Sony Ericsson outs W705, Bluetooth stereo

Sony Ericsson today held a characteristically low-key unveiling centered around one music phone and a universal Bluetooth home stereo. The W705 represents a relatively high-end Walkman phone for the company and centers on its addition of Wi-Fi. All versions can use the format for faster Internet access and for sharing media on the local network with DLNA-supporting devices like the PlayStation 3 and certain PC software; a special W705u variant also supports Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) for Internet calling that bridges to the phone network.

The slider design is otherwise one of the best-equipped in its category with a 3.2-megapixel camera, 3G over HSDPA and a tilt sensor useful both for screen rotation on the web or in menus as well as shake-to-switch music control. Sony Ericsson also gives users a relatively large space to load music with a 4GB Memory Stick Micro bundled in the box.

The company plans a launch in early 2009 for most areas: a W705a variant is slated for North America but limited to quad-band GSM and EDGE for calls and data. French cell carrier Orange holds an exclusive on the W705u.

Sony Ericsson has also released a more universal companion piece, the MBS-900; described as a wireless home audio system, it carries stereo Bluetooth audio support to play music from phones and computers but is designed as a more fixed system with a built-in subwoofer. It carries a single-line OLED display to show track info and supports more tradition audio from both a built-in FM radio and an aux-in jack for portable media players. The company ships the new speaker system at the same time as the W705.