The successor to the Xperia X1,the X2 will run Windows Mobile 6.5, bringing new features such as Flash support in Internet Explorer Mobile and Microsoft’s app store, and the Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Sony Ericsson has also added something called the SlideView feature that notifies users to missed calls or new messages and provides quick access to them.

The Xperia panel interface is still there with 14 panels preloaded on the smartphone and 16 others available for download, including those for Skype, CNN, and Google. You also get a 3.2-inch WVGA touch screen, a full QWERTY keyboard, an 8.1-megapixel camera, and TV out capabilities.

The quad-band world phone supports North American 3G bands (specifically, AT&T’s), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.

Regards

Sony Ericsson LifeStyle Team

It makes us wonder what it would take from the Japanese consumer electronics giant to offer one version that comes with the features you’d expect to find on an iPhone and more.

Sony could enlist the help of Sony Ericsson to build what become that elusive Playstation Phone. Adding 3G capabilities and a capable mobile operating system to the phone shouldn’t be a problem; from LiMo to Android, the choice is vast.

The PSP Go already comes with a 3.8-inch, 480×272 pixels, LCD screen, swapping it for a touchscreen version should neither be complicated nor expensive and would offer a much bigger viewing screen than most of its rivals

In a similar way, the rest of the configuration would possibly need to be changed as well. The 333MHz processor from MIPS is significantly underpowered compared to say, the 1GHz Qualcomm ARM-based Snapdragon processor.

The PSP Go already comes with WiFi (albeit the slow type) and offers M2 memory storage rather than the traditional microSD. Sony already has in the Playstation Network, a potent rival to Apple’s iTunes and App Store.

Even if the phone cost $500 without subsidies (roughly half the price of the iPhone), it would surely become a hit even if it cost twice that of the new PS3 Slim console.

But most importantly, the Playstation brand is ingrained in the minds of millions of gamers and is synonymous with “great” gaming experience for many. 

The PSP Go was build first and foremost for gamers, with fantastic controls and great games to kick off. Therefore, a PSP Go Phone is likely to benefit from a massive goodwill capital that could match the iPhone.

Japanese-Swedish phone maker Sony Ericsson will pack its future handsets with the Flexion technology from Accumulate UK, according to a global licensing deal the two companies signed and announced recently. According to Accumulate UK, Sony Ericsson becomes this way the first handset vendor around the world to include mobile games with Flexion on new mobile phones, based on the success Hutchison 3G UK has had.

As many of you might already know, it was only recently that mobile phones started to come to the market with pre-loaded games. Games are now seen as a necessary component of any mobile phone, yet they were only considered a means of cheering oneself up before. Full versions of games were present on handsets previously only after phone makers paid publishers license fees for them.

However, Accumulate UK’s Flexion technology is meant to transform the costs handset makers register for having full game versions pre-loaded on their devices into a revenue stream. What it is meant to do is to make users curious about the content on their devices and allow them to try out games before they purchase them, while also offering them ‘rent for the day’ or ‘have-a-go for 25p’ options, the company states.

“We are delighted that Sony Ericsson has taken this step together with us. We have been preloading Flexion enabled games with operators for a while now with very good results. With the help of Sony Ericsson we will extend our reach significantly,” Accumulate’s MD Jens Lauritzson commented on the agreement between the two companies.

The Flexion technology has been also designed so as to promote games similar to the ones pre-loaded on the handset, something that should end up in new trials and sales. According to Accumulate, this move is called ‘on-device retailing.’ The technology is to be included first on Sony Ericsson’s Yari device, due for release before the end of the year.

According to Colin Williamson, marketing manager for Sony Ericsson SA, the company has made its accessories offerings in the local market more of a priority for the future. It recently gathered a number of resellers to introduce its latest accessories, in an effort to increase consumer sales.

Williamson says the company is working hard at upping its accessories game and getting more dealers and resellers involved, which includes keeping them informed of its latest technologies.

Sonja Shear, head of marketing at Sony Ericsson SA, says: “We have had challenges selling accessories through third parties and the channel, and we did not focus on distributors in the past, but things are changing now.”

The company has also started bundling speakers with phones, especially the company’s Walkman range of handsets, to boost accessory sales.

Sony Ericsson accessories were rather absent from dealers’ shelves in the past, and mostly only available from the Sony Ericsson store at Vodaworld in Midrand.

Shear says adding accessories to phones presents dealers with an up-sell opportunity, and believes dealers will take favourably to this opportunity. It will create an environment where they can give consumers a kind of ‘supersize me’ option when buying Sony Ericsson phones, she adds.

The company recently underwent a major rebranding exercise to move closer to the Sony brand and to target the emotional aspect of consumers’ lives, more than simply appealing to their communication needs.

This, says Shear, will add to the company’s marketing strategy of ‘entertainment unlimited’, providing a complete mobile multimedia experience to users.

Apart from accessory sales, which Shear and Williamson concede were not a priority before, Shear says the past year’s sales of handsets locally were relatively stable for the company; SA remains one of the top performers in its region.

We’ve seen some blurry shots of the upcoming Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2, and now we are treated to a blurry shot of an inventory screen which shows something that has been missing with the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2, the release date.

The guys over at wmexperts managed to get hold of the Vodafone inventory listing and it shows that the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 has been set for release on the 6th of November.

There isn’t much more to go on the shot, and we still have no word on the Vodafone Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 price or plans, but no doubt that info will come soon.

Share a comment or problems with phones and networks.

Dennis Manzano, Sony Ericsson general manager, said the company is committed in reducing the environmental impact in its global operations worldwide. Initially, Manzano said the introduction of GreenHeart line is initial step to its commitment on environmentalism.

Under the GreenHeart program, Manzano said the Naite will be shipped with the MH300 headset, which is made up of 100-percent recycled plastic, and a low consumption, power-efficient charger.

“GreenHeart is about lowering the overall environmental impact of our phones without compromising on style or features.  The key environmental innovations from our GreenHeart program such as reduced packaging, elimination of paper manual and cleaner materials choices will be implemented in our other products,” said Manzano.

He added that the Philippines is gradually up with the rest of the Sony Ericsson operations worldwide with regard to GreenHeart.

“It has taken awhile for the country to embrace more environment friendly practices, but we’re getting there as awareness increases. Sustainability is a shared responsibility.  We’re hoping that GreenHeart products will raise awareness to greener alternatives in the mobile lifestyle,” said Manzano in an e-mail interview with the BusinessMirror.

The C901 GreenHeart, which features a 5-megapixel camera with 16x digital zoom and Xenon flash, was the first GreenHeart product released in the Philippines in July this year

 “Now we’re very excited to introduce Naite, the second GreenHeart product with a 2-megapixel camera phone, high- speed data packet access (HSDPA) connectivity and a low-power charger,” said Manzano. 

“Naite is made of 50-percent recycled plastic and uses waterborne paint.  Waterborne paint means it has a less-harmful solvent grade.  Instead of a thick paper-based user guide, people can access the electronic manual and product support within the phone,” Manzano added.

Naite’s display light has also been optimized to use less energy. He added carbon dioxide emissions of the Naite are decreased by 15 percent.  

Manzano said the GreenHeart is geared toward all markets. For instance, he said there will specific models that will suite the respective lifestyles of the user.

The GreenHeart program began as a concept study on how the company as a whole could reduce environmental impact in the whole lifecycle while still coming out with innovative, sustainable products. “We wanted to offer our customers the opportunity to make greener choices, while designing, manufacturing and operating in an environment-friendly manner,” said Manzano.

Since the start of the joint venture in 2001 between Japanese electronics giant Sony and Swedish telecommunications Ericsson, Sony Ericsson has exerted efforts to surpass industry standards in the removal of harmful substances and energy-efficient chargers.