In addition to the 03, Willcom has unveiled a pair of other handsets for release this summer on its Japanese PHS airwaves. The 03's a hard one to top -- pretty much any smartphone, a morphing keypad, and a WVGA display is going to make things tough on the competition -- but Sharp has a second entry in the trio with the D4. Like the 03, the D4 packs Windows Mobile and a full QWERTY board, but unlike the 03, the D4 flips up all Kaiser-style, which should be just perfect for showing off the WSVGA (yes, wide super VGA) display. On the simpler end of the spectrum, the Willcom 9 is a chunky, blocky flip with a QVGA display, 1.3 megapixel camera, and NetFront browser that'll be available in black or white. Kind of anticlimactic when you put it up against those other two, but not everyone wants a smartphone. No, not even in Japan.

Update: The D4 runs full-fledged Windows, not Windows Mobile -- makes more sense considering the monster specs. Thanks, everyone!

Check it, Willcom faithful. Two new candybar-styled handsets have emerged for your carrier of choice, and we must say, we're pretty envious. Up first is the Kyocera WX330K (or Honey Bee, as we prefer), which checks in at 42- x 120- x 9.9-millimeters, is available in five different hues and features a two-inch QVGA display, Opera 7.2 browser, IrDA and an eye-catching Call button (of all things). Next up is the elusive X Plate, a 64-gram sophisticated toy that boasts a 1.8-inch LCD along with Java and Flash support. Plenty of pics waiting in the links below, so go on, take a peek at what America's missing out on.

Read - Kyocera WX330K
Read - X Plate

Sometimes -- all too often, in fact -- devices simply don't live up to their carefully selected and prepared press shots, but yeah, we're pretty sure that's not the case here. LetsGoMobile recently had a peep at Sharp's lovely WS011SH Advanced/W-ZERO3 [es] on the floor of IFA, and seriously, it seems to look every bit as good in the wild (if not better) than it did in Sharp's own materials. With a 3-inch WVGA (yes, wide VGA) touchscreen serving up Windows Mobile 6, you can sorta think of it as an HTC Vox on performance-enhancing drugs -- the only difference being that we stand zero chance of ever seeing this 'round here on account of the PHS radio designed for Willcom service in Japan. Tragedy, ain't it?

[Thanks, David]

Japanese carrier Willcom has hooked up with Sanyo to show off a back-to-basics handset powered by a single AA battery -- one of Sanyo's own Eneloop rechargeables, naturally -- that still manages to serve up 5 hours of talk time and 250 hours of standby. Just how back-to-basics are we talking, exactly? For starters, the phone lacks a display, pretty much ending any hopes of using this thing for gaming, video playback, or seeing who the heck is calling. In exchange, though, you get power versatility that's pretty much unmatched by any other phone on the market and an array of nodules that gently massage the side of your face while you're trying to hold a conversation. Between the perfectly round shell (looks like an AA battery, get it?) and the fact that it'll only get down with PHS networks, we hope this sucker goes through a few revisions before it sees production -- but we like where Sanyo's head's at.

Don't be fooled -- not only is this not a real MING, it's also not a Motorola and you probably won't be able to use it in your neck of the woods. The PG2000 takes come cues from the Moto A1200 but adds PHS support in addition to a dualband GSM radio, making it perfect for the unusual standard that sees some love in Asian nations. Features include a QVGA touchscreen, MMC slot (huh?), 2 megapixel camera, and we're guessing some variant of Linux, just like the real deal. No word on pricing or availability, though it got shown around at the 2007 Taipei Computer Applications Show -- so if you happen to be around Taiwan, you might just get a glimpse of it.

[Via Mobilewhack]

It's not too often that we find a fairly well-spec'd all-in-one gizmo humming along on Windows CE 6, but apparently, Sophia Mobile's nani is one such device. According to "official specifications" just released, this PDA phone will also feature a 600MHz processor, 4.3-inch 800 x 400 resolution display, a potent media player that can handle MPEG1/2/3/4, DivX, XviD, WMA, WAV, and OGG formats, an image viewer, GPS, WiFi, a microSD expansion slot, USB connectivity, and support for PHS (W-SIM) in Japan. Moreover, it looks like a lucky soul managed to get a bit of hands-on time with the machine, so be sure and check out a few more angles after the break.

[Via PMPToday]

It was pretty well obscured (at least on our side of the pond) by the release of the glitzier, more glamorous WS011SH from Sharp, but that doesn't mean we don't love Toshiba's WX320T just the same. Technologically, the PHS-based Willcom device holds its own with a 2.4 inch QVGA primary display, microSD memory expansion, and integrated NetFront browser (a mainstay with many Willcom handsets), though the 1.3 megapixel cam is a bit skimpy in our humblest of opinions. Now if only someone could help us figure out why Toshiba's home page for the phone says "Carrots" in the lower left, we'd be ever so grateful.

[Via Mobilewhack]

So the Sharp device we thought Microsoft had accidentally leaked a day early yesterday actually looks nothing -- and we mean nothing -- like the actual handset, though what they ended up unveiling is still crazy cool. The Sharp WS011SH Advanced/W-ZERO3 [es], which we believe may be the most complicated name for a phone ever conceived, is the latest in a line of Windows Mobile-sportin' phones for Japan's Willcom; like its predecessors, the WS011SH doesn't disappoint, packing in Windows Mobile 6 Classic, numeric and slide-out QWERTY keypads, a 3-inch wide VGA display, WiFi, and 256MB of onboard storage with microSD expansion. And, oh yeah, it's only 50mm wide and 17.9mm thick. Willcom customers: we hate you (not really, it's just our extreme jealousy talking).

[Via the::unwired]

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.

Japan's Willcom sure doesn't have a shortage of handsets that rock the foundation of what a wireless phone should be, so enter this entry: a handset inside a headset. Willcom's conceptual "handset" here (that will never be in your hand) will accept a Willcom W-SIM so that the wireless headset sitting on top of that noggin can actually make independent voice calls as well. Since W-SIMs integrate a PHS wireless receiver right onto the card itself, it's easy to give non-wireless devices that capability -- so why not let that music-laden set of headphones have some fun, right?

[Via Slashphone]

Those crazy cats at Japan's Willcom don't let their bizarre PHS network stop them from releasing some of the most lustworthy devices on the planet. For whatever reason, Windows Mobile seems to be particularly loved in Willcom's ranks, and the trend continues with the upcoming "X" (opposite NTT DoCoMo's "Z," perhaps?). Little is known about what the phone will look like -- or what exactly it'll do, for that matter -- but we do know that Windows Mobile 6 is under the hood and it'll be a good deal smaller and thinner ("slim-thickness," to use Willcom's verbage) than its predecessor. Is this a bittersweet goodbye, W-ZERO3?

[Via Akihabara News]

Japan's Willcom wants earthquake and tsunami situations not to affect your wireless calls or your emergency lighting. By that, we mean that the "Torch Light" handset can be used as an emergency lighting device (say, if power goes out) and will allow you to place that all-important call if local cell towers and antenna structures are still standing. This concept handset uses a WSIM card to access PHS wireless networks (read: not many), so don't expect it 'round these parts any time soon.

[Via Slashphone]

If you're getting tired of the mainstream barrage of handsets rolling out on a near-hourly basis, and don't mind sourcing your mobile from Japan, Willcom's got you covered. The highly customizable WP004 aims to please just about everyone, as it starts out as a basic communication device, but allows the customer to add specific peripherals such as a camera, GPS receiver, fingerprint scanner, and even a USB module to sync with your PC. Of course, everyone will get to experience the joy of W-SIM built right in, but picking out your extra goodies is where the real fun is. Per usual, there's no word about pricing on any of this kit, but as accessories always seem to do, we don't imagine the fully-loaded WP004s coming without a premium.

[Via Slashphone]

Any of us blessed (or cursed) to spend the majority of our waking hours theoretically locked in a corporate boardroom know very well the form and function of a desktop speakerphone, but Panasonic and Willcom and teaming up to deliver a rendition that relies on cellular technology rather than landlines. Oddly enough, it appears the forthcoming Conference Speakerphone will actually pack a SIM card, speaker, several built-in microphones, a mobile microphone, and even an SD slot for users to easily record conversations. Actually, if someone utilized a third-party battery pack, this entire unit could be taken on the go and used as what would quite possibly be the world's largest cellphone of the decade. The appeal is that Willcom will reportedly be offering a "flat-rate talk plan" that allows companies to equip their employees with these machines and then communicate gratis, similar to many mobile networks with free in-network calling. Although the Conference Speakerphone is slated to ship this Spring, the value here is definitely questionable, as picking up a numerous ¥100,000 ($828) devices can seriously squash that meager IT budget.

[Via DigitalWorldTokyo]

It may not exactly be a 9-phone spectacular, but Japan's Willcom certainly doesn't want to get left out of the launch party, and they're parading a pair of new handsets to prove it. The WX321J candybar from JRC looks like the more interesting of the two, offering up biometric security, NetFront, microSD expansion, a 1.3 megapixel cam, and a QVGA display. 'Course, Kyocera's WX320K wins in the looks department on account of its color selection; it's no slouch on the spec sheet, either, toting the same camera and QVGA display but swapping out NetFront for Opera. And no, unless you live in Japan, you can't have either.

[Via Engadget Japanese - WX321J, WX320K]

Read - WX321J
Read - WX320K