Sony Ericsson launches new mobile entertainment service

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Cell phone maker Sony Ericsson launched a new service Wednesday where hand phone users in the Asia Pacific region can download the latest movies, TV series, games and music from its retail stores.

PlayNow Kiosk is limited to Sony Ericsson hand phone users and is part of the firm’s efforts to differentiate itself amid tougher competition due to the global economic slump, company officials and analysts said.

During the first phase of the launch, the service will be available at more than 80 Sony Ericsson stores in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, the company said in a statement.

The stores will feature a station where customers can plug in their phones, browse and download the latest movies within just three to four minutes for a fee.

Popular television series, games, ringtones and music, including more than 1,800 albums and 23,000 individual tracks, are also available.

With the economic crisis, “the competition is getting tougher so therefore we need to differentiate ourselves from our competitors,” said Hirokazu Ishizuka, corporate vice president and head of Asia Pacific region at Sony Ericsson.

“This is the solution, we will provide a mobile entertainment experience which nobody can do,” he said.

As of the third quarter last year, Sony Ericsson was in third place behind Nokia and Samsung in terms of market share in the Asia Pacific region outside Japan, said Aloysius Choong, research manager at market intelligence firm IDC.

He said PlayNow Kiosk is expected to “create an opportunity for impulse buys and instant gratification” as the service is available in strategic places such as train stations.

“The overarching story here is that the various device makers… are looking for ways to go beyond selling just devices into generating revenues from selling multi-media content and services,” Choong said.

The content however must be broadened to include local content for movies and television shows, he said.