Oftel report into mobile market shows no growth (Back to News Reports)

For the first time, mobile usage among UK adults (age 15+) shows no growth. The current result of 73% appearing lower than the November survey (75%), but this is within error margins of the sample (see note one below) and should not be assumed to represent a real drop.

Figure 2a: Mobile growth – % *UK adults who have/use a mobile phone Base: *UK adults, Feb ‘02 (Base: 2138)

*Note – Figures up to March 2000 are based on GB population and are taken from MORIs Technology Tracker. Figures from May 2000 onwards include Northern Ireland and therefore represent the UK adult population.

80% UK homes currently have at least one mobile phone. This figure includes both adult and child users, and has remained broadly similar in recent quarters.

To read the full report download document in PDF format.

SOURCE Oftel Press Release Back to News Reports

Sony Ericsson unveils the T200, entertaining messaging for the mass market (Back to News Reports)

Sony Ericsson today unveiled the T200 mobile phone. The T200 offers what many consumers look for in a phone, ease-of-use, messaging, entertainment and fun at an affordable price. The T200 was unveiled in Singapore and several other locations around the world in connection with the CommunicAsia 2002 Summit. A triple-band GSM/GPRS phone, it can be used across five continents and will be on the market in Q2 2002.

Using the T200 together with the attachable digital camera, CommuniCam MCA-10, it is possible to take snap-shots on the move, look at them in the phone’s display and send them as email attachments to friends and family. Pictures can be stored in the camera and in an online web album. In combination with the T300 and T600 phones announced today, Sony Ericsson now has a full mass market triple-band GSM portfolio, which makes a necessary complement to its advanced multimedia phones announced earlier this year. In total, all products in the portfolio deliver a great applications experience.

Further strengthening the phone’s imaging and personalization character, the Picture Phonebook feature lets the user add a picture to a contact in the address book. When the person calls, or is being called, the picture is shown in the display together with the name.

The T200 comes with five entertaining games – Ballpop, Q, Path, Pulldown and Tennis. For personalization and wearability, the T200 has a loophope where a wriststrap or mascot can be attached. The phone comes in two colors, ebony black and ice blue. The calendar in the T200 keeps track of meetings, anniversaries and other things that best not be forgotten.

For fast and easy access to the mobile Internet, the T200 has an Access key, which offers the quickest way to loads of downloads, such as new EMS pictures and ring signals. By just one press of this key, the phone directly connects to the homepage which has been set. This feature also invites the network operators to add their own touch to the T200 as they can assign their portal addresses to the access key. The T200 accesses mobile Internet at fast speed over the GPRS network and through a WAP 1.2.1 browser.

With up to 13 hours of talk time and up to 220 hours of stand-by time, the T200 combines ease-of-use and long talk and standby times with several messaging and imaging features at an affordable price.

SOURCE Sony Ericsson Press Release Back to News Reports

Sony Ericsson unveils T300 and CommuniCam™ MCA-25 - a colour-screen phone for the mass market and a snap-on camera (Back to News Reports)

Sony Ericsson today unveiled the T300 mobile phone, which offers entertaining multimedia applications like imaging, messaging and gaming, and is priced for the mass market. Triple-band GSM/GPRS, colour screen, polyphonic ring signals and MMS together deliver a complete messaging phone. Together with the phone, a new digital snap-on camera accessory was unveiled, the CommuniCam™ MCA-25. Both the T300 and the digital camera will be on the market in Q4 2002.

The combination of features, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), polyphonic sound, exchangeable fronts, games, lots of imaging features and a large 256 color screen makes the T300 unique in its price range. Together with the new CommuniCam™, it is a really attractive mobile imaging and messaging proposition for a large audience.

With the T300, all current forms of mobile messaging are possible; SMS and EMS, but also MMS and e-mail. MMS is the follow up to the highly popular SMS text messaging feature. With MMS, users can create, send and receive messages that include high quality photos, formatted text and recorded sound clips. The 24-tone polyphonic feature makes the ring signals sound like real songs as it means the phone can play several tones simultaneously. T300 users can share ring signals, download them from the web and compose them using their T300. It is also possible to add a sound to person’s contact information, making it easy to identify who is calling.

The CommuniCam™ MCA-25 is the latest snap-on camera from Sony Ericsson. Designed with the T300 in mind, the CommuniCam™ MCA-25 has several new features, most notably digital zoom. With these products, it is possible to send pictures as MMS or e-mail, save them as screensavers or browse them as thumbnails in the phonebook. When taking a picture, it is possible to add effects, such as a stylish frame, a love theme or another fun effect to the subject. Also, it is possible to view the subject in the T300 display or use the optical viewfinder. Pictures can be saved in four different pictures sizes, ranging from 80x60 pixels to 640x480 pixels.

There will be classic Atari games available for the phone and a wide range of downloadable games will be available from http://wap.sonyericsson.com as a part of the product’s gaming experience. Also, branded premium games such as Atari classics Centipede, Missile Command, Asteroids, Breakout, and others are available for operators to offer through their portals. A developer’s kit, SDK, is available for games developers to create even more fun games for the T300. SDKs are available via Ericsson Mobility World or http://www.mophun.com.

The T300 can be further personalized with the exchangeable fronts, which come in several colors. The T300 is developed with heavy use in mind and has up to 6-7.5 hours of talk time and up to 300-350 hours of stand-by time.

SOURCE Sony Ericsson Press Release Back to News Reports

Sony Ericsson unveils the T600, a minimalist phone with great style
(Back to News Reports)

Sony Ericsson today unveiled the T600 mobile phone. This GSM triple band mini mobile has text messaging with pictures and sounds (EMS), an easy-to-use calendar, access to online services (WAP), and an extensive phone book. The T600 will be one of the smallest and lightest phones when it comes out on the market in Q3 2002.

The T600 was unveiled in Singapore and close to 30 other locations around the world in connection with the CommunicAsia 2002 Summit. As Sony Ericsson now adds a powerful range of products to its portfolio, the T600 brings a small phone with great looks and messaging capabilities to the table. Within the phone, there is a gallery of expressive pictures in various themes and it is easy to include a picture in a text message. It is also possible to add sounds to a message, such as claps or chimes, or compose a ring melody and send as a sound attachment. To do this, the phone uses EMS, which is also implemented by other major handset vendors.

For gaming, the T600 features entertaining games, some of them giving the gamer physical feedback with vibrations. As the T600 is a triple band phone, it can be used across five continents, making it the ideal phone for the frequent traveler.

Weighing less than 60 grams, the T600 still has 1.5 - 5 hours of talk time and 80-180 hours of stand-by time. The T600 comes in three colors, Moonlight Silver, Marine Blue and Sand Gold (available in some markets only). For further personalization and wearability, the T600 has a loophole where a wriststrap or mascot can be attached.

SOURCE Sony Ericsson Press Release Back to News Reports

Sony Ericsson unveils the T61d - first Sony Ericsson phone for TDMA markets (Back to News Reports)

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications today announced the T61d, the first Sony Ericsson branded mobile phone for TDMA systems. The T61d allows consumers to stay organized and keep connected while also offering personalization options.

“The Sony Ericsson T61d is designed for those who expect their mobile phones to keep up with their busy schedules,” said Bo Larsson, Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Sony Ericsson, North America. “The T61d is perfect for the on-the-go person who needs to stay organized and connected, but also requires a phone that has a bit of personality for customization to express their own tastes.”

With five-way joystick navigation and a large display, the T61d reinforces Sony Ericsson’s commitment to creating products that are extremely easy to operate and fun to use. The phone doubles as a personal organizer, allowing users to store up to 500 contacts with multiple numbers per name. In addition, users may set reminders, save appointments, use the phone as an alarm and save dates with the calendar and To Do list. PC synchronization capability enables user-friendly transfer of calendar and contact data between the PC and the T61d. The T61d provides users the opportunity to make voice-activated calls with its Magic Word feature and supports two-way text messaging and mobile chat.

For users who like to personalize their phones, the T61d shows off its individuality in a variety of ways. Available in Apollo Grey, the T61d also offers interchangeable faceplates in red, blue, orange and green. Downloadable ring tones can be used for caller identification purposes and graphics can be used as wallpaper. A variety of other customization and entertainment options are provided including various embedded games.

The T61d has up to 3.75 hours of talk time and up to 225 hours of standby time. The phone is expected to be available in Q3 2002.

SOURCE Sony Ericsson Press Release Back to News Reports