MANILA, Philippines - Ditch the dull, bromidic little cell phone. With the 2008 Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova as its face, Sony Ericsson recently unveiled an exciting lineup of new music phones in Melbourne, Australia, during a music fest dubbed ?Escaping to Music.?

The Russian tennis superstar is known for her style, passion and love for music.

?This is about design, technology, content. It?s not just about music; it?s how you experience music,? said Sony Ericsson marketing vice president for Asia Pacific Chris Lee.

First comes the über cool W350i, Sony Ericsson?s slimmest Walkman phone at 10 mm. Sleek and designed with flip cover, you can navigate your music playlist through the simple keys on the phone?s front without ever going through the whole keypad.

The W350i triggers different reactions from people, and is referred to as the matchbox music phone, with the flip cover as the main ?wow? feature. Called Walkman on Top, key mp3 functions are outside the flip cover, including play, pause and scroll so the phone mimics the standard mp3 player.

Store up to 470 tracks or 40 entire albums through the intuitive software Media Manager that allows you to drag and drop music into your cell phone with ease via USB cable. Also equipped with 1.3 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom.

Through TrackID, never be at a loss when a familiar music plays on the radio. Just record a few seconds of the song into your phone?s microphone or tag it from your phone?s built-in radio, and use TrackID to identify it. TrackID provides you with the song title, name of the artist, and album title.

Available in trendy colors, Electric Black, Ice Blue, Hypnotic Black and Graphic White, the W350i has music time of up to 15 hours, seven hours of talk time and 300 hours on standby, and also comes with a 512MB Memory Stick Micro (M2).

Walkman phone

Next is the W760i, Sony Ericsson?s first truly global Walkman phone. Through triband HSDPA, broadband-speed download is enabled, with built-in GPS plus GoogleMaps to help you navigate your way around a new city or locate a secret gig in town. The music phone even comes with a fitness checker called Tracker, a GPS-supported application that records how fast, how long and how far you?ve walked or ran.

It has built-in twin stereo speakers, and loaded with the latest Java games, including Need for Speed ProStreet.

?People are always on the move so it?s important that they can stay in touch and have their entertainment at their fingertips,? Lee said.

The W760i features SenseMe, where music is matched to your mood. Load up to 950 tracks, and navigate your playlist through Shake Control: shuffle and skip through tracks or adjust the volume with a simple shake of the phone.

With 3.2-megapixel camera, auto-rotate features make browsing pictures a breeze as the pictures rotate, depending on how you?re holding the phone. Just twist the phone and the view automatically changes to landscape mode.

Box comes with a 1G Memory Stick Micro M2, with music listening time of up to 20 hours, talk time of up to nine hours, standby time of 400 hours and video calls of up to three hours. Colors come in Rocky Silver, Fancy Red and Intense Black.

Last, but not the least, is the fashion-forward phone Z555i, an evolved clamshell phone with ridiculous good looks through diamond design reflective cover finish. This is not a Walkman phone, but makes a loud fashion statement for those into hooking that first impression.

Top feature is Gesture Control that allows you to mute the phone or switch it to snooze in alarm mode with just the simple wave of your hand back and forth over the phone. When a call gets through and you?re in the middle of a meeting, wave your hands over the phone to mute the sound.

The Z555i also features changing themes to suit the seasons automatically. Hidden display shows you who?s calling without you ever flipping open the clamshell. When in idle mode, however, the display is discreet so the cover design remains clean and elegant.

Colors come in Diamond Black And Dusted Rose, with 1.3-megapixel camera. Talk time is up to eight hours, with standby up to 360 hours.

All phones available in second quarter this year. Anne A. Jambora