NEC ships record-setting clamshell phone

NEC on Thursday unveiled what it says is the world's thinnest and most unique flip-phone. The n703iμ measures only 11.4mm (0.45 inches) thick while closed, ensuring that it will fit in most any pocket. Just as rare is the outer cover, NEC said. Instead of a stereotypical external LCD, the handset uses a 49-point LED grid that lights up in a wide variety of patterns for alarms, calls, and e-mail; the user can also pick out individual patterns that will display for specific users. A privacy screen mode also prevents passers-by from seeing the phone's internal LCD from wider angles.

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A 3G wireless phone, NEC's device can link with Japan's FOMA network for mobile broadband. Music playback on the 64MB of internal memory is bolstered by a microSD card slot for storage and jukebox interface that can display album art or a visualizer. Equipped with a 1.3-megapixel camera, the n703iμ is due to be carried by Japan's NTT DoCoMo on February 20th.