Remember how back at Mobile World Congress, Telstra and Microsoft made a big announcement that they were coming up with a new UI? Well they launched it yesterday – it’s called TelstraOne Experience, and it’s not just for Windows Mobile phones.The UI, which is both customisable and takes advantage of Telstra’s growing multimedia footprint, will be available on two handsets later this month: The MOTOSURF A3100 from Motorola, a touchscreen handset running Windows Mobile 6.1; and the Sony Ericsson W705 – a slider handset running a Java based OS.
Telstra were keen to impress that these handsets were just the first of many to carry the new UI, which from early impressions actually does add a pleasant level of customisation to each of the handsets. As time goes on, Telstra promise to offer ongoing improvements to the TelstraOne Experience in the shape of new applications and widgets.
One of the most appealing things about the whole setup though is that the handsets on offer both seem well made and cheap. Sure, you have to settle for WM6.1 on the Moto, but considering it’s a touchscreen smartphone on a $60 plan, that’s not too bad. The Sony Ericsson is even cheaper, available on a $40 plan over 24 months.
We’ll have a closer look at the UI and post impressions over the next few days…
Telstra revolutionises access to mobile services
Telstra today announced the introduction of an innovative new mobile user interface – TelstraOne Experience, giving customers one-click access to the applications and services they regularly use on their mobile phone.
Ms Glenice Maclellan, Executive Director, Telstra Consumer, said TelstraOne Experience gives customers the ability to fully customise their mobile phone interface to meet their individual requirements.
“Customised icons take customers directly to the most popular applications and services like phonebook and calendar and social networking and search. Everything customers want on their mobile is now closer than ever and accessible in more places on Telstra’s Next G™ network.
“TelstraOne Experience delivers on our one-click vision, giving customers greater control over the services they want to use on their mobile phone. This means fast, easy access to advanced mobile content and applications including Facebook, Mobile FOXTEL from Telstra and Sensis® search services,” Ms Maclellan said.
TelstraOne Experience will initially be available on two mobile handsets, the MOTOSURF™ A3100 and the Sony Ericsson W705. Further releases will follow in coming months.
Mr Ross Fielding, Executive Director, Telstra Product Management, said TelstraOne Experience is unique in that going forward, it will be able to be customised to suit traditional form factor handsets or touch screens and can be deployed across platforms, including Windows Mobile® and Sony Ericsson’s proprietary OS with the ability to roll it out to other platforms in future.
“Working with our partners, we have developed this unique user interface to operate at launch on the MOTOSURF A3100 – a new Windows Mobile® touch-screen handset – and on the Sony Ericsson W705, Telstra’s latest Blue Tick rated handset.
“We know mobile users want a navigation experience that is intuitive and allows them to get to their favourite features quickly without having to hunt through endless submenus. With TelstraOne Experience, it won’t matter what handset the customer uses, the experience will be similar and customisable to the customer’s individual requirements.
“And in the future when customers upgrade, they will be able to take the menu configurations they love with them by choosing a new TelstraOne Experience handset,” Mr Fielding said.
The Windows Mobile® user interface was developed in Australia by Victorian-based company, Pointui. This will be rolled out to other Microsoft Windows Mobile® devices.
The user interface featured on the Sony Ericsson W705 was developed in Australia by technology company, SurfKitchen in conjunction with Sony Ericsson, and will feature on a selection of new devices in coming months.
“With the launch of TelstraOne Experience, Telstra continues to build on its transformation by delivering truly differentiated and integrated products and services that are simple, easy to use and valued by our customers,” Mr Fielding said.
About the Sony Ericsson W705*
The Sony Ericsson W705 is a slick slider handset which combines advanced wireless connectivity with clear audio. It has a 2.4″ LCD screen, a 3.2MP camera with autofocus, video calling, a 4GB M2 memory card for storage, motion controlled 3D gaming and much more.The Sony Ericsson W705 makes the ideal music companion with an in-built Walkman® and FM radio. Users can customise their playlists and its shake control feature lets them easily jump to and skip between tracks and adjust the volume.
The Sony Ericsson W705 will appeal to customers looking to combine their phone and MP3 player in a single device. It is available exclusively to Telstra Next G™ customers in the Midnight Silver colour variant.
The Sony Ericsson W705 has the added advantage of being Blue Tick rated, meaning it is recommended for handheld use in metro, rural and regional areas on Telstra’s Next G™ network.
The Sony Ericsson W705 has a RRP of $619 and will be available on a $40 plan over 24 months from Telstra Shops and dealers from 19 May.
About the MOTOSURF™ A3100*
The much anticipated MOTOSURF™ A3100 is a stylish touch screen device which combines the power of a Windows Mobile® operating system with the coverage of Telstra’s super fast Next G™ network.The Motorola A3100 is fully HSDPA enabled with a device peak downlink speed rating of 7.2Mbps with typical customer download speeds of 550 kbps to 3 Mbps*, ideal for downloading large files, or watching video. It has been designed to help customers manage their work and social lives on a single device by easily switching between documents, social networking and entertainment.
The single touch of a finger, embedded stylus or omni-direction trackball takes customers from their fully customised home screen to their favourite applications and services. It has a 2.8″ display, a 3MP camera with autofocus and is Wi-Fi enabled.
The MOTOSURF A3100 runs on Windows Mobile™ 6.1 Professional and allows customers to customise their home screen, reducing the number of steps to use applications. It has a RRP of $829 and will be available on a $60 plan over 24 months from Telstra Shops and dealers from 11 May.
[Telstra]