Dopod unveils five new cellular handhelds

by Reuben Lee | 1 November 2006 8:05pm SGT

	The QWERTY-enabled Dopod C800 (click for more images)

Dopod's biggest product launch in Singapore to date sees the Taiwanese handheld maker unveil five new product offerings including four PDA-phones (C800, D810, M700 and P800W) and one smart phone (C720W).

Slim form factor designs seem to be the common theme at today's media event as all five new handheld models sport sub-20mm chassis. The C800, for instance, measures just 17mm thick, even with an integrated slide-out QWERTY keypad. According to Dopod, the C800 is 30 percent slimmer than the earlier 838 model.

	The C720W measures just 12.8 thick. (click for more images)

The spotlight of the launch, however, was on the C720W (more commonly known as the HTC Excalibur). This thin smart phone, with a 12.8mm chassis, has often been compared closely to similar slim offerings such as the Samsung SGH-i320N and Moto Q in terms of form and function. What sets the C720W apart from the other two, however, is the inclusion of an onboard 802.11g wireless LAN as well as support for both Windows Mobile Direct Push and BlackBerry Connect technologies. Dopod has confirmed that the BlackBerry Connect feature will be added to its current 838 Pro PDA-phone. Current owners of the handheld can expect to download the application firmware via the operator and Dopod Web sites from mid-November.

Following the launch of its first 3.5G PDA-phone (838 Pro) earlier this year, Dopod has followed up with yet another HSDPA-enabled offering, the D810. This new model will, however, not be equipped with a QWERTY keypad, though it will still come with a second VGA camera for 3G video calls.

	The D810 is equipped to support HSDPA. (click for more images)

For those into downloading music and video files, the company is touting the M700 as its first Windows Mobile music-oriented PDA-phone. It will feature the Open Mobile Alliance Digital Rights Management (OMA DRM) protection, in addition to a built-in FM radio and bundled 512MB microSD media.

The P800W is Dopod's latest PDA-phone with integrated Global Positioning System (GPS receiver). It is equipped with a unique photo navigation utility which embeds satellite coordinates into the outdoor images captured using the device. The image can then be sent to friends or family members (using a P800W) to help them navigate their way to the specific location where it was shot.

The new handhelds are expected in stores before the end of November, except for the P800W which will ship in mid-November.

Model name	In a nutshell
Dopod C720W Click for more details	Cool factor: This slim smart phone is Dopod's answer to the Samsung SGH-i320N and Moto Q. Supports both Windows Mobile DirectPush and BlackBerry Connect technologies. Notable features: Quadband GSM with EDGE TI OMAP 850 processor 1.3-megapixel CMOS camera 2.4-inch 340x240-pixel LCD with 65K-color support 128MB ROM; 64MB RAM microSD expansion slot Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and AVRCP 802.11g and USB 111 x 62.5 x 12.8mm; 130g Availability: Before end Nov 2006 Price: S$898 (US$721.52)
Dopod C800 Click for more details	Cool factor: Dopod claims that the new C800 will be 30 percent slimmer than its QWERTY-enabled 838. Notable features: Quadband GSM with EDGE TI OMAP 850 processor Slide-out QWERTY keypad 2-megapixel CMOS camera 2.8-inch 340x240-pixel LCD with 65K-color support 128MB ROM; 64MB RAM microSD expansion slot Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and AVRCP 802.11g and USB 109 x 59 x 17mm; 168g Availability: Before end Nov 2006 Price: S$1,228 (US$986.66)
Dopod D810 Click for more details	Cool factor: Compact PDA-phone with 3G and HSDPA (3.5G). Notable features: Quadband GSM with 3G, 3.5G and EDGE Samsung 400MHz processor 2-megapixel and VGA CMOS camera 2.8-inch 340x240-pixel LCD with 65K-color support 128MB ROM; 64MB RAM miniSD expansion slot Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and AVRCP 802.11g and USB 108 x 58.2 x 18.4mm; 150g Availability: Before end Nov 2006 Price: S$1,298 (US$1,042.91)
Dopod M700 Click for more details	Cool factor: Dopod's first music-oriented PDA-phone with OMA DRM protection. Notable features: Quadband GSM with EDGE TI OMAP 850 processor Built-in FM radio 2-megapixel CMOS camera 2.8-inch 340x240-pixel LCD with 65K-color support 256MB ROM; 64MB RAM microSD expansion slot (512MB card included) Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and AVRCP 802.11g and USB 108 x 58 x 16.8mm; 130g Availability: Before end Nov 2006 Price: S$1,099 (US$883.01)
Dopod P800W Click for more details	Cool factor: This PDA-phone comes with GPS as well as photo navigation capabilities. Notable features: Quadband GSM with EDGE SiRF III chipset for GPS TI OMAP 850 processor 2-megapixel CMOS camera 2.8-inch 340x240-pixel LCD with 65K-color support 128MB ROM; 64MB RAM Built-in FM radio microSD expansion slot Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and AVRCP 802.11g and USB 108 x 58 x 16.8mm; 128g Availability: Mid-Nov 2006 exclusively at Courts Singapore and mobile operators Price: S$1,199 (US$963.36)

About the author

A Back to the Future fan, Reuben Lee secretly hopes the flux capacitor works so he can go back in time to tell the younger him to invest in Google shares. This former engineering graduate stumbled from varsity straight into games and tech writing just for the fun at CNET Asia. He found it so much fun, he stayed on for the next 11 years. You can also catch this Senior Editor for chats on all things Japan, the manga One Piece, Star Wars, Liverpool and football, and racing games.

Reuben Lee, Senior Editor

Dopod unveils five new cellular handhelds

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