Sony W660i Walkman Phone Has Been FCC Approved

Sony brings a new solution for high quality music experience. Sony W660i has not been released yet, but it is not far from becoming available, as it has just been FCC approved.Sony W660i has several interesting aspects that might make it appealing for many of those that are passionate when it comes to music. This phone model comes equipped with TrackID, which makes it possible to easily identify a melody that the user doesn't recognize at first. All that the user has to do is record a few seconds of the track over the microphone. TrackID automatically sends the clip to Gracenote Mobile MusicID database, which later returns information on the album and artist that are associated with the song.

The phone is incredibly slim, at only 14.5 mm thick and comes in two colors, of Rose Red and Record Black. Moreover, it has a TFT screen that is capable of supporting a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels. The phone's design makes it easy to use, being equipped with fast access buttons.

Sony W660i comes with an integrated memory of 16 MB, but it also features support for Memory Stick Micro, which considerably increases its storing capacity up to 1GB. Actually, this phone can store an average number of 1000 songs, with the maximum space available after memory expansion.

Connectivity is available for this Sony W660i through Bluetooth and USB port. Moreover, it supports a wide range of sound file types that make this cellular fully deserve the Walkman phone title.

As for Internet access, Sony W660i comes with a reliable Web browser, has RSS feeds enabled and is also capable of supporting video calls and video transfers.

Sony Ericsson has not revealed any details on the price that this phone model will be available for, but it did promise a release soon.[via]

Samsung to Release the Thin E210

Thin is nice, Samsung Mobile keeps on saying with the continuous releasing of ultra-slim cell phones. And we agree, thin is indeed nice. E210 is the latest member of the Samsung Ultra Edition II family and it's an affordable entry-level clamshell phone. It's the first low-to-mid-range handset to benefit from the high-end D830's sophisticated technology. This new E210 has an attractive design (it would have been weird not to) and it's a bit like Motorola KRZR K1, but it doesn't have as many features as the KRZR.

E210 is less than 0.7 inches thick (1.65 cm) and weighs 82 grams, which is not much at all for a clamshell, everyone must agree on this. The flip phone comes in two colors, blue and black, both with chrome lining. It features a 65K color screen with a 120x160 pixels resolution, a 1.3 MP camera (with video recording ability of 15 frames per second), Bluetooth connectivity, USB, microSD memory card slot and MP3 playback. E210 has an internal memory of 10 MB and supports GSM 900/1800/1900.

It's not the first time that Samsung creates an affordable cell phone using technology from a high-end handset. For example, the E200's design and technology were "taken" from the ultra-thin X820 candybar.

Samsung E210's release date is not known yet. But it will probably be available in Europe pretty soon (and then in the US), for a decent price of about 200 dollars (150 Euro).

Considering its features and costs, it's clear that E210 is for those who want an affordable good looking phone that doesn't have extravagant characteristics. The demand for such affordable handsets is not at all negligible, and big manufacturers like Samsung know it, that's why they'll keep on releasing these entry-level cell phones.[via]

Sony Ericsson Promote Their Walkman Devices

Sony Ericsson has signed a deal with Emap2 in order to properly advertise their new Walkman phone series.The contract between advertising company Emap2 and Sony Ericsson will be valid over a period of one year. By this time, three separate campaigns will run, emphasizing the advantages brought by Sony's mobile phones, capable of rendering music at high qualities. "Following the success of last year’s campaign with Emap2, we were committed to working together again and to look at the creative possibilities for Sony Ericsson this year. This new campaign will take us to the next level in terms of exposure to music fans, a level of exposure made a lot easier to achieve thanks to Emap’s fantastic media brands that will carry the great campaign ideas to the audience", said David Hilton, head of marketing at Sony Ericsson UK and Ireland.

Emap2 will include advertisements in radio, print, TV and online offerings in order to make the names of Sony Ericsson's Walkman phones stand out as the most efficient devices for mobile music listening.

The campaigns will be called "My Music Mate", "Greatest Unheard Artists" and "Kiss My Mix", each with a different strategy. They are all suggestive names that promise highly creative executions of the concept that the advertising company and Sony Ericsson both wish to deploy.

All advertisements, and especially the online ones, are meant to direct people to microsites where they can find further information on the campaign. Moreover, those that actually access these sites can enter competitions that might bring them Sony Ericsson mobile phones and many other prizes.

Emap Advertising is an advertising company that seeks solutions based on the understanding of online consumer behavior. It mostly uses the way that people feel while browsing the Internet in order to find better solutions to respond to their needs.[via]

Dopod International Launches BlackBerry Connect v4.0 in Asia

Dopod International and Research in Motion announced the availability of the BlackBerry Connect software v4.0 on the 838Pro PDA (HTC Hermes 100). Through an existing licensing relationship between HTC and Research in Motion, Dopod International is providing BlackBerry Connect software on its Microsoft Windows Mobile-based 838Pro to support push-based wireless email services, in conjunction with both BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Internet Service. Dopod International is the first to offer BlackBerry Connect v4.0 in Asia. "BlackBerry Connect on Dopod International devices provides an innovative and powerful solution that meets the distinct needs of our mobile users on the go," said Jack Tong, CEO of Dopod International. "We are very excited to work with RIM to provide the new BlackBerry Connect software on 838Pro for customers in Hong Kong, Australia and South East Asia."

BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Internet Service support wireless email access, wireless email reconciliation and attachment viewing. Additional features supported through BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Connect v4.0 include two-way wireless synchronization of email, calendar, address book, task and memo pad information, enhanced attachment handling capabilities, enabling users to view images, footnotes and tracked changes, remote look-up of corporate email address directory, triple DES or AES wireless encryption, Internet and corporate intranet access via the BlackBerry Mobile Data System, remote control of email settings to allow users to wirelessly configure out-of-office replies, email filters, auto-signatures directly from their device and wireless IT policy enforcement and commands.


For corporate customers, BlackBerry Enterprise Server software tightly integrates with Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise and works with existing enterprise systems to enable secure, push-based wireless access to email and other corporate data. For individuals, BlackBerry Internet Service allows users to access multiple supported email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts) from a single device.[via]

BenQ Releases the E61 Mobile Phone

BenQ has just announced the release of the E61 phone model. This is more than a cellular, as it is capable of playing the role of two devices in one: a mobile phone and an MP3 player at the same time.The E61's main feature is that it has a high performance MP3 player built in. Moreover, in order to enhance access to the playlist, it also comes with easy access keys that are disposed on its margins for making possible to handle the MP3 function without having to enter the main menu of the device.

The 1.8 inch TFT screen is capable of displaying the lyrics of the songs while music is playing. Moreover, it can store songs until the 1 GB limit, as it comes equipped with an SD Card slot. What's an MP3 player without proper headsets? BenQ 61 also comes with Hands Free in order to provide high quality music at all times. Moreover, it lets the user choose from 6 equalizer options that include Flat, Bass, Pop, Rock, Jazz and Classic, according to the type of music he usually listens to.

The phone's design has impressed some people until now, as BenQ61 has been awarded the coveted iF Design Award at CeBIT 2006. Indeed, there are several two-tone combos that offer the phone's user a wide range of options when it comes to providing a new image for the phone.

Other specifications of his phone model reveal the fact that it has a 2X/4X digital zoom camera. As for Internet access, this cellular comes with a WAP browser. We have to face it: aside from the MP3 music rendering functions, there are few other things that will make this handset stand out.

The BenQ E61 phone model is now available and comes with an average price of USD130. Unfortunately, it is currently available only for the Asian market and there is no news on a global release.[via]

First Release for Nokia 8600 Luna

Nokia 8600 Luna phone model has just been exclusively released by Carphone Warehouse. The phone's elegance and high class are now out for anyone to enjoy. Anyone who can afford it, that is. For some time now, the only news on Nokia 8600 included leaked images, spy shots and rumors. Now, it's official. The phone will be available for purchase from Carphone Warehouse on a six-week exclusive release.

This phone model has an appealing unique design, as well as extremely functional features that make it stand out and deserve the wait. Nokia 8600 supports Series 40 interface and has a high resolution display. The QVGA screen is capable of a 240 x 320 pixel resolution. Moreover, the stainless steel body, together with the smoked glass sliding cover make it look futuristic and highly elegant.

Nokia 8600 has a size of 107 x 45 x 15.7 mm, which makes it comfortably well proportioned. Even more, the phone comes equipped with a 2.0 Megapixel digital camera which is also capable of video recording. As for evolved media features, the Luna handset has an integrated MP3 player and also a built in FM radio.

Additionally, the internal memory is of 128MB; quite a lot, although insufficient. A major drawback is that this handset does not include a memory expansion slot, which will greatly limit the user's options. When it comes to connectivity, Nokia 8600 is also Bluetooth enabled and comes with a built in USB Port.

This phone model resembles the Nokia 8800 Sirocco, especially when it comes to design and style. The Luna phone will not suit everyone's needs and preferences, especially considering its high price and some drawbacks. Still, it proves to be an excellent phone for making a statement on personal style and thick wallet.Nokia 8600 Luna will be available for the price of 140 pounds with a 35 pounds/month contract.[via]

Sony Ericsson W999i Does Exist !

Sony Ericsson has confirmed the existence of the W999i phone model. This slider has been listed on the GSM association website, linking to Sony Ericsson's product page. Some leaked images of the Sony Ericsson W999i have been arousing people's interest on this new phone concept for some time now. Still few things have been known about it. Nothing new has been revealed about its performances, as the HSPA site has revealed nothing more than the mobile phone's existence.

Still, there are some things that are known about the phone model, although nothing is official about it. It comes with HSDPA support and several multimedia features that will bring high quality entertainment to its users. The most interesting aspect about it is probably the fact that it features the new QWERTY keypad that Sony Ericsson has developed for some of their latest phone models.

Sony Ericsson W999i is only 12.5 mm thick and has an elegant, model design. What probably adds most to its look is the impressive 2.4 inch QVGA screen capable of displaying up to 262 k colors. Pictures will look beautiful on it, especially those taken with the 2 megapixel-integrated camera. Another entertainment feature coming from this Walkman phone is an FM radio, although it will most probably come with a considerable memory space in order to allow its user to store a large amount of music files that will be rendered at high audio quality.

For the time being, Sony Ericsson has not officially acknowledged the existence of this phone model and is far from launching it. The fact that it has been included in the list of phone models on the HSPA site is only an accident and can not be considered an announcement of a future release, but a certainty that Sony Ericsson W999i will surely be available sometime in the future.[via]