Sony Ericsson just unveiled six new phones in the Indian market, phones it describes as entertainment-packed...They are: Xperia X8 (previously known as Shakira), the affordable GreenHeart Cedar, the QWERTY messenger Aspen, and three Walkman phones – Yendo, Spiro, and Zylo. Unfortunately, no pricing details have been revealed yet. Happy with the successful launch of the Fab 5 (Xperia X10, Vivaz, Xperia X10 Mini, Vivaz Pro, and Xperia X10 Mini Pro) earlier this year, Sony Ericsson is looking to introduce a host of innovative new features with these devices into the Indian market, across various price segments.
Claiming to provide “an unmatchable user experience”, the phones each have their own qualities. Let’s take a look at them:
Another member of the Android 1.6 Xperia family, the X8 is a smaller, lower-powered Xperia X10, and is described as a “great entertainment smartphone that extends the appeal of the Xperia collection to new market segments.” While one of the X10’s signature applications, Mediascape, is missing from its portfolio, it features Timescape, and, due to its smaller screen, inherits the four-corner shortcut interface from the X10 Mini.
business and social communication”, the GreenHeart Cedar apparently provides easy browsing, emailing, and social networking with its 3G HSPA connectivity, all at an “affordable price”, and with green features such as recycled plastics, a low power consumption charger, an e-manual, waterborne paint and compact packaging. Another of its USPs is Widget Manager 2.0, which supposedly gives users social networking features on the standby screen.
The only dedicated business mobile of the lot, the Aspen is also the only Windows Mobile (6.5.3 Professional) phone. Branded as an “affordable GreenHeart phone”, the Aspen offers green features similar to the Cedar. Citing its “rich user interface and powerful productivity tools” as its business capabilities, Sony Ericsson insists the phone also offers entertainment value, with its Media Browser and PlayNow features, as well as quick access to social networking.
Sony Ericsson’s first full-touch Walkman phone, the Yendo is described as combining “music, social networking and communication in one colourful phone". The Yendo also features the Xperia X8 and X10 Mini’s four-corner shortcut touch-UI, to allow for one handed operation. The phone also features ease of social networking (including Facebook 2.6), instant/text messaging, and email use, and has been designed in the same human curvature style of the Xperia and Vivaz devices. It will also appeal to the trendy youth, with numerous body colour choices and mix-and-match combinations.
Distinctly Walkman phones, the Zylo (left) and Spiro (right) are similar in interface and design, and supposedly “marry music with social networking”, allowing users to access everything from Twitter to Facebook at the “touch of a button”, without interrupting their music listening experience. The two phones also feature the TrackID function, which allows users to find the name and artist of any track they’re listening to, “wherever they are”.
Sony Ericsson’s Anurag Kontu, Marketing Head – India, commented on the introduction of the new phones into the Indian market: “Greater access to applications and customizable user experience on handheld devices has shaped the mobile success story in India today. As the communication entertainment brand, Sony Ericsson phones have always enjoyed a phenomenal response from consumers in the region. With the launch of the new portfolio, we continue to offer an amalgamation of communication and entertainment by fusing together best quality touchscreen experience, premium imaging and music features, and great connectivity options across price segments.”
