14 DAY TRIAL // Sony Ericsson TM506, the first Sony Ericsson to be offered by T-Mobile USA after several years, was officially presented today. The TM506 will be sold only in the States and exclusively via T-Mobile, its release representing the beginning of a longer collaboration between the North American carrier and the Swedish-Japanese joint venture.
The new TM506 is set to conquer the American market with an elegant clamshell design (that brings in mind Sony Ericsson's Z770 and Z780 models) as well as with a set of mid-end features.
In addition to the tri-band GSM connectivity (850 / 1800 / 1900 MHz) with GPRS and EDGE, the TM506 also features UMTS/HSDPA 2100 MHz and AWS 1700/2100 MHz connectivity, being the first T-Mobile handset to do so.
Furthermore, the new clamshell brings internal GPS, TeleNav Navigator, myFaves version 1.5, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, Music and Video players, RSS Feeds, a 2 Megapixel camera, Mobile Backup, expandable memory and so on.
T-Mobile's future handset weighs 3.4 ounces (96 grams) and, when not flipped, it measures 3.7 x 1.9 x 0.69 inches (94 x 48 x 17.5 millimeters). Its battery should be able to provide up to 9.5 hours of GSM talk-time, up to 3.5 hours of UMTS talk-time, or up to 250 hours of stand-by time.
"The TM506 not only signifies Sony Ericsson's expanding U.S. portfolio of handsets, but more importantly, that we have forged a strong and promising relationship with T-Mobile," declared Najmi Jarwala, president of Sony Ericsson North America. "With the launch of the TM506 with T-Mobile, Sony Ericsson is positioned to offer more choice of mobile handsets for a broader range of U.S. consumer segments at a variety of price points."
Cole Brodman, chief technology and innovation officer at T-Mobile USA, added, "T-Mobile continues its 3G network deployment across the country, and we're pleased to leverage Sony Ericsson's 3G handset experience to help deliver the benefits of our next-generation network to our customers. The Sony Ericsson TM506 is a compelling, feature-rich phone with a vibrant display that our customers will enjoy using to connect with the important people in their lives".
Sony Ericsson said that the clamshell would be on sale starting the first days of September, via T-Mobile's official website as well as in select T-Mo stores across the US. The price of TM506 has not been set yet, but we do know that there will be two color versions available: "Chrome with Amber" and "Chrome with Emerald".
