Sony Ericsson W44S

As with Samsung's U740, Sony-Ericsson's newly announced W44S (to be offered by Japanese provider AU) will feature a pivoting screen that switches between portrait and landscape modes to assist with viewing landscape images. Unlike earlier phones, however, the CDMA-based W44S is designed by Sony-Ericsson as a near-complete replacement for many other portable devices and is the very first Japanese phone to include a tuner for digital broadcast radio. The handset further includes a wide screen with a Bravia processing engine, a 1Seg tuner for Japan's native mobile TV format, and support for FeliCa smartcard technology that can be used to shop and gain secure access from the phone itself. Owners can additionally buy music and videos from KDDI's Lismo direct download service. AU will carry the W44S in Japan by mid-December but has not listed the price. Click below to see full-sized photos.

By Electronista Staff