martyn_williams
Senior Correspondent

DoCoMo unveils thinnest 3G phones

news
Jan 16, 20072 mins

DoCoMo also introduces a new phone from Sony that carries its Bravia TV brand name

NTT DoCoMo took the wraps off a new line of cell phones on Tuesday including two that jointly hold the claim to thinnest 3G (third generation) clamshell handset in the world, and a new phone from Sony that carries its Bravia TV brand name.

The two thin handsets, NEC’s N903iµ and Matsushita Communication Industrial Co.’s (Panasonic’s) P903iµ, are just 11.4 millimeters thick. That beats all other WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) handsets on the market, said NTT DoCoMo. They’ll go on sale in Japan in February at prices yet to be announced, and won’t be available overseas.

There are thinner clamshell phones. Last year’s Samsung Electronics Ultra edition handset is 9.9 millimeters thick, but that’s a 2G (second generation) model. A 3G version of the phone, which is on sale in Japan through rival-carrier Softbank Mobile, measures 12.3 millimeters. There are also thinner 3G handsets. One of the phones launched on Tuesday by NTT DoCoMo is 9.9 millimeters thick but it’s a candybar-style phone.

Features of the new phones include a 1.3-megapixel camera. The N903iµ has a 2.3-inch display while the P903iµ’s screen is slightly smaller at 2.2 inches. Battery life is given in standby as around 500 hours for the NEC phone and 270 hours for the Panasonic model in average use. Talk time is 200 minutes and 120 minutes, respectively.

Coming in June from Sony is the first cell phone to carry the Bravia brand name it uses on LCD (liquid crystal display) televisions. The SO903i has a tuner for digital mobile TV broadcasts and uses technology from the company’s LCD TV line for a better picture, according to NTT DoCoMo.

Sharp already sells several handsets equipped with TV tuners under its Aquos LCD TV brand name.