Remember the
"X" Japan's Willcom teased us with a few weeks back? Other than offering that it'd be an ultra-thin Windows Mobile 6 device, the carrier offered virtually no info -- and with all due respect, the teaser site was a little heavy on tease and light on details. Thanks to a Microsoft press conference on the other side of the Pacific, though, the cover's now been blown a full day before the official announcement. If the picture is legit, we're fully prepared to take the existing
W-ZERO3 off our lust list, and the visual is just the beginning -- the Sharp-sourced device's guts offer up Windows Mobile 6 Classic (as opposed to Professional; kinda strange, but whatevs), three inches of wide VGA glory, 256MB of onboard Flash, 128MB of RAM, and a 520MHz core in a 17.8mm shell. Seeing how Willcom uses PHS for its airwaves, this one doesn't stand a chance of working anywhere else in the world, so pick you jaw up off the floor and keep staring from afar.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Martin @ Jun 6th 2007 11:20AM
Doesn't the Classic in Windows Mobile 6 Classic mean that it won't have any cellular connectivity? If so, this is:
1) Kind of a bummer.
2) Not really relevant on this mobile blog, I guess...
Chris Ziegler @ Jun 6th 2007 11:21AM
Martin - we don't think so. The fact that this device is being released on Willcom indicates that it will, in fact, have a PHS radio. It's possible that it'll be data-only, though.
Chris
MasterCKO @ Jun 6th 2007 12:02PM
wow, Willcom's teaser site is very annoying. I'm glad MS blew this open (accidentally or not). Maybe they'll give people something even resembling information next time.
Drew @ Jun 6th 2007 12:19PM
So it will be another device like the EM-One that sharp put out over a year ago in Japan, data only, no voice.
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2007/02/20/sharp-shows-em-one-pocket-pc-for-japans-emobile/
Only with no slide out keyboard? or dual slide with navigation controls?
MTM @ Jun 6th 2007 1:38PM
Thanks for the quick feedback, Chris.
I agree that Willcom releasing it will be quite weird, if they don't at least bundle it with some phone (so it would be like Nokia N800 or Palm Foleo). Data-only PHS radio sounds plausible, since the Classic would lose its meaning if this thing could actually make phone calls via the cellular radio.
Can't see the reason for not including the voice part, though - but I guess they have their own reasons...
MTM @ Jun 6th 2007 1:41PM
MTM = Martin (different computers, different cache...)
Jamar @ Jun 6th 2007 2:03PM
And with the release of this phone, I think it's time to try my local PHS carrier (I absolutely LOVE living in China because it's got PHS, leading to more phone selection). Sure, making a Japanese PHS phone work in China's PHS network is only slightly easier than getting a Korean phone onto Verizon in the States, but man, just *look* at that! it's so worth the hassle.
Owen V @ Jun 6th 2007 2:41PM
on the left, the WM6 standard, is that an HTC cavalier (aka s630, aka the successor to the excalibur/dash/s620?)
MTM @ Jun 7th 2007 12:26PM
Owen V: Yes it is and it's already released in Asia as Dopod C730 :)