Hitachi adds e-ink to W61H clamshell

Japanese carriers KDDI and Softbank are adding a unique Hitachi phone to their lineups, according to multiple reports. The W61H uses a regular, 2.7-inch LCD on the inside of its clamshell design, but this is mirrored by a similarly-sized e-ink display on the back, where most phones would place an OLED screen. This screen is not intended to be practical, however, but instead display one of 95 decorative patterns, matched to the available black, silver or cyan colors.

Other features of the phone include 100MB of internal memory, expandable through a microSD slot. FeliCa technology can be used to make wireless payments, and GPS technology allows personal navigation. For entertainment, people can tune in 1Seg mobile TV. Softbank should have the W61H on sale in March. [via Newlaunches]