Ericsson woos the youth with new products

NEW DELHI: Ericsson has launched two new cell phones in India–A2618s and

the R310s–both targeted at the youth segment. In addition, the company has

launched its latest accessory, a MP3 player, the HPM-10, compatible with mobile

phones, the first of its kind in the world.

The A2618s is an entry-level WAP phone priced below Rs 10,000 and can be

personalized in its start-up and shutdown shows. Ericsson snap-on covers are

available as accessories and come in a fascinating array of colors and patterns.

The phone weighs 140 grams with a talk time of 9 hours and with a standby time

of 200 hours.

The R310s is positioned as a tough and rugged phone for outdoor performance.

The GSM dual band phone is reinforced with rubber inlays to withstand harsh

treatment and provide a good grip. The shark fin antenna is molded in flexible

rubber to prevent it from being damaged when dropped. It comes in four colors:

bright orange, nautic blue, aquatic green, and peak yellow. It weighs 140 grams

with a talk time of 6 hours and 48 minutes and a standby time of 160 hours. It

is priced at Rs 15,495 plus taxes.

The MP3 player is one of the smallest of its kind in the market and the first

to be designed for use with a mobile phone. It allows users to listen to near CD

quality audio through the stereo ear pieces between calls. It comes with 32 Mb

standard multimedia card, stores approximately 30 minutes of music and has a

portable hands-free functionality.

Speaking at the launch, Ericsson Communications managing director Jan Campell

said, "WAP will become a way of life not only for the metros but also

across the country. Our analysis show that 50 per cent of all mobile users will

use WAP-enabled phones by the end of 2001." Ericsson director-consumer

products Ranjivjit Singh adds, "The youth is one of the fastest growing

mobile phone segments. This segment wants not only trendy and colorful phones

but also those that can last in a tough environment."

Ericsson plans to launch a media campaign to promote its products soon. It is

also in the process of tying up with some cellular companies to offer special

festival schemes.