Sony Ericsson today announced that it is joining the Eclipse community as Add-in Provider Member. By becoming an Add-in Provider, Sony Ericsson aims to contribute to the Eclipse ecosystem through creating Eclipse plug-ins of benefit to the global mobile application developer community.

Eclipse is an open-source community bringing together a number of leading organizations to create the Eclipse Platform. The platform is designed for building applications, integrated development environments (IDEs) and various tools.

”We have received many requests from developers to support open-source initiatives. Eclipse is language independent allowing us to cater for both UIQ 3 and Java Platform, Micro Edition developers. Eclipse has an active community with strong support, and its plug-in architecture makes it possible for companies like Sony Ericsson to extend its use and help further develop and refine it for the benefit of the global developer community,” says Mikael Nerde, Head of Developer Program & Content Planning at Sony Ericsson.

The Eclipse Platform is turned into a Java IDE by adding Java development components and it is turned into a C/C++ IDE by adding C/C++ development components. It becomes both a Java and C/C++ development environment by adding both sets of components.

Sony Ericsson has already released a plug-in providing Eclipse IDE integration for the Sony Ericsson Java CDC Platform 1 supported by the P990 smartphone and M600 messaging device, as well as the Eclipse Device Explorer Plug-in which allows developers to remotely control the Java Application Manager on Sony Ericsson mass-market phones from within any Eclipse based IDE.

“Sony Ericsson is a well-respected player among Java ME and UIQ software developers, and we are looking forward to their contributions to the Eclipse open-source community. Joining the Eclipse Foundation is a significant undertaking for any company and we appreciate the opportunity to work with Sony Ericsson Developer World to extend the features and use of the Eclipse platform,” says Mike Milinkovich, Executive Director of the Eclipse Foundation.

By becoming an Eclipse Add-in Provider Member, Sony Ericsson is joining other industry leaders such as Ericsson, Redhat, SAS, JBoss, Oracle, Palmsource, Compuware, Hitachi and Fujitsu. Eclipse is used by a significant number of developers globally and by providing plug-ins for Java and C++ development, Sony Ericsson aims to facilitate a better development environment for both Java ME and Symbian OS UIQ developers.

Current and future Eclipse tools and plug-ins from Sony Ericsson are announced and made freely available to the global developer community by Sony Ericsson Developer World at www.sonyericsson.com/developer

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, a leading innovator in mobile phone technology and applications, today announces the signing of a four year contract worth over $20 million to become title sponsor of the Sony Ericsson Open, formerly known as the Nasdaq-100 Open. The first Sony Ericsson Open will take place on the Island of Key Biscayne in Miami, Florida in March 2007.

The event will feature players from both the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and the ATP. As part of the agreement, Sony Ericsson will enjoy extensive on-court brand presence, global advertising and promotional rights, top level hospitality and tickets to the championship. Mirroring their commitment to raising the �glamour factor’ of women’s tennis Sony Ericsson will host an annual pre-tournament VIP party in Miami. A new logo identity that reflects the new sponsorship agreement is being unveiled today.

The Sony Ericsson Open is a mandatory tournament on the men’s ATP Masters Series and the women’s Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Played on hard courts, the tournament’s reigning champions are Roger Federer and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Running over 12 days, 96 men and 96 women compete for the $6.9 million equal prize fund. As the leading international professional tennis tournament outside of the four Grand Slams, the tournament attracts more than 270,000 spectators and is broadcast in over 150 countries. The tournament, owned and managed by IMG, was founded in 1985.

Sony Ericsson will use this landmark sponsorship as a platform to further develop its brand profile in the Latin and North American regions. The prominent stature of the tournament and its glamorous location complement the Sony Ericsson brand proposition perfectly.

Sony Ericsson has been the global title sponsor of the Women’s Tennis Association since 2005, and works with the Association to promote the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in over 80 cities during the year. Its involvement has created a natural platform for the convergence of technology, design, music and fashion allowing Sony Ericsson to bring a number of innovations to the women’s game including, live scoring, instant replay, pre-match player interviews, interactive mobile phone content, music acts and the dazzling pre tournament parties.

Dee Dutta, CVP and Head of Marketing for Sony Ericsson explains; “Two years ago, we signed our first ever global sponsorship deal with the WTA. This partnership has proven to be successful in allowing us to grow our brand presence on an international scale. This success encouraged us to expand our involvement in professional tennis and to look at ways in which we could appeal to wider audiences, including those that follow the men’s game. The announcement of the title sponsorship of the Sony Ericsson Open, one of the top five tennis tournaments in the world, is a demonstration of our commitment to these objectives”.

Butch Buchholz, Chairman and Founder of the tournament said: “We are proud to welcome Sony Ericsson as our partner. Sony Ericsson has been an incredible supporter of professional tennis, and it is our intention to exceed their expectations with our event in Miami. I know the people of South Florida and the quarter of a million people that attend the Sony Ericsson Open each March will benefit from the energy and buzz Sony Ericsson will bring to Miami and Key Biscayne. This partnership will take the Sony Ericsson Open to a new level on the international stage.”

Etienne de Villiers, ATP Executive Chairman and President said: “Sony Ericsson has demonstrated its commitment and enthusiasm for tennis through its association with the WTA. We’re delighted that they have chosen to sponsor the combined ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA event in Miami. Their flair and understanding of consumers and entertainment make them perfect partners of the Miami event that has always been at the forefront in showcasing tennis in a new fashion and expanding its reach to fans. For example, Miami was the first tournament to introduce the new electronic line calling system which proved an instant hit with fans.”

Larry Scott CEO of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, said ”Since the signing of our landmark global title sponsorship agreement in 2005, Sony Ericsson has become a fantastic partner of women’s professional tennis and played a pivotal role in both driving the growth of our game and supporting our plans to take women’s tennis to the next level. It is thrilling that Sony Ericsson is today building upon their success in tennis and extending their partnership with us through the titling of their second major event after the Sony Ericsson Championships. The Miami tournament is one of the crown jewels of our sport, and Sony Ericsson’s commitment to continuing to innovate and enhance professional tennis will only make it better.”

George Pyne, President, IMG Sports & Entertainment commented, “Sony Ericsson has added so much to the sport of tennis since becoming the sponsor of the WTA Tour in 2005. We look forward to partnering with them to develop innovative programs and special fan events at this showcase tournament”.

Perfect for the fashion conscious, the new Sony Ericsson K610i is now available in hot evening red from 3 mobile.

The Sony Ericsson K610i has everything a fashionista needs in her phone:

- Take pics with the 2 megapixel camera with up to 4x Digital Zoom
- Video Calling
- MP3 Player with Mega Bass (supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA)
- Music on demand key for instant access to your favourite tracks via 3’s Music Club
- Large screen perfect for viewing 3’s Mobile TV options – including E! Entertainment, MTV, Fox Sports, Sky News, Rage and more
- Video image and sound DJ capabilities to create and personalise media files
- 19MB internal memory
- Expandable Memory
- Stereo Bluetoothв„ў compatible

Where to buy:

Available from 3 shops, authorised dealers.

How much:

Free on the $49 Cap with a $49 minimum monthly spend over 24 months or $449 outright