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Hello Kitty, Snoopy lend their brand equity to the cute clamshell phone cause
In Japan, a certain hallowed distinction has been garnered by all ephemera cute and pretty. So, it goes without saying that this pair of oblong flip phones, with their familiar animated sponsors, should have the Harajuku hordes rushing in with charm straps at the ready. For its particular crack at kawaii, Panasonic's P-06C gets an understated splash of Snoopy cool, visible only through two available built-in themes. The clamshell entry comes with a 3-inch display, 5.1 megapixel camera and retails for about 28,560 yen (or $375). But, let's face it folks, the real stunner of the two is the Softbank-designed model Ms. Kitty-chan adorns. The Antique Berry-shaded 007SH KT packs a 3.4-inch display, 16.1 megapixel camera and Android 2.3 into a 180 degree foldable handset, and can be yours when it goes on sale next month. Be sure to jump past the break for a double dose of this wireless adorability.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini and Mini Pro hands-on (update: video!)
We've just gotten to grips with Sony Ericsson's new compact smartphones, the Xperia Mini and its keyboard-equipped sibling the Xperia Mini Pro, and have a gallery of shots for you below. Hit them up now and we'll have hands-on impressions and video coming shortly. %Gallery-122911% The Xperia Mini has wonderful size when it comes to width and height, but we have to ask: why so thick? The Mini Pro is only slightly thicker despite having a fully-fledged slideout keyboard, so it would have been nice if the keyboard-less Mini was more svelte. Sony Ericsson is clearly going after the pocket- and handbag-conscious demographic here, who might not be all that receptive to the Mini's girth. SE also made some bold claims about the finger-friendliness of the Mini Pro's keyboard, which we were told were backed by usability tests against rival phones. Those trials were isolated to devices "in its size class" (of which there aren't many), but our first response was still very positive, at least once we turned on auto-correct. This will be a matter of personal preference, but we found ourselves enjoying not having to take care of every little slip of the finger. Anyway, settings adjusted appropriately, we bashed away on the Mini Pro rather speedily and would rate it right up there with the BlackBerry Bold 9700 in terms of our typing rapidity. Browser rendering has its flaws, there's a stuttery quality to zooming in and out of a page, but at least it's done quickly and Flash playback seems to work without a hitch. Update: Hands-on video now embedded after the break! Additional reporting by Sharif Sakr %Gallery-122901%
Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 starts shipping its outdated self around the world
We're not going to make any apologies. So long as Sony Ericsson continues to pretend like Android 2.x doesn't exist and keeps kicking out new devices running Android 1.6, we'll keep docking it points like the meanest of Russian judges. The 3-inch X8 is set to be Sony Ericsson's most affordable Android handset -- we were told it'll cost south of $300 unlocked -- to date, but then you get your money's worth with a 600MHz processing core and a 3.2 megapixel fixed focus camera. Oh, even better news is that the X8 will get updated to Android 2.1 "a little later" than SE's X10 line. If you want to avoid all this Android upgrade drama (and save a few more pennies), Sony Ericsson is also starting to ship out its no-frills Cedar candybar as well -- perfect if you just want your phone to act like a phone and little more.
MyRacer's Q10 is the PMP with a funky little dial
Functionally, MyRacer has yet to really knock our socks off. But, its lineup of PMPs has always featured some lovely design cues, and the Q10 is perhaps the nicest yet. It has some subtly '70s styling and that cheeky volume knob with an illuminated red surround that would probably result in you getting an earful whenever sliding it into a back pocket. As you'd expect it has all the major audio and video formats covered (including DivX, Xvid, MP3, AAC, and WMA) and also includes an FM tuner, transmitter, and a voice recorder. There's 8GB of storage behind the 3-inch, 400 x 240 touchscreen and a microSD slot for expansion. No word on price, but we're unlikely to see this one Stateside anyway, so enjoy these fine pictures and see if you can spot the snail. %Gallery-75409%[Via PMP Today]
Video: LG GD510 touchscreen 'Pop' is heavy on hype, light on specs
Gotta hand it to LG, it pulled out the big hitting hyperbole with the launch of its otherwise simplistic GD510 touchscreen phone. LG begins with a reminder that it launched "the world's first full touchscreen phone" -- the Prada -- back in January 2007. A claim that Ericsson, Nokia, and others would rightfully dispute. LG then calls the brushed-aluminum GD510, or "Pop," the "most compact 3-inch full touchscreen phone ever made," while boasting of its simplicity. That latter claim is achieved by removing "unnecessary features" that apparently include burdensome WiFi and 3G radios since modern consumers want to browse the internet over GPRS/EDGE. Spec-wise, you get a WQVGA (note the "Q") display, 3 megapixel camera, 8GB of internal memory, and a single home key that glows green to call or red to hang-up / cancel. They've also ditched the S-Class UI in favor of something that's presumably less convoluted. There's even an optional solar-panel battery cover which we hear is the number one requested feature on touchscreen phones... right. It does look pretty though, which is saying a lot for a phone packing a solar panel. Hitting Europe in mid October and the US at the end of October if the Bluetooth SIG entry is to be believed. Video promo after the break.%Gallery-74326%Read -- Bluetooth SIG Read -- LG press release
Sony T90 point-and-shoot gets reviewed, liked
In an already overpopulated compact camera market, the Cyber-shot T90 solicits attention with a 16:9 touch-screen LCD and a sliding lens shield. The lads over at PC Mag grabbed one of these Sony shooters for an in-depth prodding and poking session to determine whether the external appeal of the camera is backed up by solid technology under the hood. Praise was meted out for image sharpness and 720p video recording, though battery life was found disappointing. For their full impressions, test results and an exhaustive spec sheet, hit the read link.
Casio's EXILIM EX-Z150 makes the 3-inch LCD ordinary
It wasn't too long ago that you'd find a 3-inch LCD only on the backside of flagship, point-and-shoot cameras. Casio's new EX-Z150 features that biggie LCD plus CCD-shift image stabilization, a 28-mm wide angle lens, 4x optical zoom, an 8.1 megapixel 1/2.5-inch CCD, and face detection all from a camera that sits somewhere well south of the top of the EXILIM Zoom-series. And since this is the age of self-immolation by video humiliation, the EX-Z150 also features a YouTube capture mode -- branded marketing-speak for saying that it shoots 640 x 480 at 30fps for up to 10 minutes at a time. All this in a slim, 20.1-mm package tapering down to 18.9-mm. No date, price, or availability announced yet but we expect to hear more shortly. [Via Fareastgizmos]
Philips working on a 3-inch touchscreen Xenium X-Connect?
A couple things you should know about this purported Philips Xenium X-Connect before churning your gadget juices through the emotional Osterizer. First, it's clearly a product rendering. Second, Philips Xenium cellphones are primarily found in Asia Pacific region -- as such, a European or North American launch is likely out of the question. If the X-Connect is the real-deal, however, here's what we'll be missing: Windows Mobile 6, 3G UMTS/HSDPA radios, GPS receiver, AA/AAA battery backup, microSD slot, and Bluetooth 2.0 all powered by a 624MHz Intel processor beneath a 3.0-inch (presumably touchscreen) display. Still, as a broadly positioned "communication device," maybe we'll see Philips reach out to different geographies this time around.Update: Oh snap, this thing sure looks like the Xenium 800.[Via ToTouch, Thanks Giovanni]
Kodak's 8-mm thin KTEL-30W 3-inch AMOLED TV
If you're fortunate enough to be living in Japan then this new Kodak ELiTe Vision KTEL-30W AMOLED TV can be yours sometime later this month. Measuring just 8-mm thick, this 3-inch 1Seg TV features a mono speaker, headphone jack (naturally), and a lithium polymer battery good for about 3.5 hours of continuous TV playback. Thing is, It'll cost you about ¥29,800 or about $287 for functionality already integrated into many Japanese phones.%Gallery-17809%[Via Impress]
