Sony Ericsson has said that it will be bringing a new brand to the market later this year, called Entertainment Unlimited. The brand will sit on top line handsets that combine Cybershot and Walkman technology with increased connectivity options, video, gaming and other functionalities.
Lennard Hoornik, head of marketing at Sony Ericsson, said that the company was trying to develop phones with a "truly unlimited entertainment experience – bringing everything together into one."
The first phone within this umbrella will be something that at the moment is being termed Idou, but will have a different market name when it is launched. The phone, which has a 12.1 Megapixel camera, a touch screen interface, and is built on the S60 platform, will be available in the second half of 2009, according to Steve Walker, head of product planning at the handset maker.
Walker also announced the impending launch of MediaGo, a service that ties together PC and phone-based media, adapting content to the relevant screen sizes and DRM between PCs and phones. MediaGo is software that will be available across Sony's portfolio, and Sony Ericsson is the first division to bring it to market, Hoornik said.
He said the vendor already has two mobile operators that are co-operating around Idou, stressing that the phone, which also integrates updated versions of Ericsson's Play Now service, is being developed with operator business cases in mind.
The vendor also announced PlayNow Plus, which widens the scope of Sony Ericsson's music and video content services, is available in Sweden and will push into other "major" markets in the next two months.
"This is a collaborative approach that will see us work together with our operator partners, Hoornik said.