Sony Ericsson Blog: April 2009

Orange getting in on Foxconn-sourced Android phones from Sony Ericsson?

You might recall that Orange was already rumored to be on board for some Android action from Sony ericsson this year, and a new report out of the always-accurate DigiTimes (we kid, we kid) would certainly seem to corroborate that. Specifically, the publication says that Sony Ericsson is eyeing Foxconn to produce its Android sets, which is convenient considering that the company was recently rumored to be moving away from HTC for its WinMo devices -- and in light of that, it's entirely plausible that Foxconn could be landing a whole bunch of contracts from these guys. The rumor goes on to say that Orange expects to jointly launch an Android device (or devices, plural) with Sony Ericsson in time for the holidays this year, and if the Idou is anything to go by, we're interested to see what sort of hardware they can pump out with this deal.

Sony Ericsson CS8 passes FCC, looking T-Mobile bound

Move over, CS8: Sony Ericsson W995 gets FCC approval, too

With the CS8 and an AT&T-bound version of the C905 seemingly around the corner, we're not sure why you'd get too amped for this thing -- but alas, the Walkman-branded, 8.1 megapixel Sony ericsson W995 has passed the FCC with flying marks. Interestingly, the version seen here isn't the HSPA 850 / 1800 / 1900 W995a that'll presumably see North American action; we know this because WCDMA wasn't even tested in the labs here. Instead, we're just seeing EDGE 850 / 1900 like we'd expect of any quadband set -- though there's mention in the report that the device is HSDPA / HSUPA capable, so we imagine it's rocking exclusively European bands. Talk about a buzzkill, eh, yankees?

Sony Ericsson CS8 passes FCC, looking T-Mobile bound

Ericsson ready to shell out heroic Sony Ericsson cash infusion if necessary

Hot on the heels of a dismal quarter, half of Sony Ericsson's gene pool -- Ericsson -- swooped in with reassuring news (well, somewhat reassuring, anyhow). CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg mentioned before Ericsson's annual meeting this week that his company is ready and willing to pour cash into the joint venture "if necessary," which would certainly seem to put some additional weight behind words from SE marketing manager Richard Dorman that there's no schism forming between the parental giants. Amusingly, the reason for Svanberg's commitment seems to be that the company views Sony Ericsson as its connection to end users, which gives them a better sense of how to tweak its bread-and-butter offerings -- infrastructure. That's right, Sony Ericsson, you're just a pawn in Ericsson's multibillion-dollar game; how does that make you feel?

Sony Ericsson CS8 passes FCC, looking T-Mobile bound

If you were looking for a C905 with just a little dash of AWS 3G thrown in, look no further than this little gem. The so-called CS8 breaks from sony Ericsson's traditional model naming convention, but they could call this thing the Behold 2 if they wanted to -- all we care is that we're getting access to an 8.1 megapixel slider with myFaves (you can clearly see the myFaves logo plastered on the back of the user manual's diagrams, and yes, it's that important). It also sports Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and our undying love and affection, so we hope to see you soon, dearest Cyber-shot.