Camera Phones Plaza

Hitachi introduced its latest multimedia clamshell for Japan’s KDDI network, the Hitachi W43H.

It comes equipped with a 2.1 megapixel camera with auto focus, 2.6 inch large 240×400 TFT display, 512MB of internal memory, Memory Stick Pro Duo card slot, a media player, and a host of business applications (photo, text, document viewer).

Via techfresh.

Gadgetim showed us the first pictures of the new Samsung Z720.

This new model from Samsung is somehow similar to the Ultra Edition 15.9, but the difference is made by it's features, like GSM / UMTS / HSDPA, Bluetooth 2.0, a 2-inch QVGA display, and microSD slot

The Samsung Z720 also has a very interesting 3 megapixel camera with autofocus and a front SVGA camera for video calls.

Alltel's LG AX490 is a lackluster cell phone with one bright spot: a great keypad. Though there's really no other reason I can see that you'd want to buy this handset, the cell's FasTap keypad is a major step forward for texting on small phones.

PcMag reviewd the LG AX490 and here's what they say: Flip open the phone and innovation jumps out at you. You'll find Digit Wireless's FasTap keypad, which sports little letter keys, in alphabetical order, at the corners of the number keys on a traditional phone keypad. Three additional keys along the bottom handle shift, space, and symbols.

The keypad may look like a potential minefield of mistyping, but it actually works quite well because of a simple rule: If a letter key is mashed along with its adjacent number key, the number key wins. The little domed letter keys, meanwhile, are separated well enough that mistyping isn't an issue.

FasTap is well integrated into the AX490's interface, which is nice. You can dial, say, 212-PE6-5000 using a combination of letters and numbers, and pow, you'll be connected to the Hotel Pennsylvania at 736-5000. In the contacts list, hitting a letter key makes you jump to contacts beginning with that letter. And, of course, the keypad makes texting and IMing a joy (though it's a little slower than you'd expect, because it isn't a true QWERTY keyboard).

Unfortunately, the AX490 isn't a very good phone. Reception roaming on Verizon's network displayed decent numbers, but the AX490 dropped a few calls where the LG Chocolate VX8500 was able to keep them—and the Chocolate doesn't even have the world's best reception. In addition, I found sound quality using Verizon's network to be harsh and indistinct. The earpiece is quite loud, but the speakerphone is too quiet to use outdoors, and the microphone captures a lot of background noise. It's also annoying that the speakerphone doesn't work with the flip closed.

The phone's two screens are bright, but low-res, with the main screen clocking in at 128 by 160 pixels. Unfortunately, the external screen doesn't work as a camera viewfinder, nor does it show picture caller ID with the flip closed. Another disappointment is that AX490's Bluetooth wireless networking is crippled in ways that Verizon users will find familiar: You can use headsets and dial-up networking and transfer contact cards, but you are not allowed to send files, ringtones, or pictures over Bluetooth. In addition, there's no way to sync the phone with a PC.

The LG AX490 lacks an e-mail program, and the bundled WAP browser seemed cramped on the screen. These are both big downers because FasTap would have worked well with those applications. Browsing also was annoyingly slow on the AX490. The VGA camera takes soft-ish stills with hideous compression artifacts, and it doesn't record video. There's no memory card or MP3 music player, though there's an impressive 40MB of space for pictures, MP3-quality ringtones, and games.

Read full review on pcmag.

Sony Ericsson has decided to go 'glowing' with their new W43S 'au' cell phone. The phone has an impressive flip design that can turn heads around.

The very first thing you would notice about the phone is the "Style-Up panel", which features 12 LEDs on the front surface, that adopts to different lighting system and glows accordingly each time. The Sony Ericsson W43S will be available to the the Japanese customers, which is kinda dissapointing.

The W43S features a stunning 2.7 inch (240 × 432) 262K colour TFT display. It is a CDMA 1X WIN phone which boasts of an array of cutting edge features. It comes with a 2 MegaPixel camera with night mode, auto focus and digital zoom. With the RealityMax, the quality of the pictures is also ensured. The phone has an internal memory of 42MB and the memory can be expanded upto 4GB with the provided memory stick pro expansion slot. It also includes MP3 player and supports various playbacks.

Recently Verizon Wireless introduced a new Nokia entry-level clamshell for their lineup, the Nokia 6215i. The handset supports CDMA networks on the 800 and 1900MHz bands and uses 1xRTT for data. It weighs 94g (3.3oz) and measures in at 89mm x 46mm x 18mm (3.5" x 1.8" x 0.7").

The 6215i comes equipped with a built-in VGA camera that has a self-timer, digital zoom, and allows users to immediately share their photos with friends and family with the included Pix Place application.

The phone supports Verizon's Get It Now service, allowing consumers to easily change or add new ringtones, wallpapers, or games to their 6215i. A regular MP3 media player is not included, however.

The device's contact manager can support up to 500 entries, and the 1100mAh Li-Ion battery should be good for up to 3.75 hours of talk time or up to 9 days of standby. Mobile users should enjoy the many handsfree options the Nokia 6215i has to offer, including a built-in speakerphone, and voice dialing along with voice commands. Additionally, you can browse the web, pick up email, and instant message your friends with the handset's Mobile Web 2.0 application.

Some readers might recognize the 6215i as being a re-branded Pantech PN-315. Pantech has been making strong inroads into the US market after having built some solid handsets for Cingular and Helio, among others.

The Nokia 6215i is available now from the Verizon Wireless website for US$49 with a new two-year service agreement.

Via mobileburn.