedish police said on Wednesday.

Sony Ericsson is keeping quiet about the situation. A spokesman at the company confirmed that a number of prototypes were involved, but wouldn’t elaborate on any of the details, Computer Sweden reported.

The theft was committed sometime during the night between Monday and Tuesday, and yesterday the police received information pointing to the employee.

The person was taken into custody, and has since been questioned by the police. They did not elaborate on what was revealed, according to Computer Sweden.

What the person was planning to do with the phones — which are worth about 750,000 Swedish kronor (US$90,000), according to the police — and what kind of devices were stolen remains unclear.

Prototypes can be very valuable to the competition, because they show where a company is heading in the long term, according to Chris Hazelton, research director for mobile and wireless at The 451 Group.

But he doesn’t think companies would be willing to consort with a criminal to get their hands on upcoming phones.

These days it’s more common that employees leak pictures of upcoming phones to gadget blogs. It’s rare that there isn’t any information available on a phone at the time of launch, Hazelton said.

Hazelton was impressed by how successful Palm was at keeping its new Pre smartphone under wraps before its launch last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Sony Ericsson was the third largest phone manufacturer during the third quarter last year, after winning a close battle with LG Electronics and Motorola. But its sales dropped compared to the same period in 2007, according to Gartner.

SE’s W902 Appears, Detailed

Sony Ericsson’s W902 has made its Internet debut far ahead of its official July 22nd release and has some well-rounded features. According to the Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog “it is essentially a rebranded C902 with a few changes, such as dedicated music controls on the side.” Rumored features include a 5MP AF Camera + PhotoFlash (quality like G900 one in the Beta SW), 2.2 QVGA Screen, 160MB Internal memory, and loudspeaker like K850 (not stereo).

Images courtesy se4m, and article courtesy Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog.

W302 Pictures Unofficially Leak

A new week, a new round of Sony Ericsson leaks. This time around its the W302 model which is due to debut on July 22nd. It features a great metallic finish on the front and what appears to be a plastic rear. A crisp 176 x 220 pixel display and A2 software platform should make this a reasonable seller. More pictures follow..

Images courtesy se4m, article courtesy Unoffical Sony Ericcson Blog.

Sony Ericsson In Talks With India Spice Mobile

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson is in talks to acquire India’s Spice Mobile, the Economic Times said on Friday, citing sources close to the development. Sony Ericsson is owned by Ericsson and Sony Corp. Spice’s founding BK Modi Group, which owns 64 percent in handset maker Spice Mobile, had asked for 80-100 rupees per share, the newspaper said, which would value the company at up to $174 million.

Shares in Spice Mobile jumped nearly 10 percent to 24.95 rupees on Friday. A top source in Spice group had confirmed the development and said “while talks were on, the deal had not been finalised”, the paper said.

“They want to acquire a majority stake, but it has not yet been finalised if it will be a 100 percent buyout,” the paper cited the source as saying.

A spokesman for the Spice group said he could not immediately comment. Last month, BK Modi sold his stake in mobile services firm Spice Communications to larger rival Idea Cellular.

Article courtesy Reuters.

Sony Ericsson Issues Profit Warning For 2Q

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson warned Friday that it will just break even in the second quarter as worsening market conditions cut into sales. Shares of the Stockholm-based company tumbled nearly 10 percent to 60 kronor ($10.02). Ericsson cited “moderating demand” for mid-to-high end mobile phones, as well as delays in the quarter in the shipping of new products.

The company said it would break even before taxes.

It was Sony Ericsson’s second profit warning this year. In March it warned of similar problems, which led the company reporting a 48-percent drop in first-quarter net profits.

Sony Ericsson reports second-quarter results on July 18.

The news comes on the heels of disappointing results from Treo smart phone maker Palm Inc., which Thursday reported a fiscal fourth-quarter loss and lower revenue which missed Wall Street expectations. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company said sales of cheaper Centro phones are strong, but higher-margin Treo sales have slowed.

Blackberry maker Research In Motion Ltd. also this week reported quarterly profit which missed analysts expectations.

When the company released first-quarter results, it said it expected the global handset market for this year to grow at a pace of about 10 percent, from more than 1.1 billion units in 2007.

Sony Insider expects to see even worse profits for Sony Ericsson once the $199 3G iPhone debuts in mid-July. Sony Ericsson will face the same problem that Sony Electronics faced with its audio division in the early ’00′s; product lines were spread too thin, lack of innovation and an easy defeat at the hands of Apple.

W595, W580′s Successor, Unoffically Appears

Don’t you love blurry leaked pictures of unreleased Sony hardware? It’s always amusing to see such shots pop up shortly before a product is announced. And in this case, Le Journal du Geek has revealed some spy shots of Sony Ericsson’s successor to the W580 phone. Based on the A2 Platform, the W595 is a Walkman phone with FM tuner and features the third version of the Walkman player software. Google maps is included and it also has a 3D accelerometer, an improvement over the 2D one featured in the W580.

This device should officially debut in July.