Singtel and Sony Ericsson first in Asia Pacific to introduce PlayNow™ plus, unlimited music download service on new Sony Ericsson W705 Walkman™ phone
Singtel customers will enjoy the ultimate mobile music experience, with free 12-month data bundle, including unlimited data downloads for the first month, best-in-class audio and user experience, with total flexibility in searching for music tracks
Singapore, 23 April 2009 – Singtel and Sony Ericsson today announced the exclusive launch of PlayNow™ plus, an all-you-can-eat music buffet service. Singtel customers will be the first in Asia Pacific to enjoy the freedom to discover, download, play and recommend unlimited music wherever and whenever, directly from the phone.
PlayNow™ plus will set a new standard for an unlimited music experience that is truly mobile. Singtel customers will enjoy the service free for one year. PlayNow™ plus allows customers to download as much music as they want from all major record labels such as Sony BMG, Universal, Warner and EMI alongside top regional labels like HIM, Rock Records and Ocean Butterflies and selected independent labels.
Customers are guaranteed instant satisfaction with the W705 Walkman™with PlayNow™ plus as the sleek slider is pre-loaded with 1,000 best-selling international and regional songs, so their mobile music experience starts right out of the box. Easily activate the PlayNow™ plus service through their phone to get immediate access to millions of songs.
“Today’s consumers crave entertainment-on-the-go. With PlayNow™ plus, we are giving consumers the freedom and flexibility to instantly discover unlimited music download and play all the music they want anytime, anywhere,” said Hirokazu Ishizuka, Corporate Vice President, Head of Asia Pacific, Sony Ericsson
. “On the W705 Walkman™ phonewith PlayNow™ plus available through Singtel, consumers will enjoy the ultimate mobile music experience, with access to unlimited music and the best listening experience possible with the best mobile phone coverage in Singapore.”
Mr Yuen Kuan Moon, Singtel’s Chief of Consumer, said: “As Singtel transforms into a multimedia company, we are constantly looking for innovative ways to bring the best and richest mobile lifestyle and entertainment content to our customers. We are excited to be the first in Asia Pacific to launch PlayNow™ plus with Sony Ericsson on W705 Walkman
TM, as we believe the service will bring our customers’ mobile music experience to a new level.”
Free 12-month data bundle, with unlimited data downloads for the first month from Singtel for music downloads and extraordinary ease of use
For the music lovers who buy a W705 Walkman TM, Singtel is offering them an additional free 12-month data bundle as part of their Singtel Mobile voice plan, without them having to sign up for a new plan. What’s more, customers can enjoy unlimited data downloads for the first month to download as many songs as they like.
With these free data bundles, customers can listen and download music to their heart’s content affordably. The free data bundle of 200MB is equivalent to about 200 songs download every month, and customers do not need to sign up for a new plan.
With the ability to store up to 3,900* songs on the
W705 Walkman™, music is only a click away, through over-the-air data. Singtel’s unrivalled 3G network allows PlayNow™ plus customers to download each song, which uses advanced compression technology, under one minute. They can also download complete music albums directly from their W705 Walkman
TM.
The user-friendly and intuitive service offers extensive Mandarin search capabilities, allowing users to easily search for their favourite Mandarin tracks using HanYu PinYin with matching song titles presented in Chinese characters.
Mr Yuen added: “PlayNow
TM plus delivers music instantly into our customers’ hands with its extensive list of preloaded songs, making it effortless for them to listen to their favourite tracks. More importantly, with every W705 Walkman
TM, we are bundling in 12 months of free data downloads of 200MB per month, including unlimited data downloads for the first month. Together with our unrivalled high-speed 3G mobile network, customers will find it a breeze to enjoy, share and download a wide range of tracks quickly.”
The W705 Walkman
TM also comes in a limited edition colour, Passionate Red, only for Singtel customers.
W705 Walkman™ sets music free!
Best Mobile Audio Experience in Super Clear Sound
Featuring clear audio experience, the
W705 Walkman™ lets you enjoy your new-found music in the highest possible sound quality on a mobile phone, with crisp clear stereo and clear bass through the Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-77. The Sony Ericsson Walkman™ phone music player features including SensMe, Track IDä, Shake Control will make your mobile music experience even more fun.
Additional free data bundle offers total mobility
Customers can enjoy a truly mobile-centric music experience with Singtel’s additional free data bundle, allowing them to download music through their mobile phones, anytime, anywhere. This enables customers to enjoy peace-of-mind when downloading tracks, as the data bundle offers them an affordable way to access music.
Total flexibility with music delivered directly to customers
PlayNow™ plus puts complete flexibility in the hands of the consumer. With PlayNow™ plus, customers do not need to sync their
W705 Walkman™ with their PC in order to side-load music to their phone! Consumers will be spoilt for choice. When downloading music from PlayNow™ plus’s large catalogue, they can select whether to download the tracks to their PC, phone or both. Customers can also choose the preferred audio format for their music tracks, be it fast download format eAAC+ format or CD quality download AAC+ for mobile listening; or high-quality WMA format for PC.
Beyond just music downloads
Customers can participate in the PlayNow™ plus online community and engage fellow music lovers virtually. They can recommend new music and favourite tracks to friends with PlayNow™ plus access. Plus check out music industry charts and music news to discover the latest and greatest in the world of music.
The W705 Walkman™ with PlayNow™ plus from Singtel includes:
- One-year free subscription to PlayNow™ plus
- 12 months additional free data from Singtel
- 1,000 best-selling local and international songs preloaded on the W705 Walkman™
- Award-winning clear audio experience
- Wi-Fi™ and DLNA certified™
- 4GB memory card included for storage up to 3,900 songs*
- TrackID™ integration with PlayNow™ plus, shake control and SensMe™
- Free 90 days of MP3 ringtone subscription and Colour-Me-Tones
The
W705 Walkman™ supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS/HSPA 900/2100. The W705 will be available in Singapore from April 2009 in Luxury Silver.
The W705 Walkman™ with PlayNow™ plus is exclusively available only at Singtelat the following prices:
|
Price Plan
|
Monthly subscription
|
FREE monthly data bundle, with unlimited data for the first month^
|
Price of W705 WalkmanTM
|
|
iOne Plus
|
$25.68
|
200MB
|
$298
|
|
iTwo Value
|
$48.15
|
200MB
|
$198
|
|
iTwo Plus
|
$82.93
|
200MB
|
$ 98
|
|
^ Free data bundle for 12 months
|
|||
The device is available at:
- Singtel’s newest multimedia retail stores, Singtel shop at Jurong Point and Tampines Mall
- All hello! Stores
- Singtel’s online shop, www.singtelshop.com
- All Singtel Exclusive Retailers
For more information on PlayNow
TM plus, please see the PlayNow™ pluswebsite: playnowplus.sg
……………………….
About Singtel
Singtel is Asia's leading communications group with operations and investments worldwide. Committed to bringing the best of global communications to customers in Asia Pacific and beyond, Singtel provides a comprehensive portfolio of services that includes voice and data solutions over fixed, wireless and Internet platforms, as well as infocomm technology and pay TV.
Singtel’s network of 37 offices in 19 countries and territories throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States, enables it to deliver reliable and quality network solutions to its customers. Together with its regional partners, it is Asia’s largest multi-market mobile operator, serving 232 million customers in eight markets.
About Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson is a top, global industry player with sales of around 97 million phones in 2008. Diversity is one of the core strengths of the company, with operations in over 80 countries including manufacturing in China and R&D sites in China, Europe, India, Japan and North America. Sony Ericsson was established as a 50:50 joint venture by Sony and Ericsson in October 2001, with global corporate functions located in London. For more information about Sony Ericsson please visit
www.sonyericsson.com.
About PlayNow™ plus
The ultimate mobile music experience that is truly mobile, in best audio quality and totally flexible
- Music buffet: PlayNow™ plus is a “all-you-can-eat” service offering unlimited music downloads to your mobile phone
- From mainstream to indie: This service offers unlimited access to millions of international and regional music tracks from all major record labels including Sony BMG, Universal, Warner and EMI alongside top regional labels like HIM, Rock Records and Ocean Butterflies and selected independent labels
- Be the first: Singapore is the first market in Asia Pacific to offer PlayNow™ plus on its latest W705 WalkmanTM phone in partnership with Singtel
- Total flexibility: Owners of W705 Walkman™ phone can enjoy PlayNow™ plus at no extra cost for 12 months. Free 12-month data bundle of 200MB and unlimited data downloads for the first month with your mobile plan.
Enjoying PlayNow™ plus on-the-go
- Unrivalled download speeds: One song can be downloaded onto your phone in under one minute*! You can also download complete music albums directly from the phone
- Instant satisfaction: The W705 Walkman™ with PlayNow™ plus will come pre-loaded with 1,000 best-selling international and regional songs, giving you music on your mobile out of the box
- Instant activation: Users get immediate access to millions of songs simply by activating the PlayNow™ plus service through their W705 Walkman™
- No need for wires: With PlayNow™ plus, no side-loading to PC is required to sync music to your phone. When downloading music from PlayNow™ plus, you can select whether to download the tracks to your PC, your phone or both.
Beyond just music
- Award-winning audio quality: With W705 Walkman™ clear audio experience, you can enjoy all your music in the highest possible sound quality on a mobile phone, with crisp clear stereo and clear bass
- Size does matter: PlayNow™ plus gives you the flexibility to choose a preferred audio format when downloading music tracks, be it fast download format eAAC+ format (24 kbps) or CD quality AAC+ format (48 kbps) for mobile listening; or high-quality WMA format (192 kpbs) for PC
- Share the experience: Join the PlayNow™ plus community and recommend new music and favourite tracks to friends with PlayNow™ plus access.
- Experience music differently: Enjoy your new library of music with fun Walkman music player features such SensMe, TrackIDä and Shake Control
*Assumes eAAC+ encoded files
