Sony Ericsson Preparing Windows Mobile Phones for 2008?

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20070919PB202.html' target='_blank'>http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20070919PB202.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"High Tech Computer (HTC) reportedly has landed ODM orders for Windows Mobile-based smartphones from Sony Ericsson, which will market the new smartphone in the second half of 2008, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report. Volume shipments of the smartphone – Sony Ericsson's first Windows Mobile-based smartphone and HTC's first ODM orders from a first-tier handset vendor – are expected to top over one million units and to account for 10-20% of HTC's total shipments projected for 2008, said the paper."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20070919-sonyericsson.png" /><br /><br />We're going to take <a href="http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20070919PB202.html">this</a> with a grain of salt. But if true, it'll be a fresh change for the UIQ-focused Sony Ericsson, not to mention a huge score for HTC. Sony Ericsson and Windows Mobile? Let us know what you think.

[srmz]

Just wondering when will Nokia order a WM phone from HTC -- LOL

But jokes aside WM is the true operating system leaving others behind by a margin

Regards

[Jason Lee]

This could be cool.. Sony Ericsson has always had some pretty cool devices.. Just a totally worthless OS. ;)

[Yata]

Why would Sony Ericsson use an ODM for manufacturing? Have they ever done this in the past?

[virain]

Strange, SE makes very good hardware. Why would they order one from HTC? I had SE P900 and it was much more advenced than WM phones for that time. It just doesn't sound right. If SE wanted to make WM phone, they have their own capabilities to do that.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Why would Sony Ericsson use an ODM for manufacturing? Have they ever done this in the past?

Do you mean as in a design partner or as a manufacturer? For the latter, all the time - the manufacturing of most SE handsets is outsourced (Quanta mostly IIRC). The real significance of this news is really the inclusion of Windows Mobile, rather than who actually assembles the devices.

[Yorch]

I would love to see a Windows Mobile CLIE!. One thing that I loved about those machines were the screen, never washed off with direct sunlight.

[mightymission]

As a longtime T-Mobile subscriber going back to their VoiceStream days I miss having a SE handset or two in their lineup. The last one was the T610 which I still use on occasion to this day - solid build with good UI and great call/RF quality.

Would be cool to see a SE WM Pro with say a 2.0 mega pix cam/vid and a nice hi-res screen........suh-weeeeeeeeeeet 8)

[emuelle1]

My last two phones have been SonyEricsson, a z500a and a z525a, respectively. I just bought an HTC Wizard (Cingular 8125), but the wrong battery was in the box and I've waited several days for the correct battery to arrive. All that aside, I've been happy with the SonyEricsson phones I've had. They have good battery life and what they do, they do well. HTC from what I understand makes a good platform. Windows Mobile, we all know, does a good job. The only variable is what tweaks SonyEricsson would make to Windows Mobile, what OEM and 3rd party utilities they would include, and what kind of support could be expected, like a free upgrade to Windows Mobile 7 when it is eventually released.

[Mark Larson]

This could be cool.. Sony Ericsson has always had some pretty cool devices.. Just a totally worthless OS. ;)

8O 8O 8O Sony Ericsson makes the best dumbphone OS in the business. Far better than Windows Mobile in terms of user-friendliness and slickness too.

[dMores]

hmm, i must say it is an interesting bit of news.
i just hope they don't ditch their symbian line of phones. i just recently got a p1i, after using my p900 for more than 3 years, and i am still a big fan of symbian UIQ.
i can't say why, but it just feels ... better. simpler, prettier, maybe better suited to bring the phone- and pda-world together.
or maybe it's the hardware that gives you more of a phone-feeling than with current windows mobile devices.

[saru83]

it would be a dream come true.. as i love the Hardware of the SE devices as i used to have the P800 &amp; the P900, but definitely i love the advanced capabilities of WM. I really hope its true..

[emuelle1]

The more that I think about this, the more I wonder how great things would be if the best parts of my z525 could be combined with Windows Mobile. Such a small phone has some powerful features such as the ability to record a call and a wonderful teleconference capability. I've had up to four calls pulled together through my phone.

I have to send my Cingular 8125 back because of unacceptable hardware and usability problems (camera button sticks on intermittently), and I wonder if maybe I should send my dead hx4705 to PDASmart to see if they can fix it to get me through to the release of these SE WM phones.

[Mark (NL)]

Well I just did buy a SE P1i to replace my TyTn which was a total disaster as far as the phone part, bad sound and totally unworkable bluetooth. Out of the box the bluetooth on the SE works as it should and the sound quality is soooo much better. I just use my TyTn as a pocketpc now, since the software developement on the Uiq platform is like years behind... And I can't miss my Pocket Informant ;)