NEW YORK-Kyocera Corp., Motorola Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. showcased new wireless phones at the TechXNY PC Expo 2001 last week that are more than conversation pieces.
PC-EPhone
In early July, San Diego-based distributor PC-EPhone Inc. will begin marketing through carriers, electronics retailers and online sales a multifaceted communicator, developed by Cyberbank of South Korea and manufactured by Samsung.
The PC-EPhone combines the capabilities of a handheld computer with full Internet access, a cellular phone and a personal digital assistant and organizer. A pocket-sized stylus, which has a Bluetooth connection to the palm-sized computer, acts as the conversation instrument for voice calls. The computer also is equipped with a speakerphone and a voice recorder.
The suggested retail price is under $1,000, said David C. Meltzer, president and chief executive officer of PC-EPhone, which has exclusive American and Canadian distribution rights for the device and first right of refusal for future Cyberbank products.
The PC-EPhone works on all CDMA and CDPD networks, which permit data connections at speeds ranging between 14.4 and 19.2 kilobits per second. It is the first palm-sized computer that works on a CDMA network, according to PC-EPhone.
Meltzer said he expects AT&T Wireless Inc., Sprint PCS, Verizon Wireless, OmniSky Corp. and GoAmerica Communications Corp. to offer service for the PC-EPhone.
The PC-EPhone runs on the Microsoft Windows CE 3.0 operating system. It has a 206 Megahertz RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) central processing unit, 32 megabytes of flash memory, 32 megabytes of random access memory and short message service and multimedia Mpeg/MP3 functionality.
The device features a 4-inch, full-color, Toshiba 640 touch screen, which provides the resolution and visibility of those used in laptops and desktops, Meltzer said. Users also can write on the screen with a stylus pen, which is different from the stylus used as a handset.
Powered by a lithium ion battery, the PC-EPhone offers up to six hours of talk time, four hours of PDA time and 60 hours of standby time.
Kyocera
Targeting first-time wireless customers and the youth market, San Diego-based Kyocera plans to begin selling this fall its new Kyocera 2135, a tri-mode CDMA cellular, CDMA PCS and analog phone. The suggested retail price is “under $150 depending on the carriers,” said Richard F. Goetter, senior marketing manager.
The phone features changeable face plates in transparent colors, up to 15 different ring tones and a silent, vibrating alert for incoming calls. It provides short message service, Internet access via a WAP browser and e-mail receipt and transmission capabilities. An internal directory can store up to 100 names with addresses, phone numbers and notes.
The screen accommodates a five-line, full bit-map display and a four-way navigation key, which facilitates menu access.
The Kyocera 2135 weighs 4.5 ounces and measures 5.1 inches long by 1.9 inches wide by 1 inch deep. In digital mode, its lithium ion battery provides up to four hours of talk time or 6.25 days of standby time.
Available accessories will include portable and installed hands-free car kits, chargers for car, travel and desktop use and data connectivity kits for personal computers and Palm personal digital assistants.
Motorola
Representatives of Motorola’s iDEN Subscriber Group were on hand at the PC Expo to demonstrate two handsets, which went on sale this spring, that the company said are the first two Java-enabled wireless phones available commercially in the United States.
The i50sx, with a suggested retail price of $149, and the i85s, with a suggested retail price of $199, incorporate the J2ME, or Java 2 Micro Edition. Both provide Internet access.
“J2ME is a platform designed specifically for mobile phones and PDAs, with their constraints and benefits in mind, so it has a smaller display and memory, but can run many thousands of applications because it’s the same Java as on a PC (personal computer),” said Rajiv M. Mehta, senior marketing manager for the Motorola iDEN Subscriber Group, Plantation, Fla.
The i85s includes speakerphone, voice recorder and voice-activated dialing features, which can be added to the i50sx, said Lea Faso, public relations manager for the iDEN Subscriber Group.
“The i50sx introduces interchangeable key pads and face plates,” she said.
Both phones have a feature Motorola calls “styles” that adapts the screen display and ringer to the environment the user is in at the time. The styles for in-car and outdoor use render type fonts larger and ring tones and call volume louder, while the style for meetings includes a call screening feature and a vibrator tone instead of a ring to signal incoming calls.
By late this year, Motorola also plans to make commercially available its new Accompli Personal Communicator Model 009, which supports GSM 900, 1800 and 1900 and GPRS air interface technologies.
The Communicator 009 is the “first two-way messaging device, cell phone and PDA rolled into one,” Motorola said.
