Sony Ericsson lifted by strong sales of the W995

Sony Ericsson has been boosted by strong sales of the W995 as it prepares to unveil an Xperia-branded Android handset.

Retail sources have informed Mobile that the W995 has been �flying off the shelves� in its first month of release, after Sony Ericsson gave the device a �5m marketing push.

Sony Ericsson has been counting the costs of the W905�s software problems and the X1 Xperia�s underperformance, but the manufacturer looks set for a better second half of the year.

Sony Ericsson�s marketing manager, Dave Hilton, told Mobile: �We are very pleased with the way the W995 has sold, it proves there is still a strong market for people who don�t want a touchscreen, and that there is still an appetite from slider phones.�

The W995�s success looks to be followed up by an Xperia-branded Google Android phone, after a video of the device, codenamed �Rachael�, was leaked onto the internet.

'Rachael� is anticipated to have the highest screen resolution ever to be found on a mobile, and will offer an eight megapixel camera, wi-fi, GPS, 3G and HSDPA all on board. The screen size is large at four inches.

In addition to �Rachael�, Sony Ericsson is expected to release at least one Google Android handset in the UK before the end of the year, and will also release several new handsets under the �Xperia� sub-brand.

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