Alongside the W902 plus (pictured), Sony Ericsson has officially launched its PlayNow Plus music service. Currently, the unlimited music download service is only being offered through Sweden’s own Telenor, but we suspect more carriers (and compatible handsets) will be added on in due time. For now, however, everyone outside of Sweden will have to rely on insider reports to see how the service fares, not that we’re suggesting any Swedes drop us a bone in comments or anything. Ahem.
We know what you’re thinking — it’s Windows Mobile 6.1 fool, we’ve got the developers kit already. True, but not the SDK that allows developers to create custom, interactive panels for the touchscreen QWERTY’s Panel Interface. Sony Ericsson claims that, “The Xperia X1 will offer the richest mobile user experience, putting the world at the fingertips of the user.” In other words, the expectations have been set, developers, so you’d best get to to downloading the free SDK — you’ve got your work cut out for you. Sony Ericsson will offer a panel download service in the future, showcasing all the panels built by you, Google, and other partners.
The Panel Applications are meant to be simple, rich, and fully-interactive allowing quick access to your data — eMail, calendar, multimedia, games, IM… you name it. But don’t take our word for it, SE explains the new panel ecosystem in the video posted after the break.
Update: Screenshot of the rudimentary, “Get More Panels” interface after the break.
We’ve seen plenty of gear co-branded by high-end automakers, but only Ducati’s really putting out bike-themed gear, and the latest gadget to get dressed up in cycle gear is the Sony Ericsson Z770 flip phone. Due out in Italy this June, the Ducati Z770 isn’t anything particularly special apart from that paint job and a special Ducati-themed HBH DS-220 headset, but if you’re into tri-band GSM non-smartphones with slightly better browsers, it’s not a bad piece of kit. Just remember to take your keys out of your bike when you wander off chatting away, alright?
[Via UnwiredView]
Enough of these overly pixelated, totally fuzzed-out captures of something supposed to Sony Ericsson’s Paris — we’re looking at the real deal now. This definitely sexy slider has somehow fell in front of someone without hands a-shakin’, and a smattering of distinct images are waiting just below in the read link. If you just like to be teased, the snapshots show a 5.0-megapixel camera and confirm that the keypad touts a two-character-per-button layout similar to the P1 — but really, there’s nothing like seeing it for yourself.
[Thanks, Kevin]
