JAPAN TEXTURE for iPhone 3G: Gorgeous Hand Made Lacquered Cases for Your Beloved iPhone

Softbank just sent us a hi-resolution picture of this gorgeous series of hand made lacquered cases. Not much to say here since the pictures speak for themselves, but this series of six iPhones cases are 100% hand-made and built like any other luxury lacquered wood that you can find in Japan.

Now don’t get too excited since we're not talking about average iPhone cases, but real works of art and each one cost no less than 39,800 Yen or €306 ($407USD) and are limited ONLY to 50 units each.

Source
Akihabaranews

Matrix PRO the latest 2 ways slide phone from Pantech

Pantech in Korea announced this morning a new WiMo 6.1 Standard Edition phone, the Matrix Pro. Made to be sold in the USA trough AT&T network, the Matrix PRO, a 3G HSDPA phone feature the basic GPS with AT&T Navigator solution, a 2Mpix Camera, Video Share, Bluetooth and a 2 way slide phone with your regular Keypad and a full QWERTY Keyboard…

Aside the WiMo 6.1 Standard, I would love to see a Pro version running on this little Matrix PRO, this Matrix PRO could be a nice little device to won if you are living in the US or A !

Source
Pantech

Samsung Blue Earth Phone

Samsung Introduces “Blue Earth”- The First Solar Powered Full-Touch Phone

Today Samsung unveiled the first solar powered Full-Touch Phone, the Blue Earth. As you can guess, it features a solar panel, located on the back of the phone. According to the Korean manufacturer, it generates enough power to make calls anytime, anywhere.

The Blue Earth is also equipped with an ‘Eco-Mode’, for setting screen brightness and backlight duration, and a Bluetooth energy efficient mode.

This eco-friendly phone features an “Eco-Walk” function featuring a pedometer for calculating CO2 emissions reduced by walking as opposed to motor transport. ‘Eco-Walk’ will also tell you how many trees you saved!


Seoul, Korea, February 12, 2009 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. today unveiled the innovative solar powered full-touch screen phone “Blue Earth”, alongside Samsung’s vision for environmental sustainability. Under the slogan: “The Blue Earth Dream: Eco-living with SAMSUNG mobile”, Samsung reinforced its commitment to protect the environment through the design of eco-friendly products and a programme of activities for its customers. It will be showcased at Mobile World Congress 2009 for the first time.

Designed to symbolize a flat and well rounded shiny pebble, Blue Earth is the first solar powered full-touch screen phone. By charging with the solar panel located on the back of the phone, users can generate enough electronic power to call anytime anywhere.

Blue Earth is made from recycled plastic called PCM, which is extracted from water bottles, helping to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions in the manufacturing process. The device, including charger, is free from harmful substances such as Brominated Flame Retardants, Beryllium and Phthalate.

The latest in a series of eco-friendly products, Blue Earth comes with a unique user interface which is designed to draw attention to preserving our fragile environment. Simple to set screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth to an energy-efficient mode, this new user interface allows the user to be energy-efficient with just one click of ’Eco mode’. Through the ‘eco walk’ function the user can count their steps with an in-built pedometer, calculating how much CO2 emissions have been reduced by walking as opposed to motor transport. This unique function allows user to calculate the value of this footprint through the number of trees that have been saved.

The packaging for Blue Earth is designed to be both small and light, made from recycled paper, and comes with a 5 star energy efficient charger which uses standby power lower than 0.03W. As part of the Voluntary Agreement of European Commission IPP (Integrated Product Policy) pilot program, Samsung has agreed to start using rating on energy consumption on the no-load mode of the mobile device charger.

“Samsung’s ‘The Blue Earth Dream’ demonstrates our small but meaningful commitments for the future and our environment,” said Mr. JK Shin, Executive Vice President and Head of Mobile Communication Division of Samsung Electronics. "We are committed to achieving the highest eco-status with our customers and business partners by providing the best eco-products and promoting eco-activities.”

Get in touch with Samsung Mobile! Learn more about ‘The Blue Earth Dream’ and other eco-friendly initiatives at www.samsungmwc.com (The site will be opened on February 16) and visit us at Hall 8, Stand 8a139 at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona.

Source
Akihabaranews

LG Arena LG-KM900 with real 3D User Interface

I am sure that by know you all have heard about the LG Arena and its 3D User Interface “A la TouchFlo”. Anyway this nice little 3G HSDPA phone feature all the nice goodies that you can expect from such a phone as and today LG was kind enough to forward us some pretty nice Hi-res pictures so here you are…

PS The cute girl is unfortunately not part of the UI... Really pity

Source
Akihabaranews

Motorola PEBL Rose Bloom now in Korea

Motorola PEBL Rose Bloom now in Korea

Already available since a month or two in Korea, the Motorola PEBL is now available in the Rose Bloom edition, with a nice little Rose draw on its lid. Specs are similar as the previous Violet and Navy Blue version with HSDPA, 2Mpix Camera, MP3, Bluetooth, eBook, Moneta (eWallet)...


Source
Akihabaranews

Moto Still alive and kicking, well at least in Korea

Moto Still alive and kicking, well at least in Korea

Here you are the Ne MotoPrizm, available in Korea, Yes Moto does not apparently wants to give-up such easily! So what about this new MotoPrizm? Well first of all do not get too much exciting here since we are talking about a 2G Handset (WTF?!?!?), definitively not the best thing for DATA, however our MotoPrizm feature a nice 2.8” WVGA Touch-screen, a 3Mpix Camera module, Bluetooth, DMB, E-Wallet as well as some nice and always welcome daily tips on cuisine, health…

Now just a little quiz, these 2 ladies are pretty popular Korean idols… And I bet that some of you guys know who they are so just try and guess !

Source
Motorola

HTC Max 4G, world’s first GSM-WiMax Cellphone

World’s first GSM-WiMax Cellphone


Yesterday HTC announced officially ,the HTC Max 4G, which is basically your average HTC HD minus the HSDPA (3.5) but with a big jump over WiMax and making it the very first Windows Mobile 6.1 4G phone ever. So what is the advantage of the WiMax, compare to the HSDPA? Well with this new baby in town, you will be able to get “descent” data speed of 70Mb/sec (symmetric). Yep, I can see some of your drooling like babies, want one? No problems, but just brush up your Russian and get your passport ready since this baby is so far only available there.

Processor: Qualcomm® ESM7206A™ 528 MHz
Platform: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional

Memory: ROM: 256MB / RAM: 288MB / Flash: 8 GB

Dimensions: 113.5mm X 63.1mm X 13.9mm

Weight: 151 grams (with battery)

Display: 3.8-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 480 x 800 WVGA resolution

Network: Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE:900/1800/1900 MHz, Yota Mobile WiMAX 2,5-2.7 GHz

Device Control: TouchFLO™ 3D

GPS: Inbuilt GPS

Connections: VoIP, Wi-Fi®: IEEE 802.11 b/g ,Bluetooth® 2.0 with EDR, HTC ExtUSB™

Main camera: High-resolution with autofocus

Second: VGA-camera

Additional: Motion G-sensor (automatically rotating picture), Proximity sensor (saving energy while talking due to the switching the display off), FM-radio

Audio: Ring tone formats: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, QCP, MP3, WMA, WAV, 40 polyphonic and standard MIDI format 0 and 1 (SMF)/SP MIDI

Battery: Li-Pol, 1500 mAh

Talk time: GSM: up to 420 minutes, VoIP: up to 230 minutes

Standby time: GSM: up to 350 hours, VoIP: up to 50 hours

Source
HTC

O.T.: The First HTC Mobile with Android OS

O.T.: The First HTC Mobile with Android OS

Well, this product isn't Japanese, but we thought it was interesting. Here's the new HTC mobile T-Mobile G1 with Google's Android OS.

As everyone knows, the T-Mobile G1 (aka HTC Dream) was the first official mobile phone featuring Android. It was also the first HTC without WM OS.

What's so interesting? It features a 3.17’’ LCD touchscreen with HVGA resolution (480x320), full qwerty keypad, 3Mpix webcam, Wifi, 3D graphics acceleration, 1GB integrated storage (up to 8GB with microSD), and Bluetooth. It’s also equipped with Android Market for on-device app purchases, Push Gmail, Google Maps, and Amazon’s mobile MP3 store.

It's clear that the Google's OS is a challenge for Symbian OS.

Now, we found a nice article about the Android OS, and we thought you should take a look at it:

Here's a selection of good articles available on the Internet:

- T-Mobile's G1 Android Phone: Neither Open nor Exciting (Wired blog).
- T-Mobile G1: What we didn't get (Asia Cnet)
- CNET News Daily Podcast: Breaking down the T-Mobile G1
- T-Mobile G1 first hands-on (updated) (Engadget)

Here at Akihabara News we're a little reluctant about Google’s OS… is it a really a good idea to get an Android mobile phone? Knowing Google, if this OS is like Gmail everything you submit gives an irrevocable, royalty-free, non exclusive license to Google to reproduce it. This is a little scary…

So, could this story be repeated with the new Android OS?

Sometime ago, people said the WM was a real Big Brother OS, but what about Google?

Wait & see…

Samsung Haptic 2 Mobile Phone

Samsung unveiled the new Haptic 2 Mobile phone

Two days ago, Samsung unveiled the Haptic 2. Our new mobile phone is available in two flavor: 4GB (SCH-W550 or SPH-W5500) and 16GB (SCH-W555).

It comes with a 3.2-Inch LCD touch screen, DMB, e-dictionary, Bluetooth, 5Mpix camera… The UI had also been upgraded, and the users will be able to create their own vibration mode, and create more various screen design with 50 icons.
Available with a price between 480€ and 550€.

Source
Samsung

Samsung Giorgio Armani

A New Giorgio Armani Phone from Samsung

Named "Night Effect, M7500," this new model has an Armani logo carved on its side and rear, and a specially designed ringer sound.

Supporting various music files like MP3 and WMA, 3.5φ audio jack, and AMOLED. The M7500 will go on sale starting in November, but the price yet to be fixed.

Shake, Tap, Flip the new Samsung's Music Phones

Shake, Tap, Flip the new Samsung's Music Phones

Samsung has just introduced two new music phones, the Samsung BEATb (model M3410) and the Samsung BEATs (M3200). Both feature the interesting ‘Motion Play’ allowing you to control your music with simple motion. For Example, you can play or pause music by tapping your phone, mute your music by flipping it, or Shake it and you play the next song

The Samsung BEATb is a slim bar type music phone (9.9mm), and features the DNSe technology, an Auto EQ, and the Motion Play. It is also equipped with 2.0-Inch LCD screen, 2Mpix camera, Bluetooth 2.0, a 3.5mm audio Jack input, and is compatible with MP3, WMA, e-AAC+, AAC+, AAC.

The Samsung BEATs, a slide phone, is also equipped with an amplifier (B&O ICEpower), a stereo speaker, a 2.0-Inch LCD Screen, 2Mpix camera, and almost the same specs as the BEATb.

Samsung announced the BEATb for September and the BEATs for October.

Source
AkihabaraNews

LG’s KC910 PMP Phone Hits Korea

LG’s KC910 PMP Phone Hits Korea

Here's the latest ALL IN ONE phone from LG, the KC910. It's hard to categorize it, is it a PMP phone or a PHONE with pmp functions? 
 Basically we have a quad band GSM and 7.2Mbps HSDPA 14mm thick phone, and a 3” (400x240) screen, WiFi, Bluetooth, stuck together with a 8Mpix AF camera, a GPS, video recording features, TV out, both Dvix and Xvid video support...

So what is it exactly?

LG Electronics (LG), a worldwide technology and design leader in mobile communications, announced that it would launch the LG-KC910, the only 8 megapixel multimedia phone with a full touchscreen interface. The LG-KC910 boasts top-of-the-range camera capabilities and the latest multimedia features, all combined with a 3.0 inch full touchscreen.

“With our new flagship handset, the LG-KC910, we’ve once again combined a high-end camera with top-notch multimedia features and full touchscreen interface to provide the ultimate multimedia experience,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “According to our customers a full touchscreen interface is essential for fully utilizing high-end multimedia features and this is one of many areas where the LG-KC910 excels.”

The LG-KC910 is the perfect successor to the multi-million selling camera phone, LG Viewty. Like its predecessor, which debuted as the slimmest 5 megapixel phone, the LG-KC910 will be the slimmest 8 megapixel handset on the market at just 13.95 mm when released. This phone combines the latest multimedia features and an intuitive user interface evolved far beyond what Viewty offered. With this phone LG has created a multi-sensorial experience like no other, providing enhanced viewing enjoyment, superior sound and better use of touch.

The LG-KC910 leads the industry with its 8 megapixel camera, which is being developed to include Schneider-Kreuznach certified optics, a xenon flash and ISO sensitivity up to 1600. Further strengthening the phone’s camera features are image stabilization, auto-focus, manual focus, Face Tracking, Smile Shot and blink detection. An embedded GPS receiver gives the LG-KC910 the ability to geo-tag photos for later plotting on an interactive map. A variety of creative shot modes, so far only found on standalone digital cameras, will be included.

The handset’s perfect repertoire of high-end multimedia features provides the ultimate multi- sensorial experience. The LG-KC910 is the first handset for the global market to include Dolby Mobile, an integrated suite of audio processing technologies which brings depth and richness as well as clean, powerful bass to the music listening experience.

Video features are just as advanced as audio features. The LG-KC910 can record video from 5fps up to 120fps, which allows it to record in both fast and slow motion. The phone also plays DivX and Xvid movies straight out of the box, without the need for additional encoding.

A 3.0-inch WQVGA full touch LCD screen is the ideal canvas for experiencing and interacting with the LG-KC910’s multimedia features. A customizable interface, with numerous widgets and shortcuts, makes the phone’s myriad features even easier to use.

Rounding out the phone’s comprehensive feature set, are A-GPS enabled navigation, compatibility with the latest 3G HSDPA networks for connections up to 7.2Mbps and Wi-Fi for even faster internet access. The phone also includes a Jogging Buddy program that uses GPS technology to help track workouts, a feature sure to please exercise enthusiasts.

The KC910 will be available for purchase beginning in October. LG will release additional technical specifications and information on the LG-KC910, including details on its comprehensive capabilities and pet name.

Source
LG

Samsung M150 GSM Phone

M150: Samsung's New Bar Type Mobile Phone

Samsung Electronics introduced another bar type phone, the M150. This new GPRS dual-band mobile phone features a softly brushed hairline pattern and is available in five colors: Light Gray, Charcoal Gray, Pure White, Lavender Pink, and Ice Blue.

The M150 features a 1.77’’ LCD Screen in 128x160, 20MB of memory, VGA camera, Bluetooth 2.0, FM radio, and music player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA, RA). It can record MPEG4 video.

It measures 106.5x45.4x12.7mm and should be available in Germany at the middle of August, then in the rest of the world.

Source
Samsung

LG Secret Now Available in Korea

LG Secret Now Available in Korea

We already discussed the LG Secret on Akihabara News, but here's a little update. Our Almighty mobile phone is available NOW in Korea by the name LG-SU600 / KU6000 / LU6000.

One of this phone's nifty features is its 5Mpix camera with face detection, ISO 800, and video recording up to 120fps, DNB, HSDPA, MP3....

Source
LGE

Fujitsu F706i Waterproof Wonder

Fujitsu Unleashes Its New Waterproof Wonder! The F706i Hands-on

The nice team over at Fujitsu invited us to the launch of their cool new waterproof wonder, the F706i series. And what's a better place than a swimming pool announce the launch of their new waterproof phone!
 Our little wonder is available in four colors, and features on it's front end a new LED panel that provides important information regarding the phones operation, (time, lock...) and displays a nice pattern (design figures with 50 different colors), the 2in1 phone option (you can have two telephone numbers on one device), HSDPA support, 3G WorldRing (can be used overseas), the DCMXiD (electronic wallet), PC web browser (a real internet browser).

Of course our F706i features a 1Seg TV tuner and a 2Mpix camera with image stabilizer. All these nice and nifty features are found in a slim body (16.9mm) and with a large 2.7” screen...

Available only in Japan.

Let’s enjoy the magnificent pictures taken by David who seems to have had a really, REALLY good time at the launch... Lord, next time I'll go too! As long as the girls wear swim suits..

Source
Akihabaranews