NEC N900 camera-phone

Available only for the China and Hong Kong markets, we're crossing our fingers the world's skinniest camera-phone could head to this tiny corner of the globe, as the GSM mobile includes English as a menu option. The NEC N900 is so flat, it could easily be mistaken for an EZ-Link card, were it not for the 1.8-inch LCD panel, buttons and--incredibly--a VGA camera sitting flush at the back of this little number. The catch: You'll need a headset to yak as there are no onboard speakers or mic, and it costs as much as a budget notebook. But really, who cares when you'll be basking in the envy of others.

See: Back view | Side view

Price: US$1,140
Availability: Only in China and Hong Kong
Device: Camera-phone
Basic specs: GSM900/1800MHz, 85 x 54 x 8.6mm, 70g, 65,536 TFT color, 1.8-inch display, 2MB memory, 48 hours standby, 45 mins talktime, 40-chord polyphony, VGA camera with zoom, photo light and multi shot, MMS support, PIM and to-do list, battery cradle

Infobar

In a melding of form and function, Kofu-born designer Naoto Fukasawa has turned the everyday mobile into a kinetic work of art that looks just as good on a mantle piece. While the dull-sounding name Infobar, by KDDI au, doesn't do the bar-shaped terminal justice, the palette of choices is droolworthy. Ichimatsu features a black-and-white kimono pattern; Nishikigoi emulates a Japanese koi pond with splashes of red; Building comes in silver tiles against a night sky; and the latest addition, Annin, is dressed in the creamy-white of Annin Tofu almond jelly. Too bad it's only for Japan.

Price: N.A.
Availability: Japan only
Device: CDMA 1X WIN handset
Basic specs: Magnesium alloy casing, 87g, claimed talktime of 2.5 hours, standby of 200 hours, 132 x 176-dot LCD screen, 310,000-pixel CCD camera, 40-chord polyphony, email inbox of 500 messages, 3MB data folder capacity, camera and flash capable of video and stills, EZ applications (Brew) and EZ navigations, supports EZ Chaku-uta and Chaku Movies

PiPit Phone

From computerized bidets to Hello Kitty robots, Japan has trumped up yet another cool tech--a phone with a one-button emergency call feature for the elderly, women and the young. Given its consumer base, don't expect bells and whistles. The handset accepts just three phone numbers and has a grand total of five buttons--three for assigned phone numbers and two for Send and End. The mobile also has email functions and can automatically make calls to the three pre-registered numbers if a security buzzer at the back is activated. Not surprisingly, the fonts are large and easy to read, while phonetic symbols allow the younger set to understand onscreen text. Responsible for the PiPit's genesis are Toyota Motors (yup, the car maker), PHS carrier DDI Pocket and Kyocera. And yes, they're also responsible for the rather Mickey Mouse outlook of the phone considering the other half of its target audience.

Price: Monthly basic rate of about US$7.50 plus call charges.
Availability: Toyota chain stores and mobile shops in Japan from September 4
Device: PHS handset
Basic specs: Claimed talktime of 8 hours, standby of 800 hours, 6 hours charging time, 69g, 120 x 32-dot LCD screen, choice of Fresh-Blue, Noble-Silver and Sweet-Pink

Aliph Jawbone

Hearing is believing with the Aliph Jawbone, a noise-canceling headset for handphones due out in the fall. San Francisco-based design and branding firm Fuseproject has certainly revolutionalized headsets as we've known them, changing the look, comfort and functionality completely. For mobile-toting Singaporeans, the Jawbone should come as a boon as it deploys active noise suppression technology to allow the user to yak on his mobile in any loud setting, while filtering out unwanted noise, whether it's in a kopi tiam or pub. Worn around the user's ear, the device has a jawbone sensor which rests against the contours of the face to sense when the mouth is moving, all the while looking like high-octane ear vogue.

Price: Tentatively US$129
Availability: The US and Brisbane, fall of 2004
Device: Noise-canceling headset
Basic specs: Headset, active noise suppression technology, voice activity sensor to detect when a user is speaking, enhanced incoming audio

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