Sony Ericsson Shows New 3G Walkman Phone

Sony Ericcson has announced the W900, a 3G mobile phone, camera, and Walkman-branded music player to be available (outside the U.S.) by the end of 2005.

The Japanese-Swedish mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson today announced its new W900 3G Walkman mobile phone, a UMTS 3 G phone with a 2 megapixel camera, full smartphone capabilities, and an integrated Walkman music player. The W900 makes a total of four Walkman-branded phones from Sony Ericcson, as the company tries to target a variety of market segments for whom the idea of combining mobile phone, music, organization, and entertainment capabilities in one device is especially appealing. The company expects to ship the phone in China, Europe, Asia Pacific regions, and Middle East, and Africa by the end of 2005.

The W900 support importing music from a user’s computer via drag-and-drop or over-the-air if a user’s mobile phone provider offers a music download or subscription service. The W900 offers 470 MB of data storage for music, photos, video, and other data, and can handle up to 2 GB more data using Memory Stick Pro Duo expansion. The W900 supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, MIDI, WAV, and XMF audio formats (note that, like other Walkman products, WMA is not supported.)

The W900 also offers a 2.2-inch 320 by 240 pixel LCD display, a 2 megapixel camera, video capture, an FM Tuner, SMS and MMS instant messaging, push email, support for Java-based games, Bluetooth and Infrared wireless connectivity, and USB support. The phone also ships with a HPM-80 Stereo Portable Handsfree with remote, enabling users to control the W900 without removing it from their pocket or bag.