Opened: Renovated Mar 2011
The buzz: This store may be located in the heartlands but it’s also the most recent in Southeast Asia to be redone to reflect the new Sony Ericsson experiential retail concept.
The vibe: The store design takes its cue from the phones themselves—there are play, art and entertainment experience zones set up so you can explore the different aspects of each to find one that best suits your user personality. For example, if you can’t decide if you really need a 3D-enabled camera, there’s a terminal complete with propped up 3D glasses for you to view a 3D video taken with the different Sony models on a flat-screen TV. Such lengthy testing of their products will take a long time so we appreciate that the staff don’t press you to make a purchase.
The goods: Predictably, every new (or newish) phone model is on display here, including the Xperia PLAY ($888), which is the only Playstation enabled smartphone in the world. The 3D hologram display, that gives you a preview of the Sony Ericsson catalogue, including cool product features, is a nice touch.
Why you should come here: If you like Sony Ericsson, you’ll have fun trying out their new phone models (quite a few have been launched in the last six months) in such a no-pressure space. If, on the other hand, you’re the Apple-til-I-die type you really should cast aside your prejudices and come check out the competition; but we all know that’s not going to happen.
