Sorry, third-parties, all JAVA-enabled Sony Ericssons now have official support from Microsoft to run their new Windows Live Messenger Mobile application. MSN/Windows Messenger site Mess.be found this goodie in a chineese MSN website. Well, actually, functionality may be a little below some other JAVA clients, but if you’re like me and only need your contact list and being able to chat with some few emoticons, you’ll take this Windows Live themed instant messenger over anything else. Apparently these download links (be careful to chose the version for your model) are completely legal and free to download, but after a couple of months they will stop working unless you pay a small unknown monthly fee. Hmm, let’s just enjoy it in the meantime and we’ll talk again in January. Check some screenshots of it running on K800 inside this entry. [Via Mess.be].
If your exact model number isn’t listed here, make sure your phone supports JAVA and then download the version of models using the same screen pixel size.
Tired of my K750’s remote control template for Media Player lacking a couple of functions, I have customized it a bit and thought I should share it with you. As you can see in the background image, it’s the same template but adding the Shuffle, Repeat, Full Screen and Mute functions of Windows Media Player. If your phone has a smaller screen resolution than 176×220 you can resample the image and edit the template with the Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Remote Control application.
For a mobile phone manufacturer, this is the advantage of having phones withouth exchangeable faceplates: you can release that phone with a new colour and call it a new model. That’s what they’ve done with this Walkman W700, a 100% W800 dressed in Titanium Gold with just a single change in features (same MSDUO Pro slot, 2mpx camera, 176×220 pixel 262k colour screen… but NO autofocus), and probably a very interesting price tag. Apparently a Soft White version will be available in some countries… that’s the same colour the W800 uses! It will come with a 256mb memory card and there’s an event in Spain later this month in which the first music album released first on a mobile phone will be presented, my guess is, on the W700. (Photo from MobileBurn’s W700 Live Gallery)
UPDATE: SharkyMark points out that the W700 supports Bluetooth 2.0, while as the W800 didn’t.
The Z525 on the other hand does add a little bit of juice to it’s Z520 clone by supporting Push To Talk (thus to be sold only in the US) as well as its known Quadband connectivity and compact clamshell form factor that has made it one successful Sony Ericsson in Europe so far.
Still no press releases or photos available in Sony Ericsson’s websites, but along with the W810 announcement they emailed to UCSE, they presented these couple of cool speaker sets, one more portable-ish, one more desktop-ish, to go with the known MDS-70 (which, numbering-wise, should sound better?). The MPS-60 is really really small and pocketable, at 30×55x42 mm, while the MDS-60 measures 54×120x200 mm. They will be available in the first quarter of 2006 at unknown price and in colors Silver, White and Orange.
Posted by Luis Camino on Nov 28, 2005 in Reviews| Z520
In contrast with Mobileburn’s review, in which the only negative point was the lack of EDGE, Mobique finds a few other problems in an otherwise excellent handset (especially price-per-features wise). The most crucial one seems to be a too sensitive camera button that keeps starting the camera application and taking photos while the phone is in the pocket or even just holding it with the hand. I have my doubts about this being a general problem: usually all SE’s camera buttons have to be pressed more than one second in order to start the camera application; maybe the button in Kinny’s unit got stuck on “pressed” possition. What’s your experience? Check out the review, they have a couple of videos of the cool light effects.
Posted by Luis Camino on Oct 26, 2005 in Reviews| Z520
Sorry for not posting anything in the past week, I’ve been busier than SE’s lawyers in spyshot times. Let’s get back to blogging with Mobileburn’s review of the Z520, the small and light Quadband clamshell we also previewed in July. And even without the EDGE support U.S. residents miss so much, the Z520 gets another top “Mobileburn Highly Recommended” rating for Sony Ericsson:
“As far as mid-level GSM handsets go, there is nothing in my mind that tops the Z520. In fact, if it had EDGE data support, I’d have nothing to complain about at all. The Bluetooth system works well, the light effects are very cool, and it is a nice compact handset. In short, it is just great all around. With that much said, it should be no surprise that I give the Sony Ericsson Z520 a “Highly Recommended” rating. If you like Sony Ericsson phones and don’t need the memory card slot or 2 megapixel camera of the K750, this is probably your handset.”
The third product announced yesterday is another music accesory. The Walkman-branded MMR-60 is a music transmitter via FM, one of the most ready-to-go ways to connect portable music devices to bigger HiFi equipment like your home/car/party stereo, and one of the favourites of iPod users (isn’t it great to put iPod and Walkman in the same article and not feeling unfair competition anymore? Go SE Go!). If you’re not familiar with this, it’s as simple as choosing an FM band in your phone (in the menu that appears after connecting the MMR-60) and then selecting said FM band in your FM receiver, that must be within 10 metres of distance. Wireless music streaming at 43×27x11mm and a mere 9 grams, connecting to any Fast Port enabled Sony Ericsson, but leaving a replica of the port below if you want to use the charger. Despite being a basic device, Sony Ericsson has released even more official photos than they usually do with phones, and in some you can count up to 5 Walkman logos in the same photo. That’s what I call a comeback. By the way, the Press Release says it will be available in silver, white and black colors (to match your chosen W900) but the Official Product Page just mentions the silver and I haven’t found photos of the other two. Discuss this in the forum
With the help of Sony (who will be also selling the same product, Sony branded “Cradle Audio CPA-001″), Sony Ericsson has presented a set of speakers of an apparently high quality (RMS 25W output, S-master digital amplifier, neodymium magnet speaker units, shielded speakers and Surround mode) that you sit your Fast Port enabled Sony Ericsson on in order to listen to your Radio FM or MP3’s out loud while charging the battery. According to what I understand from the Press Release, it also has a standard “Line-In port” (3.5mm? RCA?) and Bass/Trebble controls, while the Product Page says something about a “Multi AC adaptor with subwoofer” which if it turns out to be an AC adaptor with an integrated subwoofer it will start to appeal to me seriously. There’s also a “Remote Control” but I can’t help putting it all between quotation marks if they don’t show it in photographs. So far I’ve only found high res pics of the main unit holding both black and white hot W900’s. Discuss this in the forum
It’s been out for some time now, but in case you missed it, all-imaginable-accesory shop DomL.com has this useful 3.5mm jack adaptor for the new connector generation (K750/D750/W800/S600/W600/Z520). All these phones come with their own stereo headsets but for $9 or 7€ it’s nice to check if your beloved high end headphones sound actually better, plus you can plug some external speakers in. For HiFi and in-car connectivity you can even combine an 3.5mm-to-RCA cable, and if you like this idea but don’t mind the Sony Ericsson stereo headphones, you can totally forget everything you’ve just read and go for the official MMC-60 cable (pictured left). [Thanks Ed Xavier for the tip] Discuss this in the forum
UPDATE: Emil reminds us of the official HPM-70 Stereo Headset to which you can connect your desired 3.5mm headphones/speakers while keeping the microphone and the handsfree function. This is the one with the in-ear earpieces you get bundled with the W phones.
Tired of my K750’s remote control template for Media Player lacking a couple of functions, I have customized it a bit and thought I should share it with you. As you can see in the background image, it’s the same template but adding the Shuffle, Repeat, Full Screen and Mute functions of Windows Media Player. If your phone has a smaller screen resolution than 176×220 you can resample the image and edit the template with the 
Still no press releases or photos available in Sony Ericsson’s websites, but along with the 
