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Sony Ericsson announces The R300 Radio and R306 Radio for emerging markets

24 January 2008 by Olav Hellesų-Knutsen




Sony Ericsson today announced the launch of two new mobile phones, the R300 Radio and R306 Radio. Both phones are designed to have a clear radio look-and-feel

Sony Ericsson R300 Radio and R306 Radio are ideally suited to emerging markets such as India.

"The R300 Radio and R306 Radio allow you to tune-in to your favourite music shows or sports reports, across both AM and FM broadcasts", said Howard Lewis, Vice President and Head of Entry Level Products at Sony Ericsson. "They certainly look and sound the part, offering a radio-inspired design and feature set on a choice of either a candy bar or clamshell phone." 

  • True radio design
    Dedicated radio speakers and preset channel buttons
  • Loud sound
    3D sound enhancement and volume boost for noisy environments
  • AM/FM Frequencies
    Tune-in to your favourite station 
     

True radio design
Both of these new phones are designed to have a clear radio look-and-feel. Sit either phone on its side and let the radio blast out through the dedicated loudspeaker…in stereo in the case of the R306 Radio.

Preset buttons on the front of both the R300 Radio and R306 Radio let you switch easily between your favourite stations. It takes just one click to boost the volume when you want to share music on the radio or the live action from the sports ground.

These two phones really let you get the most from the radio. Set it as your alarm clock or record the final moments of your team’s winning match and play back the commentary again and again. You can even record a clip of a song and use it as your ringtone.

Who sang that song?
TrackID is now a familiar feature on many of Sony Ericsson’s high tier phones. It now comes as standard on both the R300 Radio and R306 Radio, turning listeners into instant music experts! Record a clip of a song from an external source, such as a sound system in a coffee shop or bar, and find out within seconds who sang it, the name of the track and which album it is from. All in just one click.

Play it loud!
With the R300 Radio you can listen-in via the stereo headphones provided or ‘play it loud’ thanks to the high performance speaker integrated into the phone.  Switch on 3D sound enhancement or volume boost with the dedicated Audio Enhancer key on the phone. 

True radio experience
The R306 Radio opens up into a clamshell with two integrated stereo speakers that face the listener. Again featuring the Audio Enhancer key, you can activate volume boost when listening to the radio through the speakers or 3D sound enhancement when you have the stereo headset plugged in, ensuring a first-class radio listening experience even when it is noisy around you. See which station you are tuned-in to on the phone’s external display.

Perfect harmony
Both phones feature Bluetooth technology, allowing you to handle your phone calls handsfree with optional accessories such as the Bluetooth Headset HBH-PV703.

The R300 Radio offers a built-in VGA camera and the R306 Radio boasts a step-up to a 1.3 megapixel camera on-board. So whether you are listening to the radio or not, these two new phones are set to hit the right note.

The R300 Radio will launch in two colours: Antique Copper and Steel Black. It is a GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets from Q2 2008. The R300a Radio is a GSM/GPRS 850/1800/1900 phone, available in the same timeframe.

The R306 Radio will launch in two colours: Coffee Black and Champagne White. It is a GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets from Q3 2008.
The R306a Radio is a GSM/GPRS 850/1800/1900 phone, available in the same timeframe.

R300 Specifications
Networks GSM850/900/1800/1900
Size: 101 x 46 x 12 mm
Weight: 75g
Display: 128 x 160 pixels, 65536 color TFT screen
Camera: VGA (640 x 480 pixels)
Radio: FM radio RDS
Bluetooth, Java, WAP 2.0 XHTML, USB connectivity, TrackID
Talk time: Up to 9 hours
Standby time: Up to 410 hours

R306 Specifications
Networks R306i: GSM 900/1800/1900
Networks R306a: GSM 850/1800/1900
Size: 90 x 48 x 16 mm
Weight: 93g
Display: 128 x 160 pixels, 65536 color TFT*
Memory: 5MB
Camera: 1.3 Megapixel, Video recorder
Bluetooth, Java, WAP 2.0 XHTML, USB connectivity, TrackID, MMS
Talk time: Up to 9 hours
Standby time: Up to 410 hours

Sony Ericsson R300 Radio

Sony Ericsson R306 Radio

Sony Ericsson R306i

Sony Ericsson R300

Sony Ericsson R306



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User comments:

first post!
i just surprised that when i refresh esato actually this news appear..

it's because i just spot it on softpedia and justamp and im surprised to see esato left without the most recent news... unfortunately im wrong..

btw i like the R306 front design.... just imagine if it's walkman... than it should be better.... and one more..., the speaker on R300 and R306... both will have good sound i believe..., and of course, R300, has a 1-inch neodymium speaker if i am correct....

really waiting for the "walkman" version of this model...
GOGOGO Sony Ericsson... :D

skylineR35 on Jan 24 2008

The back-view of the R300 is upside-down. The camera should be at the top of the phone. You can tell by the side volume rocker keys.

MuhummadOli on Jan 24 2008

SonyEricsson is #1 in connectivity !
I thought AM frequancy wouldn't appear on mobile devices , but SE does every thing

but what I'm not sure about , are we still in need for the headset as an "ANTENA" ?

AhmadMousavi on Jan 24 2008

And pics of the R306 opened? We all know clamshells aren't SE's strong suit.

Also, why make separate tri-band models ("i" and "a")? Why not instead make a single quad-band R300 and quad-band R306?

TheDoctor on Jan 24 2008

they have relaunched the R-series... just like the T-series... i sure hope they revive another R310-like phone (tough, rugged phone)

keight00i on Jan 24 2008

Maybe that's the antenna I can see around the ladies wrist ;~))

OzziOwl on Jan 28 2008

Ahh an AM radio that is what I need on my P1 Iam an avid Talksport listener and FM is no good to me at all! Roll on the first SE Smart phone with DAB

Nitrofan on Jan 28 2008

What? Is it a normal radio receiver? I've already got that on my K800i.
And it's got way better camera!
Like the other user said, if it's not DAB it's not worth it. I don't know why they bothered....

Notimpressed on Feb 07 2008

I dont need another cheap FM radios. AM is what I need now. Too bad nobody makes it.

bulleye on Feb 17 2008



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