Japan gets a 3D mobile handset

Link: 3D handset hits streets of Japan | Reg Hardware

Just when you thought mobile phone evolution was slowing down on the design/cosmetic front, check out this little beauty from NEC.

Just launched in Japan on the NTT DoCoMo network, the N704iu handset is not only the world’s slimmest clamshell (measuring 10cm x 5cm x 1cm), but also has.. get this.. a 3D fascia.

If you’re old enough to remember the days of polarised glasses being given away with the Radio Times and coming out of the cinema slightly disappointed that Jaws didn’t actually eat the noisy popcorn-munching person in the row behind you, you’ll be forgiven for thinking this is just a passing fad that’s come back to haunt us. And maybe it is – having not actually seen the handset in real life it’s difficult to gauge exactly what’s so ‘stereoscopic’ about it.

Needless to say, the specs are impressive. Standby time weighs in at 690 hours, talk time of about 200 minutes and continuous video calling time of 135 minutes (which begs the question – has anyone ever managed a video call longer than about 2-3 minutes without getting bored of the novelty?)

The price is yet to be confirmed, and no word yet whether it’ll be available outside the Japan anytime soon. However when you’re next in Japan and have a spare five minutes to kill in a mobile phone store, you might just find yourself entranced by this little beauty.