Sony Ericsson’s new W580 WALKMAN® phone announced today is the music phone that’s pure street style. This slim slider phone speaks volumes in urban cool while delivering the full-on Walkman® phone music experience. It will store up to 470 full-length tracks, has a 2.0 megapixel camera tucked discretely within the slider itself, plus stacks of gaming, fun sports and entertainment features.

“The W580 Walkman® phone is designed to match your lifestyle, whether you are in the car, at a party or busy at the gym,” explains Steve Walker, Head of Product Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “As well as letting you have your latest music with you at all times, the W580 steps in as your portable photo album and pocket gaming device. It will even serve as your training partner thanks to built-in sports applications that track running speed and distance.”

This latest Walkman® phone pushes the boundaries of urban style. When the slider is closed the design, either in Style White or Urban Grey, is ice-cool, understated. Flick open the slider and the phone becomes a real attention grabber, revealing hot orange colour accents and stunning light effects along the sides.

At only 14mm thin, you wonder where the W580 finds room for all of that music, the camera and the fun applications. But it does, effortlessly, and there is no compromise on the full Walkman® phone experience. As well as storing up to 470 full-length music tracks *, it is incredibly easy to get music from your computer into the phone, since the Disc2Phone music management software and USB cable all come in the box. You can even use TrackID™ to identify music tracks you don’t recognise, regardless of whether they are playing out loud or via the phone’s RDS FM Radio. With all this going on, make sure you take time to notice the light effects on the W580. Navigate to the Walkman® player and they automatically change to a glowing orange colour.

With the W580 Walkman® phone you can even take your favourite tracks to the track. It will count your steps, your calories and monitor your running speed/distance/time. Add to that your best tunes for motivation and whether you’re on a run, in the gym or just out for a stroll, the W580 is the perfect fitness partner.

Urban cool really does meet mobile entertainment with the W580. The 2.0 megapixel camera and fast connectivity make picture blogging and instant messaging second nature. 3D Gaming is fast action too with hit titles preloaded. The slider action also allows for a large 2.0” colour screen, ideal not just for gaming but also web browsing and viewing your camera photos.

As if the W580 did not already scream of street style, you can also add music accessories to your Walkman® phone to make even more of an impression. Two sets of cool, optional speakers – the Portable Speakers MPS-70 and Snap-on Speakers MPS-75 – instantly transform the W580 into the heart and soul of any party. If you want to turn up the volume still further, then the Bluetooth™ Music Receiver MBR-100 lets you play your phone music directly through a home stereo, using your W580 as the remote control to skip through tracks and adjust the volume. So the W580 Walkman® phone looks and sounds stylish, whether you are at a party or just hitting the street.

The W580 Walkman® phone is a 2.5G, Quad Band EDGE device (850/900/1800/1900) and will be available in selected markets from Q3 2007.

* W580 Walkman® phone capable of storing up to 470 tracks in eAAC+ codec.

The W580 Walkman® phone at a glance:

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications serves the global communications market with innovative and feature-rich mobile phones, accessories and PC-cards. Established as a joint venture by Sony and Ericsson in 2001, with global corporate functions located in London, the company employs over 7,500 people worldwide, including R&D sites in Europe, Japan, China and America. Sony Ericsson celebrated the 5th anniversary of the start of the joint venture on 1st October, 2006.

Sony Ericsson is the global title sponsor of the Women's Tennis Association, and works with the Association to promote the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in over 80 cities during the year. The tour culminates at the Sony Ericsson Championships in Madrid, Spain, from 7 to 12 November.

For more information on Sony Ericsson, please visit at www.sonyericsson.com