Gizmodo: f305

Is Sony Ditching Ericsson For a PlayStation Branded Phone?

Sean Fallon — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:35:00 EDT

According to Marketing Week, Sony may be considering launching a PlayStation branded phone by Christmas 2009. Naturally that would raise some questions about the health of their relationship with Swedish mobile company Ericsson. The report goes on to say that Sony is leaning towards modifying the PSP to incorporate a phone—which would seem like the most logical route.

Citing industry sources, Marketing Week heard that the relationship between the two companies has become "frosty" and that Sony would “never give its PlayStation branding” to a Sony Ericsson joint venture. If it were true, it could go a long way in explaining the recently released F305 which is certainly not PlayStation branded and seems to fall well short of a fabled PSP phone. Could it be that Sony is throwing Ericsson scraps while they keep the juicy ideas to themselves? There have been a lot of rumors thrown out there about a PSP phone, and so far nothing has materialized. We will just have to wait and see. [Marketing Week]

Sony Ericsson F305 Phone With Motion Gaming First Impressions (Verdict: Underwhelming)

Sean Fallon — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:00:00 EDT

The Sony Ericsson F305 gaming phone went official today, and the guys at Crave Asia fired off a few first impressions after spending some hands-on time with it. They claim that the screen on the F305 is way too small and the device itself is excessively slippery—which doesn't mesh well with the motion controls. All in all they felt that it had "a been-there-done that vibe to it," but the Wii-esque motion controls are a step in the right direction. Still, it seems that the F305 is a far cry from the PSP phone we have all been dreaming of. [Crave]

Sony Ericsson F305 Motion Gaming Phone is "Fun and Entertainment"

Jason Chen — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:23:40 EDT

The Sony Ericsson F305 motion gaming phone leaked this weekend is now official, making for the start of this F-line of "fun and entertainment" phones. The phone's got a 2.0-inch screen, O and X gaming buttons, a dedicated PlayStation button (to bring up games), quad-band EDGE, 8 hours of gameplay, an optional Power Pack CPP-100, Bluetooth and a sliding body. It's not too remarkable of a phone, but it is Sony's first real foray into establishing an explicit gaming phone line. Available in "selected markets" in Q3 2008. [Sony Ericsson]

Sony Ericsson F305 Has Wiimote-Like Motion Gaming, May Be PSP Phone?

Jason Chen — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:59:00 EDT

This leaked Sony Ericsson's F305 phone is notable for a couple reasons. One, it's their first motion gaming phone under the F-line (there've been one or two here and there for various other phones), which makes us and The Unofficial Sony Ericsson Blog think that it the series stands for "Fun". Two, it's got PlayStation buttons on there, namely the O and the X, giving users an NES-level of complexity to the games.

Other details are slightly less impressive. It's quad-band GSM with only EDGE, has a Power Pack CCP-100 purchasable accessory for backup battery capabilities, stereo rear speakers, Bluetooth connectivity to other phones for multiplayer, Memory Stick Micro slot, built-in FM, TrackID track recognition, and a "selected market" release in Q3 of this year. Se-nse says it'll be formally announced on Tuesday. [Se-nse]