Sunday, July 3, 2011

Sony Ericsson bids for Android leadership

Sony Ericsson has announced the release of two new smart phones and a new feature phone on Asia-Pacific markets in a bid to support its business position as a communication entertainment brand and to make itself the markets' leading supplier of mobile phones based on the Android operating system.
The new phones - the Xperia ray, the Xperia active and the Sony Ericsson txt - will be available in the third quarter of this year.
Sony Ericsson's corporate vice president and head of Asia-Pacific region
Matthew Lang said that the firm wanted to become the No 1 supplier of Android-based mobile phones and it saw the opportunity for growth in Asia Pacific.
"We see great opportunities in the market for our new products. We have great expectations for active markets such as Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and India. We need to be No 1 in Android-based mobile phones to be the market leader," he said.
Moreover, Lang said Sony Ericsson would introduce a new tablet PC to the market when it was able to develop something unique and different. At present, it is waiting to see how the market segment emerges.
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications International's corporate vice president and head of marketing Steve Walker said that the growth of the Asia-Pacific mobile-phone market had led his company to unveil the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray and Xperia active, to give consumers access to the world of Sony Ericsson and Android.
The Xperia ray and Xperia active smart phones both run the latest version of the Android platform (Gingerbread 2.3) and deliver rich consumer experiences.
"As the Android platform gains market share in Asia Pacific, the Xperia portfolio is positioned to deliver consumers a unique and differentiated experience. We continue to deliver a portfolio to make the Sony Ericsson experience available to a broad range of consumers," he said.
Walker said the two new smart phones were designed to offer consumers unique design and technology for an entertaining experience.
The Xperia ray, combines a slim 9.4mm form factor with a high quality aluminium frame and a 3.3-inch screen. The phone has a 1Ghz processor and uses Sony technology such as Reality Display with a Mobile Bravia engine and an 8.1-megapixel camera with a Sony Exmor R CMOS sensor.
Meanwhile, the Xperia active has a compact design combined with a number of innovative hardware features including a 3-inch screen, a 1Ghz processor and a 5-megapixel camera. It is also dust proof and water resistant and incorporates wet-finger tracking.
It features pre-loaded sports apps that enable users to easily track their fitness levels. By using built-in GPS, barometer and compass in combination with an on-screen heart rate and pulse monitor (enabled by ANT+ wireless networking technology), and the iMapMyFitness app, users can easily monitor their day to day performance.
The company also introduced the Sony Ericsson txt, a feature phone designed for the entry-level market. It offers a full Qwerty keyboard, a 2.6-inch screen and an SMS shortcut key for easy and fast messaging. It also comes equipped with a "friends" application that enables users to see Facebook and Twitter updates from their top five friends at a glance.
"The Sony Ericsson txt is Wi-Fi enabled and comes equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera with video recording. The phone feels comfortable in the hand with a rounded back. It is a phone for easy and fast messaging on the move," Walker said, adding that all three phones would be available in the third quarter of this year.
Illustrating the rate of growth that has spurred not only Sony Ericsson but many other phone makers to develop new products, market-research firm IDC says that Thailand's total mobile phone market is expected to reach 21.1 million units this year. Smart phones will make up 16.6 per cent of these and feature phones 83.4 per cent.
IDC's first quarter Thailand Mobile Device Tracker reported year-on-year growth of
66.7 per cent in smart-phone sales.

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