SonyEricsson has announced the T100, an entry level handset for consumer markets, and two new headsets – one supporting Bluetooth and the other offering FM radio capabilities.

The T100 is intended primarily for less developed markets outside Europe, although it will be shipped to some Western countries. It is small and lightweight, supporting EMS and WAP. It is positioned firmly in the mass market consumer category, with no GPRS capabilities but plenty of pictures, ringtones and animations.

Insight

PMN talked about the importance of SonyEricsson’s low- and mid-tier handsets in its comments on the 30/08/2002 BWCS piece ‘Ericsson considers future of handset joint venture‘. There is more to SonyEricsson’s low-end range than the T100, although this could open new markets in China, Latin America and Africa.

The real test will be the colour screen and MMS products which are expected in Q4 2002 and Q1 2003. If these can compete with Nokia’s 3000 series offerings, SonyEricsson could start to reassert itself as a ‘tier one’ manufacturer. One can’t help but feel, however, that this will be something of a ‘last hurrah’ for SonyEricsson before it restructures to focus on the high-end products it is so much better at making.