Vodafone announced plans for 10 new third-generation handsets expected to hit the European and Japanese markets in time for the upcoming holiday shopping season.
The line-up consists of Sharp Corp.’s 802 and 902 models; the E1000, V980 and C980 from Motorola Inc.; the V800 from Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications; NEC Corp.’s Vodafone 802N; Nokia Corp.’s 6630; and the Z110V and Z107V from Samsung Corp.
“This planned launch of our new 3G handset portfolio represents a major breakthrough in terms of handset choice,” said Peter Bamford, chief marketing officer at Vodafone. “It will also give consumers the opportunity to experience the enhanced range of Vodafone live! with 3G services, opening up a whole new world of communication and entertainment via the mobile phone.”
The phones, which will feature Vodafone’s Vodafone live! 3G multimedia services will enable “significant improvements in imaging, music, entertainment and information,” according to a statement from Vodafone.
The handset portfolio will include Europe’s first 2-megapixel camera phone, with auto focus optical zoom and high-resolution displays. Other handsets will feature CD music quality, stereo speakers and MP3 players, access to 3D gaming, video and audio streaming and video calling, and the Symbian operating system.
