Today’s launch of the K608 3G UMTS mobile phone widens Sony Ericsson’s portfolio of 3G handsets, giving mass appeal to 3G and the vast range of services and applications it offers. This latest in the K600 family of 3G phones supports all the major operators’ 3G services, including video conferencing and fast downloads of music, games, videos and other multimedia content.

The K608 is a sleek, durable device that weighs the same as existing 2G phones, putting an end to the age of bulky 3G handsets. International 3G operator 3 (Hutchison 3G) has been confirmed as one of the first customers for the K608.

The K608 has sleek good looks and an aluminium feel and is easy to use and navigate around. Sony Ericsson’s latest intuitive dual front camera/phone design makes the handset vertical when it’s a phone, and horizontal when it’s a camera, and the fully featured 1.3 MegaPixel camera includes an active lens cover for swift activation and extra protection. For consumers getting used to the gripping idea of video telephony, handling video calls is done in just a few clicks with the use of the direct video telephony button. The world of applications the phone delivers, from exciting mobile content to video calling and personal creativity, are always crisp and clear with the large - 1.8 inch – 262.000 colour TFT screen

The K608 is fully featured with a suite of business applications that handle personal information management and PC-synchronisation via USB or Bluetooth™, making it the ideal executive work tool, providing business efficiency with high speed access.

As more content is delivered at faster delivery rates on the 3G UMTS network, the K608 effortlessly handles the latest 3D games and colour animations. To give consumers a taste of the level of quality entertainment delivered, Vijay Singh Pro Golf 2005 in 3D from Gameloft is preloaded in the phone. In the true to life golf game, players take on the role of a famous golfer, and play on the most spectacular 18-hole golf courses around the world. Further levels of this game and a host of others are available for download from operator portals or Sony Ericsson’s Fun & Downloads portal directly to the 32MB memory on the phone.

High quality audio coupled with an FM radio and the ability to import full track music downloads direct to the phone make the K600 a quality music player and ideal companion for travelling, the gym or simply relaxing. For consumers keen to exercise their creative muscle, a host of personal creativity tools allows them to personalise ringtones, wallpapers, still shots and video footage in new, inspiring ways.

The K608 will be commercially available in Q3 2005.

Full Press Release

For everyone who wants a beautifully designed 3G phone that can access the latest music and videos from Vodafone live! Sony Ericsson and Vodafone are now announcing the V600i. Specially designed for Vodafone by Sony Ericsson, this 3G UMTS handset is groundbreaking in design, performance and functionality with wide appeal for consumers wishing to experience the full range of Vodafone’s 3G consumer services. The V600i delivers the full performance and possibilities of 3G networks, including high quality video telephony and fast download of full track music and video and other mobile content from the Vodafone live! portal.

The V600i has sleek good looks and sober black colouring. It is also easy to use and to navigate around its features. Sony Ericsson’s intuitive dual front camera/phone design allows the handset to be used vertically as a phone, and horizontally as a camera, and the 1.3 MegaPixel camera has an active lens cover for swift activation and protection. For consumers keen to try video telephony, it can be done in just a few clicks with the use of the direct video telephony button. The V600i offers a world of applications, from exciting mobile content to video calling and personal creativity. Images, videos, games are always crisp and clear on the large - 1.8 inch – 262.000 colour TFD screen.

The V600i is fully featured with a suite of business applications for personal information management and PC-synchronisation via USB, making it the ideal executive work tool, providing business efficiency with high speed access. Thanks to its Bluetooth™ capabilities, it is the ideal phone to use in the car with a Bluetooth wireless handsfree solution or on the go with a Bluetooth portable handsfree.

The V600i offers a great entertainment experience through ‘Vodafone live!’ services, effortlessly handling 3D games, music and animations. Consumers can enjoy content streamed from the Vodafone live! portal, including live sports and music videos. The V600i offers rapid browsing in combination with the broadband capabilities of Vodafone’s UMTS networks, enabling users to gain access to pages quickly, and to download content, whether it’s pictures, music, mail, news, ringtones or games quickly. The phone features a superb 3D Java gaming engine and brings multiplayer gaming via Bluetooth to a new level of interactivity.

High quality audio coupled with an FM radio and the ability to import full track music downloads direct to the phone make the V600i an ideal companion for travelling, the gym or simply relaxing. For consumers keen to exercise their creative muscle, a host of personal creativity tools allows them to personalise ringtones, wallpapers, still shots and video footage in new, inspiring ways. The 32MB internal memory of the V600i makes it possible to store a rich library of ring tones, video clips, music and pictures.

The V600i will be available in Vodafone stores starting in some markets in early Q3 2005.

Sony Ericsson Press Release

This is not a 3G phone, but is a very cool one and most of its functionality will be going into the K600i, so here we go. Released today.

We’ve been waiting for a camera phone that could replace our digital camera for a while now, and I’m glad to say that this new K750i looks to be that phone. While the S700 took nice photos, 1.3 megapixel just wasn’t enough for printing really good quality 6×4’s. The K750i bumps up the resolution to 2 megapixels and adds the all important autofocus functionality that helps get rid of those blurry pictures your camera phone has been pumping out.

You can also expect the typical productivity applications to be available.

Of course, once you’ve taken your pictures, you’ll want to send them to your computer or another friend, which you can do through Bluetooth, infrared, or Memory Stick DUO Pro, supporting up to 2GB of external storage.

On the entertainment side, you can load 3D Java games, listen to MP3s, or use the in-built radio. Sony Ericsson phones have had a MusicDJ function for a while now, but the K750i introduces new VideoDJ and PhotoDJ applications for users to create and enhance animations and photos, respectively.

Sony will be bundling a USB cable with the phone for transferring data and will supply a 64MB Memory Stick DUO card to complement the 32MB of internal memory.

The K750i goes on sale this quarter around the world and will be available in black and silver variations.

Sony Ericsson has unveiled a high performance fully feature handset with a 1.3 megapixel camera and high quality video telephony capabilities. The classic, sleek aluminum design of the K600 make it also durable and lightweight. When held horizontally the phone is a regular handset, but held vertically it turns into a digital camera. Images and video can be displayed on the 1.8-inch, 262.000 colour TFT screen, music can be played via the FM radio or from full track music downloads directly to the phone.

The K600 will appeal to all types of users; business users will have access to a full suite of applications to handle personal information management and USB PC-Synchronisation. While multimedia enthusiasts can download 3G games and colour animations over the fast 3G UMTS network. As a bonus, Vijay Singh Pro Golf 2005 in 3D from Gameloft comes preloaded.

The K600i Dual mode UMTS-GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 K600 will be commercially available in Q3 2005.

Sony has announced three new mobile phones for UMTS 3G wireless networks, two of which already include music player functions.

The clamshell-format Z800 can play MP3 and AAC music files stored on a 1MB removable Memory Stick Duo. The memory card can also be used to store pictures taken with the built-in 1.3 megapixel camera, or calendar, contacts, and other data transferred from a PC over the phone’s Bluetooth short-range radio, infrared, or USB (Universal Serial Bus) connections. The Z800 works on UMTS and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) networks in the 900-MHz, 1800-MHz, and 1900-MHz frequency bands, and will be available in the second quarter, the company says.

The soapbar-shaped K600i is a 3G phone aimed at the mass market. “Call it a T610 for 3G,” says Flint, referring to the company’s iconic GPRS phone. The K600i contains an FM radio, and can also play music tracks downloaded or transferred from a PC via a USB connection. Video conferencing is possible using the built-in 1.3 megapixel camera, and the phone comes with a game: Vijay Singh Pro Golf 2005 in 3D. The phone works on UMTS and GPRS networks in the 900-MHz, 1800-MHz, and 1900-MHz frequency bands, and will go on sale in the third quarter, Sony Ericsson says.

The third new device is a PC Card modem, the GC95. On UMTS networks, it delivers data rates of up to 384 kilobits per second, the company says. It can also operate on EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) networks in four frequency bands (850, 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz), where it delivers data rates of up to 247 kbps. The card will go on sale in the third quarter, and is compatible with computers with a Type II, 32-bit Cardbus PC Card slot and running the Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Mac OS X operating systems.

Sony Ericsson will unveil a mobile phone-cum-digital music player early next month. The phone/music player is expected to hold multiple CDS and work with the Sony Connect music service.

The phone will carry a name which has already appeared on some 350 million music players over the last 25 years: the Walkman brand of Sony Ericsson’s parent company, Sony. The Walkman phone will play music file formats such as MP3 and AAC (Advanced Audio Coding).

Sony Ericsson will unveil the phone next month, and will go on to exhibit it at the Cebit trade show in Hanover, Germany, which opens March 10.

The Sony Ericsson V800 camera phone was awarded the prestigious award for “Best 3G Handset” during the GSM Association’s 2005 Awards evening at the 3GSM World Congress. This is the second year in a row that Sony Ericsson has taken home a product award; in 2004 the T610 was awarded “Best handset, terminal or device.”

“In the opinion of our independent judging panel, the Sony Ericsson V800 has a great user interface and exceptional functionality across a range of features that users really need. Our judges were not surprised that the V800 handset has been a top seller in European 3G roll outs,” said Mark Smith, Communications Director of the GSM Association.

“Since we launched the V800 with Vodafone at the end of 2004, it has set consumer expectations and changed industry views about the next generation of mobile communications,” says Jan Wareby, Corporate Executive VP and Head of Sales & Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “Everyone at Sony Ericsson is proud and grateful to receive this prominent award. We are now really excited about bringing this product to an even bigger audience with the introduction of the Z800.”

The Sony Ericsson V800 was called the first true convergence handset in the world when announced in 2004. It can access 3G services all around the world and is sold in Europe (as V800) and also in Japan (as Vodafone 802SE). Designed to deliver a wide range of services over Vodafone’s high-speed mobile network, the V800 offers an unparalleled combination of features in a stylish, compact phone. These include a 1.3 Megapixel camera for high quality pictures, a big high-resolution colour screen and easy video calls. The V800 also gives great entertainment and is equipped to make the most of the ‘Vodafone live!’ services, such as streamed live sports pictures and music from the Vodafone live! portal.

View the details of this handset