Well, it’s over. We’ve covered most of the things Sony Ericsson has announced. At the same time we expect to see the product of the announcement echoing in the coming weeks and even months. Now, I just want to highlight the most important things from yesterday’s conference:
- The first 5 MP Cybershot phone has been announced – Sony Ericsson K850i, making SE fans around the world go crazy. Those that have used the K800i/K810i know what to expect — the snappy high-quality device that produces outstanding photos. I would even go further to say that I do expect to see K850i making better photos than the Nokia N95. That was the case with K800i – it took better photos than the Nokia N73 or N93. At least that’s my take and I own the N93. On the other hand, for some strange reason the screen of the K850i can only display up to 262k colors.
- Next generation of Walkman software has been showcased with the W910i model. It’s like the Walkman phones were hard to use that Sony Ericsson decided to go make them easier to use. Yes, they’ve bundled it with MusicStation and added the TrackID functionality, but those seem like something that be a part of Walkman 2.1 software. I might be wrong on this one — still have to test them.
- The first WiFi enabled Walkman smartphone W960i was also introduced. This ultra-cool device promises to stand head to head with the upcoming iPhone. There’s 8GB of storage space, a 3G radio and yes, a touchscreen. The W960i is a Symbian UIQ 3 based device, and as such its functions could be further expanded by any of the hundreds of available 3rd party apps. Lack of the HSDPA is something I don’t understand fully, especially when we know that both W910i and K850i sport an HSDPA radio.
- Sony Ericsson also announced two affordable clamshells – Z250i and Z320i, as well as the great K530i mid-ranger. These three promise to sell like hot cupcakes.
- Finally, the Swedish-Japanese handset maker announced a bunch of accessories, including three stylish Bluetooth watches, which this time look stylish.
So what’s next for Sony Ericsson? Well, yesterday’s announcements and the following product releases will certainly help them boost their market share. For one thing, I’m still waiting for their ultimate all-in-one device that would also come with a built-in GPS receiver — something like the rumored W999i. In the meantime, we’ll keep following what Sony Ericsson does and keep you folks well informed.