The Sony Ericsson 'Xperia Pureness' - that's the first phone to bypass the usual manufacturer-operator partnership for distribution, and hit the retail market straightway when it debuts in the UK in November, well In time for Christmas shopping!

Doing away of the operators for its £530-priced 'see-thru' phone 'Pureness', Sony Ericsson has tied-up with high-end shops, like Selfridges and design museum shops, for the sale of the forthcoming device. Clearly, Sony Ericsson's sales plan for 'Pureness' would be quite similar to Motorola's plan for its high-end 'Aura' handset!

The Xperia Pureness, which is an 'other-end-of-the-scale' device from Sony Ericsson vis-a-vis the earlier offerings - the smartphones Xperia X1 and X2, is essentially a basic 'talk, text and time' phone that is aimed at the adult, affluent mobile users seeking the elementary functions in a mobile phone.

Though not much has been disclosed about 'Pureness,' the key feature of the handset, which has a somewhat 'blocky' design, reportedly is its translucent screen.

Talking about the promotional activities pertaining to the forthcoming 'Xperia Pureness,' Sony Ericsson's Head of Xperia brand, Cathy Davies, said that the new mobile would be promoted by way of installations and events, instead of the conventional advertising campaigns, largely because the device is "an iconic niche product, not mass-market".