Sony Ericsson today announced two new phones for Practical phoners of all ages. The T290, will be launched in the same region early in 2005, in time for the traditional gift giving of the Chinese New Year, and then be available globally during the first quarter.

The T290's small size, large phonebook, MMS messaging in colour and sturdy styling will also be attractive to the practical phoner segment but appeal more to the young and those looking for a value-for-money phone to support their own private business. The T290 value-for-money packages includes a 32 tones polyphonic ringer with additional speaker, 4K colour screen, an additional speakerphone for conference calls in private or professional use and fast SMS text messaging with predictive text input on a clear and ergonomically designed keypad.

The J200 and T290 will be available in the following versions:

• T290i, Dual-band 900/1800
• T290c, Dual-band 900/1800 for China
• T290a, Dual-band 850/1900 for Americas