IDO/DDI to Offer CdmaOne Mobile Phone with Color LCD Screen
[ Follow link for photo of the phones screen - DPR ]
nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com
June 28, 2000 (TOKYO) -- DDI Corp. and IDO
Corp. announced that they will introduce the
C309H, a cdmaOne mobile phone equipped
with a color liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen.
This is the first such mobile
phone with a color LCD for the
DDI/IDO group.
The group is catching up with
NTT DoCoMo Inc. and
J-Phone Inc., which have
already launched phone handsets with color
LCD screens.
The C309H, made by Hitachi Ltd., is designed
to display 80 characters in the 2-byte code.
Also, it can display 256 colors. The handset
measures 46mm wide by 136mm high by 19mm
thick and weighs 89 grams, and it's the same
size and weight as the existing model, the
C302H.
When using the color LCD, the new handset can
operate for 190 hours in stand-by mode, which
is almost equivalent to that of the current model.
It is expected to be available at the end of July at
a price of 48,500 yen. (105.44 yen = US$1)
In conjunction with the July introduction of the
color LCD mobile phone, the DDI/IDO group
hopes to launch a content service in color for its
mobile Internet service, called the
EZweb/EZaccess.
In mid-August, the group aims to introduce an
optional keyboard for the C309H. This is the
cdmaOne version of the iboard that NTT
DoCoMo has been selling for certain
i-mode-type phones. It is priced at 3,400 yen.
Also, the C307K (made by Kyocera Corp., and
priced at 45,200 yen) and the C308P (made by
Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd.,
and priced at 44,300 yen) are expected to be
added as new models of the cdmaOne mobile
phone. The C307K will be shipped in early
August, and the C308P in early July.
Moreover, DDI's affiliate, the TU-KA Group
plans to ship mobile phones equipped with a
color LCD in early August. The products it plans
to introduce are the TSO2 made by Sanyo
Electric Co. and Kyocera's TK03. Both devices
will feature an LCD screen featuring 256-color
capabilities.
(Nikkei Communications) |
