KDDI to Launch Sales of Bluetooth-Equipped cdmaOne Phone Handset in June
nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com
[ product pictures at link ]
May 18, 2001 (TOKYO) -- KDDI Corp.
announced that in mid-June it will make
available a cellular phone, called C413S, which
will be the first cdmaOne phone in Japan to
feature Bluetooth wireless technology.
The major attraction of the
C413S, which is made by Sony
Corp., is that the Bluetooth
technology will enable it to
exchange data with other C413S
handsets and
Bluetooth-equipped PCs without
the need for any connecting
cables.
C413S which will easily slip into the user's
pocket, will appeal to people who want to have
their PC connected to the Internet via a cellular
phone, and without a cable. The PC user
doesn't have to fiddle with the phone at all; it
can be left where it is in the user's pocket or
briefcase.
The C413S has a 256-color LCD screen,
16-chord ringer tones, and can handle e-mail
messages of up to 5,000 characters. It will be
priced at 56,200 yen. (123.37 yen = US$1)
Bluetooth is an industry standard short-range
wireless communications technology designed
to allow electronic devices to be linked to each
other. It can be used to connect devices that are
up to around 10m away from each other.
For example, between two C413S handset will
be able to use a Bluetooth link to transfer data,
such as address books, schedules, profiles and
task lists, between each other's phones.
Also, to promote sales of the new phone to
younger users, the C413S will come equipped
with a game called "Miracle Lovers" (developed
by Namco Ltd.) that utilizes Bluetooth
capability. This game has a function to detect
friends nearby which is useful when meeting
someone at a crowded or unfamiliar spot. The
game also can be played as a "suitability
fortune teller" that will let users know whether
or not the other C413S users in the immediate
vicinity are "suitable." Additionally, there is a
function that selects which person, out of any
number of nearby C413S users taking part, is
"the one for you."
The only
Bluetooth-equipped PCs
capable of being used in
conjunction with the
C413S handset are Sony's
VAIO C1 series models
"C1VRX/K," and "PCG-C1VSX/K"
(scheduled to go on sale May 26), and the
laptop VAIO Note SR series models
"PCG-SR9M" and "PCG-SR9M/K"
(scheduled to go on sale soon). Sony's CLIE
series of personal digital assistant (PDA)
devices will also be added with a new
Bluetooth-equipped model soon.
In terms of user friendliness, the C413S phone
has a better screen than existing models,
thanks to its super twisted nematic (STN)
LCD, and its built-in hi-fi speakers make the
16-chord ringer tones sound better.
The main specifications of the C413S are as
follows: LCD screen has 120 x 160 dots and
can display a maximum of 8 lines (with
maximum 10 characters per line).
The phone's battery lasts continuous 210
minutes when talking, and approximately 220
hours at standby mode.
As for e-mail, the phone's send-box has a
capacity of 58KB, or 250 individual messages
at maximum. The in-box has a capacity of
125KB, or up to 500 individual messages. Also,
the memory allocated for the handset's data
folder (for image files and other items) is
200KB.
The C413S measures 44mm (width) x 127mm
(height) x 19mm (thickness), and weighs 90g.
(BizTech News Dept.)
===========
Make a 1X version of this handset and I'll buy it. Oh, oh, contains Bluetooth, the Qualcomm killer. PCSTEL must be pleased. <G> - DPR |
