Comverse has announced that it is working with Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) to provide visual voicemail on an array of SE handsets. Details were not provided — which models will ship with Comverse’s software — but we’re betting on higher end devices such as the Satio or Xperia X2.

You know how it works, right? All voicemail messages are displayed in an in-box, and prior to listening to the message, you can see such key information as date, time, length of message, caller number and identity (when available). You can scan the messages, click to hear new and previously heard messages in any order, and then reply, forward, or save messages.

As soon as Sony Ericsson releases some handset with visual voicemail out of box, we’ve no doubts they’ll let us know. Stay tuned in the meantime…

Following on recently available pre-orders, the fabled Sony Ericsson Idou has just landed on British shores as the Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) Satio! The touchscreen Sony Ericsson Satio is the Swedish-Japanese phone maker’s first Symbian S60 5th Edition smartphone and it oozes high-end sex appeal. We had a chance to put hands-on the Satio back when it was known as the Sony Ericsson Idou, and it’s one helluva device – especially since it runs the so-old-it-hurts Sybmain platform.

Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) UK is the only carrier to offer the Sony Ericsson Satio at the moment, but Orange has the Satio tagged as “coming soon.” Underneath that high-resolution 3.5-inch touchscreen lies all the high-end smartphone bits that we’d expect to see from a 12.1-megapixel cameraphone monster – DNLA-compatible WiFi, GPS, and 3G data. The glossy-black finish highlights the 12.1-megapixel camera (with Xenon flash) while the 3.5-inch touchscreen plays video with aplomb. Did we mention it sports a 12.1-megapixel camera? Yeah, it’s awesome.

Vodafone is offering the Satio for free when purchased with qualifying 2-year contract. Have at it!

If you’re not lucky enough to live on the British side of the pond, keep yourself busy with our Satio hands-on gallery.

[Via: TechRadar]

Two of the upcoming Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) mid-range phones have been leaked. Codenamed Susan and Sunny, these two seems to boast pretty much the same features that include a 5-megapixel camera and LED flash. The only difference we see is in the form factor – Susan is a candybar, whereas the Sunny comes in a slider form. Additional details are unknown at the moment, but we do have the promo videos for the two devices, which come after the jump. Enjoy!

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Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) didn’t have a CTIA booth this go around, so they sent their Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 with the “Windows Phone” booth to keep things interesting. There was no way I wasn’t going to get my hands all over the X2’s improved arc-slider and 3.5-inch OLED touchscreen. The X1 launched Sony Ericsson’s high-end XPERIA brand with high-end style last year, leaving some big shoes for the X2 to fill. We just had to find out if it did.

Changed from the X1 days is the touchscreen. The XPERIA X2 boasts a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen that’s flush mounted. No more recessed resistive nonsense here. The arc-sliding keyboard is more comfortable and feels less cramped than the X1’s. And, of course, there’s the 8.1-megapixel camera tucked into the curvy shell.

The Panel UI still allows you to change your homescreen to fit your changing needs and moods. There are new Panels available too: a kind of cheesy Sim City-esque Sony Ericsson panel, new Windows Mobile 6.5 panels and more. The new Slide View feature takes center stage in the X2’s interface, serving up an inspired shortcut menu design that makes it easy to hop around oft-used phone features like missed calls, messages and  panels.

We’ll let the video and photo gallery do the rest of the talking.

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This isn’t the first time I’m writing in praise of Sony’s small and stylish Vaio P notebook/netbook. And I’m not doing so only to get the attention of Sony’s PR folks who by now should send me a single unit free of charge for all the publicity they got at IntoMobile.

I really, really like its form factor. The Vaio P is a super small laptop, yet it’s perfectly sized. The problem is in the software – Vista runs slowly on it and I also want the instant-on option on such a small computer. On that note, I’m hoping that Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) could launch a similar product which would have pretty much everything the original Vaio P has, plus it would be capable for instant-on. In that sense, instead of using the Intel Atom CPU, that kind of a device should rely on some ARM-based processor like Qualcomm (NSDQ: QCOM)’s Snapdragon. Just imagine – you press a button and you can instantly start writing, browsing the web, playing music, video and so on. Instead of the Sony logo, the new device would wear Sony Ericsson’s colors, and that’s about it. Nothing too complicated – just use the winning form factor and if possible, make the device more affordable!

To be fair, there is some kind of instant-on function on the Sony Vaio P, but you can run only the limited number of applications. What I want to use the device is for writing and I can’t do that.

We’ve seen that Wistron’s smartbook prototype which is powered by Snapdragon and I like it. The problem, however, is that it’s not as portable as Sony Vaio P, and I’m not sure it has the so-much-needed (and so much repeated in the text above) instant-on capability.

I don’t care about the operating system. It could be Windows Mobile or something Linux-based (Android, Moblin, etc), whatever. I do care about the screen size – it should be able to display at least 1024 pixels in width (current Vaio P goes even further), and it should allow for WiFi connectivity. 3G is a plus, but not a must…

Am I asking for too much? It should be my portable writing device, which could also be used for Skype calls, web browsing, email, etc. Any thoughts?

Zeemote, the folks behind the mobile gaming controller, announced a new version (actually that’s a variation) of its product. It’s marked as Zeemote V3 and it’s especially optimized to work with Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) handsets — including the upcoming Yari, Aino and Satio, as well as the eco-friendly Naite.

In addition to providing easier gameplay, the Zeemote V3 can also be used for navigating phone menus, interacting with apps, controlling camera, web surfing, music and video playback, and more. Plus, with the Aino you can use the Zeemote to control some functions of the PS3…

You can get more information about Zeemote and their products from their website.

Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE)’s Pureness makes it clear that a pretty face can sometimes make up for a lack of substance. The Pureness recently made waves with its transparent display and minimalist styling. And, now that the FCC has given it their blessing, folks with a penchant for high-fashion and little need for any real technology may soon be able to pick up a Sony Ericsson Pureness at Sony Style stores in the US.

As EngadgetMobile points out, the Pureness doesn’t sport any US 3G support, so you’ll be limited to surfing the web at EDGE-only data speeds. Hey, at least you’ll be stylin’!

[Via: EngadgetMobile]

There’s nothing better than a blurry shot of an unreleased handset. Unless it’s a blurry picture of an inventory screen listing an unreleased handset’s launch date – now that’s the stuff. WMExperts has gotten a hold of a decidedly fuzzy image of an inventory list that shows the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 (Vulcan) coming to Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) on November 6th, a date that falls in line with previous expectations.

There’s not much more to go on here, so we’re going to tentatively mark down the first week of November as a possible launch window for the all-new XPERIA flagship.

[Via: WMExperts]

The other day I got a chance to play with an upcoming Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) accessory currently called the MH-100, which promises to turn any set of standard headphones into Stereo Bluetooth-capable ones. The MH-100 is a simple clip-on dongle with a touch sensitive volume bar on one side, music controls on the other, call button on the front, and multicoloured LEDs beneath the front face to indicate volume levels. You can see it briefly in action in some videos; one from way back in May, and another from a little more recently, or my crummy Palm (NSDQ: PALM) Pre pictures below. The only comparable accessory that comes to mind is Jabra BT3030, but I’d much rather go with this clip design than dogtags, mostly since it’s one less string to get tangled. According the filings that recently went through the FCC, the MH-100 will be shipping with the Aino, but if you want to pick this one up separately, I was told it will be available for $100-120.

This morning I wanted to check out something at Sony Ericsson’s website and what do you know – it has been revamped. The re-designed website looks much cleaner and easier to get around. The top navigation holds only few items – “Phones & Accessories,” “PlayNow,” “Support,” “Community,” along with a search form. The rest of the page is where all the content is. I like it, what do you think?