Sony Ericsson today announced the launch of the Z520, a global phone aimed at the fashion conscious who want the functionality of an up-to-the-minute device in an appealing, stylish design. The Z520's high-tech features are wrapped inside the smooth sleek body of an elegant clamshell, creating a small and inviting handset that fits in the hand as easily as it does in the pocket or bag.

Sony Ericsson Z520a More Photos Read Review View Specs

"The new Z520 is specifically designed for the stylish younger generation, particularly young women, who want to carry an attractive accessory just as much as a mobile communications device," says says Jan Wareby, Corporate Executive, Vice President and Head of Sales and Marketing of Sony Ericsson. "The attractive design is small and neat, and it showcases a great new caller ID feature using a rim of blue lights and can be easily personalized."

The Z520 fits into any fashion scheme, although this Bluetooth-enabled device is a fully featured phone that works all over the world. It comes in a wide choice of colour schemes based on white and silver frames, and additional Style-Up covers in a multitude of patterns allow for ultimate personalization, making the Z520 fit for any occasion.

Designed to support a busy social or working life, the external screen displays the caller's picture if it is associated with their number. An ingenious light effect, which uses blue lights built into the phone's perimeter, lets you know who's calling by flashing one of the eight light patterns, which are paired with melodies. All of these effects are linked to the phonebook contacts.

The VGA camera can take pictures or video clips with the phone open or closed. The camera lens is on the same side as the external screen, which acts as a reference viewfinder, so you can easily frame shots of yourself or with friends. When the phone is open, the 1.8 inch TFT display shows the full resolution pictures. Images can be linked to contacts, shared around locally using infrared or Bluetooth, or sent to friends as an MMS message.

The built-in game, "New York Nights" from Gameloft is an entertaining way to discover the fun of city life. Players can find out how they would fare if they arrived in New York with just a few dollars in their pocket. Downloading more games and ringtones is easy with PlayNow, where users can preview games or pre-listen to ringtones from a frequently updated selection, then just click to download. The phone's 16MB memory can store hundreds of ringtones, pictures or video clips.

Sharing the fun and staying in touch is easy. Users can SMS, instant message, e-mail or send still pictures or video clips by MMS. The simple-to-use Internet browser means that movie schedules, flight times, train times, etc., can be checked and because it's quad-band the phone can be used anywhere in the world.

The Z520 can be accessorised with Bluetooth headsets, car hands-free kits and a hand straps. Style-Up covers are available in Pale Blue, Sandy Grey, Ceramic White, Espresso Brown, Peach, Mint, Pale Yellow and Pale Pink.

Z520 will be available from 3rd quarter 2005 onwards in the Americas, Asia Pacific region, China, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The Z520 will come in the following editions:

Z520i Quad Band GPRS 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz for EMEA, APAC, HK, LAM
Z520a Quad Band GPRS 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz for Americas
Z520c Quad Band GPRS 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz for Mainland China

Z520 - Features at a glance:

Imaging and messaging

QuickShare
VGA camera
4 x digital zoom
1.8" 128 x 160 pixel, 65k colour, TFT main display
1" 101 x 80 pixel, 4k colour, STN sub-display
Video recording
Email, SMS and MMS
Wireless village
Internet browser
8x Caller ID associated Light Effects

Entertainment

Speakerphone
Music Tones
PlayNow
MusicDJ and VideoDJ
Media player (MP3/AAC)
MPEG4 / 3GPP
3D games
Java applications (games)
Video playback and streaming
OMA DRM phase 1
40 polyphonic ringtones
16MB memory

Connectivity

Quad-band 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
USB
PC synchronization
Bluetooth and Infrared
SyncML

- Sony Ericsson Z520a Review
- Sony Ericsson Z520a Specs