Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and AT&T Mobility today launched the former’s W760a 3G handset at $130 with a two-year contract and a mail-in rebate.
The device features integration between the music-centric phone and the carrier’s stable of music services, including Napster Mobile, eMusic Mobile, Music ID and XM Radio.
It also utilizes accelerometers to allow users to shake the device to forward to the next track in a playlist or use the motion-sensitivity for gaming. The W760 is now one of three Walkman devices at AT&T Mobility.
The W760 also offers a variety of messaging options, HTML Web browsing and a 3.2 megapixel camera and is available in red, black and silver.
The device launches at a time when high-tier feature phones are under attack by affordable smartphones, fueled by aggressive subsidies. Sony Ericsson’s Walkman music handsets and Cybershot digital imaging handsets propelled the vendor to its current position as the fifth-largest handset vendor in the world by focusing on a voice-plus-one feature formula that readily defined the company’s products and resonated with consumers.
But in the United States, Sony Ericsson’s dedication to GSM-only technology limits it to two of the U.S.’s four top-tier carriers, the predominant retail channel here. And whether the vendor will win attractive subsidies to obtain traction for its Xperia line of smartphones, due this fall, remains to be seen.
Sony Ericsson announced in July that its key metrics for success – unit volume shipments, revenue and profit, among others – were down and it would cut 2,000 jobs across the globe this year.
The company is set to announce its third-quarter performance this Friday.
Sony Ericsson sends another Walkman to AT&T
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