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NTT DoCoMo, KDDI launch their endless Summer 2010 collections
Surprise: Japanese carriers are announcing literally dozens of phones at once. Okay, look, that's not a surprise at all, but bear with us, because there are a few shining jewels in here amongst the seemingly endless array of WVGA displays and one-seg tuners from NTT DoCoMo and KDDI au, both of whom have announced their Summer 2010 collections of handsets this week. Of note, two of the models from DoCoMo -- the Fujitsu F-06B and Sharp SH-07B are capable of shooting 1080p video, while KDDI's SH008 from Sharp, S003 from Sony Ericsson, and CA005 from Casio all feature sensors of 12 megapixels or larger. Several of the devices can also be used as WiFi hotspots, and Hitachi's trick Beskey for KDDI has interchangeable keypads that change the shape of the keys, not the layout -- a bit superficial, perhaps, but we're all about choice. DoCoMo is also launching a handful of smartphones: the Lynx SH-10B from Sharp (not to be confused with the old Atari handheld of the same name) that features Android atop a 5-inch touchscreen, Toshiba's 4.1-inch T-01B Dynapocket with WinMo, and RIM's plain old BlackBerry Bold 9700. Don't get us wrong, it's still quite a haul, but we can't help but feel that the gap between Japan's wireless scene and the rest of the world is closing fast.
NEC rolls out Windows CE-based N-08B MID / phone for Japan
The chances of this one ever making its way to these shores are about as slim as can be, but it looks like folks in Japan will soon be able to get their hands on NEC's new N-08B, which is part phone and part MID (but mostly MID). Relying on the venerable Windows CE operating system, this one packs a 4.6-inch, 854 x 480 display (non-touchscreen, it seems), along with a full QWERTY keyboard complete with a trackpoint-like pointer, WiFi and 3G connectivity, a micro SD card slot for expansion, a 3.1 megapixel camera, and a promised 350 minutes of talk time when used as a phone. Still no indication of a price, but this one will apparently be available on NTT DoCoMo in August.
