Sony Ericsson sets Friday August 12th 2005 as Walkman phone launch day

"August 12th marks the beginning of an eagerly awaited journey as digital music and mobile telephony combine to enable consumers to enjoy their music without ever missing a call," said Husni Al-Assi, General Manager of Sony Ericsson, Middle East and Africa. "The Walkman is back, the familiar logo is as laden with emotion as ever, but the technology pushes the envelope."

Al Assi said that by introducing a comprehensive family of Walkman phones, Sony Ericsson aimed to enable as many people as possible to enjoy mobile music any where, any time. "The W800i embodies total personal independence by combining an MP3 player capable of recording 125 tracks of digital music (MP3 files at 128 kilobits/second), a cellphone and a 2 megapixel, autofocus digital camera together in one pocket-size mobile device," he added.

The W800i Walkman phone allows up to 125 tracks or 10-12 albums to be taken from the user's CD collection via computer software and stored on the media player. The music player supports MP3 and AAC, the tried and tested standard music formats and the high quality playback is enhanced with top quality earpiece headphones ensuring a totally credible musical experience from a high end phone that also boasts a 2-megapixel camera.

Music lovers in the Middle East will be able to enjoy the top 50 Rotana Arabic latest hits which will be embedded in the W800. "Sony Ericsson wants music fans to make the best of their Walkman phones," said Al-Assi. "With up to 30 hours of battery life, the robustness of a mobile phone plus music, imaging and voice capability, the W800i Walkman phone is ready to take mobile music to the next level."

The 'Walkman phone' family by Sony Ericsson will gradually expand to include additional music-capable cellphones, all capable of simultaneously playing music under the familiar Walkman logo.

Styled in a classically sleek Sony Ericsson design, the W800i has two fronts: a phone side which bears the familiar Walkman logo, and a camera side. The lifespan of the rechargeable battery means users can replay up to 30 hours of music in the music mode, and 15 hours if the phone is switched on.

Also included as standard equipment is the Disk2Phone software and an USB cable, making it fast and easy to transfer music from CDs to the W800i via a PC . W800i - Tri-Band 900/1800/1900 MHz.