Orange first for Sony Ericsson Walkman Phones

Orange customers in the UK can get their hands on Sony Ericsson's much-anticipated Walkman W910i phone first, thanks to a talent show tie-up between the companies.

Sony Ericsson is providing a trio of Walkman mobile models to Orange first as part of its partnership deal. The W660i, W580i and W910i will all debut first on Orange - the 3G HSDPA-enabled W910i sliderphone being the highlight of the line-up. The phones will feature links to the Orange Music Store, offering over the air full track downloads.

Sony Ericsson and Orange have teamed up to launch a search-for-band talent show for Channel 4 - mobileAct Unsigned - to be shown on T4 and 4music. The sponsorship deal, first reported by Tech.co.uk earlier this month, will give users a chance to vote for the best unsigned bands with interactive mobile internet and websites offering track downloads, info and voting options.

In time-honoured reality TV fashion there's a record contract with a major label awaiting the winners.

tech.co.uk