Sony Ericsson T68i
Encyclopedia
Launched in time for the 2001 Christmas season, the candy bar-style Ericsson T68m was the first mobile phone made by Ericsson
to have a colour screen, a passive LCD-STN with a resolution
of 101×80 and 256 colours. Despite its diminute size (3.94×1.89×0.79 in or 100×48×20 mm, 2.96 oz or 84 g), it was one of the most feature-rich mobile phones at the time, with Bluetooth
, IrDA port
, GPRS 3+1, tri-band compatibility (900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz), SMS
with T9 (predictive text)
, EMS
, WAP
, and customizable monophonic ring tone
s. At its release, the phone cost around €
500, in either two-tone grey or all-gold.
In 2002, after a slight cosmetic redesign and a software upgrade, the T68m was re-released as the Sony Ericsson T68i, as by then Ericsson had merged with Sony Corporation
to produce mobile phones as Sony Ericsson
. The upgrade, also available to owners of the T68, provided a built-in e-mail
client, SyncML
support, and, for the first time ever, two-way MMS
with full SMIL
implementation. The T68i is known for being a highly effective example of stealth marketing. Before being released Sony Ericsson
paid actors to pretend to be tourists and asked people to take pictures of them with the T68i.
A camera was not present, which was sold as an add-on and, at the end of the model life cycle, was offered with the phone.
Calendar Items, Wallpaper Images, Screensaver Images, Pictures of Senders, and Ringtones can be sent to the T68i through the Bluetooth protocol, or infrared.
Ericsson
Ericsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
to have a colour screen, a passive LCD-STN with a resolution
Display resolution
The display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection...
of 101×80 and 256 colours. Despite its diminute size (3.94×1.89×0.79 in or 100×48×20 mm, 2.96 oz or 84 g), it was one of the most feature-rich mobile phones at the time, with Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
, IrDA port
IRDA
IRDA may refer to:* Infrared Data Association, in information and communications technology , a standard for communication between devices over short distances using infrared signals...
, GPRS 3+1, tri-band compatibility (900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 1900 MHz), SMS
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
with T9 (predictive text)
T9 (predictive text)
T9, which stands for Text on 9 keys, is a patented predictive text technology for mobile phones, originally developed by Tegic Communications, now part of Nuance Communications....
, EMS
Enhanced Messaging Service
Enhanced Messaging Service , is a cross-industry collaboration between Samsung, Ericsson, Motorola, Siemens and Alcatel, among others. It is an application-level extension to Short Message Service for cellular phones available on GSM, TDMA and CDMA networks.EMS is an intermediate technology,...
, WAP
Wireless Application Protocol
Wireless Application Protocol is a technical standard for accessing information over a mobile wireless network.A WAP browser is a web browser for mobile devices such as mobile phones that uses the protocol.Before the introduction of WAP, mobile service providers had limited opportunities to offer...
, and customizable monophonic ring tone
Ring tone
A ringtone or ring tone is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming call or text message. Not literally a tone, the term is most often used today to refer to customizable sounds used on mobile phones.-Background:...
s. At its release, the phone cost around €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
500, in either two-tone grey or all-gold.
In 2002, after a slight cosmetic redesign and a software upgrade, the T68m was re-released as the Sony Ericsson T68i, as by then Ericsson had merged with Sony Corporation
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
to produce mobile phones as Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones....
. The upgrade, also available to owners of the T68, provided a built-in e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
client, SyncML
SyncML
SyncML is the former name for a platform-independent information synchronization standard. The project is currently referred to as Open Mobile Alliance Data Synchronization and Device Management...
support, and, for the first time ever, two-way MMS
Multimedia Messaging Service
Multimedia Messaging Service, or MMS, is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from mobile phones. It extends the core SMS capability that allowed exchange of text messages only up to 160 characters in length.The most popular use is to send photographs from...
with full SMIL
Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language
SMIL , the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language, is a W3C recommended XML markup language for describing multimedia presentations. It defines markup for timing, layout, animations, visual transitions, and media embedding, among other things...
implementation. The T68i is known for being a highly effective example of stealth marketing. Before being released Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson to manufacture mobile phones....
paid actors to pretend to be tourists and asked people to take pictures of them with the T68i.
A camera was not present, which was sold as an add-on and, at the end of the model life cycle, was offered with the phone.
Calendar Items, Wallpaper Images, Screensaver Images, Pictures of Senders, and Ringtones can be sent to the T68i through the Bluetooth protocol, or infrared.