Posted on April 13, 2006 by Marsha James

Sony Ericsson says that the first quarter has shown major profits. Their popular Walkman music phones are just one of the reasons for the sales that the Swedish based company has made.

The world’s No. 5 handset maker said net profit rose to 109 million euros ($132 million) in the three months ending March 31, up from 32 million euros in the same period in 2005.

Quarterly sales grew 55 percent to 1.99 billion euros ($2.42 billion) from 1.29 billion euros a year earlier.

“With a total of eight Walkman phones now announced or shipping, plus the introduction of new Cyber-shot imaging phones, we are beginning to deliver the differentiation in our product portfolio which Sony Ericsson promised at the start of the joint venture,” aid Miles Flint, president of Sony Ericsson.

The launch of Walkman phones in August 2005 has helped Sony Ericsson tap into the rising demand for music-enabled devices. The company has recently also moved to gain a greater share of fast-growing markets by introducing cheaper handsets in emerging markets.