| Tri-fold phone can be worn on wrist |
Nov. 20, 2008
 Scottish firm Medical Phone Ltd. announced an unusual Windows Mobile phone that unfolds into three sections. Sporting a touchscreen, QWERTY keyboard, and secondary keypad for gaming, the "Icephone" has quad-band GSM connectivity, Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and a 3.1 megapixel camera, says Medical Phone.
(Click here for a larger view of the Icephone)
The military Icephone will include a wrist mount
(Click image to enlarge) |
According to the company, the Icephone was originally designed with the military and emergency responders in mind. A military version, pictured at right, will include first aid software, a wrist mount with a USB 2.0 host port, and a USB dog tag intended to carry soliders' medical records.
The Icephone comes in a choice of colors
But, as the color schemes in the montage above suggest, the Icephone is now being aimed at civilians too. Calling the device a "micro-notebook," Medical Phone touts the phone as setting a "new industry standard in convergency technology."
 The key to the Icephone is two sets of hinges, each of which folds two ways. The device can be folded up so that both of its keyboards are hidden (right), in which case the Icephone operates like a normal Windows Mobile Professional touschscreen device. It has a three-inch display with 400 x 230 resolution, Medical Phone says.
The Icephone can also be unfolded, revealing a full QWERTY keyboard that also includes a miniature trackpad and a "panic button" that can be programmed to summon emergency assistance. Medical Phone claims that unlike the keyboards on most phones, this one can be typed on with fingers instead of just "thumbed."
Finally, the third panel offers large versions of frequently used keys such as the space bar, Home, End, PgUp, PgDn, Enter, and others. According to the company, this panel may be deployed face up, or it may be folded around and operated by feel, a mode in which it's best-suited for gaming applications.
In every case, the device's on-board accelerometer ensures that the Icephone's display appears in the proper orientation, adds Medical Phone. A 3.1 megapixel camera is said to be usable for both videoconferencing and photo-taking.
According to Medical Phone, the Icephone includes 2G connectivity via quad-band (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM, and 3G via 2100MHz UMTS. Rated as capable of 7.2Mbps HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) data mode, the device also includes 802.11b/g wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.0.
The Icephone is powered by a 532MHz Freescale i.MX31 processor, and has 128MB of RAM, 256MB of flash storage, plus a GPS receiver based on an undisclosed chipset. Sporting dual SIM slots -- still fairly unusual -- it also accepts microSD cards.
Features and specifications listed by Medical Phone for the Icephone include:- Processor -- Freescale i.MX31 clocked at 532MHz
- Memory -- 128MB of RAM and 256MB of flash
- Display -- 3-inch touchscreen display with 400 x 240 resolution
- Camera -- 3.1 megapixel, with autofocus and LED flash
- Keys -- Primary QWERTY keyboard with trackpad; secondary keypad with commonly used keys and gaming controls
- Wireless:
- WAN -- Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM, and 2100MHz UMTS
- WLAN -- 802.11b/g
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
- GPS
- Other I/O -- USB 2.0 (device port on phone; host port via wrist mount)
- Battery type/life:
- 1250mAh lithium-ion battery
- Up to five hours talk time
- Up to three days standby
- Dimensions -- 5 x 2.4 x 0.9 inches (127 x 60.8 x 23.3mm)
- Weight -- 7.4 ounces (210g)
Medical Phone says the Icephone currently sells for approximately $1,000, and will first be available in Thailand. It will be available in other markets, such as the U.K., by the second quarter of next year, the company adds.
Further information may appear on the company's website, here. A video of the phone in operation, along with additional photos, can be found on the Unwired View website, here.
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