After Months of Promotion, The Sony Ericsson New Xperia X1 Is Here

PRNewswire/ — Sony Ericsson North America announced the arrival of the highly anticipated Xperia(TM) X1 to the U.S. marketplace. The Xperia(TM) X1 delivers a range of multimedia and communication experiences that have long been coveted and in demand by consumers

The Xperia X1 will be available unlocked through Sony Electronics and its authorized retailers beginning on "Black Friday," November 28. This premium device will be sold unlocked for the MSRP of $799.99, giving consumers the freedom to choose their own mobile operator and data plan. You can pre-order it now from the link at the end of this post.



The Xperia X1's unique panel user interface is at the heart of the device's ability to create and adapt consumers' personal choices. With up to 9 panels, it's easy to find and enjoy the information and entertainment content they want. Sony Ericsson is busy working with third-party developers to create a wealth of new applications and new panels that will soon be available for download.

By incorporating the Windows Mobile(R) 6.1 Professional operating system, the Xperia X1 frees consumers from their home and office, allowing them connectivity to their content wherever they are.



As Sony Ericsson's most advanced phone to date, the Xperia X1 brings together a large, 3-inch wide VGA display touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard all wrapped into a sleek silver metal- finished arc slider handset. The Xperia X1 supports fast 3G networks, enabling audio and video streaming, high-speed internet surfing, multimedia messaging and email on the go. In addition to delivering 3G mobile broadband speeds, the Xperia X1 supports WiFi to meet the needs of consumers' always connected lifestyles.

In the tradition of Sony Ericsson, the Xperia X1 offers consumers the ultimate multimedia experience with a 3.2 megapixel camera, video streaming, video playback and video recording, and the ability to enjoy all their digital music.



Beginning last September, they promoted the Xperia with a competition centered around a series of online webisodes featuring a character named Johnny X. Although the competition and a chance to win a phone is over now, you can still watch the episodes. Go here to watch them.




Sony Ericsson Xperia(TM) X1 - At a Glance


Camera
• Auto focus
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• Photo light
• Video recording


Above: Although originally rendered in black, the phone is silver

Multimedia
• Bluetooth(TM) stereo (A2DP)4
• Media player
• Music tones
• Windows Media(R) Player Mobile
• 3D games
• FM radio
• Java(TM)
• Video streaming
• Video viewing


Internet7
• Internet Explorer(R) Mobile
• RSS feeds
• Opera(TM) 9.5



Communication and Messaging
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Speakerphone
• Vibrating alert
• Video calling3,8
• Email
• Picture messaging (MMS)9
• Predictive text input
• Text messaging (SMS)9


Design
• XPERIA(TM) panels
• Optical joystick navigation
• Navigation key
• Picture wallpaper
• Touch navigation



Organizer
• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Document editors
• Document readers
• Flight mode
• Handwriting recognition
• Notes
• Phone book
• Tasks
• Touchscreen

Connectivity
• aGPS
• Bluetooth(TM)4 technology
• Modem
• Synchronization
• USB support
• WLAN

Windows Mobile(R) Operating System
• Microsoft(R) Outlook(R) Mobile: email, contacts, calendar, tasks
• Microsoft(R) Office Mobile: Word Mobile, Excel(R) Mobile, PowerPoint(R) Mobile
• Windows Live(TM)
• Microsoft(R) ActiveSync(R)
• Voice control
• Utility Applications: file explorer, calculator, pictures & video, notes



Above: Although originally rendered in black, the phone is silver


• Size: 110 x 53 x 16.7 mm (approx.)
• Weight: 145 grams (approx.)http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
• Available colors: Silver
• Main screen: 65,536 color TFT
• Resolution: 800 X 480 pixels
• Size: 3 inches (approx.)
• Phone memory5: up to 400 MB
• microSD(TM) memory card support

Networks:
GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA 850/1900/2100 MHz

Pre-order it here now.

Design Within Reach Is Out Of Reach In This Economy.

One of the most impressive collections of modern furniture, a great looking and well functioning e-commerce website, a well-written 'design notes' newsletter and blog, beautifully designed stores, and some of the nicest looking, impressive catalogs ever produced can't help even Design Within Reach's online and in-store sales in this economy.



Even with their newest addition of DWR "limited", a purchase or an auction on one different unique new or vintage item each day, one of my favorite design stores is suffering. I came across this unfortunate, but not unexpected, news today.

E-commerce sales fall almost 30% at Design Within Reach

The economy continues to hammer revenue at Design Within Reach Inc.



Web sales were down for the third straight quarter, falling 29.7% to $5.2 million in Q3 2008 from $7.4 million in the prior year quarter. The Internet accounted for about 12.3% of sales in Q3 2008 vs. 15.2% in Q3 2007.

Store, or studio, sales also declined, by 10% or $3.3 million, from $32.1 million in Q3 2007 to $28.8 million in the third quarter of 2008. Overall sales were down 13.7%, or $6.7 million, for the third quarter ended Sept. 27, 2008, to $42.3 million from $49 million in the same quarter of 2007.

Design Within Reach is a multi-channel retailer of modern design furnishings and accessories. The company, No. 263 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, depends on affluent consumers for its business and the company cites the stagnant housing market and the mortgage crisis as key reasons for sagging sales.

Design Within Reach reported an overall loss for Q3 2008 of $5.6 million compared with net income of $2.4 million in the prior year quarter.

Through the first nine months of fiscal 2008, web sales decreased about $4 million, or 18.3%, from $21.8 million in the first three quarters of 2007 to $17.8 million. Net sales through nine months of fiscal 2008 declined 3.8%, or $5.5 million, from $141.9 million in the first nine months of 2007 to $136.5 million.
Source: Internet Retailer

Positioned to appeal to affluent customers, their prices simply are not competitive enough. I even affectionately used to call them DOOR (Design Out Of Reach) and often find an item that I like there and then scour the net for a better price. And although they have sales, the discounts and reductions are never very large and I've never known them to give promotional or discount codes.


Above: their Design Notes Blog

That said, they still are a heaven for those interested in modern design and interior decor and one of the only companies whose catalogs I can never bring myself to throw away. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I love the look and functionality of their online store, their catalogs, their newsletter and blog.

They are one of the few companies who knows how to 'brand' themselves. They have a cohesive look and style across all their communications, create promotional material which reflects the quality of their products and consistently remind customers of their products and offerings without being intrusive or annoying. Their newsletter and blog are optional e-mail sign ups and their site is easy to maneuver and is searchable numerous and convenient ways. Proof that sales are not directly tied to 'branding'. After all, one cannot account for all unforeseen impacting factors.

I think that with the opening of so many stores across the country in the past few years unfortunately coinciding with the numerous foreclosures and mortgage crises, they simply overextended themselves and are now paying the price.

Maybe now, their sales will be a little more 'accessible'. Here's hoping... because I certainly don't want them to go away.


www.dwr.com

I Am Loving Wordle: A Fun & Easy Text Cloud Generator

I am loving Wordle.

Wordle is a free online app for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.



Simple, easy, applicable options include available color palettes, your choice of all upper or lower case- or a combination, choosing whether or not the words are vertical, horizontal or half and half and more. You can edit as you'd like or use the 'randomizer' for variations.

Think about using them for presentations or report covers, screen savers and more. Inventive, malleable and creative, Wordle does have some limitations (read more about the FAQs on the site).

And for those creative types those who like a little more control and wish to determine their own hex colors and weighted words, he now has Wordle Advanced.

Here are a few examples I just generated in less than 5 minutes, using the paragraph from the beginning of this post and the 'randomizer' tool:












Wordle was created by Jonathan Feinberg (shown above)
In his own words he also credits all these helpful folks.

Go play with Wordle now.

Artists Dalek, Emil Kozak & Motomichi & More Do Zune

above: Emil Kozaks' artwork available is now on your customizable Zune player

Zune, Microsoft Corp.'s end-to-end music and entertainment service has added 46 new designs from leading artists to its customization Web site, Zune Originals, for the holiday season.

Wanna customize a Zune player for yourself or as a gift this holiday season? The new Zune Originals designs include a Zodiac Series featuring exclusive artwork of Eastern and Western astrology from Catalina Estrada and Iosefatu Sua as well as other great designs from several artists and a tattoo inspired series. An expanded line of regular Zune players, popular Zune accessories and Zune Marketplace gift cards are also available for purchase here.



In the Zune Originals online design studio, consumers can customize a Zune by choosing artwork and adding personal text that is laser-etched on the Zune player they choose. Zune has just added 12 new eye-catching designs from artists such as these:

Dalek - A graffiti artist who works extensively in both fine arts and the skateboard industry:



Motomichi - A graphic designer known for his widely exhibited animation and live video mixing:



Daniel Jackson, the artist and DJ from Surface to Air, the creative art collective made up of artists from Paris, Barcelona and New York, produces cutting-edge designs for everything from clothing to jewelry to skate decks:


Other featured Zune Originals artists include Kenzo Minami, Alex Trochut, Alvaro Arteaga, Emil Kozak(whose work is shown at the beginning of this post), Ippei Gyoubu, Kate Moross, Maya Hayuk, Siggi Eggertsson and Robin Nishio. Playlists from each artist that reflect his or her personal taste in music will also be available for download in the Zune Marketplace.

Go check them out here.

About Zune
Zune is Microsoft's music and entertainment brand that provides an integrated digital entertainment experience. The Zune platform includes a line of portable digital media players, elegant software, the Zune Marketplace online store, the Zune Social online music community created to help people discover music, and the ZuneOriginals.net customization Web site. Zune is part of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division and supports the company's software-based services vision to help drive innovation in the digital entertainment space.

About Zune Originals
Zune Originals is the premium Zune purchasing experience. It's an online design studio where consumers can customize Zune players by choosing the color and size of their device and selecting exclusive artwork and text that can be laser-etched onto the back of the device. Artwork in the Zune Originals collection is available in three series: Artist Series, Zodiac Series and Tattoo Series that feature designs from world-famous artists. Visit the Zune Originals design studio here.