Sony Ericsson Zylo and Spiro Walkman Phones

In this post I'm going to look at two walkman phones recently announced by Sony Ericsson - the Zylo and Spiro. Sony Ericsson are continuing their trend with walkman phones but taking them one step further by combining social networking with music. The Zylo and Spiro have been designed to allow users to easily communicate with their friends via Facebook or use Twitter while listening to music.

Both of these phones support TrackID - a service that allows users to find the artist and name of the currently playing track wherever they are. One interesting feature of the Sony Ericsson Zylo is that users can play a tune in the background at the same time as talking on the handset. This could perhaps be used to pretend you are in a different location such as walking down the street.

Now lets have a look at Zylo vs Spiro for features:

Sony Ericsson Spiro features
Camera - 2.0 Megapixel with 2x digital zoom and video recording
Music - Walkman, TrackID, Bluetooth stereo (A2DP)
Web - Obigo Q7 web browser
Social networking - Facebook, Twitter
Connectivity - Bluetooth, Micro USB, USB mass storage, 3.5mm audio jack
Screen - 262,144 colour TFT, 240 x 320 pixels (QVGA)

Sony Ericsson Zylo features
Camera - 3.2 Megapixel with 2x digital zoom, video recording, geo tagging, photo feeds
Music - Walkman, TrackID, Bluetooth stereo (A2DP), Clear bass, Clear stero, Shake control
Web - Access NetFront web browser
Social networking - Facebook, Twitter
Connectivity - Bluetooth, Modem, Synchronisation, USB mass storage,
Screen - 262,144 colour TFT, 240 x 320 pixels (QVGA), Scratch-resistant

Both phones have very similar features but the Zylo supports a more powerful camera and advanced music features.

The Sony Ericsson Zylo and Spiro Walkman Phones are expected to be available in selected markets in mid to late 2010.

Nokia 2680 Slide - Internet and VGA camera

The Nokia 2680 Slide is Nokia's first slide phone developed for entry level markets. It combines multimedia features and internet access into an affordable and stylish handset.

A VGA camera is included and photos can be viewed on the 128 x 160 TFT colour display. Captured pictures can easily be shared via MMS, Bluetooth or uploaded using the 2680 slide's web browser. Video capture and playback is also supported.

GPRS internet connectivity is provided for high speed internet access. A GPRS Web browser is included and WAP 2.0 is also supported.

An FM radio is included and features a recorder that allows you to record songs from the radio. This may not work in all regions.

Personal information management applications such as calendar, converter, advanced calculator, notes and an Expense Manager are included. The phone book has space for up to 1000 contacts.

32MB of Flash memory and 4MB of SDRAM is available.

The Nokia 2680 Slide is expected to be available from the third quarter of 2008 for an estimated retail price of EUR 75 before tax.

Nokia 7070 Prism - Stylish and affordable mobile

Featuring a striking diamond cut design and geometric patterns the Nokia 7070 Prism has been announced as one of Nokia's up and coming phones.

Every feature of the 7070, including its hands free speaker and voice recorder, has been designed for people who want to stand out from the crowd. Users will be able to create their own style with personalised screensavers, wallpapers and MP3 ringtones.

The Nokia 7070 Prism has been designed to be an affordable phone and doesn't support luxuries such as a camera. But at an estimated retail price of 50 Euros, this handset still provides good value for money and provides up to 11MB or memory for downloads and storage.

GPRS connectivity is provided for fast internet access. A WAP 2.0 xHTML browser is provided for browsing over TCP/IP.

The Nokia 7070 Prism is expected to start shipping in the third quarter of 2008.

Specifications:
- Display: 28 x 160 pixels, 1.8” TFT display supporting up to 65k colours
- Memory: Up to 11MB of user memory
- Data transfer: GPRS, EGPRS, DARP
- Connectivity: Standard 2.5mm AV interface for headset, Dynamo Easy Flash II connector
- Browsing: WAP 2.0 xHTML browser over TCP/IP
- Personalisation: MP3 ringtones, 24 polyphonic ringtones
- Talk time: Up to 5 hours
- Standby time: Up to 480 hours
- Camera: No
- Bluetooth: No

Related posts:
Nokia 7900 Prism

Nokia 1680 Classic - Affordable Camera Phone

The Nokia 1680 Classic has been announced as Nokia's most affordable Camera Phone to date.

Featuring a 300K pixel VGA camera with video recording, the 1680 Classic also features fast one touch access for videos and photos. The display is TFT with a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels and supports up to 64,000 colours.

32MB of Flash memory and 4MB of SDRAM is provided for storing your photos, videos and other content.

The Nokia 1680 Classic also has a web focus and provides GPRS internet access for fast web surfing and downloads. A WAP 2.0 XHTML browser is provided.

A range of messaging and email features such as SMS, MMS, Nokia Express Audio messaging, instant messaging and native email support for POP3, IMP4 and SMTP are supported.

Talk time is up to 7.6 hours and standby time is up to 424 hours.

The Nokia 1680 Classic is expected to start shipping in the third quarter of 2008 for around 50 EUR.

miCoach Sports Phone from Samsung & Adidas

Samsung and Adidas have recently joined forces to launch the miCoach, a true sports music mobile phone. This handset has been designed for people who like to enjoy music and other multimedia while they are working out.

Equipped with a heart rate monitor and stride sensor, the miCoach can operate as an advanced interactive training system. Personal data can be collected and analysed to create customised training plans based on your fitness and desired goals.

Real time feedback of information such as heart rate, distance, speed and calories burned is available while you workout. Tapping the phone twice gives the user instant updates for the workout. Interactive coaching narration is also provided to help instruct the user during their workout.

The miCoach also features a 2 megapixel camera, 1GB storage capacity plus USB and Bluetooth connectivity options.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 - Unique Arc Slider

The recently unveiled Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 features a unique Arc Slider design that allows the screen to slide out and reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. The following image shows how the Arc Slider design is implemented:

The XPERIA X1 also features a metal body finish, 3-inch wide VGA display, touch screen with handwriting recognition and the Windows Mobile operating system for SmartPhone functionality. The XPERIA interface consists of customisable panels that can be touched to access your web, multimedia or other applications.

Multiple navigation sources are provided for convenient and intuitive interaction with the phone. The touch screen, 4-way key, QWERTY keyboard and optical joystick can all be used for navigation. The optical joystick works by brushing your finger over the navigation key to move the pointer on the screen.

HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and WiFi are support allow for fast and convenient Internet access. Web browsing and RSS functionality is included.

A 3.2 megapixel camera is included with 3x digital zoom, auto focus and video recording.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 is expected to become available in selected markets from the second half of 2008.

Specifications:
- Screen: 800 x 480 65,536-colour TFT
- Internal memory: Up to 400MB
- External memory: MicroSD
- Camera: 3.2 megapixels, Auto Focus, 3x Digital zoom, video
- Connectivity: aGPS, Bluetooth, USB, WLAN
- Colours: Black
- Music: Bluetooth stereo (A2DP), Windows Media Player mobile

BlackBerry Pearl 8120

Research In Motion have this month launched the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 SmartPhone in Indonesia. This model combines SmartPhone power with stylish looks and multimedia features.

Multimedia features of the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 include a 2 megapixel camera with video capture, expandable memory via microSD card, media player and a 3.5mm jack for headsets. The 2 megapixel camera features 5x digital zoom, automatic flash and video capture in resolutions of 240x180 or 176x144.

SmartPhone functionality includes an email client, task list, calendar, memo pad, address book and web browser. A new "Page View" option is included for the BlackBerry browser that allows the user to quickly zoom in and out of selected areas of a web page.

The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 features RIM's trackball navigation system for fast and intuitive navigation. The trackball can also be used with the camera for adjusting the 5x zoom.

WiFi (802.11 g/b) is supported and allows fast and covenient internet access in hotspots. WiFi security protocols such as WEP (Wireless Equivalency Protocol), WPA (WiFi Protected Access) and WPA2 are included.

SureType keyboard technology is supported with a QWERTY layout for fast text entry.

Specifications:
- Display: Colour screen with backlighting and light sensing
- Camera: 2 megapixels, 5x digital zoom and built in flash
- Onboard memory: 64MB
- External memory: microSD support
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, WiFi, high speed USB
- Battery life: 360 hours standby time, 4 hours talk time
- Keyboard: SureType in a QWERTY layout