Sony Ericsson Debuts Windows Mobile Device

On the eve of the 2008 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Sony Ericsson debuted a series of new devices, including the Xperia X1, a high-end Windows Mobile slider phone with a qwerty keyboard and a nine-panel touchscreen interface. The phone is available in GSM, GPRS and EDGE in the 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz bands. It is available in UMTS, HSDPA, HSUPA in the 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1700 MHz, 1900 MHz and 2100 MHz bands. The phone, which features WiFi connectivity and AGPS capability, will debut in the second half of 2008.

This is the first Sony Ericsson Windows Mobile device--a surprise since Ericsson is a shareholder in Symbian and has launched 10 phones using the Symbian OS platform. At the press conference Sunday night, Sony Ericsson executives tried to downplay the use of Windows Mobile on its Xperia device--however, it caused quite a stir among the media in attendance.

But Xperia X1 isn't the only device Sony Ericsson debuted. The company also announced two new Cybershot phones--the C702 and the C902. The 702 features a 3.2 megapixel camera while the 902 has a 5 megapixel camera and can store up to 700 photos. Also new to the Sony Ericsson lineup is a Z770 Web phone, a W980 clamshell music phone that can store 8,000 songs, two G-series phones--the G700 and G900 which target the Web user--and two HSPA laptop cards.