Sprint (NYSE: S) and SANYO announced today the introduction of the Sprint Power Vision(SM) Phone MM-9000 by SANYO. The phone enables customers to enjoy Sprint's next generation of data services, including high quality music, live TV, high-resolution digital imaging, fast Web browsing and On Demand information for news, sports, weather and more, all at broadband-like speeds on the Sprint Power Vision Network.
MM-9000 by SANYO is one of the first phones available from Sprint that enables customers to access the Sprint Music StoreSM, the first mobile music storefront in the United States that allows wireless customers to browse, preview, buy, download and play full-length songs right from the phone. The MM-9000 enables customers to be spontaneous with instant access to hundreds of thousands of songs. Like a portable MP3 player, the Sprint Music Store lets customers sample tracks and organize their music using customized playlists.
"Together with SANYO, we are pleased to be offering Sprint customers a high quality, incredibly robust handset," said Oliver Valente, senior vice president product development for Sprint Nextel. "The MM-9000 by SANYO is compact and feature-rich and is one of the first innovative consumer devices that will provide customers unique services, like the Sprint Music Store and access to more than 30 channels of video and audio, including live TV."
The phone offers a rich multimedia feature set, including a built-in MP3/AAC/AAC+ player, a 1.3 megapixel camera, a removable miniSD memory card and streaming media capability. This robust feature set and the Sprint Power Vision Network combine to allow Sprint customers to watch, listen, play and do at the speed of life ? right from their phone. The MM-9000 by SANYO is available in Sprint Stores and online (www.sprint.com) for $379.99 or $229.99 after rebate.
"SANYO and Sprint have a history of being at the forefront of redefining how customers use their mobile phone and today we are again at the forefront," explained Andy Kodera, senior vice president and general manager of SANYO Fisher Company's Wireless Communications Division. "When the advanced features of the MM-9000 are paired with the Sprint Power Vision Network, customers benefit by being able to do more wirelessly, including being able to download full songs right from their phone, a perfect example of how SANYO 's handset and Sprint's application work together."
When purchasing a music file using the Sprint Music Store, customers receive two versions of the song: one to download and play on the phone and another to download from the Sprint Music Store Web site (www.sprint.com/musicstore) and play on a PC. Using the included 16MB removable miniSD card or an optional (128MB/256MB/512MB/1GB) miniSD card, customers can also transfer unprotected MP3/AAC/AAC+ files from a PC for playback within the Sprint Music Store. While the Sprint Music Store is optimized for the Sprint Power Vision Network, customers with a Sprint Power Vision Phone can continue to enjoy the Sprint Music Store while on the Nationwide Sprint PCS Network.
When within Sprint's Power Vision Network coverage areas, the MM-9000 by SANYO provides customers an accelerated wireless Internet experience, including fast Web browsing, email and company network access, in addition to instant access to the Sprint Music Store and access to more than 30 channels of video and audio, including live TV.
Additionally, the MM-9000 by SANYO supports On Demand, a new service that allows customers to retrieve personalized information using their home ZIP code for localized news, sports, weather, money, movies and more.
The MM-9000 by SANYO also provides customers with a powerful digital imaging experience with its integrated 1.3-megapixel camera, flash, digital zoom and macro setting for capturing close-ups and a video camcorder for catching special moments. The phone supports Sprint PCS Picture MailSM making it easy for customers to instantly share pictures, video, audio and text messages right from the phone direct to other compatible phones or to any email address.
The phone comes packaged with a stereo headset, a 16MB removable miniSD memory card and miniSD to SD adapter and a USB cable for printing photos directly from the phone to any PictBridge-enabled printer. Images can be stored on the miniSD card to expand storage space. With the phone and Sprint PCS Picture Mail, customers can shoot 30-second video clips with the built-in camcorder to be wirelessly shared. With an optional 128MB or larger miniSD card, customers can shoot video clips of 120-minutes or longer.
The miniSD card enhances the many features of the MM-9000 by SANYO by offering a simple, portable way to store high-resolution images, video clips and music files. The files on the card can be easily downloaded to a PC for backup. With the included adapter, the miniSD card can be used to easily exchange data with select SD-compatible devices, such as PocketPCs, digital cameras and other handheld devices.
The Sprint Power Vision Network will deliver wireless data with average download speeds of 400-700 kilobits per second and a peak rate of up to 2.0 Megabits per second. Sprint Power Vision phones and services are expected to be available to an estimated 130 million people nationwide by mid-November and to over 150 million by early 2006.
The MM-9000 is preceded by a number of award-winning mobile phones from SANYO. The MM-7400 was named an Innovations 2005 Design and Engineering Showcase honoree in the Wireless Communications category by the Consumer Electronics Association. The MM-5600 received the prestigious 2005 DIMA (Digital Imaging Marketing Associate) Innovative Digital Product Award, and has been named an Editor's Choice in Laptop Magazine, American Photo Magazine, and PC Magazine.
SANYO phones have also been recognized for providing a high level of customer satisfaction. In 3 out of the 4 years since J.D. Power and Associates began tracking the wireless mobile phone market, SANYO has received a ranking of "Highest in Overall Customer Satisfaction with Wireless Mobile Phones" according to the J.D. Power and Associates' U.S. Wireless Mobile Phone Evaluation Study. This includes the most recent ranking for the 2005 study, which is based on responses from 17,701 U.S. households, surveyed in March, April and June 2005, that have owned their current wireless phone for less than two years.
