| Windows Mobile 6.1 phone boasts switchable keyboard |
May 28, 2008
 Willcom has announced a Windows Mobile 6.1 based phone with an illuminated keypad that doubles as a directional controller. The Willcom 03 features a 800 x 480 display, TV tuner, Bluetooth, WiFi, a two-megapixel camera, and a slide-out keyboard.
(Click here for a larger view of the Willcom 03)
Apparently available in lime, gold, and pink colors -- with a Windows Mobile installation adjusted to match -- the Sharp-manufactured Willcom 03 packs more pixels than the vast majority of phones. In addition to a two megapixel autofocus camera, it has a three-inch WVGA screen, with 800 x 480 resolution.
Willcom's 03 has a sliding QWERTY keyboard
 The device has a sliding QWERTY keyboard, as seen above. More unusual, however, it includes an illuminated directional controller below its screen that can, at the flick of a switch on the phone's right side, be turned into a numeric keypad (right). Operable by finger or stylus, it provides no tactile feedback, but reacts to let a user know when a button has been "pressed," the company says.
The Willcom 03 is designed to use Willcom's Personal Handyphone System (PHS) network in Japan, and apparently is not compatible with any other cellular networks. However, it also includes Bluetooth and 802.11b/g wireless networking, along with the Opera Mobile 9.5 Web browser. The browser is said to display an entire web page on the device's screeen, and to allow panning around it by dragging with the stylus.
 The phone includes an extending whip antenna and a "1seg" tuner, so-called because it uses the one segment of Japan's ISDB-T (integrated services digital broadcasting-terrestrial) broadcasts that is reserved for mobile devices. The device can display TV in landscape mode, where broadcasts occupy the display's whole area, or -- at the touch of another button on the right side of the phone -- in a portrait mode (right) where broadcasts are supplemented with captions and other information.
The Willcom 03 includes a 520MHz Marvell PXA270 processor, 128MB of RAM, and 256MB of flash storage. A microSD slot is provided as a means of adding storage.
Features and specifications cited by Sharp and Willcom for the Willcom 03 include:- Marvell PXA270 processor clocked at 520MHz
- Memory -- 128MB of RAM and 256MB of flash
- Display -- 3-inch display with 800 x 480 resolution
- Keys -- slide-out QWERTY keyboard, plus switchable, virtual numeric keyboard and directional controllers
- Wireless interfaces:
- WAN -- PHS network only
- WLAN -- 802.11b/g wireless
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
- TV -- "1seg" receiver
- Other I/O:
- Expansion -- microSD
- Dimensions -- 4.6 x 2 x 0.7 inches (116 x 50 x 17.9mm)
- Weight -- 4.8 ounces (135g)
- Battery life:
- 6 hours talk time
- 420 hours standby
According to Willcom, the Willcom 03 will be available in Japan in June. Pricing was not cited.
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