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Willcom's D4 MID pumps Vista on Intel Atom, into our hearts
Check it out, 'cause you're looking at what must be the world's smallest QWERTY device capable of running Windows Vista Home Premium SP1. At least it will be when it makes its debut in Japan come June. Measuring just 188 x 84 x 25.9mm and 470grams, all that power / battery conservation / smallness of the Willcom D4 (aka, Sharp-built WS016SH) comes courtesy of a 1.3-GHz Atom processor pumping away beneath that sliding / tilting 5-inch, 262k color, LED-backlit 1,024 x 600 touchscreen hiding a 64-key QWERTY keyboard. Inside you'll find 1GB of memory, a 1.8-inch 40GB disk, 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, microSD slot, HD audio codec with mono-speaker, and Opera browser riding atop Japanese PHS (W-SIM) or 802.11b/g WiFi. Hitting Japan for ¥128,600 (about $1,254) -- a lot less with 2 year contract. And with Willcom experimenting with Android, don't be surprised to find this released in an alternate form later in the year or early '09. Engadget Japanese is at the launch event with plenty of hands-on images in the gallery below.Update: Whoa, weird. Our Japanese colleagues are telling us that there's an optional Bluetooth, companion handset for making calls over W-SIM. Gallery updated with new pics.%Gallery-20501%[Via Engadget Japanese]
Sophia Mobile's nani to rock Windows CE 6
It's not too often that we find a fairly well-spec'd all-in-one gizmo humming along on Windows CE 6, but apparently, Sophia Mobile's nani is one such device. According to "official specifications" just released, this PDA phone will also feature a 600MHz processor, 4.3-inch 800 x 400 resolution display, a potent media player that can handle MPEG1/2/3/4, DivX, XviD, WMA, WAV, and OGG formats, an image viewer, GPS, WiFi, a microSD expansion slot, USB connectivity, and support for PHS (W-SIM) in Japan. Moreover, it looks like a lucky soul managed to get a bit of hands-on time with the machine, so be sure and check out a few more angles after the break.[Via PMPToday]
Willcom's "Torch Light" concept handset
Japan's Willcom wants earthquake and tsunami situations not to affect your wireless calls or your emergency lighting. By that, we mean that the "Torch Light" handset can be used as an emergency lighting device (say, if power goes out) and will allow you to place that all-important call if local cell towers and antenna structures are still standing. This concept handset uses a WSIM card to access PHS wireless networks (read: not many), so don't expect it 'round these parts any time soon.[Via Slashphone]
Willcom shows off customizable WP004 handset
If you're getting tired of the mainstream barrage of handsets rolling out on a near-hourly basis, and don't mind sourcing your mobile from Japan, Willcom's got you covered. The highly customizable WP004 aims to please just about everyone, as it starts out as a basic communication device, but allows the customer to add specific peripherals such as a camera, GPS receiver, fingerprint scanner, and even a USB module to sync with your PC. Of course, everyone will get to experience the joy of W-SIM built right in, but picking out your extra goodies is where the real fun is. Per usual, there's no word about pricing on any of this kit, but as accessories always seem to do, we don't imagine the fully-loaded WP004s coming without a premium.[Via Slashphone]
Willcom rolls out a couple new nicos
What's a "nico," you ask? It's a kid-friendly candybar served up by Japan's Willcom, a carrier riding on the short-range PHS network perhaps best known for Sharp's lustworthy W-ZERO3 Pocket PC. So anyway, these rather curious-looking nicos have been kicking around for a while now -- but so far, they've all been white. Boring, eh? A little iPodish, perhaps? No worries: Willcom's now dropped a couple black ones for ya, one with white accents and another with purple. So, you know, if you're using PHS, you live in Japan, and you have children... you know what to do.[Via Engadget Japanese]Read - Black with white accentsRead - Black with purple accents
One-Seg TV Watch
From what we can tell, you'll have to buy some Japanese beer in order to get a chance to win one of these (it seems you can also win some meat), but this One-Seg TV Watch looks to be a prize worth drinking for (but really, what isn't?). In addition to picking up One-Seg terrestrial digital broadcasts, the TV Watch (available in three stylish colors) also doubles as a completely impractical cellphone once you pop in a Willcom W-SIM card. And, yes, the watch is as big as it looks, with its 2.4-inch screen pushing the dimensions to a beefy 2.3 x 3.5 x 0.88-inches, weighing in at just over four ounces. No word if/when these'll be available simply for purchase, or how much they'll set you back -- not that it'd be of much use to anyone outside of Japan, unless you've got a thing for oversized watches (which we obviously do).[Via Engadget Japanese]
