March 03, 2006

By: Shawnee McRoberts
Website: http://www.1st-in-cell-phones.com

Sony Ericsson launches K500, S710a, and Z500i

Continuing its traditions of big launches and minor evolutionary changes, Sony Ericsson today launched three new handsets.

Sony Ericsson today launched three new mobile phone handsets, including among them EDGE support for faster data access, 3D game support, digital cameras, and other features.

The first of the new phones is the K500. Measuring 102 x 46 x 14 mm and weighing 80 grams, the K500 is targeted at multimedia users. The candybar-designed phone sports a 128 x 160 pixel 16-bit color TFT display specifically intended for gaming, which is backed up by 12 MB of RAM for users to install either 2D or 3D Java-based games. The battery is rated for up to 8 hours of talk time or 300 hours standby.

Naturally the phone includes a camera as well. The camera is activated by opening a lens shutter, rare for modern camera phones that typically leave the lens unprotected. The K500 is capable of taking both still images and video clips, both of which can then be sent to other users over MMS. Naturally the phone includes SMS and EMS support as well.

Personalization is a high feature of the K500, and the phone is fully themeable with wallpapers and polyphonic ring tones. The phone even includes an MP3 player, although with only 12 MB of memory it won't hold a great deal of music.

The K500 will come in five versions for different markets and through different carriers. All five are tri-band GSM/GPRS running 900/1800/1900 MHz. The K500c, K506c, and K508c will be available in mainland China, while the K500i and K508i will be available in other markets. The K500 will be available in quarter 3 of this year, although pricing is not available.

Sony Ericsson's other two phones, the swiveling S710a and the clamshell Z500i, are both modest updates to existing phones in new markets. Both phones support EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution), essentially a faster version of GPRS capable of 240 kbps downstream and 120 kbps upstream, and won't be available until quarter 4 this year. The S710a is an upgrade to the S700, and like its sibling includes a 1.3 megapixel camera and a 2.3-inch color display. For connectivity it sports Bluetooth as well as Sony's own Memory Stick Duo, while running on a American-band GSM 850/1800/1900 MHz.

The Z500i updates the Z500, also released earlier this year. It includes a 0.3 megapixel VGA camera capable of both stills and video clips, and sports a 16-bit color TFT display on the inside as well as an external 4,096 color display for picture caller ID and text messaging without even opening the phone. It also includes Push-to-Talk functionality, which allows walkie-talkie like communication between enabled phones. It also runs on GSM 850/1800/1900 MHz networks.

Also See: free cellular phones.

Author Notes:

Shawnee McRoberts contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.1st-in-cell-phones.com.  An industry resource for the wireless industry featuring articles, comparisons and reviews of phones and service plans.