Onliner.by continues to publish articles dedicated to legendary phones of the recent past. Last time we paid attention to Siemens mobile devices, and today we will pay attention to Sony Ericsson, whose devices were in deserved demand among young people due to their music functionality and advanced photo capabilities.
Before their merger in 2001, both Sony and Ericsson were successful manufacturers mobile phones. The Japanese have had popular models such as the J5 and J70, while the Swedes should bow at their feet for at least the T28s. However, trouble came to Ericsson - in the spring of 2000, the only factory that supplied the company with components for phones burned down. There was nothing left to do but find a partner, which Sony agreed to become. For the next 10 years, the united Sony Ericsson delighted us with a lot of cool devices!
Sony Ericsson T610 (2003)
Already in 2002, the united company released the hit models T68i and T100, but the market literally exploded with the next generation phone released a year later - the T610.
The model belonged to the universal T (Talker) line, which included phones with a fun design and balanced functionality. The T610 was very praised for its two-tone appearance, which was noted even at specialized exhibitions.
At average price Sony Ericsson T610 had a good set of capabilities for that time. Here you have a fashionable color screen, Bluetooth, and a camera that can shoot at a resolution of as much as 288x352 pixels. It's a pity that the body was flimsy and creaky. This circumstance did not hinder sales and allowed the newly formed company to take a deep breath - things were going well!
Sony Ericsson P900 and P990i (2003 and 2006)
Almost 12 years ago, the Swedish-Japanese manufacturer released the uber-smartphone P900. A huge 3-inch touch screen with a resolution of 208x320 pixels, an impressive folding flip, a 128 MB memory card slot, the Symbian operating system, a 0.3 megapixel camera. A poet's dream! Or rather, geek.
Sony Ericsson P900
It’s a pity, but only a few could afford the standard of high technology. The price of the device went through the roof for $1000, which made the thing a toy for the elite.
Sony Ericsson P990i
Nevertheless, despite the potentially small audience of buyers of such devices, Sony Ericsson continued to expand the P line. One of the most interesting was the P990i model with a QWERTY keyboard hidden under the flip. The phone slowed down mercilessly due to the small amount of RAM - out of 64 MB, almost 50 MB were occupied by the system.
Sony Ericsson K700i (2004)
Someone probably still has this phone at home. Many T610 owners switched to the K700i and stayed with it. Why has the model become a cult favorite? Probably due to the fact that the developers embodied the broadest functionality for the beginning of the 21st century in one device and wrapped it in a nice case with a metal finish (metal was held in high esteem back then no less than now).
Something ideologically similar was proposed four years earlier by Siemens in the form of the SL45 model. It also had everything most advanced plus a great design.
Sony Ericsson K700i has one of the best displays in the segment (176x220 pixels at 1.8 inches), 40-voice polyphony, 0.3 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom (!), IR port and Bluetooth. And also a cool transparent keyboard. You could play MP3s and 3GPP videos on your phone! True, the volume of the built-in storage was only small, and there was no support for memory cards, so the device was not very suitable as a player.
Sony Ericsson K750i (2005)
Inspired by the success of the K700i, Sony Ericsson rushed at full speed to launch one hit device after another. To explode the market, it took little - just listen to your fans and do as they ask. This is exactly what the Swedish-Japanese manufacturer did.
The K750i added a slot for a memory card and even included a 64-MB Memory Stick Duo with the phone. Now you could listen to music and play videos. But the main change was hidden under a massive curtain on the back of the phone. The photomodule could be activated simply by moving the panel. Autofocus and dual LED flash complemented the standard, finally making it Sony cameras Ericsson K750i is perfection.
Professional journalists almost immediately recognized the model as the best camera phone, and many still consider the K750i the most successful model ever created by Sony Ericsson or Sony. And today we can’t even count how many amateur firmwares have been released for the phone.
Sony Ericsson W800i and W810i Walkman (2005 and 2006)
In 2005, Sony Ericsson released the first phone under the Walkman brand. In fact, the W800i was an analogue of the K750i, only in a different case, with advanced headphones included and slightly modified software.
It is curious that there was nothing particularly “musical” in the phone. The developers, of course, installed a good player, but there were no hardware modifications compared to the K750i. However, it was the Walkman that was highly praised for its amazing sound. We think this is primarily due to the strength of the brand itself and a good headset, which could not be compared with most bundled headphones of mediocre quality.
In addition, the new product benefited from its unusually bright design. The combination of white and orange, and even with the Walkman logo, seemed to scream about the musical essence of the phone. Many people fell for this and replaced their players with W800i, although it was enough to buy other headphones.
Sony Ericsson W810i Walkman
A year later, the W810i Walkman model was released. Instead of white, the emphasis was placed on black, making the orange accents look even more impressive. It is curious that the phone has become one of the most counterfeited cellular devices. The Chinese flooded the markets with a clone model of the W800c, which was much cheaper (and worse) than the original.
Sony Ericsson K790i/K800i (2006)
Obviously, after the success of the K700i, the manufacturer began to pay most attention to the K line. The 750 was followed by the K800i model (the K790i was no different except for the lack of 3G support).
Again, Sony Ericsson has improved the previous model and made another uncompromising phone. This time, a 3.2-megapixel camera with a xenon flash was installed in the device. The photographic capabilities of the Sony Ericsson K800i could easily give a light to the point-and-shoot cameras that existed at that time.
True, the phone has a worthy rival. Nokia, which came to its senses in time, released the N73 simultaneously with the release of the K800i. In a difficult struggle, both devices divided the market and subscribers' likings approximately equally.
Then there were the K810i and K850i, but still they were far from the popular love of their predecessors.
Sony Ericsson M600i and W950i (2006)
In the eventful 2006, Sony Ericsson presented the world with the first and only M series phone. The line was supposed to include business models equipped with a hardware QWERTY keyboard. God knows why, but after the M600i, the phone manufacturer no longer produced M-devices, apparently considering that they would be internal competition for the P-line devices.
The M600i did not have a camera or Wi-Fi, and the first versions of the phone were different unstable work. Nevertheless, this model has earned its place in various ratings. The device has a large touch display with a stylus and a unique keyboard, each key of which is made in the form of a rocker and is responsible for entering two letters (for example, “y” and “k”). In addition, the Sony Ericsson M600i became the first Symbian 9 device with the UIQ 3 interface.
Almost simultaneously with the M600i, the W950i model was released. She was completely identical to her business colleague, but was aimed at wealthy young people. Since the need for a QWERTY keyboard was no longer necessary, it was replaced with a regular number pad. The keys are not touch sensitive, as you might think, but are simply hidden behind flexible plastic. But there are convenient hardware buttons for controlling the player.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (2008)
By 2008, the company was ready to release smartphones under Windows control Mobile. At the MWC conference, the X1 model was announced - the ancestor of the Xperia line, which still exists today.
The massive metal device with an angled QWERTY keyboard and a 3-inch resistive screen looked solid and was expensive. A good 3.2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and a memory card slot were also useful. Potential buyers were only confused by the price, which exceeded $1000. As often happens, in just a year the price of a smartphone fell by half, and students who collected money from lunches could finally afford to buy their dream.
Xperia X10 was very popular in our area. Again, due to a sharp price drop shortly after release. The fact is that already on the day of release the smartphone was running on an outdated Android versions. The update was released almost a year and a half later, but some functions of the device did not work correctly (for example, multi-touch). I had to sell off stocks of Xperia X10 at bargain prices. This, of course, pleased customers, but had a negative impact on Sony Ericsson's position.
At the end of 2011, Ericsson agreed to sell its stake in the joint venture to Sony. The deal cost the Japanese a billion euros. There was a lot of talk about how a new marketing campaign and a strong brand would turn things around for the smartphone maker. Well, for four years now, Sony continues to hold on to the smart phone market. True, the company's position can hardly be called stable.
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Today, as part of a series of nostalgic materials about legendary phones, we will remember the fruits of almost ten years of cooperation between Sony and Ericsson. Both companies had experience creating mobile phones before collaborating, so it is not surprising that they produced really worthwhile and popular devices. The collaboration began when the Philips plant in New Mexico, which supplied electronics to Ericsson, burned to the ground and there were significant difficulties with restoration. The company had to look for other partners. Sony became such a partner; Since 2002, phones under the Sony Ericsson brand began to be produced. In 2011, Sony bought out the part that belonged to Ericsson and began producing devices under its own brand.
Sony Ericsson T68i
Let's start with the Sony Ericsson T68i, it was released in 2002 and was a renamed Ericsson T68 (which was the company's first color device and just a very successful model). Apart from the logo, name and some color changes, nothing was changed in the phone (hardware). The phone's firmware has been improved, although the Ericsson variant could be upgraded to current version. It was a classic all-in-one keyboard with STN screen with a resolution of 101x80, which displayed 256 colors. The device supported SMS, EMS, MMS, Email, WAP 2.0 and xHTML. Were Bluetooth modules 1.0b and IrDA. The device did not have its own camera, but if desired, you could connect an external one.
Sony Ericsson T610
The next hero of today's article is very popular in his Sony time Ericsson T610, which many still have in working order. The device was released in 2003 and had all the features that would be useful to the mass user (at that time). The gadget was quite pleasant in design and was available in three colors: red, black and blue. In all three cases, the keyboard unit was silver. At the ends of the device there were buttons for volume control, launching the camera and WAP browser.
The phone was equipped with a color STN display with a resolution 128x160, which displayed 65K colors. It was one of the first mass telephones with a built-in camera, she could take pictures with resolution 352x288. Sony Ericsson T610 supported MIDI ringtones, changing screen wallpapers, Java, GPRS, WAP 2.0/xHTML, was equipped with an e-mail client, an infrared port and Bluetooth 1.0b.
Sony Ericsson K700
One of the representatives of the successful K-line of phones is the K700. It already had a TFT display with a resolution of 220x176, displaying 65K colors. The screen contained 7 lines of text. The interface has been significantly redesigned compared to previous models. "Setup Wizard", which, when turned on for the first time, explains the purpose of the main control elements and offers basic setup(date, time, copying SIM card data to the phone book).
The phone supported playing music in MP3 format and video in 3GPP, although it was of little use as a player: internal memory (accessible to the user) was about 42 MB, and memory cards were not supported. K700 supported Java (MIDP 2.0) and the execution of a 3D engine, which made it possible to play albeit primitive, but three-dimensional games. The phone had a 0.3 megapixel camera (640x480), which could shoot video with sound. Wireless interfaces IrDA and Bluetooth were present.
Sony Ericsson K750i
This article would be incomplete without the legendary K750i, which was released in 2005 and was recognized as the best camera phone of that year. It had a two-megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash and the ability to shoot video. The chamber was closed with a retractable lid. The phone supported memory cards of its own Memory Stick Duo and Pro Duo formats up to 2 GB, which already made it possible to use the K750i as a player and not deny yourself frequent shooting with the built-in camera.
The phone was installed color TFT display with a resolution of 220x176, which displayed 262,000 colors. On the case there were hardware buttons for the camera, volume (responsible for digital zoom in shooting mode) and start music player. The gadget had interfaces Bluetooth, IRDA, support WAP 2.0, GPRS, HTML and mail client POP/SMTP.
Sony Ericsson K790i/K800i
The ideological successors of the K750i were the K790i/K800i in 2006. They were almost identical: the 800th model supported UMTS and was equipped with a front-facing VGA camera for video communication. These were the company's first camera phones under their Cyber-shot photo brand. It used a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and a xenon flash, and a sliding shutter was again provided to protect the lens. The screen has increased in diagonal to 2 inches, and the resolution has increased to 320x240. Supported audio playback in MP3, AAC, MIDI, WAV, AMR, M4A and RA (Real Audio) formats, Java MIDP 2.0 applications. The phones had a built-in modem, infrared port, Bluetooth and FM receiver.
Sony Ericsson W800i
The hardware of the W800i was similar to the K750i. The main differences were the design, firmware and delivery package. It was the company's first mobile phone under the Walkman brand. The phone was beige with bright orange accents and, of course, the Walkman logo. The equipment was somewhat different: it included a headset with earbuds, and the software included an advanced (time-sensitive) player. The craftsmen installed firmware from the W800i on the K750i.
Sony Ericsson P990i
Sony Ericsson's assortment included a plentiful number of operating smartphones Symbian systemOS with UIQ shell. They belonged to the P series and were equipped different types QWERTY keyboards and touch screens. P800, P900, P910 and P990 were equipped standard keyboard and a folding flip. The later P1i did not have a flip, but had an interesting QWERTY keyboard with rocker buttons. Later there was another option without a camera (M600, also known as the “James Bond smartphone”). The latest device with a folding flip was the P990i. It ran on Symbian OS 9.1 with UIQ 3.0.
The smartphone was equipped with a touch display withresolution 240x320 (with the flip closed 240x256), which displayed 262,114 colors, the display diagonal was 2.76 inches. The main camera had a resolution of 2 megapixels with autofocus and a mechanical shutter. Were wireless modules IRDA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. On the side there was the JogDial, known since the days of the first Sony phones.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness X5
Despite the Xperia label, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness X5 was not a smartphone, but was very interesting from a design point of view. It was used transparent screen, which still makes an impression. The phone focused on the image and design components; the device did not have any special functions. Everything is standard: support WAP, GPRS, EDGE, music formatsMP3, AAC and built-in FM receiver. The body was compact and light.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 became the first, as it was then called, communicator from Sony Ericsson, was the first of the Xperia line and worked on a not very user-friendly operating system Windows Mobile 6.1 with its own small modification to the X-Panel, which was supposed to make life a little easier for users. The smartphone was positioned as a business solution. Note the metal body and QWERTY keyboard with side sliding. The mechanism was not entirely standard: in open position the screen was located at an angle to the keyboard, which added convenience.
The device was equipped with a 3-inch (which was normal in those days) resistive touch screen with a very high resolution for such sizes 800x480. It was inside 400 MB internal memory, card slot MicroSD memory, modules Bluetooth. Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) and GPS and 3.2 megapixel camera.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
Let's finish with the first Sony Ericsson device in the operating room Android system. Xperia X10 was released in 2009 and ran on Android 1.6 Donut, later updates to versions 2.1 and 2.3 were released, and this moment There is a wagon and a small cart of custom firmware up to Android 4.0. It has a 4-inch capacitive screen with a resolution 854x480. Despite the theoretical possibility of multi-touch support, it was not available in the device until 2011. Then I came out new firmware, some gestures began to be supported, but there were problems with the adequacy of the work. The hardware used inside was ridiculous by today's standards: single-core Qualcomm processor Snapdragon QSD8250 with a clock frequency of 1 GHz, 384 MB of RAM and 1 GB of internal memory, expandable via MicroSD memory cards.
Sony Ericsson push-button mobile phones are in great demand as retro models. They are much easier to control than modern gadgets, and they hold a charge much longer, and they pick up the signal just as well. Among monolithic (monoblocks), sliders, folding (clamshells), and options with a joystick, you can always find the right one. Look for a reliable but inexpensive cell phone in the catalog of old Sony Ericsson phone models. We have:
- Sony Ericsson C510;
- Sony Ericsson C902;
- Sony Ericsson C903;
- Sony Ericsson C905;
- Sony Ericsson Elm (J10i2);
And other devices.
We sell discontinued models with original components. When purchasing a product in our online store, you receive a complete package -Charger, cable, headphones, battery, and instructions for use. Popular Sony Ericsson phone models are waiting for you!
The advantage of the old push-button phones Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson brand push-button mobile phones were produced during years of intense competition in the market cellular communications. Unviable devices were eliminated by themselves, broke down, and could not cope with their main task. This is why previously popular Sony Ericsson phone models are still needed now! They will become indispensable assistants in business negotiations; they will not run out of charge at the wrong moment and will not break if they fall from the table. Even if there is a need to replace something, you can purchase any items from us with a warranty from the manufacturer. This way, the repair will be painless and won’t break your pocket. Thanks to a reasonable pricing policy, we can offer push-button and old touch phones at reasonable prices with delivery. The models discontinued by the company are functional and have a package of options sufficient for comfortable use. Make a choice in favor of rare Sony Ericsson mobile phones and feel real comfort!
The Japanese corporation Sony has been on the market for more than 70 years. It is worth saying that phones are not the company's main product. In addition to smartphones, the Japanese produce home and professional electronics. Known and game consoles that every gamer dreams of getting.
In addition, Sony has two film studios, a record label and a huge archive of films. In some cases it may also provide financial services. The company has several large representative offices around the world: in Japan, China, the USA and European countries.
Spreading
The corporation began its work back in 1946. The company was originally called Tokyo Telecommunications and Industrial Company. Later, thanks to a combination of letters and analogies, it was decided to transform into “Sony”.
Back in the early 50s of the last century, the company was selling tape recorders. Soon she released the first radio receiver. Over time, the company's shares began to be quoted, and it quickly began to gain popularity and momentum. Following this, televisions, VCRs and players began to improve.
Already in 1994, game consoles became known. That's when the first PlayStation appeared. A few years later, the company began producing computers, laptops and players.
Telephone era
In 2001, the world saw the Sony Ericsson phone. All the models whose photos were preserved on the Internet were incredibly popular. They began to be produced in whole batches. The corporation worked to improve them, and after 10 years it got rid of the Ericsson prefix.
In 2012, new competitive models of Sony Xperia phones appeared on the market. This line has become very popular. It has received several branches. Some models have become budget ones, while others, on the contrary, have become the most expensive smartphones on the market.
The beginning of the way
As mentioned earlier, in 2001, Sony decided to start producing phones. The Swedish company Ericsson, which received exactly half of the subsidiary Sony Mobile Communications Inc., began to help her in this.
After the assigned tasks, the implementation of the plan began. Both companies wanted to produce phones that would feature high-quality digital photography, as well as a wide selection of multimedia. Since 2002, all Sony phone models have received color displays. In addition, the company seriously thought about switching to GSM, and successful sales only confirmed the correctness of this decision.
First popularity
Despite the difficulties that the brand encountered along the way, the world saw its first “swallow” that brought success in 2003. It was Sony model Ericsson T610. The phone gained its popularity thanks to a number of improvements that were worked on for 2 years. The design turned out to be successful. Of course, now such a phone would look antediluvian, but then it was a bestseller. The case had a classic monoblock, there was also a joystick, which later became familiar and convenient. The dimensions of the device were compact.
In addition to the color display, there were many useful functions, with whom people only had to get acquainted. Among them is the long-loved E-mail client, as well as support for infrared and even Bluetooth, which was popular at that time.
At the end of October it was presented and new model P900, which replaced the P800. This phone has become a revelation for the whole world. It received a touch display and had as much as 16 MB of memory inside. Its design was very interesting - the gadget had a hinged lid that covered a small part of the screen. Also included was a stylus for comfortable control. Afterwards several modifications of this model were released.
For example, the P910 was one of the first phones to have the famous QWERTY keyboard, which was located on the flip cover of the device. There was also a fairly high-quality display, which was larger than the previous ones in size. The company has also expanded the internal memory.
The rise of Ericsson
All Sony Ericsson phone models were famous for their features. But the Walkman and Cyber-shot series became the most popular. A huge number of models came out. Walkmans have become popular thanks to their signature players and unparalleled sound. Cyber-shot had a bias towards good camera, and now they would be proudly called camera phones.
The first most popular among them was the K750i, which belonged to the Cyber-shot. Perhaps this is the most popular phone"Sony Ericsson". All models that came out later did not receive such a huge amount positive feedback. This model was first seen in 2005. After a while she was recognized the best product those years, and a little later and generally the most successful project in the entire history of the concern.
In general, the K750i model turned out to be very durable. Conservative owners of this phone still cannot get enough of its stable performance. After 11 years, there are still those who use the K750i. Of course, at the moment its camera has become much weaker - only 2 megapixels. Also, there is not much internal memory - 34 MB. Not to mention 1 MB random access memory. Nevertheless, at one time it was a hit that not everyone could boast of.
But from the Walkman series, the W800i became such a phone. It was immediately considered a clone of the K750i. The only difference between them was the direction. Still, everyone had their own specialization. There were also slight differences in the case, software and delivery package. Otherwise, these are absolutely two identical models of Sony phones. Their photo, by the way, only confirms this.
Other models
In addition to these, other equally popular models were released under the Walkman and Cyber-shot brands. Among them is the K850i, which received as much as 5 megapixels of the main camera. A little later, the C905 came out with 8 megapixels. There was also an exhibition model Satio, which already had as much as 12 megapixels.
In 2007, the company decided to buy a software manufacturer, and since then all models have become more unified internally. They had approximately the same set of proprietary applications.
Germ
The Sony phone has been through a lot. All models had a huge number of modified versions. But fans were always pleased to see new episodes. Thus, in 2008, the famous Xperia console first appeared. The first model, which received the short but loud name X1, began to work based on Windows Mobile. It was on this OS that the company initially released this series. But the next year, all models were rebased on Android.
In general, during the period when we were just getting acquainted with Xperia, three basic models were released. But among them there were those that would surprise even a modern buyer. For example, Sony Ericsson X5 Pureness was a limited edition phone that had a transparent display. It could only be found in exclusive salons at a very high price.
Until the end of 2011, a number of phones with the Xperia prefix were released. Among them are such popular models as the gaming Xperia PLAY or the advanced Xperia Neo, and the lesser-known Xperia Mini, Xperia Mini Pro and Xperia Pro.
Disappearance
The end can officially be considered the period when Ericsson ceased to exist. The Swedish company decided to sell its share to Sony, and without thinking twice, Sony agreed to this step. This event was due to the fact that phones became less competitive, it was necessary to move on, come up with new models and create a better product. This is how the renewed Sony Mobile Communications company appeared.
Ups and downs
All Sony phone models passed huge way to end up in someone's bag or pocket. Since 2012, a number of lines from the updated Sony Xperia. Among them budget models, and those that could claim enormous popularity. But the most successful and at the same time failures were the smartphones from the Z series.
They first entered the market in 2013. Gadgets became the first waterproof devices. The case is monolithic, and docking stations, which were previously unknown, also began to be supplied with it. The first model was Sony. This is the most classic version of the series. After it, a compact variation of the model was released, as well as a large device - Compact and Ultra, respectively.
Next, the Japanese decided to release Z2, Z3 and Z5. The fourth version was only available in Asia. As a result, the project started very successfully, but over time it turned out to be a failure. The company was constantly trying to fix some errors, but at the same time it created new problems for users. As a result, I found myself at a loss again.
New try
In 2016, all Sony phone models changed the main index to X. The company again decided to try to improve and release quality smartphones. As a result, three models were released under this name: X and Sony Xperia X Performance. These smartphones turned out to be very good indeed, but quite expensive.
The company tried not to deviate from its style, but still updated the design and made elegant, sophisticated and beautiful models. In addition, I worked on both the software and the technical component. I listened to customer feedback and moved the soft buttons around the body. Added the famous fingerprint scanner.
In general, I was careful, but I worked on the mistakes. Now Sony just has to avoid spoiling anything with the further release of models and listen to customers more carefully.
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