We give you Extras
Mobile phone giant Sony Ericsson is in the process of reinvention after seeing its sales and market share plummet over the past few years. It still has some strength in the feature-phone sector, but has made little impact on smartphones so far, something it's hoping the Xperia X10 and its derivatives will address.
Having got that out of the way, Sony Ericsson has turned its focus to the phone accessories division and unleashed the full force of its marketing department onto it, as evidenced by the fact that the big news is a rebrand.
Inspired, presumably, by the Halifax ads, or possibly even the Ricky Gervais TV show, Sony Ericsson's accessories portfolio now comes under the heading of ‘Extras'. And marketing wasn't finished yet, there are four new subcategories within Extras: Talk (headsets), Play (gaming), Listen (speakers and headphones) and Go (cases and chargers).
"As part of our Communication Entertainment strategy we have listened closely to consumers and their needs when developing our handsets and this ethos is no different in our accessories division," said Jacob Sten, head of Sony Ericsson's accessories division. "We want consumers to experience their mobile phone to its highest potential and Sony Ericsson Extras will enable them to find the perfect accessory for their needs."
There are also a couple of new Bluetooth headsets out today. The VH110 is the cheaper and lower-featured, while the VH410 (pictured) has noise cancellation and greater control functionality. They're compatible with any Bluetooth device.