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The slender, stylish K610 gives 3G mass appeal

Sony Ericsson today announces the K610, a slim, lightweight and affordable UMTS imaging phone that opens up the world of 3G for a much wider population. Just 17mm thick and weighing 92 grams, the K610 is the size and weight of a typical 2G stick phone and will be one of the smallest and lightest 3G phones to come on the market. It packs into its slender frame a suite of advanced communications, business and entertainment applications plus a 2 Megapixel camera, Memory Stick removable storage and Bluetooth connectivity.

“The K610 is a classic Sony Ericsson design reminiscent of the iconic and much loved T610 with a balance of form and function that makes it pretty irresistible,” said Jan Wäreby, Corporate Executive Vice President, Head of Sales and Marketing

The K610’s pure lines combine with a solid, quality feel to make it a pleasure to hold and use. It is also incredibly practical and easy to use, with bright illumination plus large keypad and 262K colour display.

UMTS connectivity and a 2 Megapixel camera makes the K610 an ideal tool to shoot images and share them instantly – whether for business or pleasure. Creating a photoblog is easily done by just adding text to images and posting them to the Internet, or images can be quickly sent by email or MMS.

High speed email, web access and a range of business-friendly applications make the K610 the ideal partner for the productive mobile office. Standard push e-mail support (P-IMAP) sends messages direct to the phone without having to download them, and a flight mode allows users to work offline.

The phone’s practical use as a business tool is further strengthened by a comprehensive connectivity suite that keeps the user always in touch. UMTS is supplemented by Bluetooth, Infrared, USB 2.0 mass storage and Memory Stick Micro (M2) support,. USB 2.0 can be used to synchronise with Microsoft Outlook to ensure calendar and contacts are always up-to-date the handset.

Browsing the Internet on the K610 is a graphic-rich experience that is very similar to using a PC, thanks to the NetFront browser. HTML pages are presented in full with photos, video, words and graphics adapted to fit the 1.9” colour display, making it easy to scroll, browse and follow links between sites. New support for RSS Feeds allows users to subscribe to news services to receive updates direct to the phone.

The K610’s integrated music player makes listening to music on the move simple. Music files can be stored on Memory Stick Micro (M2), which can be expanded to 1GB, It is easy to create and manage playlists and supplied software handles transfer of music files between the user’s PC and the phone. The player delivers a top notch listening experience, helped along by the phone’s high quality stereo headphones and built-in equaliser.

The Sony Ericsson K610 is a Dual Mode UMTS handset commercially available in Evening Red and Urban Silver colours and starts shipping during Q2 2006.

K610i - Dual mode UMTS (2100MHz) - GPRS 900/1800/1900 for Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa

K610c - Dual mode UMTS (2100MHz) - GPRS 900/1800/1900 for Mainland China. (Launch for mainland China dependent on availability of 3G services.)

K610 – Features at a glance:

Imaging & Messaging

* 2.0 Megapixel camera
* 2 x digital zoom
* Horizontal camera user interface
* Video call (integrated VGA camera)
* Video record and play
* Video streaming
* PictureDJ™
* SMS and MMS (Multimedia Messaging)
* 262,144 color 1.9” TFT
* 176 x 220 pixels

Entertainment

* Disc2Phone ripping software
* WAP 2.0 XHTML/HTML
* Java MIDP 2.0
* Media player (supports MP3, AAC and E-AAC+)
* Music download
* Polyphonic ringtones, 72 voices
* MusicDJ™
* 2D and 3D gaming

Connectivity

* USB cable
* USB 2.0 mass storage, full speed
* Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™)support (up to 1 GB ) Bluetooth™
* Dual mode UMTS and GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900

Business

* Standard Push e-mail (M-IMAP)
* Speakerphone
* Modem
* PC synchronization
* File manager
* Talk time: Up to 7 hours GSM, up to 2.5 hours WCDMA
* Standby time: Up to 400 hours GSM and up to 350 hours WCDMA
* Size: 102 x 45.2 x 16.9mm
* Weight: 92 grams

Add comment February 13th, 2006

NVIDIA GoForce 5500 Ramps Up Mobile Graphics

NVIDIA today unveiled the NVIDIA GoForce 5500 handheld graphics processing unit (GPU) - the industry’s first handheld GPU to enable true, fluid digital TV, high-fidelity surround sound, rapid multi-shot photography, and console-class 3D graphics. For many years, these capabilities have been the domain of function-specific devices such as the home entertainment system, the digital still camera, or the Sony Playstation. Today, claims NVIDIA, this new GPU brings all these features, and more, to the mobile phone.

“High-quality multimedia services are a key revenue growth driver for the world’s carriers and content providers and we believe we’ll see significant uptake of these services in 2006,” said Mario Morales, semiconductor analyst for IDC. “Companies like NVIDIA, whose products deliver compelling and tangible improvements to the overall end user experience of these new services, are well placed to take advantage of this surge in demand.”

The newest member of the NVIDIA GoForce family of handheld GPUs, the NVIDIA GoForce 5500 delivers a host of multimedia features, including:

True, fluid digital TV and video

* The industry’s first handheld GPU to playback H.264, WMV9 and MPEG-4 video up to D1 resolution(1) at 30 frames per second (fps)

* Compatible with major mobile TV standards including DVB-H, ISDB-T, and DMB networks

High Fidelity Surround Sound

* The industry’s first handheld surround sound processor to deliver an immersive audio experience in the palm of a hand

* Crossfade and multistream technologies help to prevent annoying breaks between songs and music cut out when the ringtone is activated

Console-class 3D gaming

* Experience console-class games, such as Quake III Arena, at unrivalled speeds on a handheld device

* 3X the performance of the previous generation(2)

* Sharp, crystal clear digital photography
- Rapid multi-shot capabilities so users never miss a photo
- Support for up to 10 megapixel resolution

* Ultra-low power consumption

- Dedicated low-power hardware design delivers more hours of entertainment on the phone with less drain on the talk time

“The introduction of the NVIDIA GoForce 5500 handheld GPU marks the beginning of a new era for 3G mobile phones,” said Michael Rayfield, general manager of the handheld GPU group at NVIDIA. “The NVIDIA GoForce 5500 GPU delivers high-quality video playback and capture, high-resolution camera support, and stunning 3D graphics — all at impressive performance levels that we believe consumers are going to demand in the next generation of mobile devices.”

Phones based on the NVIDIA GoForce 5500 handheld GPU are expected to be available from key handset manufacturers before the 2006 holiday season.

Add comment February 13th, 2006