After the introduction of four new devices last week NewMobile had a quick look and feel with those new devices and will give you a short view on the future of SE and the new productrange introduced.
Sony Ericsson has become a major player the last few years. The company that is fourth or fifth in the world mobile manufacturer ranking (switching places with LG) has seen a major growth of products in the last six months. With the introduction of last week at least 20 new devices are unveiled the past four months.
To really find out what the strategy is for Sony Ericsson this year it should be emphasized that SE uses a simple system in which four product ranges are used:
- Business
- Imaging
- Music
- Emotional design
Business speaks for itself. The P990i, M600i and K610i are key devices in this range which was empty at the beginning of this year. Imaging has been given an update with the new K800i Cybershot mobile phone. The first ever standard mobile phone fixed on camera branding and in a price range for the mass-market. The K800i will be available soon within two to three weeks. (The N90 was a smartphone based device and not placed in the mass market segment)
The music range is branded around Walkman. At least ten Walkman devices have been introduced until this day and more will follow. The white W810i is one of those new devices, that will be around soon. Sales will start at the beginning of September. The last range is emotional design, which does not have any key devices! Thus it will become clear that Sony Ericsson will enhance its portofolio with new devices in this range.
The expectation is that we will see some new devices in the Emotional design segment around the end of this year. The range wants to address the same feeling you get with a RAZR or SLVR from Motorola or the slim design from Samsung. It will not mean that the same slim design or specifications are used, but the overall feeling and statement that the new range addresses is emphasized. The first device rumoured to enter this segment is Miyu; a stylish "silver" 3G clamshell with 2.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth and support for HTML.
Not all the devices fit in these ranges. Those are positioned in a main range with overlaps all other ranges. Each device within the main range has at least one major or minor part that fits the other four ranges. A good example is the new Z550i, which addresses the business range and main range.
We are looking forward to this new range of products and the way in which Sony Ericsson will put it onto the market. But first let's have a look at the current introduced products; the new W850i, W710i, W550i and Z710i.
Sony Ericsson Z550i
The new Z550i is a direct successor of the T610 looks. The device feels and operates like the old T610 but with a new style and a new menu used in all new Sony Ericsson devices. The new device will be available in two colors; black and white. Depending on the region the colors will be available.
The outside screen is easily read with the blue backlight and when the device is opened the flip feels good. There is a memory card available and 1.3 megapixel camera, which makes it a suitable device for any person; business or non-business.
The complete overview of the device gives a business and a good price for value feeling. The device is suited for any package available and will compete with the Nokia 6103.
For more information, pictures and videos of the Sony Ericsson Z550i check out the phone page.
Sony Ericsson Z710i
The second clamshell and business focussed device is the new Z710i. It will be placed higher in the price range than the Z550i and will be available around the same time as the Z550i. The device consists of external keys for the media player next to the external screen which has blue backlighting.
The Z710i is more bulky than the Z550i and supports a better 2.0 megapixel camera without macro mode and autofocus. The large external screen can show the media player and information on incoming calls and messages.
The overall feeling of the device and the clamshell mechanism is quite good. It feels like a mature clamshell with an excellent hinge. Furthermore the Z710i has got its own two colors in which it will be available.
Prices are not yet known, but looks like the Z710i will compete with new products like the Nokia 6131 and 6125, Samsung E780 and the new BenQ Mobile EF71.
For more information, pictures and videos of the Sony Ericsson Z710i check out the phone page.
Sony Ericsson W710i
The last clamshell is the W710i. One of the sportiest devices around nowadays. This Walkman clamshell is the only device in the Sony Ericsson music range with the sporty looks and possibilities. It supports a complete menu part which consists of tracking information during running, walking and any other sport activities. A step counter, stopwatch and calorie meter are onboard to track your sporty life.
The device has the same basis as the Z710i, but consists of the Walkman music player on board. Also the looks have changed into a sporty design.
A nice accessory is the special strap that people can use during jogging or any other sporty activity. The W710i can be placed on the arm with this strap and the timer or step counter can be enhanced. It is also possible to listen to music via the Walkman music player and completely new headset, which makes the W710i an ultimate jogging companion.
Prices are not yet known, but looks like the W710i will also compete with new products like the Nokia 6131 and 6125, Samsung E780 and the new BenQ Mobile EF71. However the W710i is the only activity clamshell on the market soon, which makes it a different story. The Nokia 5500 would be a better competitor.
For more information, pictures and videos of the Sony Ericsson W710i and activity menu check out the phone page.
Sony Ericsson W850i
The most anticipated device of the last period is the new slider from Sony Ericsson. The first ever made by the brand consisting of several special parts. NewMobile got a closer look on the new Sony Ericsson family member.
The first looks show a clear Sony Ericsson device with glimps from the new K800i Cybershot phone and a new keypad, which is not a touchpad but a normal keypad with a center music key and four small dots around it. These can be used during the control of the new Walkman music player version 2.0. The new player got new looks, album art possibilities and other corresponding features we already saw in the W950i.
The build quality of this new W850i is quite good. The pre-release model still had too much space between the two halves but that will be changed. The first feeling is a good and way better than the 6280. However this pre-release model did not have LG or Samsung slider quality yet. The slide mechanism has a springsystem which helps opening and closing the slide. The overall size of the device is comparable with the Nokia 6280 and LG KG800. For the weight it is the same story between the 6280 and W850i. The KG800 is a lot lighter.
The device that will be available in white and black is quite small as you can see on the pictures. The handling of the new keypad is quite normal due to its size. People with large fingers can use it quite easily.
One of the new features is the music player version 2.0. It consists of the discussed new features, but it also has a central Walkman key with two flashing lights in it. The lights react on the tempo of the music played in the device itself. It is a nice gimmick added to the new slider. (Watch the videos of the W850i for a real demo of this feature via the phone page link!)
Other features are the new 2.0 megapixel camera we used to take some shots and the memory card slot. The camera lacks macro mode and auto focus and it also used in the K610i, W700i, W710i and Z710i. The memory card is placed on top of the device. Memory Stick Duo Pro cards are used, not M2. There is not a direct reason for this choice. MSD cards will be available in devices the upcoming months next to the new M2 cards. However the MSD cards will vanish in the end.
The W850i will be a hot device after the summer and will do fine within the market. It will be placed between the W810i and the W950i in relation to pricing and market positioning.
For more information, pictures and videos of the Sony Ericsson W850i and Walkman player version 2.0 check out the phone page. We also made camera shots with the new W850i.
Comparison Sony Ericsson W850i
You will find a small comparison with the Sony Ericsson W810i and LG KG800 below:
Sony Ericsson W850i themes
Some completely new flash themes are installed on the W850i and they look really nice!
At the end we can conclude this story about Sony Ericsson by saying that this new portofolio will be all for the next few months. No real high-end or mid-end devices will be added to the rapidly growing portofolio. One small introduction will be added to it in the upcoming weeks showing another new Sony Ericsson device and a special white edition of the successful W810i. But that will be all for the upcoming time.
Some extra small news can be addressed and that is that the new M600i is almost ready for shipping, that the P990i will follow soon after that in the upcoming weeks and the rumoured keypad for M600 will not be available in the European region. It is only available on the M608c, a device for the Chinese region.
Check the phone pages of every device and watch the pictures and videos we made off the new devices. There are some special videos of the new Walkman player version 2.0.