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Sony Ericsson Z750 HSDPA handset

The Sony Ericsson Z750 is a new HSDPA handset targeted at North America. What that really means, though not technically announced, is it's destined for AT&T (Cingular). While the 3G connectivity is surely big news (it's Sony Ericsson's first HSDPA phone for North America), the Z750 is also one of only a few consumer focused handsets to support Exchange ActiveSync push email. In addition, the Z750 is Sony Ericsson's first handset based on the Java Platform 8. That should make it easier for developers to create innovative applications.

Features of the Sony Ericsson Z750 include:

• Quad-band GSM/EDGE plus tri-band HSDPA (850/1900/2100)
• 2 megapixel camera
• Memory Stick Micro M2 card slot
• Bluetooth 2.0 EDR + with A2DP stereo support
• QVGA screen with 262k colors
• POP3/IMAP4/Exchange email support
• Full HTML browser with RSS

The Z750 should begin shipping in the third quarter. It's available in two color schemes, rose pink (shown right) and phantom grey (shown below).

Sony Ericsson W580i announced

The Sony Ericsson W580i is the latest Walkman music phone for the North American market. With yet another music announcement, CTIA's first day has a very familiar feel. The W580i builds on the Walkman platform which has so far been the most successful line of music handsets.

Features of the W580i include:

• Quad-band GSM plus EDGe
• Walkman 2.0 music player (MP3/AAC/AAC+/e-AAC+/WMA)
• 512MB Memory Stick Micro in box
• 2 megapixel camera
• Stereo Bluetooth
• Just 14mm thick
• Full HTML Browser with RSS

The Sony Ericsson W580i will ship in two color combinations, white (shown right) and grey (shown below). It will begin shipping in Q3. Carrier partners have not been announced, but AT&T or T-Mobile would be likely candidates

AT&T to give away unlimited Napster To Go

The music phone battle is heating up, AT&T (formally Cingular) has announced it will be giving away 1 year of unlimited Napster To Go service ($180 value) with the purchase of a SYNC or BlackJack. The subscription covers unlimited playback of the over 3 million tracks in Napster's catalog.

AT&T will begin this deal on April 1st. It's also available to existing AT&T customers if they sign up for one of the bundled service packages (covering home phone and broadband). The SYNC is currently priced at $49.99 after rebate while the BlackJack rings in for a more hefty $199.99 after rebate.

In a related move that also occurred this afternoon, Sprint Nextel announced lower pricing for its wireless music store.

Samsung UpStage announced by Sprint

The Samsung UpStage is Sprint Nextel's latest effort in the expanding music phone niche. We first saw this handset at CES when it was called the Samsung Ultra Music F300, but since that was a GSM device there have been a few changes. The UpStage keeps the unique 2-face styling in an iPod nano-esque shape. Executives for Sprint joked that the name UpStage comes from Sprint's desire to steal Apple's iPhone thunder. Though the spec sheet shows the UpStage is not made to compete with a high-end product like the iPhone.

Features of the Samsung UpStage include:

• EV-DO 3G data
• Stereo Bluetooth 2.0 with spoken caller ID
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• 45MB built-in memory plus microSD card slot, 64MB card included
• Petite size, 4.07" × 1.73" × 0.37"
• Sprint Music Store for OTA downloads, new lower priced $.99 downloads
• Sprint Music Manager application to load music onto device

Sprint expects to begin selling the Upstage in the first week of April. It will be priced at $149.99 with a new 2-year contract. Sprint looks to be betting big on the Upstage and will be aggressively marketing it.