[MWC] Sony Ericsson Unveils 'All-inclusive' Handset for Global Market

Feb 17, 2009 20:42 Tomohisa Takei, Nikkei Electronics

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB announced the "Idou" (temporary name, pronounced as "I do"), a mobile phone slated for debut in the second half of 2009, at a press conference in Barcelona, Spain, the day before Mobile World Congress 2009.

"We included all the technologies accumulated through the development of the Walkman series and the CyberShot series handsets," the company said.

The Idou is operated mainly by using its 3.5-inch touch panel display as it only has several buttons, including three on the display side and a few on one lateral side of the handset. It features a 12.1-Mpixel camera module and music and video playback capability.

"The Idou can do anything that the existing Walkman and CyberShot series products can," Sony Ericsson said. Instead of targeting it at specific markets, the company is planning to "sell it all over the world."

Sony Ericsson positions the Idou as a handset that embodies its new brand concept, "Entertainment Unlimited." It is planning to announce the commercial version of the Idou along with new entertainment services around the summer of 2009.

The handset is based on a Symbian operating system. The name Idou is "derived from the Japanese word 'idou' (move)," said a Sony Ericsson employee engaged in the handset development.

"It's not that the name has a profound meaning, but we've used the word Idou in the sense that 'we are moving to a new place,'" the company said.

Commenting on the brand concept, Entertainment Unlimited, Rikko Sakaguchi, Sony Ericsson's corporate vice president and head of Creation & Development Group, said, "This time, we returned to our starting point and considered what we want to offer as Sony Ericsson. We aimed to highlight our commitment to offering mobile phones and services to realize communication, which is exactly what entertainment is."

Along with the Idou, Sony Ericsson announced the "W995," a new model of the Walkman series of mobile phones. Equipped with wireless LAN capability, it supports DLNA server function. Users can play the content stored in the handset on a TV and other devices with DLNA client capability.

Also, the company revealed that it will start the "PlayNow Movies" video subscription service as a service tailored for the W995, which can connect to wireless LAN and HSPA networks. It is already providing the "PlayNow Arena" DRM-free music delivery service primarily in Europe.

The company also started the "PlayNow Plus" subscription service, which allows users to freely download songs with a fixed monthly charge, jointly with mobile phone carrier Telenor Sweden in September 2008.

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