Going on a music trip

YOU would think that, given all the hoo-ha in the media about ours having become an iPod world, just about every music-packing man or woman and child you cross paths with in the mall or on a subway train—oh, all right, the MRT—would have ears plugged with those supposedly ubiquitous white stereo headphones. So you can imagine my surprise—well, not really, but that sounds infinitely more dramatic, don’t you think?—when, on my way to an interview in Quezon City via the MRT one weekend, I came across this twentysomething ghel blissfully oblivious to the human crush as he zoned out with his music-pimping phone—and although I was standing a few steps from where he was seated (lucky queen!), I’m positively certain his was a Sony Ericsson Walkman-branded handset because it was a slider in that deep-cherry red color that the company calls “Fancy Red,” perhaps a W760i or the higher-end W910i.

“MUSIC MAKES THE PEOPLE...” The latest Walkman phones from Sony Ericsson cover a broad market range, from the entry-level W350i to the midrange W380i to the pricier W890i.

Throughout the 20-minute ride, the ghel was pretty much in his own virtual world presumably of boa feathers and sequined dresses, his eyes closed over a dream in which perhaps he was Beyoncé.

Music-packing mobile phones continue to steadily gain traction among consumers despite the media’s embarrassing lovefest with Steve Jobs and his iPods. Sony Ericsson, in fact, concluded 2007 with 100 million handsets reportedly sold, not a few of these being the Walkman-branded W200, W300 and W580 phones. This increasing market acceptance of music phones may or may not be on account of a contracting global economy that is leading consumers to look for products that provide more bang for their hard-earned buck. Or perhaps they simply want to unclutter their everyday lives that have become increasingly cluttered with all sorts of thingamajigs. Or maybe it is because the technology behind music phones has improved vastly since the days of the ill-fated MotoROKR from Motorola, yielding a user experience already comparable to standalone digital music players. Of course, it could also be a combination of all these conditions.

Whatever, Sony Ericsson continues its aural onslaught with the release of a slew of new Walkman-branded mobile phones this summer, including the W350i, which fuses a clamshell form factor with the “Walkman on Top” design bearing all the key music controls—play, pause, scroll, pause, stop—up-front. It comes in Electric Black with orange accents, Hypnotic Black with purple accents, Ice Blue and Graphic White.

Meanwhile, the W380i is the first-ever Walkman model to offer the gimmicky-but-fun Gesture Control, with which you can mute calls or snooze the alarm with the haughty wave of the hand in manner of Bette Davis. On the music side, it has an external display that comes to life only when needed—to show track information when perusing music, or the caller ID when receiving a call. And not unlike the W350i, this baby allows you to pimp the handset’s music features without having to flip-open the phone, as the front surface features embedded controls (skip forward/backward, pause, play) so that you can enjoy music with even greater ease.

Also out this summer is the equally slim and similarly stylish candybar W890i, which packs HSDPA download speeds, 3.2-megapixel camera and storage for up to 1,800 songs for playing on the latest Walkman Player 3.0 that includes the SenseMe feature with which you can plot your playlist based on the song’s tempo and style. Needless to say, music tracks can be organized by artist, album or album art.

“With these latest phones, we address the needs of a broader audience who want a stylish yet compact phone with the W350i; young, fashion-conscious music lovers with the W380i; as well as music connoisseurs who demand the latest Walkman features and fast downloads offered by the W890i,” says Patrick Larraga, Sony Ericsson Philippines marketing manager. “These Walkman phones combine Sony Ericsson’s undeniable expertise in mobile communications and mobile music to stunning effect.”

Stunning, indeed. For more information on the new Walkman phone releases, point your browser to www.sonyericsson.com/ph.

And further sweetening the deal is the partnership that Sony Ericsson has forged with Southeast Asian Airlines (Seair) and One MGM Boracay for an unforgettable summer party treat, a sumptuous taste of which the media were given a couple of weekends ago, complete with a rousing miniconcert by the white-hot band Callalily, which composed a song especially commissioned by Sony Ericsson, the anthemic “’Eto Na Ang Summer,” that comes embedded—along with Callalily themes and wallpapers (shot by Jun de Leon no less)—on the Sony Ericsson W580i, W200i and W910i, plus the aforementioned Walkman-branded handsets just unleashed in the market.

SEAIR and One MGM Boracay also join in on the music tripping.

Under Sony Ericsson’s “Music Tripping” campaign, five grand-prize winners get a Seair Adventure Pass for two that allows unlimited travel to any of the carrier’s destinations in a 45-day period. They also enjoy a special three-day, two-night stay with breakfast for two at One MGM Boracay, plus P25,000 pocket money. Five other winners get roundtrip Seair tickets for two to Boracay, along with similar accommodations at the lovely sprawling resort that has 100 guest rooms and suites spread over lush gardens and lawns. To join the raffle promo, buy a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone, fill out the raffle coupon with your complete name, address, contact number, signature, dealer name and sales staff name. Drop boxes are located at participating Sony Ericsson shops and dealers nationwide, and the draws will be held on April 25 and June 4.

So listen up, get your groove going and party the summer away in Boracay.

Going on a music trip

YOU would think that, given all the hoo-ha in the media about ours having become an iPod world, just about every music-packing man or woman and child you cross paths with in the mall or on a subway train—oh, all right, the MRT—would have ears plugged with those supposedly ubiquitous white stereo headphones.

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