With AT&T Wireless Services Inc. behind it, Panasonic Telecommunications Systems Co. hopes to rise out of the shadows of the U.S. market and push its weight around with two new lightweight multi-network wireless phones.
The products, ProMax and DuraMax, mark Panasonic’s entry into the U.S. wireless market after years on hiatus. Its wireless operations pulled out of the U.S. in the first quarter of 1998.
“Panasonic is pleased,” said Debra Sachs, Panasonic’s assistant general manager of wireless systems division, “that AT&T Wireless, one of the largest wireless networks in the nation, has partnered with us to sell our newly designed models of digital wireless phones.”
The products are modeled on the GD-90 GSM form factor that Panasonic had success with in European, Asian, Middle Eastern and Australian markets, said Sachs.
Designed for both business and pleasure, Promax is light and fits into a shirt pocket or small purse.
Duramax is designed to endure with a rubberized grip and internal battery cell.
But both phones feature built-in speakerphones and vibration alerts, 400-number memory, two-way instant text messaging and long life batteries and two-color (amber or green) liquid-crystal display screens. Users can easily switch from one background color to the other.
ProMax, which is black, is 3.1 ounces with a battery life of 120 minutes digital talk time and 200 hours digital standby, says Panasonic. DuraMax, which is available in both white gold and midnight blue, is about 5 ounces with a battery life of 240 minutes digital talk time and 400 hours digital standby.
Panasonic said “when the phone number of an incoming call matches a number stored in the user’s phone book, the back light changes color.”
Sachs says Duramax’s rubberized grip makes it easy to carry to rugged places like construction sites, hiking trails or sporting events.
Panasonic says users can enter four phone numbers and an e-mail address for each location and up to 20 numbers programmed into the phone book have distinctive incoming-call ring tone.
Both products operate on 800 MHz analog, 800 TDMA and 1900 TDMA.
Sachs said the company retreated from the U.S. market a few years ago, when the country was moving toward competing new technologies.
“We did take a hiatus in the U.S., but we were successful in analog technology in the wireless industry,” said Sachs. ” When the country went digital, we took a waiting period.”
The company entered an alliance with AT&T to maneuver itself back into the market fray.
On technology, she said Panasonic will continue to support AT&T’s TDMA project until it moves onto its GSM overlay.
“This is our initial strategy,” she said, “but there will be an evolution in technology.”
She added that while she was not willing to disclose any proprietary information, “we are making a commitment to the U.S. market and to our customers’ future technology needs. We need to evolve as they evolve.”
