Japanese carrier KDDI au has now followed Softbank and NTT DoCoMo in pulling the red velvet cover off its summer 2009 devices, and as always, there are some neat tricks in here. From Toshiba, the Biblio is billed as an e-book reader; granted, it's using an LCD instead of an E-Ink display, but it's a doozy at 3.5 inches at 960 x 480. It features 7GB of user-accessible storage on board for books, and also has a slide-out dynamic keyboard that can display a numeric pad in the portrait orientation or full QWERTY in landscape. Moving on, the Sharp Sportio Water Beat -- as its name suggests -- is a waterproof sports-oriented set with advanced calorie and distance tracking (a la Nike+), but you're still never too far from your true destiny as a couch potato thanks to the phone's one-seg reception. Next, the Hitachi Mobile Hi-Vision Cam Wooo is the latest in the multimedia-centric Wooo series, becoming KDDI's first phone capable of 720p video recording at 30fps -- and there's HDMI-out on board for when the time comes to enjoy your footage. Finally, the SH002 is the realization of Sharp's solar phone concept from earlier this year, delivering one minute of talk time for every 10 minutes of charge time. There are other announcements in the mix here -- eight new phones in total -- but those were the killers of the bunch, and as always, this post is about as close as most North Americans will ever get to them.

[Via Engadget Japanese]

Modern phones deeply rely on the ability to efficiently switch between two, three, or even more bands, a sad reality of the patchwork map of available spectrum the nations of the world have imposed on themselves. That kind of multiband tech requires really awesome miniaturized antenna tech, and a Spanish company, Fractus, says that a whole bunch of the world's top-tier manufacturers are blatantly violating its IP in the field. It's suing Samsung, LG, RIM, Pantech, Kyocera, Palm, HTC, Sharp, UTStarcom, and Sanyo for allegedly infringing on a total of nine patents it holds; the company doesn't specify what kinds of damages it's seeking, but something tells us it's a huge-ish number. Considering that we're pretty big fans of reception, this is a suit we can kinda get behind -- assuming Fractus' claims are legit, of course.

[Via Phone Scoop]

We're big fans of reality and feasibility, we swear, but something like this "EOS" concept phone Kyocera was showing off at CTIA is just too good to pass up. The handset folds up into what could roughly be described as a wallet shape, but folds out into two configurations: portrait QWERTY mode (pictured), and full-on widescreen OLED display (after the break). Samsung was showing similar screen-folding folding abilities, but a much less impressive handset, at CES. Things get even wilder, tough, with Kyocera envisioning shape memory keys that can morph flat when not in use, and a kinetic charging method based on piezoelectric generators and Mary Poppins. Sure, our great grandkids are going to have a good laugh at us for thinking this is lovable, but they always were a bunch of theoretical brats. Kyocera plans on implementing some of the concept ideas into its "near future" lineup of devices. We'll see how that pans out.

[Via Inhabitat, photo courtesy of Jeffrey Sass]

To Americans, the full-QWERTY G2GO will end up being known better as the X-tc on Virgin Mobile when it launches next week; the Laylo numeric slider hasn't been announced for launch on any carrier just yet, but Kyocera assured us that they're in talks to bring it to market (likely also with Virgin Mobile, if we had to muster a guess). Neither device is going to blow anyone away with sheer, unadulterated functionality or beauty, but they make perfect sense for Virgin's value-conscious audience, and the G2GO / X-tc might be Virgin's best-looking QWERTY device to date. We struggled a bit with the Laylo's send and end keys -- they're not tactile, but the slide mechanism's loose enough to make you wonder about the build quality every time your fingertip touches the icon. Pre-production jitters, perhaps?

As the handset news begins to flow at CTIA, we've got a new duo from Kyocera splashing down in CDMA land. Up first is the G2GO M2000 (a follow to the Lingo M1000), which sports a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel camera, 2.4-inch QVGA display, MP3 player, an accelerometer and a microSD expansion slot. Next, we're looking at the Laylo M1400 slider (shown after the break), which features Bluetooth 2.0, a calculator, scheduler, stopwatch, timer, tip calculator and little else. Not a peep on pricing, availability or what carriers will be picking this up, but we'll keep an ear to the ground for more.

[Via MobileBurn]

Not that we're blindsided by its official introduction or anything, but it's still good to see Sanyo's SCP-2700 in one clear, crisp, cohesive press photo. Available exclusively on Sprint, the QWERTY-equipped handset boasts a 1.3 megapixel camera, Sprint Navigation, threaded text messaging support and Bluetooth. Prospective buyers will need to choose between Impulsive Pink (with a subtle floral overlay) and Deep Blue (which has a tactile square designer pattern on its back), but considering that you've got until May 10th to decide, we'd say there's no real hurry. Oh, and pricing? $29.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and signing away your cellular soul for two long, painful years.

This one's pretty light on specifics at the moment, but it looks like manufacturing giant ITT Corp is none too happy with Verizon and a whole host of cellphone manufacturers including the likes of Motorola, Nokia, LG, and Kyocera, and it's now gone so far as to sue the whole lot over alleged patent infringement. Apparently, ITT thinks that the group of companies all violated one of its GPS patents that relates to position information being transmitted in urban areas with line-of-sight obstructions. As a result of that alleged wrong doing, ITT says it has been "irreparably harmed," and that it "has suffered, and will continue to suffer substantial damages." To remedy that situation, ITT is asking for a jury trial, unspecified royalties, and a permanent injunction against all of the defendants, although it is being kind enough to allow for an exemption for any activities necessary to support 911 emergency functions.

[Thanks, Joel]

You know -- after gawking at smartphones all day, Kyocera's latest flip phone just looks stunning in its own simplistic way. Sure, there's nothing at all fancy about the NS01 that we mentioned in our KDDI blowout. It just makes / receives calls, sends the occasional text message and displays information on a 2.8-inch QVGA display; heck, even the two megapixel camera doesn't make it extraordinary. Still, the all white design just does it for us, and the included belt strap is simply too cute to ignore. 'Tis a shame we aren't privy to pricing details, but folks over in Japan should be able to snag one soon on KDDI.

It's only been a year since Kyocera snapped up Sanyo's cellphone business in a bid to expand its mobile empire, but it looks like the company is already being forced to reorganize its handset businesses into something leaner and, it hopes, meaner. The biggest shake-up comes in the company's U.S. offices, which will now be focused exclusively sales, support, and business development, leaving all the handset design to be done at its Kyocera Wireless and Sanyo Telecom units in Japan, which themselves will be further consolidated in an effort to "enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of the combined global handset business," according to company President Rodney Lanthorne. All of that will result in the loss of some 360 jobs, most of which will come from Kyocera's operations in San Diego and Chatsworth, California, as well as its subsidiary in Bangalore, India.

[Via Phone Scoop]

So KDDI's latest lineup of new phones features the usual array of 8.1 megapixel cameras, wide VGA displays, one-seg TV tuners, and teleporters, but one particular handset stood out: Hitachi's Wooo H001. The dual-hinge flip's claim to fame -- well, besides the bizarre color scheme -- has to be the stereoscopic IPS display that presumably uses the same parallax barrier method shown off by the carrier late last year. The phone will happily serve up 3D-ified versions of various UI elements and mobile TV content, and when you start to get woozy (or Wooozy, as it were), just flip a switch and you're back to the reassuring flatness you're used to. It'll launch in three colors in April, and naturally, you'll have to be in Japan to get it.

[Via Akihabara News]

Only in a market where a diamond-studded mobile sells out in three days during economic turmoil will you find a not-too-riveting handset being served up for brunch. Over at what we can only assume was a lively presser in Japan, Willcom has taken the wraps off of its WX340K flip phone and ultrathin BAUM candybar (both crafted by Kyocera). Outside of style alone, neither phone is all that mesmerizing, with the former packing a 2.7-inch QVGA display, two megapixel camera with AutoFocus, POP / SMPT support and a NetFront browser; the latter simply changes it up with a 2.4-inch LCD. Both critters fully support the FeliCa e-wallet system, though pricing and availability details seem to be missing. More completely odd hands-on shots are in the read link.

[Via Engadget Japanese]

And by "survive," we mean "survives the awful FCC photography clinic." All kidding aside, the photos this time didn't turn out too bad, but maybe that's because this phone is about as plain as plain can get. In fact, we'd suggest this here candybar is just marginally more sophisticated that those incredibly simplistic senior phones, though it does include a tri-band CDMA radio, GPS, speakerphone and a presumably putrid web browser. It's practically a lock for someone like MetroPCS, but we suppose only time will tell.

[Via phonescoop]

As Japan's CDMA big dog, KDDI au holds a unique spot in the market -- but if you think that means they're light on offerings against the more popular HSPA models supported by NTT DoCoMo and Softbank, you'd be dead wrong. The carrier's latest lineup includes a monster camera-cum-phone-cum-camera from Casio, an AQUOS-branded Sharp that's just about big enough to replace your television (not really though), and updates of older models that are still high-tech enough to make most of us look like neanderthals.


Hitachi Wooo W63H

It looks like pretty much any other Japanese flip, but the W63H probably has just about the most gorgeous screen we'll never see. Why? Turns out this sucker packs 3.1 inches of wide VGA OLED bliss, which explains why it's using the same Wooo branding as Hitachi's line of HDTVs. The phone is also capable of smoothing out one-seg's standard 15fps frame rate to 30fps, features a 5-megapixel camera, and has 600MB of storage space on board. It's available in Garnet Orange (pictured), Sapphire Black, and Opal White.



Casio EXILIM W63CA

Let's jump right into the big guns, shall we? The W63CA matches the W63H's 3.1-inch WVGA OLED display, but ups the imaging ante with a massive 8.1-megapixel (well, 8.09-megapixel, technically) camera that features face-detecting autofocus -- and it's still 1.5mm thinner than the W53CA it replaces. At 17.4mm, it's not setting any records, granted -- but every little bit helps. This one can be had in Shine Pink, Ice White, Titanium Gold, and Metal Green.



Sharp AQUOS W64SH

If 3.1 inches isn't quite enough screen for you, step right on up to the AQUOS-branded W64SH from Sharp, offering a full 3.5-inches of wide VGA action with a high-contrast LED backlight -- all told, the largest display ever offered on a KDDI phone. You still make off with a 5.2-megapixel camera, 740MB of onboard memory, and global roaming capability, too. Earth Green, Mars Red, and Galaxy Black (get the theme?) are your color options here.



Toshiba W65T

If you tend to roll with the slider crowd and the mighty W64SH is just a little more phone than you need, we might recommend the W65T, Toshiba's entry with a 3.2-megapixel cam, 2.8-inch OLED display (REGZA branded, natch), and a motion sensor that doubles as a pedometer / calorie counter. It can be had in Live Pink, Fresh White, Splash Blue, or Jet Black.



Kyocera W65K

Even the especially uninteresting phones in the lineup manage to stay interesting by doing things like, say, varying the style of the keypad between colors. Depending on whether you choose the W65K in Clair White, Fleur Pink, or Luxe Silver, you'll get a different texture of shell and a totally different look to the keypad -- techy for white, stylish for pink, and sans for silver. Oh, and the whole package is waterproof, which seems to be a popular differentiator on a few models in Japan. Otherwise, though, you're getting stuck with a 2-megapixel camera and a mere 100MB of memory, so you'd better seriously take advantage of that waterproofness with an occasional toilet or bathtub accident. And if you're curious just how waterproof it is, well, "the unit will retain its functionality as a phone even if blasted with water projected at all angles through 6.3mm nozzles at a flow rate of approximately 12.5 liters/minute for more than 3 minutes from a distance of approximately 3 meters." So there you have it.



Sony Ericsson W64S

It kinda irks us that Sony Ericsson can make beautiful CDMA devices for Japan but won't bother to ship a few to the US, where CDMA carriers have been Sony Ericsson-less for years -- but that's just the way the cookie crumbles, we suppose. The W64S offers a 3.2-megapixel camera, 2.7-inch display, GSM global roaming, and "30 different patterns of illumination" on the stylized face. Grab it in Diamond Pink, Snow White, Lattice Black, or Mist Blue.



Panasonic W62P

KDDI pulls no punches with the W62P -- it's a "fashion accessory" more than it is a monster of Japanese technology, but for some buyers, we're sure that's quite alright. Panasonic's latest flip clocks in at just 12.9mm and offers a 2-megapixel cam, 2.9-inch primary display, and automatic opening with the push of a button (a feature we'd like to see on more flips around the world, actually). It comes in your choice of Candide Pink, Charmant Gold, and Intelligent Purple.



Toshiba W64T

Borrowing cues from the W62P, the W64T is billed as a "cosmetic phone that sparkles with elegance." Translation: "more show than go." The funky face is accompanied by a 3.2-megapixel cam, 2.8-inch WQVGA display, and the usual array of features like one-seg tuning, navigation, Osaifu-Keitai for NFC payments, and downloadable fonts. Scoop this one up in Shining Pink, Shining Turquoise, or -- you guessed it -- Shining White.



Sony Ericsson Full Change re

This is the same re that we saw from the summer collection, they've just added more colors to the palette. Sony Ericsson's fashion-friendly flip is now available in Glossy White, Clean Green, Blooming Pink, Active Orange, Sleek Silver, Deep Red, Lustrous Blue, Silky Lavender (pictured), Mat Black, and Luminous Gold, plus a special James Bond Quantum of Solace edition to tie into the movie's release, which Sony sponsors.