OK, we were a little slower on the uptake
with this one, but Philips introduced five new cellphones on Monday, adding to the
our ever-growing list. Unfortunately most of these
are intended exclusively for the European market, but that doesn't mean we can't stare and dream. Read on for a full
roundup with lots of purdy pics:
First out of the bag is the Philips 162, the entry level handset. The 162 packs a 101x80 pixel color display, polyphonic ringtones, and a 300 hour standby 4 hour talk battery into an 82 gram candybar. The 162 should reach European markets by the end of this month according to Philips.
The 760 clamshell joins a 1.3 megapixel camera with a 65k screen that will swivel 180 degrees, thereby turning the
handset into a proper camera. A TV link provides the ability for the phone to automatically begin a slideshow
when it recognizes the television. Software in the 760 allows users to modify their photos with frames, icons,
and text as well. The whole sleek package clocks in at 104 grams.
Appealing to the business user, the Xenium 9@98 forgoes a camera or music playback for something far more
valuable. The 9@98 lays down a massive 4 weeks of standby and 7 hours of talk in an 88 gram candybar.
Though not available until July, the 9@98 (strangest name nomination) will most certainly be popular with those of us
who at times just need to make calls, over and over and over again.
Video is the focus of the 568, and at 87 grams its going to pack some serious ability into our pockets. A VGA
camera and 128x160 pixel display allow for either H263 or MPEG 4 video to be captured quickly and easily. A
dedicated camera button allows fast access to the recording abilities, though 3.2MB of available memory doesnt sound
like a lot of room to work with. The triband 568 is available now, so well hopefully see it imported soon.
Finally, the 655 takes vanity to heights heretofore unreachable. A mirror on the handsets face will allow us to
frame our dirty mugs perfectly, you know, whenever we may want to take more photos of ourselves. 6MB of internal
memory will store around 1,000 Hey look at me! photos that can be sent through MMS or showed through a slideshow
function similar to the 760. The 655 also includes a software mixer for creating up to 64 polyphonic
ringtones. All of this function and a 400 hour standby, 4 hour talk battery in a 85 gram clamshell that hits the
streets of Europe today.