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Sony Ericsson on your radio – new FM Music Transmitter MMR-60

Sony Ericsson MMR-60 mobile phone FM transmitter

Sony Ericsson are really flexing their music muscles now, with the launch of the new MMR-60 FM music transmitter.  This device enables a Sony Ericsson Walkman-branded phone to pipe its music out to any Hi-Fi with a radio.  The Walkman phone pumps the music out to the MMR-60, which then transmits it over an FM-channel of your choice, and is then picked up by any radio within a 10m range tuned to the same channel. Simple!

These devices have become popular recently for generic MP3 players, enabling you to listen to music from your MP3 player in situations where you can’t use headphones (prinicpally in a car, or when you want your friends to listen to your tunes).  This, however, is the first such device principally designed at the outset for use with a mobile phone, and shows Sony Ericsson really have their finger on the pulse when it comes to what the user wants from  music phone.  Put simply, a phone’s ability to play MP3 files is nothing new: a true music phone stands or falls on its music playing abilities and the quality of the sound it produces, and Sony Ericsson’s recent bout of releases show they understand this better than the competition (certainly beats Motorola’s efforts with the ROKR). The Walkman phones are now really starting to stand out from the competition.

More details after the jump.

 

Sony Ericsson Mobile Phone Audio System – with added Neodymium!

Sony Ericsson MDS-70 mobile phone home audio system

After releasing its fourth Walkman mobile phone, the Sony half of Sony Ericsson is really starting to flex its muscles in an effort to differentiate its products from those of Nokia, Motorola et al., with the launch of the new MDS70 Home Audio System.  This beast is a mobile phone cradle (for the Walkman phones, naturally) that connects to a set of high performance Sony speakers.  The device also charges your phone whilst it sits in the cradle.

This is a neat solution by Sony, providing users with the chance to hear their music in glorious hi-fidelity sound without having to rely on the usually suspect headphones that come with mobile phones.  It also reinforces the image of the Walkman phones as serious music devices in their own right, and not just mobile phones with gimmicky MP3 players tacked on as a ‘feature’.  In addition, the device provides Sony with new ammo against its competitors, as Sony has a great reputation in the hi-fi world, something the likes of Motorola and Nokia can’t compete against. And the speakers come complete with Neodymium magnets (no, I don’t make these things up), which are capable of moving a Galaxy-class ship at Warp-factor 10 (OK, I made this bit up!)

Full details after the jump.

 

Sony Ericsson buzzword overload: New W900 3G Walkman mobile phone revealed

Sony Ericsson W900 3G Walkman phone with headset

After Nokia’s recent flurry of announcements, it seems it’s Sony Ericsson’s turn today, announcing the fourth member of their increasingly impressive Walkman family of mobile phones.  This one, I’m pleased to say, looks like the best yet.

The W900 offers the usual array of Walkman-esque features, offering 470MB internal memory (expandable to 2GB via MemoryStick), which should be good for 500-1000 songs (depending on quality), and capable of playing songs encoded in MP3, AAC or AAC+, MIDI, WAV and XMF formats. So far so good. It also comes complete with a portable handsfree remote control device, meaning you can use its music features without taking out of your pocket. I see this as a much-welcome anti-mugging device! Let iPod users take the risks on the street – with the W900, you only show it to who you want to (i.e. your jealous friends and colleagues).

The addition of a two megapixel camera with LED-flash and picture light adds to the stunning feature list, but what really sets this apart from its sister Walkman phones is its 3G capability and S700i-style swivel function.  Yes, that’s right, blistering music download speeds (and crippling data transfer costs!) and a cool swivelling form factor. More on this glorious new phone after the jump.

 

AllIsBlue SMS2Email service links posters to mobiles

A company called AllIsBlue is in the process of launching an intriguing system that links offline adverts such as posters with the online world via your mobile phone.  The poster will feature a short code, which you send a text to. AllIsBlue then sends you an email containing the URL of a web page that gives you more information about the poster you saw.
 
Why would you want this? Well, the Inquirer paints this picture:
“Say you’re down the tube, and there’s an advert with a URL and you have a phone but can’t go online. You just key in a number and when you next go online, you get an email delivering the information you want. Advertisers have a bridge between offline and online. AllIsblue assures us that while the advertiser knows a valid mail has been delivered, it doesn’t get your email, so you won’t be spammed in future. Ford and others are already experimenting with the technology.”
 
This is an interesting idea, but I’m not sure if it’ll take off.  Most of the information I see on posters just reinforces a brand name, rather than make me feel I need more information about the product (although quick links to cheap tickets or reviews would be neat).  It does represent convergence in action, though, which is no bad thing.  I’m still waiting for the day when my mobile phone can scan the bardcode/RFID tag of a product like a book, and seek out and display reviews of the product and links to the same item at cheaper prices in my area.  A service not available yet, but companies such as AllIsBlue are making further steps towards this goal. One to watch, I think.
 
 

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Nokia release several Atari classic games on N-Gage

Busy week for Nokia, it seems. they’ve just announced the release of Atari Masterpieces Volume 1 for the N-Gage platform. This bumper pack includes not just one but eight classic games such as Asteroids, Battlezone, Black Widow, Millipede, Missile Command, Red Baron, Lunar Lander and Super Breakout. The games come with original graphics and game play, just like they do on MAME or those handheld Atari joysticks that plug-into your TV. Difference is, of course, that gamers can now “revisit these old favourites while they are on the move!” – and be charged for them again!

Nokia continue: “For those who get their biggest thrill from showing off, gamers can upload their high scores on the N-Gage Arena, and compete worldwide for the title of retro gaming guru. As an added bonus gamers will also have the opportunity to unlock additional Atari 2600 titles – 2600 Adventure, 2600 Surround, 2600 Video Chess and 2600 Yar’s Revenge.”

The good thing about these games is that the gameplay was always great (it clearly wasn’t the graphics!), and they should translate well on the N-Gage platform, being well suited to simple pick up n’ play. So those of you with an N-Gage (yes, both of you!), give ‘em a whirl!

 

Nokia’s new E60, E61 and E70 Mobile Phones

Nokia E60, E61 and E70 business mobile phones

Nokia have announced the addition of three new mobile phones, this time aimed at business users. According to Nokia, “The Nokia E60, Nokia E61 and Nokia E70 – the first of the new Nokia Eseries – are distinctively different in design and allow businesses of all sizes to mobilize their workforce. Nokia Eseries models combine attractive and easy-to-use designs that appeal to individual business users with new underlying technologies that allow IT departments to effectively manage security settings, corporate applications and data. Each of the devices is designed to accommodate must-have mobile applications needed in today’s business world like mobile email and advanced voice calling functions. The Nokia E60, Nokia E61 and the Nokia E70 will be available in the first quarter of 2006 worldwide.”
 
From a user’s and gadget-fiend’s perspective, the interesting bits come in the form of built-in GSM, 3G, USB2.0 and WLAN connectivity, support for Voice over IP (VoIP), Push To Talk, and many different email options, including Blackberry’s Connect.  In fact, the models are so versatile, companies can connect them directly to their corporate phone networks (if they use an Avaya or Cisco IP PBX), enabling functions employees have come to expect from a corporate network like four-digit dialing and assisted call answering.
 
For business users, these phones would seem ideal – fast n’cheap local calling via WLAN, high speed data transfer via 3G and WLAN, full roaming capabilities when off-site, and complete integration with the company’s phone system. Amazing.  More details and pics after the jump.
 

Text your mates, text your mum, text your…kettle?!

I love mobile phone companies! Not content with enabling the whole world to call anyone, anywhere, anytime, they’re now extending their global dominance to anything. Case in point: the new Orange/PGTips SMS Kettle! Glorious! Called ‘ReadyWhenUR’, it’s a kettle that you control via text message. Simply text the words “switch on”, and the kettle, er, switches itself 0n. Simple, really! But marvellously so, and a device I simply have to have, because there are always those moments when you need a cup of tea RIGHT NOW, and not 2 minutes after you arrive at your house. Check out more at newindpress.com, but beware – I’m not entirely convinced this is genuine.

 

Sony Ericsson P990 Smartphone now official

Sony Ericsson P990 smartphone open front

SonyEricsson have just released details of their forthcoming P990 3G smartphone. Designed as a replacement for the P910, the P990 has the same form factor as its parents, but with enhanced features including UMTS (i.e. 3G), a 2 mega-pixel camera, and WiFi. Yes, chalk another phone up on your ‘WiFi-enabled’ list, the P990 will be able to make calls and send data over a mobile phone network or across a WLAN. It seems almost certain now that this time next year, most if not all mid-high end phones will offer WiFi connectivity, thereby moving the mobile phone further into the PDA space, and allowing it to become a usable and affordable web browsing device for the first time (not to mention its MobSharing potential). This is a trend that’s under most people’s radars, yet has the power to transform the mobile phone into something far closer to the 3G hype we were peddled a few years back.

More pics after the link…