Escape to a new world

Sony Ericsson (SE) recently took a group of journalists on an Aus-some escape to Melbourne, blending music, fashion and sports –– reflecting the versatility of its latest Walkman phones.

The Melbourne Music Escape was born out of Sony Ericsson’s desire to give people fresh and differentiating experiences, be it in music, design, phones or even tennis.

“Our vision was to provide connected individuals with innovative ways to live their lives,” says Chris Lee, Sony Ericsson’s vice president of marketing, Asia Pacific.

It was summer in Melbourne, and the height of the Australian Open, which Sony Ericsson’s brand ambassador Maria Sharapova eventually won.

“We are starting this year with two great new Walkman phones. But we’re innovating not just in terms of technology in the phones, but also continually working to bring the experience present in our products to the courts with events like Night Tennis,” adds Lee.

Flip It! at Chapel Street, inspired by W350i

To introduce the W350i, executives led by SE Philippines marketing manager Patrick Larraga took us on a shopping spree at one of Melbourne’s trendiest shopping, dining and entertainment districts, Chapel Street. Filled with leading retail stores to exclusive boutiques by Melbourne designers, it’s a shopper’s paradise. We were divided into two groups and challenged to purchase items that reflected the W350i, which is a flip phone that allows you to control your music at your fingertips. It’s a 10mm-slim Walkman phone that offers a winning combination of ease of use, style and convenience.

Flaunt It! with TV Rock and W760i

SE also arranged a behind-the-scenes meet-up with TV Rock. TV Rock is one of the hottest dance production outfits in Australia right now. A collaboration between high-profile DJ/Producers Grant Smilie and Ivan Gough, TV Rock has since garnered numerous Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) awards and accolades while rocking dance floors around the world. They love the W760i immensely for the stereo speakers and its cutting-edge gaming. Its HSDPA enables broadband speed downloads of the latest music and content wherever in the world it is used.

Looking for a gig or a new club? The W760i’s built-in GPS with Wayfinder navigator lets you search over 20 million points of interest around the globe and talks you to your destination every turn of the way.

Dine in style

Believing that great food sparks great ideas and conversation, the SE team took us to a scrumptious feast at Circa, which was located along the trendy and bustling streets of St Kilda, Melbourne’s popular beach district. Chef Andrew McConnell’s sweet and savory creations were unforgettable, as was the wine. The combination was complete with the preview of the W350i, W760i and Z555i.

The Z555i is my personal favorite. It’s an elegant black clamshell phone. It has an innovative diamond design, intended to make one big style statement. It comes in two colors, Diamond Black and Dusted Rose.

“The Z555i is designed to reflect your look and attract attention,” says Lee. “We’ve created it for people who are looking for a beautifully designed phone that reflects their personal style and does not compromise on features or performance.”

Night Tennis

A revolutionary concept developed by Sony Ericsson in conjunction with its global sponsorship of the WTA tour, Night Tennis at the Docklands combined tennis and electronic culture, using an innovative concept of combining an “ultra-violet” tennis tournament and music by the world’s best DJ acts — all in the dark.

This was the first time Night Tennis took place in Australia and Asia Pacific, and it was a heart-thumping, surreal experience that made me feel I was one of the characters of a video game!

The party kicked off at 10 p.m. with two hours of head-to-head UV tennis action. The round robin style tournament saw Wayne Arthurs and Pat Cash battle it out in the final, with Wayne taking out the Night Tennis title. After the winner was announced, the party continued as the net was taken away and the UV court became a dance floor for the 1,500 invited guests who partied the night away.

The music line-up included France’s legendary DJ Bob Sinclair and also featured DJs from Sublime, with a reputation of being Australia’s no. 1 club night, including TV Rock and international ultra-energetic DJ duo The Potbelleez.

The Melbourne Music Escape was as multi-faceted, trendy and cutting-edge as the phones whose features were truly music to our ears.