Sagem PUMA Phone Goes On Sale
Sagem's PUMA phone has finally gone on sale in Europe, a few months later than expected. Packing a 2.8-inch QVGA capacitive touchscreen, custom Puma-themed UI and an integrated solar panel in the back cover, the PUMA phone is priced at €399 ($487) SIM-free and will be offered on subsidized agreements in Germany, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria, Greece, Romania, Macedonia and Slovenia.
Much of the handset's functionality is pretty much on a par with a regular featurephone: there's a 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash, Bluetooth, VGA front-facing camera for video calls, GPS, a microSD card slot and 3G/UMTS connectivity. However Sagem and Puma have worked together to heavily customize the phone to suit their target audience, including adding in a pedometer and other sports-related functionality, and building a cloud-based store and multimedia center for downloading content and buying Puma-brand goods.
Whether that will be enough to lure in users remains to be seen, though Sagem say they're expecting it to be a relatively niche handset. For more on the PUMA phone, check out our hands-on report.
Press Release:
PUMA Phone Kicks Off With Operators And Retailers Across EuropeNew device from PUMA and Sagem Wireless being unleashed by first operators
Paris, 01 July 2010 – PUMA AG and Sagem Wireless today announced operator and retail partners in eleven European markets as part of the first wave of PUMA Phone launches. The first mobile operators and retailers including the PUMA Phone in their portfolio today will see the device on sale in Germany, UK, Italy, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria, Greece, Romania, Macedonia and Slovenia.
In addition, a first distribution agreement has been inked in the UAE. Reflecting PUMA's long standing commitment to sport in Africa, the PUMA Phone will also be carried by operators in Uganda, Madagascar, Kenya, Mauritius, Cameroon, Botswana, Tunisia and Senegal in a first wave of launches.
First unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2010 and now launching this month into key EMEA markets, the PUMA Phone combines on-board sportslifestyle features and technology with a unique user interface and connected services to create a complete PUMA experience. Targeting 18-30 year old subscribers who lead an active lifestyle, the PUMA Phone is custom designed to reflect the DNA of the PUMA brand.
"Whether it is the Unity Kit at FIFA World Cup 2010 or the groundbreaking yacht design for the Volvo Ocean Race, PUMA is unlike any other sportlifestyle company. The PUMA Phone is consistent with everything PUMA stands for – joy, environmental responsibility and individuality," said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of PUMA. "Using the device to directly connect with the PUMA community through services such as live sports feeds and m-commerce, the PUMA Phone delivers not only a rich PUMA experience, but uses sustainable technology such as integrated solar that is completely consistent with our mission to become the most desirable and sustainable sportlifestyle company."
The PUMA Phone is an active smartphone combining Internet, messaging, and GPS localisation capabilities with solar charging, video calling and Bluetooth photo sharing to create a wearable fashion accessory for the active lifestyle. The PUMA WORLD portal aggregates rich media content services from PUMA into a single intuitive and entertaining mobile user experience where users can interact with multimedia content from puma.com, download PUMA applications, and access PUMA products through m-commerce services.
Thierry Buffenoir, CEO, Sagem Wireless, said: "This step into connected lifestyle devices and services is a strategic move for both PUMA and Sagem Wireless, which is reflected in the quality of our operator partners who are joining with us to deliver the PUMA Phone. The connected services and m-commerce opportunities will enable mobile operators to create and access new channels for reaching niche communities with highly customised products and services that drive data usage."
The PUMA Phone will be available through mobile network operators, select mobile phone retailers and on PUMA online store from June 2010, with additional European and international markets following. The PUMA Phone is available SIM-free for Estimated Retail Price (ERP) of €399, or subsidised by local operators as part of a contract bundle.
Key features of the PUMA Phone include:
Integrated solar cell, with charge indicator (one hour of sunshine provides power for one hour and 30 minutes of MP3 play or enough energy to send about 30 text messages)
Touchscreen: 2.8 inch thumbable screen with 240 x 320 QVGA resolution and TFT wide viewing angle
Camera: 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash and x6 zoom; Bluetooth photo sharing
Video: VGA video call camera; full screen video playback, with video recording and streaming and progressive video download
Music: wide range of music formats with playlist support and FM radio
Memory: microSD 2GB memory card supplied with the phone
Localisation: GPS, compass, geotagging, routing and mapping
Sports: pedometer, GPS tracker and stopwatch
Internet: Open internet browsing, with WAP Push
Messaging: Mobile email client and mobile web mail notification; instant messaging; MMS and SMS
HSPA and W-CDMA/EDGE/GPRS/GSM connectivity; Bluetooth; USB 2.0
Talk time up to 5 hours with 350 hours stand-by time; video call time 140 minutes; music player time 24 hours; video player time 5 hours
Tablet form factor; 115g weight and dimensions of 102mm x 56mm x 13mm
About PUMA
PUMA is one of the world's leading sportlifestyle companies that designs and develops footwear, apparel and accessories. It is committed to working in ways that contribute to the world by supporting Creativity, SAFE Sustainability and Peace, and by staying true to the values of being Fair, Honest, Positive and Creative in decisions made and actions taken. PUMA starts in Sport and ends in Fashion. Its Sport Performance and Lifestyle labels include categories such as Football, Running, Motorsports, Golf and Sailing. The Black label features collaborations with renowned designers such as Alexander McQueen, Mihara Yasuhiro and Sergio Rossi. The PUMA Group owns the brands PUMA, Tretorn and Hussein Chalayan. The company, which was founded in 1948, distributes its products in more than 120 countries, employs more than 9,000 people worldwide and has headquarters in Herzogenaurach/Germany, Boston, London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit: www.puma.com
About Sagem Wireless
Sagem Wireless provides customised connected lifestyle devices and services to leading consumer lifestyle brands and mobile network operators worldwide. Using technology innovation and customer insight as strategic tools in the product design process, Sagem Wireless develops a range of connected lifestyle devices personalised to the specific needs of different customer segments. With industry leading technology partners and its own R&D centres based in Europe and Asia, Sagem Wireless offers pre-requisite manufacturing expertise intrinsic to the product design process that relies on both flexibility and the highest level of quality to assure successful entry into new and existing markets. For more information, visit: www.sagemwireless.com