Three New Walkman Phones Announced by Sony Ericsson

It's a little hard to believe, but the Walkman line of mobile phones from Sony Ericsson has been around for three whole years already. To celebrate this triumphant milestone, Sony Ericsson has officially announced no fewer than three new Walkman phones.

Starting from the left, we have the Sony Ericsson W302. The musical candybar comes equipped with FM radio and a 2 megapixel camera. Given the model number, we can probably expect a rather affordable price point. In the center is the Sony Ericsson W902. This candybar is a decided step up from the W302, tossing in a 5 megapixel camera and super high sound quality for all the audiophiles in the audience. Last but not least, we have the Sony Ericsson W595 slider with built-in stereo speakers.

All three phones have shake controls and quad-band GSM. Look for them to hit retailers before the end of the year.

source : http://www.mobilemag.com/

BIC releases a disposable mobile phone

In a surprising move BIC, well-known for making disposable shavers and pens, has decided to release a mobile phone.

This isn’t your typical fully-featured, buy on a contract mobile phone though. This is a disposable device you buy off-the-shelf at most retail outlets.

The BIC phone will cost 49 Euros (US$78) and is capable of just making phone calls and sending text messages. It comes with a SIM card, 60 minutes of free calls, a phone number included in the packaging and a fully-charged battery. Extra minutes can be bought through the use of a mobicarte and works the same way as most pay-as-you-go schemes. The phone will initially only be available to buy in France.

BIC is marketing the phone as a second line, something for your kids to use or for situations where you need to give out a phone number publicly for a short period of time e.g. selling your car.

The phone itself is made by TCL, better known through its Alcatel brand, and the service provider is Orange France. Each phone guarantees the number included for at least 12 months and the 60 minutes of free calls are valid for 2 months after you activate the phone.

source : http://www.geek.com/

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1

Microsoft today officially announced Windows Mobile 6.1, a minor upgrade while waiting for version 7. An update for the current version 6 will also be released.

Sony Ericsson and Microsoft today officially confirmed that the upcoming Xperia X1 smartphone will be running Windows Mobile 6.1 beneath Sony Ericsson's Xperia panel user interface. Carriers will also be able to custom build the touch panels that run on the Xperia X1, to provide users with targeted carrier services. Sony Ericsson also plans to align with key partners to enable them to develop applications for users of the Xperia X1.

Windows Mobile 6.1 promises new scheduling features, easier navigation and management, as well as increased security safeguards. Microsoft also unveiled the newest version of Internet Explorer Mobile at CTIA Wireless 2008 today, which adds desktop-grade Web browsing to Windows Mobile phones.

Taking advantage of Internet Explorer 6 technologies and supporting established and upcoming industry standards such as H.264, Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight, the updated Internet Explorer Mobile promises to give users a richer mobile Internet experience than earlier. The update, which enables full-screen viewing of Web pages and multimedia, will be available to mobile phone partners in the third quarter of 2008. The first Windows Mobile phones using the new version is expected to be available by the end of 2008.

Windows Mobile 6.1 features several key updates based on customer feedback, including the capability to make the most critical information readily available at a glance, quicker phone setup, and enhanced features adapted for the small screen. More specifically, version 6.1 will offer a new home screen where users can look at and respond to notifications such as missed calls, upcoming appointments and new messages, as well as play music and share photos. Other new features include the ability to flag, delete or move groups of messages and keep track of conversations through threaded text messaging.

In addition, if coupled with System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 or Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Windows Mobile 6.1 is claimed to provide a better experience for IT professionals to manage mobile phones for businesses.

Most Windows Mobile partners are planning to offer Windows Mobile 6.1 updates in the second quarter of 2008, while the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is planned to be released in the second half of 2008.

source : http://www.infosyncworld.com/