Sharp have created a spiffing new handset for NTT DoCoMo"s i-mode service which is capable of turning 2D images into a 3D format.This will make the SH251iS the world"s first mobile handset to incorporate a 3D colour LCD and 3D editor function, or so they claim. The technical specs are pretty impressive too.
Its main TFT 2.2 inch LCD display can handle 65K colours while its second "sub display" is a 1.2 inch STN LCD. The new handset, which goes on sale on November 16th, is intended for use on DoComo"s i-shot service - a picture mail service to rival J-Phone"s Sha-mail.
NTT DoCoMo say it has signed up an impressive 2.5 million users to i-shot since its launch in June 2002. Naturally for any picture mail service you"ve got to have a built in camera so the SH251iS"s camera is a CCD style digital camera capable of 310,000 pixel resolution and storing up to 1,000 stills or 50 ten second video clips. There"s only one snag - as this is running over i-mode the transmission speed is still 9.6 Kbit/s as opposed to the circa 20 Kbit/s you get with GSM"s GPRS facility.
Never mind because the stand-by time is around 15 days. Now wouldn"t 3G handset manufacturers love to mimic that! Oh, and the cost is a mere ¥6,300