Background and Identification
Sony Ericsson, now known as Sony, is a leading consumer electronics company. It was founded in the middle of World War II in Tokyo, Japan. The company originated as an electronics shop, but after building Japan’s first tape recorder, it became a serious electronics manufacturer. The company was originally called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo but changed its name to Sony in 1958 to make it easier to market themselves worldwide. The name “Sony” has an interesting backstory. It is a mix of the Latin word “sonus,” which is the root of “sound” and “sonic,” and the word “sonny.” “Sonny” was a slang term that meant young boy in America but in Japan referred to respectable and intelligent young men, which the Sony founders saw themselves as.
While you might hear about smartphones on a daily basis, you probably don’t hear about feature phones nearly as often. Feature phones refer to relics of the pre-smartphone era. However, they are not entirely historical, and many feature phones are still used today. A wide range of feature phones have been produced under the Sony Ericsson name.
The term “feature phone” refers to phones that retain physical buttons and controls as opposed to having a touchscreen interface. Sony Ericsson feature phones have simple user interfaces, unlike the complicated Android or iOS operating systems we see in smartphones. Even though the phrase “feature phone” today has a somewhat negative connotation, “feature phone” used to refer to high-end phones that included features beyond just texting and calling. Oh, how times change.
Sony Ericsson feature phones are a fantastic option for a durable, reliable device that specializes in texting and calling. They are, of course, significantly cheaper than smartphones. Sony Ericsson feature phones also require substantially less power than smartphones, meaning they are perfect for use in power-deserts when phone communication is necessary. Furthermore, Sony Ericsson feature phones lower the stakes of losing or destroying the device, making them a prime option to give to children as their first phone.
Sony Ericsson feature phones are often smaller and thicker than modern smartphones. They have physical buttons with small displays.