The Sony Ericsson Affair!

Its easy to get lost in today’s exploding mobile handsets market, this applies to both consumers and companies alike. Yet its quite alarming to see a company which bears the name of two technological powerhouses “Sony” as well as “Ericcson” lose its way. When I myself was asked to advice an Android phone, never once did a SonyEricsson (SE) phone come to my mind. In any price segment that is. There is always a better phone around, either by ever-present Samsung or by impressive HTC or the recently emerging Motorola etc. It seems all the other companies have a better portfolio of phones than SE. Now how did a company of such magnitude lose so much ground?

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Before iOS and Android

W550i! Slide it right or left!

SE actually had quite an impressive number of phones before Apple and Google came along. The  W-series which comprised the W550i, W850i and W200i among others were a great hit among the young crowd. SE managed to take their walkman name to the phones in a successful way. The Cybershot series Phones were among the first ever better quality camera phones. These phones were stylish, sleek and ahead of their time and managed to grab attention and turn heads. I still know some people who rave about the Cybershot phone’s camera. Who can ever forget the P series by them too? P800i, P910i and P990i are first ever touch-n-type phones. They are from the first batch of so called smartphones. They led the way in touch

The classy w850i

and type computing, with intelligent phone design and great UI. Overall SE had inventive designs, eye catching styling and competitively priced too.

After iOS and Anroid

Well to be fair to them, no one expected what happened right after iPhone was released. None of the companies were ready for the game changing, market altering phenomenon called the iPhone. ALL the companies lost ground, market share and their phones suddenly seemed lacking in every department. Like Nokia, it seems they missed the boat of the touch revolution. They attempted to recapture markets with Xperia X1 (WinMO 6.5) and Xperia X10 (Android) but failed to do so.

Xperia x1!

Even recently it seemed they kept trying too hard to make a flagship and completely let go of the mid segment. I mean X10 mini or mini pro are just not good enough. Either the screen is too small or the UI just does not appeal enough. They did not do the simple

things they should have. With Xperia Arc and Arc S, SE managed to build some eye catching phones, but were still beaten by the HTCs and the Samsungs.

And do not get me started about the Playstation Phone, Xperia Play. Rather than making a portable gaming console

Xperia Play

which could double as a phone, they made a phone which could double as a portable gaming console and not a good one. They lost the plot and overcomplicated things and the market reacted in a similar fashion. It should have been only PSP + Dialing capability, A good browser and an Email Client and calender (which android takes care of) and leave the rest to the App market.

NOW!

Well now, finally it seems SE have got their bearings right and have released some phones which excite me personally. The new Xperia Neo V, Xperia Pro, Xperia Active, Xperia Arc S (now that the price has reduced),

Impressive Xperia Neo V!

W8 and Live with Walkman are some of them. W8 and Live the first Android based ‘Walkman’ Phones. Actually couple of days back, SE mix walkman (W8) was trending at #1 in Google India. That’s damn good! I have a couple of friends already saving money for the Neo V and the Pro too! Suddenly SE has phones I can recommend and without second thoughts too!

What have they done right? They have kept it simple. They are finally releasing phones in all segments which are actually worth a second look! SE always had technological powers, the build quality and design has always been good, but they were not able to combine all of these factors to make a value product. It seems SE has finally got it right!!

SE W8! Priced Right!

Future?

Well news is known to all that Sony has announced to buyout Ericsson’s share in the joint venture. It sends a clear and strong signal that Sony is ready to go all out in the mobile computing business. Something they need to do if they wish to compete in so many other businesses too. I.e. Consoles, tablets, Portable Consoles etc! There is also a rumour doing rounds that SE will upgrade ALL the Xperia phones released in 2011 to Ice-Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) early next year. With this news you can be sure that you will not be left behind of all the ICS sweetness if you buy a SE phone. Another rumour is that SE might release a vanilla ICS upgrade. I.e. Skin free. Thats exciting too!

Android ICS!

It would be stupid to write these Japanese geeks off as ‘just another player in the market.’  They have been in the shadows for too long now, its their time to shine. I feel excited about them gaining some ground. They excel in almost all the departments required to build a good phone. Design and build quality is great, display is now being spruced up with the Bravia Engine, they have loads of experience in the music department with ‘Walkman’ Series and they know all about portable gaming too. (Read : PSP) Its about time they bring all of these elements together to deliver and offer phones of great quality with aggressive pricing. Be sure to look up SE phones next time you plan to buy a new one, I am sure they would make you rethink your choice!!

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Tushar Chhajed is becoming a masochist of sorts. Needs to cut it down. He also does not have any special obsession or affection towards any colour other than blue. Unlike last week, he will not associate his future luck with Chelsea’s for obvious reasons. Hoping for the best. tusharchhajed@gmail.com and Twitter