Sight and sound - Sony Ericsson on the warpath with Walkman, Cyber-Shot and Xperia mobile phones

By: Matt Sharp Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Sony Ericsson are the second most popular mobile phone manufacturer in the UK, taking second place in terms of market share, just after Nokia. However, in 2008, it's clear that they are on the offensive, and want to take the top spot from their Finnish rivals. But how will Sony Ericsson's portfolio of mobile phones let them do that?
Sony Ericsson 'Walkman' mobile phones - battle of the bands
Sony Ericsson have a couple of flagship Walkman mobile phones headed our way in the second half of 2008, if rumours are to be believed, First up is the recently announced Sony Ericsson W902, which is, essentially, a music-oriented version of the Cyber-Shot C902. So, as well as getting the latest version of the exceptional Walkman music player (which you'd expect from Walkman mobile phones, let's be honest), you also get a 5 megapixel camera that still retains a lot of the Cyber-Shot tech that made the C902 so nice. So, you get autofocus, flash, and completely unrelated to the camera, HSDPA for super-high-speed web surfing. Of course, it might not be the only flagship Walkman mobile phone that Sony Ericsson have up their sleeves, because they're also rumoured to be releasing a 16Gb, fully touchscreen successor to the Sony Ericsson W960, that's destined to take on the iPhone. Only time will tell if those rumours are accurate, but if they are, that's going to be one awesome mobile phone.
Sony Ericsson 'Cyber-Shot' mobile phones - the best camera phone in the world?
With music tied up, Sony Ericsson's other big product range is camera phones... or, to put it another way, their Cyber-Shot range. And the big one that's going to take on all other mobile phones this year is the phenomenal Sony Ericsson C905, the first EIGHT megapixel mobile phone to be announced in the UK market. And of course, it'll be packed with Cyber-Shot goodness, making it, quite possibly, the best camera phone of 2008. And of course, it has HSDPA, GPS, and the best part (and a first for a Sony Ericsson non-smartphone) WiFi. It really is one awesomely powerful camera-equipped mobile phone.
Sony Ericsson 'Xperia' mobile phones - the ultimate smartphones?
So, Sony Ericsson have cornered music and camera mobile phones, where else can they go? Why, smartphones, obviously, and the range that will lead the way is the fantastic Xperia series, starting with the Sony Ericsson X1. This is notable for not only being the first phones in the range, but also the first Sony Ericsson mobile phone EVER to use Windows Mobile. It has all benefits of a camera phone, with a 3 megapixel camera, as well as all the benefits of a music phone with tons of media options, combined with the best internet access you can imagine (which comes from having a HSDPA, a QWERTY keyboard, and a massive 3-inch screen). Plus, you get the awesome power of Windows Mobile, letting you add on even more software and functionality yourself, so the Sony Ericsson X1 really is set to be one of the best smartphones ever. What with that, the W902 and the Sony Ericsson C905, it's clear they have a really rather good chance of busting some heads coming up to the end of the year!