NEC's Medias Android phone to claim thinness lead at 7.7mm
updated 08:35 am EST, Mon February 21, 2011
NEC preps ultrathin Medias N-04C Android phone
A leak Monday morning has shown NEC leaping into smartphones in earnest with an Android device that would be thinner than any other phone to date. At 7.7mm (0.3in) thick, the Medias N-04C would not only be thinner than the iPhone 4 but even other Android phones that have claimed the title just days earlier, such as the 8.5mm Galaxy S II or Optimus Black. The phone material seen by Draft Life would still manage to fit a four-inch touchscreen, 1Seg over-the-air TV tuning and NFC for using FeliCa wireless payments in Japan.
The choice of processor and the battery life are still unknowns, but the phone will only ship with Android 2.2 from the start despite other phones now shipping with Android 2.3.
NEC's content points to the Medias being made public on February 24 and shipping as part of NTT DoCoMo's spring phone lineup. The Medias could be one of the first truly high-end phones developed by an exclusively Japanese phone manufacturer. Sony Ericsson has been popular in Japan and shipped the Xperia X10 early last year, but most recent success for Android in the country has hinged on the Samsung Galaxy S, also shipping with NTT DoCoMo.
The Japanese company has been one of the earlier adopters of Android but, until now, focused on tablets and other non-phone devices. [via Akihabara]
