RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.-Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. led the mobile-phone charge with the introduction of five new advanced GSM phones, including three for the Americas market. The company’s news came on the heels of new phone news from a variety of players.
Sony Ericsson’s new phone lineup includes a variety of advanced technologies.
- The tri-band GSM S700 features a 1.3 megapixel integrated camera and a unique swivel-opening design. The phone also features Memory Stick, Bluetooth, Java and 3D gaming support, and should be available in the fourth quarter.
- The new tri-band K700 also features an integrated digital camera with 4x zoom as well as 32 MB of built-in memory and support for 3D games. The phone should be available in the second quarter.
For the Americas, Sony Ericsson plans to sell:
- The Z500 clamshell phone, which supports push-to-talk services and EDGE networks. It also offers an integrated digital camera and support for 3D games. It is expected to sell in the Americas in the third quarter.
- The T637 will also feature PTT support and an integrated digital camera. The phone should be available in the second quarter.
- Finally, Sony Ericsson introduced the T237, a lower-end phone with a color screen, which is set to be available in the Americas in the second quarter.
Sony Ericsson also introduced a range of accessories, including a Bluetooth media viewer, Bluetooth headsets and two new EDGE PC cards for the Americas, Europe and Asia.
In other mobile-phone news, Verizon Wireless announced it will sell Kyocera Wireless Corp.’s SE47 sliding phone for $50 with a two-year contract. The phone is similar to one sold through Virgin Mobile. And disposable mobile-phone company Hop-on Inc. launched its latest phone, a dual-band GSM/GPRS device with a color screen. The company offers a CDMA phone.
In phone chipset news, RF Micro Devices Inc. said it has begun high-volume production shipments of its RF3163 CDMA power amplifier module to a “top -two” CDMA handset maker based in Korea. And Qualcomm Inc. said will be begin shipping its 90 nanometer (nm) low-power Mobile Station Modem products using technology from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd.
Finally, SavaJe Technologies said it scored deals with Intel and Texas Instruments to ensure its mobile-phone operating system is optimized for use on the companies’ chips. SavaJe offers a customizable OS based on Java technology.
