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SE’s new chap at the top, Bert Nordberg, is increasingly looking to be someone that is going to do some ass kicking at Sony Ericsson. Why do I say this? Well let’s look at an interview he recently gave to a Swedish website. In the interview Mr Nordberg made some comments that should give Sony Ericsson’s beleaguered customers a little bit of hope that we may at last, at long last, be seeing the company turn in the right direction.

For one Mr Nordberg wants to see Sony Ericsson return to profitability by next year. That’s a bold statement to make considering the losses the company has sustained over the past year ad the fact that the global economic recovery is still in its early days. Indeed the website conducting the interview made a point to note that most analysts are still looking at 2011 before SE can once again turn a profit. At any rate it’s a sign that Mr Nordberg is aiming high at least.

Next on his list is to cut the number of managers at Sony Ericsson. He says he wants a ‘flatter’ structure, most likely meaning a lot less bureaucracy (which if you’ve ever dealt with Sony Ericsson you will know can be headache inducing).  It’s also about economics though, reducing the number of managers will save Sony Ericsson money. As you may recall Sony Ericsson has already implemented job cuts, with more than 2,000 jobs already having gone. It’s never a good thing when someone loses their job of course, but hopefully these measures see the company turn a profit again all the sooner and enable them to start creating jobs again.

Mr Nordberg saved the best for last though when he talked about the main road to profitability …better and more expensive handsets! His actual statement being:

We should spend more on advanced phones and raise the average selling price … We will not chase market share by selling 25 dollar phones in India

It almost brings a tear to your eye. It actually sounds like the Sony Ericsson of old again. It looks like the big bold handsets that enter the market to kick ass are coming back thanks to a CEO who, as I said, looks to be kicking some ass too with his call for “swift and decisive action”.

[di.se via se-blog.com]

Read the interview here (Swedish) and here (English translation).

Filed under: Corporative, Future, Interview

(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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A very interesting video Q&A with Sony Ericsson’s President, Hideki Komiyama, and Rikko Sakaguchi, Senior Vice President and Head of Portfolio & Proposition at Sony Ericsson, was posted at Trace and Matt’s Blog. Komiyama tells that they’re definitely working on innovative products and that they’re aware of their problems. It’ll take three to four months (and yeah, we agree!). Also, Rikko Sakaguchi tells that they know that they cannot keep on segmenting products, and he even comments on the JavaOne video on YouTube. That made me giggle a bit

Also, a comprehensive video demo of the X1 was posted. Check it out!

By the way, if you’re wondering what’s happening with the various embedded Sony Ericsson applications on USEB, that’s simply a part of SE’s blogger and community outreach. They’re also going to set up a number of competitions for both readers and blog authors, so keep an eye out on this place. If you’ve got dreams of starting your own SE blog, now would be a good time to do it, too They’re really doing a great job keeping up with the web communities nowadays, latest with the launch of Xperiancers.com.

Via: Tracy and Matt’s Blog

Filed under: Interview, Preview, USEB, Upcoming, Videos, X series, XPERIA

(6 votes, average: 2.17 out of 5)

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In an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt Sony CEO Howard Stringer has hinted that Sony may be contemplating a buyout of Sony’s  joint mobile venture with Ericsson.

When asked whether it was time for Sony to end the venture with Ericsson Mr Stringer responded:

It’s certainly been a difficult year, but, buying out a partner is never an easy thing.

A buyout wouldn’t be unprecedented given that Sony is currently buying out its joint music venture with BMG. Mr Stringer seemed to offer an explanation for a possible buyout, namely that he feels Sony Ericsson isn’t as ‘nimble’ as it could be given the need for Sony and Ericsson to consult one another over how the company is run rather than if the company was wholly run by Sony.

Most telling of all though was Mr Stringer’s answer to the question of whether or not Sony Ericsson will be around in three years time:

We have to work together again as we did two years ago or the joint venture will have to find its own solution.

When the interviewer comments that it’s a diplomatic answer, the response from Mr Stringer is that it was intended to be.

It’s these last comments that, in my opinion, really bring home the idea that all is not well with Sony Ericsson. Mr Stringer clearly thinks something has to change at Sony Ericsson, and that something appears to be communication. The question is though, how and why did communication between Sony and Ericsson break down? Why aren’t they working together like they used to?

If Sony did decide to buyout Ericsson it wuld be an enormous risk, after all we shouldn’t forget why they partnered with Ericsson in the first place. On the other hand, if Sony Ericsson continues to do poorly might Sony decide that it just isn’t worth it and pull out entirely?

via digg

Filed under: Corporative, Interview, News

(6 votes, average: 2.33 out of 5)

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“I (SE) giant leaps”

In an interview with Reuters, Sony Ericsson’s head of global marketing, James Marshall, said that Sony Ericsson sees a growing demand in mobile phones in the second quarter and second half of this year. He also goes to explain the economic downturns during the first quarter of the year.

- We had a slightly slower start to the year due to some economic downturn in Western Europe and due to overstocking in channels in Q4, which meant inventories were higher going into 2008. That was a short-term issue, said James Marshall in an interview with Reuters.

What’s good, though, is that it seems Sony Ericsson’s new strategy of manufacturing low/mid-tier phones, especially for the entry-level markets, seems to be going by plan, and Sony Ericsson remains optimistic about their goal of gaining a 10 percent market growth in 2008.

- Projections for this quarter and the second-half of 2008 looks strong — that’s why we can keep the 10 percent growth projections, Marshall told Reuters.

For more details on Sony Ericsson’s rather massive profits dip in the first quarter of 2008, you can read the official press release - you can find it here.

Via: Reuters

Filed under: Article, Corporative, Interview, Market share

(9 votes, average: 4.11 out of 5)

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We’ve had a chat with Kenneth Møller, National Account Manager, Sony Ericsson Denmark and Iceland, about today’s announcements as well as some general phones talk. Here’s what he had to say

Q. The new C905 Cyber-shot features an 8-mega pixel camera - was that a necessary step?

A. The amount of mega pixels is one of many factors we’re continuously working with to get the best image quality. With the C905 you can even share your photos via DLNA to i.e. your TV or Playstation 3 and thereby show the photos in a large size. This is where the amount of mega pixels makes a considerable difference.

Q. An important factor when it comes to mobile phone cameras, high resolutions and alike, is the size of the camera sensor. Any news on this front to avoid picture noise, colour errors, and alike?

A. C905 has a larger camera sensor than what we’ve seen in previous models, but apart from that we’re working on advanced features such as face detection and smart focus, which in different ways is what consumers of compact cameras and mobile phone cameras want.

Q. Many will say the C905 lacks optical zoom. Why was this feature excluded?

A. During the development process we’re continuously evaluating based on what combination of features that delivers the best user experience and the best combination of features, size and price. In the case of C905, we think the 8.1 MP in combination with the possibility to share your photos on your TV is the best solution. Apart from this you can now also geo-tag your photos with the built-in aGPS and use it for navigation purposes.

Q. The TV-out cable ITC-60 is announced as an accessory to the C905 - can it be used with other phones?

A. C905 is the first phone by Sony Ericsson with TV-out functionality.

Q. The Sony Ericsson F305 is the first model in a revived F-series of gaming phones. Will this series be reserved cheaper phones, or will we also see more expensive phones in this series in the future?

A. We strongly believe in our new F-series, but can only make statements about announced products.

Q. What makes the gaming experience on the F305 unique compared to i.e. the K850 and W910, both also featuring a built-in accelerometer?

A. With an accelerometer as in F305, you get expanded possibilities to use different movements.

Q. With the Cyber-shot phones now in the C-series, will the K-series be used for price-friendly phones such as the K330?

A. The K-series will be used for phones in the entry-level segment. When it comes to imaging, we’ve got the S-series; Snapshot to complement the Cyber-shot range in a more competitive price level.

Q. The C905 in particular has received lots of publicity in the media and on various forums. Is this a so-called hero product?

A. We announce what we think gives the best user experience in the imaging segment. With the C905, we announce several new technologies and applications, that we believe will take the photos from your mobile phone camera to the next level. That’s why we strongly believe the C905 will communicate to all.

Q. What will the new phones cost?

A. It’s not Sony Ericsson without the operators that can set the prices for the markets, and they can vary by market. Our estimate is that the C905 will cost around the same as the K850 did when it was released.

… and now some more general questions.

Q. The XPERIA brand was launched earlier this year, and even since we haven’t seen any further additions in the XPERIA range. Are there any plans of announcing one or more this year?

A. We’ve announced the X1, which will be released during Q4 2008. We can however not comment further on any unannounced products.

Q. How does the future look for high-end phones by Sony Ericsson? At the latest few announcements the primary focus has been on cheap entry-level models - is it the plan to continue this?

A. We’ll be expanding our product portfolio in full to satisfy all kinds of markets.

Q. Is there still a market for ultra-thin phones?

A. The size of the phone is still an important factor, that must be balanced with the feature set and price.

Q. Numerous competitors have announced luxury models - does Sony Ericsson see a future for these phones or are they niche-products?

A. Our goal is to deliver a unique user experience for consumers with different needs. This goes for all segments.

Q. Professional UIQ-phones are a rare sight nowadays - are there any models in the pipeline or is the platform less suitable than Windows Mobile for this kind of phones?

A. Sony Ericsson today works with a set of different platforms that all add different parts to the portfolio. UIQ is still an important platform, complementing Windows Mobile in X1.

PS. Sorry about any mistakes in the text. Had to do this in a hurry, so the translations are definitely not top notch!

Filed under: Announcement, C series, Camera, Cyber-shot, Exclusive, F series, Interview, J series, K series, S series, Uncategorized

(12 votes, average: 3.92 out of 5)

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