Sony Ericsson publishes 2008 figures

­Sony Ericsson has reported a loss of €187 million in Q4 2008 and an overall loss of €73 million for the whole year, compared to a €1 billion profit in 2007. [Press release]

UIQ files for bankruptcy

UIQ Technology, which makes software based on the Symbian operating system, has filed for bankruptcy in a Swedish court. The company was originally part of Symbian and is now jointly owned by Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Its future has looked very uncertain since Nokia acquired Symbian and founded the non-profit Symbian Foundation last year. [Source: Telecoms.com]

Sony Ericsson UK MD moves to Jawbone

Sony Ericsson UK Managing Director John Harber is leaving to join Bluetooth headset company Jawbone. He'd been in his current role for almost three years and had worked at Sony Ericsson since the early 1990s. He'll be replaced in January by Sony Ericsson UK Sales Director Nathan Vautier. [Source: Mobile News]

Mobile Phones of the Year 2008

Hey heck, it's time for reviews of 2008 and annual awards. At least, that's what consumer web site Reevoo is telling us. Its top five highest-rated mobile phones of 2008 are the BlackBerry Bold 9000, the Sony Ericsson W980i, the Apple iPhone 3G, the Samsung F480 Tocco and the Sony Ericsson K660i. The top phone for Christmas - based on ratings in the last 30 days - is the Nokia N96. [Press release]

Mobile manufacturers agree rating system for chargers

LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson have launched an energy rating system for chargers, making it easier for consumers to choose the most energy-saving devices. The new rating system indicates how much energy each charger uses when left plugged into the wall socket after charging is completed. The ratings covers all chargers currently sold by the five companies, range from five stars for the most efficient chargers down to zero stars for those consuming the most energy. Ratings will be shown on each manufacturer's web site. [Nokia press release]

Mobile News podcast now online

This week the Mobile News podcast talks to Faisal Sheikh of 'Fone Doctors' about the current state of retailing. There's a preview of the Sony Ericsson W705 Walkman and the team's usual off-beat look at industry headlines from the last seven days. As always, you can download or listen free at TheFonecast.com and on the Mobile News website... and you'll find us on iTunes and via RSS too.

The Mobile News podcast is presented and produced by Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge at TheFonecast.com

Mobile phone market shows effects of global financial crisis

Research company IDC says the global financial crisis is being felt by the mobile phone industry, with sales down significantly in the third quarter of 2008. Their figures show that manufacturers shipped 299 million handsets in Q3 2008, up 3.2% from last year but down 0.4% from the previous quarter. Historically, the third quarter has seen an increase as manufacturers prepare for Christmas. Average selling prices for mobiles have also begun to drop. Nokia leads the list of mobile manufacturers with a 39.4% market share, Samsung is second with 17.3%, Sony Ericsson has moved up to third place with 8.6%, Motorola is fourth with 8.5% and LG is fifth with 7.7%. Strategy Analytics has calculated similar figures; they say 303 million cellphones were shipped worldwide in Q3 2008, up 5% year-on-year, which is the industry’s weakest growth rate since 2002. [IDC press release; Strategy Analytics report]

What Mobile awards

This year's What Mobile awards took place last week. The awards, which are nominated by consumers, are now in their fourth year. The Apple iPhone 3G won "Mobile Phone of the Year"; the other phone-related results are below:

• Best Mobile Camera: Samsung i8510
• Best Mobile Game : Metal Gear Acid
• Best Mobile Game Developer: EA Mobile
• Best Online Retailer: T-Mobile.co.uk
• Best High Street Retailer: The Carphone Warehouse
• Best Mobile Service: Nokia Maps 2.0
• Best Mobile Accessory: Sennheiser MM50 iP
• Best Mobile Broadband: 3
• Best Music Phone: Sony Ericsson W890i
• Best Fashion Phone: LG Secret
• Best Smartphone: BlackBery Bold
• Best Manufacturer: Sony Ericsson
• Best Network: Vodafone

[Source: Mobile News]

Sony Ericsson to launch unlimited music service

No sooner has Nokia planned its Comes With Music for the UK - thank you, Rupert Englander, for talking to us on this week's Mobile News podcast - than Sony Ericsson previews a similar service. It's called PlayNow plus and it'll be available in Sweden later this year, with other countries added in 2009. Unlike the Nokia service, music can be downloaded directly to the phone - first will be a special version of the Sony Ericsson W902 Walkman - as well as 'sideloaded' via PC. [Press release]

Unlimited mobile music has strong appeal

With Nokia's Comes With Music preparing for launch - and Sony Ericsson rumoured to be announcing their own rival service this week - a new report from Strategy Analytics suggests that customers will definitely be interested. 83% of respondents used their mobile phones to play music, with 84% of respondents willing to pay for a service such as "Comes with Music". However, at the moment, just 6% of music tracks on devices are bought from online mobile music shops. The company says price and selection are the most important factors in a customer's choice of music store, and that brand loyalty is extremely low. We'll be talking to someone from Nokia about the Comes With Music service in Wednesday's Mobile News podcast. [Press release]

Nokia and Samsung top Greenpeace 'Greener Electronics Guide'

Environmental campaign group Greenpeace has just published its ninth edition of the Greener Electronics Guide, which ranks leading companies in the mobile phone, computer, TV and games console industries according to their policies and practices on toxic chemicals, recycling and energy. Mobile phone companies take the top two positions, with Nokia leading and Samsung in second place. Nokia scored seven out of ten, with Samsung rated at 5.9 out of ten. Sony Ericsson has dropped from its previous lead to fourth place. [Press release]

Sony Ericsson sponsors NAVTEQ event

Digital map company NAVTEQ has announced that Sony Ericsson will be sponsoring the 2009 NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge. Yes, that's the NAVTEQ that's been taken over by rival manufacturer Nokia. [Source: Yahoo.com]

New products launched

RIM has announced its first flip-open BlackBerry device - the much-rumoured BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 smartphone - and Sony Ericsson has confirmed that its XPERIA X1 smartphone will be launched in the UK on 30th September. [BlackBerry; Sony Ericsson]

Sony Ericsson's future questioned by Sony CEO

Sony's CEO Sir Howard Stringer has suggested to German newspaper Die Welt that the future of Sony Ericsson is uncertain if the two companies don't change the way they work together. [Source: welt.de]

New Mobile News podcast available online

This week's Mobile News podcast is back to its usual format. We catch up on news headlines from the last couple of weeks and also take a look at the new Sony Ericsson T700, the successor to the iconic T610. As always, the broadcast can be found at TheFonecast.com, on the Mobile News website, via iTunes or on our RSS feed. You can also still find our essential "top ten roaming tips" podcast at our website.

Ericsson publishes Q2 results

Ericsson has reported second-quarter results that show a 70% drop in profits to 1.9 billion Kronor (£159 million), with the Sony Ericsson partnership blamed for much of the fall. [Sources: Press release; TimesOnline.co.uk]

Sony Ericsson Q2 results show a challenging time

Sony Ericsson has reported a drop in profits, a drop in sales and a drop in phone prices for the second quarter of 2008. It had previously warned that its earnings were going to be down for Q2 2008. Profits were $9.5 million for the quarter, down from $348.6 million in the same quarter last year. Net sales were down 9.4% to $4.46 billion and the average selling price of a Sony Ericsson phone was $183.72, down from $191.64 in 2007. The company expects a challenging remainder of 2008, with the global handset market growing at around 10%. [Press release]

Mobile News podcast now online

There's plenty of variety in this week's Mobile News podcast: the team looks at the week's mobile industry headlines, listens to Maria Sharapova talk about designing mobile accessories and previews the Nokia 7610 Supernova. The broadcast can be downloaded from TheFonecast.com, from the Mobile News website, via iTunes or from our RSS feed.

Sony plans PlayStation phone?

Marketing Week says Sony is considering the creation of a PlayStation-branded phone that incorporates elements of the PlayStation Portable gaming device. The phone - which wouldn't involve Sony Ericsson - could be ready for Christmas 2009. Sony Ericsson has previously said it was looking at the idea of using the PlayStation brand.

New edition of Mobile News podcast now online

In this week's edition of the Mobile News podcast, Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge take a look at the industry headlines from the last seven days. There's also time for a quick preview of the Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber-shot handset. As always, each programme can be downloaded free from the Mobile News website, from TheFonecast.com, by including the podcast in your RSS reader or via iTunes.