At last we got it :)

Skype has unveiled a beta version of the Skype Java application for our mobile phones, which means, from now on we can call our contacts whenever we need to – no computer, WiFi zone, or special phone needed.

The software is free and works on almost 50 handsets. This beta version brings the most commonly used features of Skype, like: chat or a group chat with contacts, call to your contacts and receive calls from them, events...

What about Sony Ericsson, Skype offers its application to download for several Sony Ericsson models: K550, K610, K750i, K790, K800i, K810, W200, W300, W550, W600, W610, W710, W810i, W830i, W850i, W880i, Z550, Z610... And the "Coming Soon" models are: C702, C902, K660, K770, W580, W660i, W760, W910i, W980, Z770..

But I think, this application will be perfectly work on other Java enabled Sony Ericsson models...

As you can see on the pictures, I've tested this application on the Sony Ericsson P1i, which is not in the list and George confirms that he was able to use a Nokia N95 version on his Nokia E90 communicator.

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I've downloaded the version of the W850i... It has installed and launched without any problems, but the problems occurred when Skype asked me to enter my User Name and Password... You see, W850i has a standard keyboard, when P1i has QWERTY, but all you need is to push twice the "ALT" button and you will be able to type your User and Pass as on usual keyboard (Like on the Sony Ericsson W850i :) ). George confirms that this is the case when using the application on Nokia E90 Communicator as well.

When you start chatting, push twice the "ALT" button, type some letter and new window popups, there you will be able to type the text with your QWERTY keyboard :)

You can download the beta version of this brilliant application from here :)

Have a fun...

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Sony Ericsson has expanded the ranges of the color variants for Sony Ericsson K660, Sony Ericsson W580 and Sony Ericsson S500.

The new colors of the Sony Ericsson K660 are "Cyan on Black" and "Silver on Black".
What about Walkman branded Sony Ericsson W580, except of the "Style White", "Boulevard Black", "Urban Grey", "Metro Pink" and "Jungle Green", it will be available in "Velvet Red" color variant and the luxurious Sony Ericsson S500i will now be offered in "Steel Silver"...

Q1 Highlights:
• Year-on-year volume growth of 2%
• Income before taxes at higher end of forecast
• R&D investment continues to expand portfolio and addressable market
• New sub-brand XPERIA™ added to portfolio

The consolidated financial summary for Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Ericsson) for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008 is as follows:

	Q1 2007	Q4 2007	Q1 2008
Number of units shipped (million)	21.8	30.8	22.3
Sales (Euro m.)	2,925	3,771	2,702
Gross Margin %	30.3%	31.8%	29.2%
Operating Income (Euro m.)	346	489	181
Operating Income (%)	11.8%	13.0%	6.7%
Income Before Taxes (Euro m.)	362	501	193
Net income (Euro m.)	254	373	133
Average Sales Price (Euro)	134	123	121

Units shipped in the quarter were 22.3 million, a 2% increase compared to the same period last year and in line with our March 19, 2008 interim announcement of 22 million units. Sales for the quarter were Euro 2,702 million, a decrease of 8% on a year ago due to slowing market growth in mid-to-high end phones in markets where Sony Ericsson has a strong presence. Gross margin was one percentage point lower than Q1 2007, reflecting a less favourable product mix. Income before taxes for the quarter was Euro 193 million, which was at the higher end of the range (Euro 150-200 million) we announced on March 19, 2008. This represented a decrease of 47% compared with a year ago, due to higher R&D investments as a percentage of sales, and reflecting that Q1 2007 was a particularly strong first quarter for the company. Net income for the quarter was 48% lower, at Euro 133 million.

“Sony Ericsson continues to invest in expanding its product portfolio to appeal to a wider variety of consumers in both new and existing markets,” said Dick Komiyama, President, Sony Ericsson. “Our product announcements during the first quarter have been well received by the industry, and we expect to see a positive effect from these announcements during the second half of 2008.”

During the quarter, Sony Ericsson added a new sub-brand to its product portfolio with the announcement of the XPERIA™ X1, a high-end multi-media convergence phone based on Windows Mobile®, which will launch in the second half of the year. In addition, the company announced a number of new phones during the quarter to increase the appeal of its brand to a broader audience. These included new high-end Walkman® and HSDPA web phones, such as the W980, W760, Z770 models and also added to its cutting-edge Cyber-shot™ range with models such as the C702 and C902.
Average selling price (ASP) decreased both sequentially and year-on-year due to the impact of softer sales of high-to-mid end models in key markets. Market share for the quarter is estimated to be around 8%, down one percentage point sequentially.
Sony Ericsson made a dividend payment of Euro 470 million during the quarter to the parent companies. A second dividend payment will be made this year.

Sony Ericsson forecasts that the global handset market for 2008 will grow at a rate of around 10% from more than 1.1 billion units in 2007. The majority of this growth is expected to be in emerging markets.

As we've been expecting, today Sony Ericsson officially introduced two new handsets from G and Z series - Sony Ericsson G502 and Sony Ericsson Z780.

Each phone is clearly designed to take its position among web-enabled phones but in different directions. The Z780 expands the company’s range of devices for markets outside of Europe and the compact G502 brings the power of the web to a mainstream audience.
Successor of the recently announced Sony Ericsson Z770, Clamshell Sony Ericsson Z780 packs tri-band 3G and HSDPA - letting you receive email and browse the web at high speed. Z780 also features built-in aGPS module with pre-installed GoogleMaps, giving users the opportunity to carry their navigation solution with them on their phones. The Z780 is a UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100 and GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in Grand Onyx and Amethyst Silver in selected markets from Q2 2008.
New member of the recently opened G Series, Sony Ericsson G502, unlike its sisters - Sony Ericsson G700 and Sony Ericsson G900, is yet another non-smartphone, standard mid-end phone.

Upcoming G502 features high-speed HSDPA capability for faster web browsing and downloading... The G502 is a UMTS/HSDPA 2100 and GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in Champagne Black and Brilliant Hazel in selected markets from Q2 2008.

Sony Ericsson Z780 (Full Specifications)

Networks: UMTS/HSDPA 850/1900/2100
GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850 /900 /1800 /1900
Size: 92 x 49 x 16 mm
Weight: 100 grams
Colours: Grand Onyx, Amethyst Silver
Main screen: 262,144 colour TFT
Resolution: 320 x 240 pixels
Size: 2.2 inches
External screen: Monochrome
Resolution: 36 x 128 pixels
Phone memory: Up to 35 MB, Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) support
Talk time GSM: Up to 9.5 hrs
Standby time GSM: Up to 350 hrs
Talk time UMTS: Up to 4.5 hrs
Standby time UMTS: Up to 350 hrs

Core Features: High Speed HSDPA, Built-in aGPS, Google™ Maps for Mobile, RSS Desktop, Automatic email set-up, Picture and video blogging, User Defined Blogging, Web 2.0 Ready, Active Sync email
Music and Entertainment: Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP), Media player, Mega Bass™, Music tones (MP3/AAC), PlayNow™, TrackID™, Polyphonic ringtones, 3D games, FM radio, Java, Video streaming, Video viewing
Camera: 2 megapixel camera, 2.5x digital zoom, Photo fix, Picture and video blogging, Video recording
Internet: Access NetFront™ web browser, Web feeds
Communication and Messaging: Email, Exchange ActiveSync®, Instant messaging, Speakerphone, Vibrating alert, Video calling, Picture messaging (MMS), Predictive text input, Sound recorder, Text messaging (SMS)
Connectivity: aGPS, Bluetooth™ technology, Modem, Synchronisation, USB mass storage, USB support
Organizer: Alarm clock, Calculator, Calendar, Flight mode, Notes, Phone book, Stopwatch, Tasks, Timer
In-Box: Stereo Headset HPM-62, Battery (BST-38), Charger (CST-70), Media Transfer Software, Sony Ericsson PC Suite, User guide, USB Cable (DCU-60)


Sony Ericsson G502 (Full Specifications)

Networks: UMTS/HSDPA 2100
GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900 /1800 /1900
Size: 109 x 46 x 13.5 mm
Weight: 83.5 grams
Colors: Champagne Black, Brilliant Hazel
Main screen: 262,144 colour TFT
Resolution: 240 x 320 pixels
Size: 2 inches
Phone memory: Up to 32 MB, Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) support
Talk time GSM: Up to 9 hrs
Standby time GSM: Up to 330 hrs
Talk time UMTS: Up to 4.5 hrs
Standby time UMTS: Up to 330 hrs

Core Features: High Speed HSDPA, Google™ Maps for Mobile, RSS Desktop, Automatic email set-up, Picture and video blogging, Web 2.0 Ready, Active Sync email
Music and Entertainment: Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP), Media player, Mega Bass™, Music tones (MP3/AAC), PlayNow™, TrackID™, Polyphonic ringtones, 3D games, FM radio, Java, Video streaming, Video viewing
Camera: 2 megapixel camera, 4x digital zoom, Photo fix, Picture blogging, Video recording
Internet: Access NetFront™ web browser, Web feeds
Communication and Messaging: Email, Exchange ActiveSync®, Instant messaging, Speakerphone, Vibrating alert, Picture messaging (MMS), Predictive text input, Sound recorder, Text messaging (SMS)
Connectivity: Bluetooth™ technology, Modem, Synchronisation, USB mass storage, USB support
Organiser: Alarm clock, Calculator, Calendar, Flight mode, Notes, Phone book, Stopwatch, Tasks, Timer
In-Box: User guide, Battery, Standard charger, Stereo portable handsfree headset

Tomorrow (On the 23rd of April), Sony Ericsson will be announcing a new handset from G line, early known as "Emelie" - Sony Ericsson G502...

It's strange, but the upcoming G502 is not a smartphone. I thought that the next handset from G series would be featuring some "smart" possibilities, but no! Unfortunately, Sony Ericsson G502 is yet another mid-end mobile phone, working on A2 software platform...

So, it looks like that the upcoming device from G series is made in a "Candybar" form-factor (Housing reminds Sony Ericsson K530i) and will have a standard 262K TFT display with a 240x320 resolution. It will be equipped with a 2MP camera and built-in memory will be up to 32MB and will support Memory Stick Micro (M2) cards. G502 will also support Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR and USB 2.0 for cable connectivity.

With Tri-Band GSM/EDGE connectivity, Sony Ericsson G502 is 3G-enabled and will be provide HSDPA for fast data transfer speeds and will come with pre-installed NetFront web browser and GoogleMaps. The handset will also support emails, RSS feeds and Exchange Activesync.

With dimensions of the 109x46x13.5 mm the phone will weigh at 83.5 grams and according to the USEB, it will be available in two color trimmings: Brilliant Hazel & Champagne Black and will hit selected markets in Q2 this year...

There are also some rumors that, besides of the Sony Ericsson G502, tomorrow Sony Ericsson will announce a couple of other phones too, like, Sony Ericsson Z780, Sony Ericsson P5 (a.k.a Sony Ericsson Paris) or Sony Ericsson Bei-Bei, so we only have to wait and see what is going to happen.

Chinese mobile web site Yesky.com has published more live pictures of the long awaited upcoming UIQ 3.3 smartphone from the Sony Ericsson known as "Bei-Bei"...

Those picture is showing a device which is still in a testing phase and the model name is not determined yet...

Sony Ericsson C702



Sony Ericsson C902



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A survey, which was conducted by social networking website Habbo across 31 countries, revealed that Nokia's dominance at the top of the global chart has been weakened.

Despite the 58,480 teens which took part in the survey say that Nokia is the number one mobile brand globally, Nokia has lost some favour with teens to Sony Ericsson and Samsung since 2006, when the previous Global Habbo Youth Survey was conducted.

Despite still being the favoured handset in 15 of the 31 countries polled, Nokia loses out to Sony Ericsson in markets such as the UK, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland, in markets, where Nokia ranked first in 2006, which suggests that brand loyalty to Nokia, amongst teens globally, hasn’t increased alongside Nokia’s market share, which reached 40% in the fourth quarter of 2007.

The results of the survey show that except of the calling and text messaging, teens are now regularly using their mobile handsets as entertainment devices. If in the 2006 only 38% of teenagers were using their handsets to listen music, for now it's grown up to 71%.

70% of teenagers are now using their mobile to take photos and videos. 64% now play games on their mobile compared to 51% in 2006. Over a quarter of teens also use their mobile to surf the net, email and send instant messages...

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Semcblog has discovered some pictures of the new "Clam Shell" from Sony Ericsson - Sony Ericsson Z780...
It looks like that this phone is a successor of the recently unveiled Sony Ericsson Z770 and to be honest, I can't see much difference between those phones :) Anyway it's too early to talk about difference between those phones, while there are not many details about the Z780...

We also got WAP Profiles of the Z780 at Sony Ericsson Wap site, which discovers some details of the technical characteristics.

Sony Ericsson Z780i WAP Profile
Sony Ericsson Z780a WAP Profile

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Do you remember the rumors about one more upcoming smartphone from Sony Ericsson with a codename "Bei-Bei"? Of course you do... :) So the pictures of the prototype of the Bei-Bei have been leaked in the internet...

Those pictures are showing some part of the User Interface of the upcoming Symbian UIQ, which should be pre-installed on the Bei-Bei...

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