If for some reason we lived in a world without highly-configurable, QWERTY-fied smartphones, our next choice on the cellphone tip would be a feature-packed multimedia handset, and Pantech has delivered just that with its new IM-U140. The most prominent feature of this new model is its Sidekick-like form factor, although the U140 eschews the swivel screen for one that slides up to a 30-degree angle at the touch of a button -- all the better to watch programs from its integrated satellite DMB receiver (complete with TV-OUT). At 2.6-inches wide and 262,000 colors, the QVGA touchscreen is no slouch, either, and even throws in a vibrating function so you know that your every command has been acknowledged and received. Other goodies here include a three megapixel camera (a nice bump over the two megapixel shooters found on the
IM-R100 and
IM U-MU110), PictBridge support for PC-less printing, MP3 playback enhanced by four-channel stereo speakers and an FM transmitter, plus that popular Korean add-on, the electronic dictionary. Curiously absent from the spec sheet are any mention of Bluetooth or memory card support, but with the music and imaging functions, we imagine that there's at least a microSD slot tucked away in there somewhere. Expect the U140 to land in Korea sometime this month, although the presumably hefty pricetag has yet to be announced. To get the full overview of what you'd be stuffing in your pocket everyday, keep on readin' to peep this rather chunky number from the side...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
seb @ Sep 6th 2006 1:21PM
looks like a sidekick rip off.....
Michael @ Sep 6th 2006 3:02PM
Where's the QWERTY keyboard? Something this size should have one!
xumdeo @ Sep 6th 2006 7:36PM
this phone is made by SKY, not pantech.
seb: phones with this formfactor has come out before the first sidekicks were avaliable, sidekicks ARE ripoffs
Secret Squirrel @ Sep 6th 2006 10:41PM
Name a phone the sidekick has ripped off...
HaMMeReD @ Sep 7th 2006 3:29AM
Yeah, it's really ripping off the sidekick and it's motorized faceplate and satellite receiver, damn those unoriginal asians, when will they stop copying our superior american technology?
Dan @ Sep 7th 2006 10:03AM
You're just jealous... :D
Sidekick OG @ Sep 7th 2006 10:43AM
Talk about ripping off someone’s design! What happened to originality?
Tim @ Sep 7th 2006 11:44AM
You guys are completely missing the point of this device:
"all the better to watch programs from its integrated satellite DMB receiver (complete with TV-OUT)"
Pantech makes FTA Satellite recievers. Like many Korean DVD players that are very easy to swap Regions, Korean Satellite Recievers make it very easy for their customers to hack for recieving encrypted streams... a la Dish Networks and Bell ExpressVue.
This isn't to be dismissed as a "SideKick Knock-Off", this is how you're going to be pirating satalite signals on the go, next year.
14124 @ Sep 9th 2006 11:27PM
-Hammered
u must be real ignorant to say that. where did samsung LG come from? and there are mcuh better phones in asia that the US should at least copy if not bring over.