ATLANTA-A new technological concept, branding campaign and line of products kicked off Sony Electronics Wireless Telecommunications Co.’s vision called D-WAVE for Digital Wireless Audio Visual Entertainment, at the Wireless ’98 show here last week.
The company’s goal is to introduce, possibly by 1999, the D-WAVE Cosm communicator, a Code Division Multiple Access phone with the capability to deliver along with voice service, digital photography, Internet access and localized information including traffic reports, movie information, maps and Yellow Pages listings in full-color on a pocketable handset. Sprint Spectrum L.P. has agreed to test a prototype of the device on its nationwide personal communications services network. Sony said the product rollout is dependent on factors including speed at which Interim Standard-99 coverage is provided as well as the availability of Internet access from supporting Internet service providers and the development of localized content.
In the meantime, the company plans to launch in April a multimillion-dollar branding campaign to promote its line of D-WAVE products, which includes an extension of its CDMA line of handsets and its pager line. Plans also include co-branding with carriers, offering rebates on handsets and advertising in trade and mainstream newspapers as well as on television. The CDMA handset market is expected to heat up in 1998, and manufacturers are spending large amounts of money on advertising. Samsung Electronics, for example, is committed to a $10 million campaign in its quest to capture 40 percent of the U.S. CDMA handset market.
The CDMA handset Sony introduced last week is an 800 MHz dual-mode CDMA/Advanced Mobile Phone Service handset called the D-WAVE Zuma. Sony plans to offer a $100 rebate on the phone, bringing the price point to $299, said Dave Whalen, vice president of sales and marketing for Sony. Sony plans to manufacture the handset in the second half of the year. Features include a jog dial navigator, a 99-number alphanumeric phone book, the 10 most recent calling and called numbers and security settings.
Sony’s new pager is a four-line alphanumeric pager, the MP-3000, that features arrow keys, an on-screen virtual keyboard and storage space.
