Sony Ericsson to Roll Out PlayNow Plus Music Service

Sony Ericsson will launch a mobile phone service with unlimited music downloads within weeks, the company said today, as it competes with Nokia in expanding business beyond the sale of handsets.

Sony Ericsson's PlayNow Plus will be available solely through telecoms operators. Subscribers will be able to access to millions of songs and keep up to 300 songs after their 6-18 month contracts end.

PlayNow Plus draws from Sony Ericsson's collaboration with Omnifone and licensing terms with music labels including EMI, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music.

"Expanding our PlayNow service portfolio by adding PlayNow Plus and by launching PlayNow arena in Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and the UK during the fourth quarter, are key elements of the Sony Ericsson service strategy," said Rikko Sakaguchi, Senior Vice President at Sony Ericsson. "These steps and the addition of Universal's catalogue to the music offering in both services gives us every possibility to provide customers and consumers with what we feel is important and requested - an unparalleled user experience on Sony Ericsson devices."

PlayNow Plus will launch with operator Telenor in Sweden in the fourth quarter of this year, with further roll-outs around the world beginning in early 2009. A special edition of the Sony Ericsson W902 Walkman phone will be the first product released with an integrated PlayNow Plus service.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Launches on September 30

Sony Ericsson today announced the September 30 launch date of the Xperia X1, initially available in the UK, Germany and Sweden.

The handset will be available in other markets across Europe, Asia and Latin America throughout Q4 2008.

- Asia-Pacific - Indonesia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam
- Western Europe - Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Portugal
- Central Europe - Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic
- Middle East - UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait
- Africa - South Africa
- Latin America - Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia

The Xperia X1 is encased in a stainless steel body, with a arc-slider design, supported by Windows Mobile. Users can tap on the 3.0-inch high resolution touchcreen to start control the device. A full QWERTY keyboard offers more convenient text messaging.

Availability dates for North America, China, Australia and Russia along with other countries not mentioned above will be announced by local markets in the coming months.

Sony Ericsson G705 3G Slider Unveiled

Sony Ericsson today unveiled the G705, a slider phone with a large 2.4-inch screen, high-speed 3G and a full HTML browser.

RSS feeds delivered to the G705's desktop keep users updated with sport scores or news from around the world. Photos and videos captured with the 3.2-megapixel camera can be uploaded to the web. The Wi-Fi connection can upload pictures, create a picture blog or download music and videos from websites. Or relax with the sounds through the built-in FM radio.

The inbuilt aGPS combined with Google Maps for Mobile and Wayfinder navigation helps find driving directions, locations such as restaurants and bars.

"The G705 is ideal for those who need a bit of help organising their busy life." said Catherine Cherry, Global Product Marketing Manager at Sony Ericsson. "It also allows you to stay fully up-to-date thanks to the full HTML browser, email support, and desktop RSS feeds - all delivered at turbo 3G speeds."

The Sony Ericsson G705 supports GSM 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS/HSUPA 850/1900/2100 and will be available in American markets in early Q1 2009.