Sony Ericsson launches the W900 UMTS music phone

Sony Ericsson today adds its first UMTS handset to the Walkman range of music phones bringing the total number of phones in the range to four. The W900 is a high quality fully specified music player, phone and imaging device capable of super-fast downloads of all types of multimedia – music, video and graphics. It follows the highly successful global market launch of the W800. Two previously announced Walkman phones are also about to launch, the W600 in the Americas and W550 in the rest of the world, meaning there are now Walkman phones meeting a broad spectrum of mobile music needs and price segments.

As a music player, the W900 makes it easy to import, transfer, manage and play music from operators’ over-the-air (OTA) music download services, allowing tracks to be downloaded directly to the phone while on the move and, from a PC when tracks have been copied from the owner’s CD collection.

The versatile swivel design makes it easy to multitask between the W900’s many functions, a feature which gives the phone an advantage over dedicated music players. The direct music buttons get the user swiftly into the Walkman player where it is possible to scroll through play lists, artists or individual songs. Users fed up with missing calls because they are listening to music will love the fact that the phone’s ringtone cuts into the audio and pauses the track while the user takes the call.

The phone swivels open automatically with the lightest of touches, revealing a large keypad. Virtually all functions can be performed with the phone closed, and users can read messages or search through their music library without opening the phone.

More than a fully featured music player, the W900 is a highly advanced imaging and multimedia device with broadband-fast download speeds, smooth, responsive browse capabilities and a large, 2.2 inch QVGA 262K TFT screen, one of the brightest ever seen on a mobile phone.

The 2 Megapixel, autofocus camera with LED flash- or picture-light is perfect for capturing priceless moments and, thanks to the Sony Ericsson dual fronted design, is operated with both hands in a horizontal position for maximum stability. The camera also shoots video at up to 30fps (frames per second), double the speed of most conventional imaging phones and the playback quality threshold for television.

As an entertainment device the W900 exploits the UMTS-delivered capabilities to the full, delivering fast and smooth download and browsing of video, games, sound and graphics. The high performance 3D Java gaming engine is put to the test with the embedded Asphalt Urban GT 3D from Gameloft, where users can experience the thrills of extreme racing at the wheel of the ultimate sports cars.

The W900 UMTS Walkman phone is available in black or white and will be commercially available end Q4 2005.

Imaging and messaging

• 2.0 MegaPixel camera with Autofocus
• Video call camera
• Digital Still Camera user interface
• 8 x digital zoom
• LED photo light
• 240 x 320 pixel QVGA TFT display
• 2.2” 262K color display
• Video recording and full screen playback
• Adobe Photoshop Starter Edition 2.0
• Apple QuickTime Player for PC
• SMS and MMS
• Instant Messaging
• Push e-mail
  
  Entertainment
• Video Call
• PlayNow ringtones and games
• Walkman player (MP3/AAC/AAC+)
• Stereo Portable Handsfree with remote control (3.5mm jack)
• 40 polyphonic tones
• Java J2ME and hardware Accelerator
• Embedded Java games: Asphalt Urban GT 3d from Gameloft, Power Ball Arcade in 3D, QuadraPop in 2D
• MegaBass
• Macromedia Flash Lite
• VideoDJ, PhotoDJ, MusicDJ
• Disc2Phone PC Software
• PlayNow ringtones and games
• Horizontal full screen games
• FM Radio
  
  Connectivity
• Sync ML.
• HTML browser
• BluetoothTM and Infrared
• PC Suite
• USB cable in the box
• USB mass storage
• Memory Stick PRO Duo slot
• External antenna connector