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The W-Zero3 is based on a 416 MHz PXA270 processor, and comes with 64 MB of RAM and 128 MB of Flash memory. The 3.7-inch "ASV" (Advanced Super View) LCD displays full-VGA (640 x 480) resolution.


W-Zero3 with keyboard extended
The QWERTY keyboard slides out to the side like the HTC Apache platform recently released in the US as the Sprint PPC6700. The W-Zero3 is somewhat larger than the Apache (5.11 x 2.75 x 1.02 inches vs. 4.25 x 2.32 x 0.93 inches), in order to accomodate its larger 3.7-inch display.

Built-in wireless connectivity includes 802.11b and "PHS" (Personal Handyphone System), a relatively short-range wireless "microcell" system used primarily in Japan. The PHS function is implemented in Willcom's version of the SIM card called W-SIM. Further expansion is available through a miniSD slot.

The W-Zero3 comes standard with Microsoft's full set of Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC applications, including Internet Explorer and Outlook Mobile, Windows Media Player 10.0 Mobile, and Office Mobile. It also includes Picsel's PDF Viewer, as well as a Java platform.

Another unique feature of Willcom's offering is the inclusion of Opera 8.5, which provides small screen rendering technology that adapts Web pages to fit the width of the screen. New features in Opera 8.5 include a 2.5x zoom, a password manager, customizable shortcut keys, and improved image handling, according to Opera. The general release of Opera 8.5 for Pocket PC is scheduled for January 2006.

Summary of specifications

Willcom lists these key features and specifications for the W-Zero3:

• Processor -- Intel PXA270 at 416 MHz
  
• Memory -- 64 MB SDRAM, 128 MB Flash
  
• Display:
  • 3.7 inch mobile ASV (Advanced Super View) LCD with touchscreen
    
  • 640 x 480 (VGA) resolution, 65k colors
• Expansion:
  • miniSD slot
    
  • W-SIM slot -- Willcom extension to SIM card
• Wireless:
  • IEEE 802.11b
    
  • PHS -- implemented on W-SIM card
• Camera -- 1.3 Mpixel, 1280 x 1024 max resolution
  
• Operating system -- Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC, Japanese edition
  
• Application software:
  • Opera Mobile for Pocket PC 8.5
    
  • Outlook
    
  • Office Mobile -- Word, Excel, Powerpoint
    
  • Media Player 10
    
  • Picsel PDF viewer
• Dimensions -- 5.11 x 2.75 x 1.02 inches (130 x 70 x 26 mm), keyboard not extended
  
• Weight -- 220 g, including stylus and battery

The W-Zero3 is "the first handset in the Japanese communications industry to feature the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Japanese Version operating system," Willcom said, in its announcement of the offering.

Sharp did not indicate when -- or even whether -- the W-Zero3 would be offered outside of Japan.

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