KDDI's unique Infobar C01 with Android ships February 3
updated 03:10 pm EST, Tue January 31, 2012
Phone touts oversized number keys
KDDI and Okinawa Cellular have announced a new series of designer phones for the Japanese market. The Infobar C02, manufactured by Sharp, comes in three distinct color schemes and incorporates a numeric pad with over-sized keys. The display is an unusually tall, 3.2-inch, 480x854 LCD.
At the core of the Infobar CO2 is a single-core, 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon. It also carries an eight-megapixel CMOS camera and runs Android 2.3. Talk time is up to 370 minutes. The phone supports both CDMA for KDDI's native network and GSM for global roaming. Like many Japanese phones, it incorporates an NFC mobile wallet using FeliCa as well as TV tuning.
The C02 is the second in the series of Infobar smartphones. In July, KDDI launched the Infobar A01. That phone offered a 3.7-inch, 540x960 screen, and three tiles for controlling the Android OS instead of the traditional buttons.
The Infobar C02 is available in three color variations: red with white and red keys, white with white and yellow keys, and black with black and white keys. KDDI will begin shipping the phone on Friday
KDDI has priced the phone in two ways. The user either pays 9,280 yen up front with 24 monthly payments of 1,850 yen ($121/$25 USD), or 1,640 yen initially with monthly payments of 3,680 yen ($22/$48 USD). The different colored skins for the phone cost 980 yen ($57 USD). [via Impress]
