Omio

Sony Ericsson Mobile Phone Range To Be Cut, Yet They Manage To Leak New Handset Info!

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (461)

Following on from Sony Ericsson posting their first quarterly loss in the last five years, they are to take drastic steps in order to wrestle the situation back under control.

Despite the world’s economy going into financial meltdown, Sony managed to sell almost 26 million phones in Q3 of 2008, and yet they lost €25 million in the process. That is almost certainly a bad thing, and worse when compared to the €267 million profit made this time last year.

Aggressive moves including cutting the range of handsets by a fifth and the consolidation of their three handset research labs into one were the first to be announced by Sony Ericsson president Dick Koriyama.

The downturn means that less people are buying phones, particularly those that may not have such strong unique selling points as the T-Mobile G1 or the iPhone. Trimming the range and drawing the focus onto ‘hero’ handsets such as the Xperia X1 and the 8 megapixel C905 may well be a step in the right direction for the beleaguered manufacturer.

Enough with all that doom and gloom, info on some more new Sony handsets has leaked!

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Nokia Rules Sales Charts, Credit Crunch Beginning To Bite

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (461)

Mobile phones are still big business in 2008 despite economic issues curbing growth in the coming year, according to market analysts Gartner.

Everyone’s favourite phrase the ‘credit crunch’ is to blame, with market growth predicted to slow down and a general downturn to be on the cards for all manufacturers, Nokia included. The increasing competitive environment does have an upside for the consumer in the form of lower phone prices, however.

Despite their table-topping Q2 sales of 120 million handsets accounting for 40% of the industry as a whole, Nokia are still tightening the purse strings to focus on emerging markets and mid-tier phones to ride the turbulent time.

Samsung cements their second place standing with sales of 45.7 million units to claim 15.2%, whilst Motorola stay strong in third with 30.4 million (10%). A sad time for Sony Ericsson in fifth place, with recent comments by Sony CEO Howard Stringer adding fuel to rumours of a strained commercial relationship between the two firms.

The preference of mid range (read: cheaper) as opposed to luxurious phones, as well as the longer duration of contracts tying customers in are all contributing factors to the changing landscape of the industry. Nevertheless, Gartner predicts attractive forthcoming handsets like the Samsung i8510 and Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 will keep the industry buoyant through the rest of the year, leading to sales of over 1.28 billion handsets for 2008.

Source: Reuters/PC Pro

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Dated By Play?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (461)

Never ones to disappoint, Play.com have put up another mobile phone for pre-order, highlighting for us a prospective date of release. This time, it’s the eagerly awaited Xperia X1 from Sony Ericsson.

This super-PDA has been quiet of late besides showing a bit of thigh at the occasional trade show, but a date of October 30th and £600 on Play falls in line with our winter time estimations for the Windows Mobile-powered touchscreen wonder.

Granted, it is SIM-free which means network offers and cheap prices will be at least a month later, but at least this is some conclusive proof that the Xperia is not just an elaborate tech demo, and we will all be able to get our hands on one eventually…

Thank You, Sony Ericsson

By Kate CrowleycloseAuthor: Kate Crowley Name: Kate Crowley
Email: talk@omio.com
Site: http://www.omio.com
About: Kate's interest in mobile phones began when she realised she was supernaturally adept at Snake 2. She was less good at Battleships and, frankly, we shouldn't even mention Pipes.See Authors Posts (211)

I’ll admit that, with the exception of the hefty but impressive Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1, I have been less than complimentary about Sony Ericsson. Yes their business sense may leave something to be desired but I cannot fault their generosity. At yesterday’s British Grand Prix they donated their spare boxes of chicken and chips to Team Omio. Thank you SE; may your profits increase every day. If you want to send us a few XPERIA handsets too, that’d be great.

Sony Ericsson Issues Profit Warning

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (461)

Sony Ericsson is currently in damage limitation mode, having to release a warning about Q2 profits that could upset investors. In that there are none. They released a report on June 28th that they will just about break even over the second quarter, blaming underwhelming sales of expensive handsets and product delays.

In what can only be described as an understatement, they described market conditions as “challenging.”

Now, Sudoku puzzles are challenging. Combating a 15% decline in the European mobile phone market as a whole is something else entirely.

Sony Ericcson seems to be the industry whipping boy of late, with a run of very bad luck. Spending seven figures appointing Maria Sharapova as their first ever brand ambassador, only to see her beautifully destroyed in the French Open and Wimbledon wasn’t doing wonders for their PR strategy. Also the rumours of Sony’s disappointment in their Swedish partner’s performance to the extent that they may leave them out of the PSPhone’s development cannot be good news.

As a result, Ericcson shares are down more than 11 percent following this profit warning, leading analysts to draw parallels between their and Motorola’s woes with an over-reliance on a few successful models rather than attempts at innovation.

Granted it is a very competitive landscape, with most of the major manufacturers speaking of their trepidation at the industry’s immediate future, but to move from 64% sales growth in Q1 2007 to 2% a year later is troubling.

Xperia X1. That’s what Sony Ericsson needs to release. Yesterday. If they get their development times down to a reasonable turnaround instead of the 2 years the Xperia has floated around for, then they would be far more successful at remaining competitive and current.

Source : Reuters

What’s In A Mobile Phone Name?

By Ernest DokucloseAuthor: Ernest Doku Name: Ernest Doku
Email: ernest.doku@omio.com
Site: http://blog.omio.com
About: I like gadgets, loads! I like talking about them, writing about them, using them, watching other people use them though binoculars... Some would say it was an unhealthy fascination, but then I'd be all like, "Shh...," and go back to doing gadget-related things. Hit me up on Xbox Live or PSN, I'm EJStyleS. I promise to give you a good match as well as talk about things that aren't gadgets. A bit.See Authors Posts (461)

Whilst we were sure that Nokia’s steam-powered Differential Engine was on the blink when it spewed forth classic numbers like the 7210 and 6650 for the second time, apparently there is an elaborate science as opposed to a tombola for naming new phones.

Thanks in large part to the awesome resource for research that Wikipedia is, the Gadget Blog has shone light on the algorithms that go into choosing a number. The conventions that Sony Ericsson and Nokia utilise to stratify their mobile phones are looked at in detail, showing the difference between minutiae like a W850a and a W850i.

How interesting the article gets after the jump depends on how far down the rabbit hole you are prepared to go…

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