BenQ Unveils WLAN Smart Phone With Camera

Mobile phone has 802.11b wireless networking capabilities and an integrated 1.3-megapixel digital camera.

Agam Shah, IDG News Service

LAS VEGAS--Consumer electronics maker BenQ is showing off a new mobile phone here that combines 802.11b wireless networking capabilities and an integrated 1.3-megapixel digital camera with zoom and flash.

The P50 Smart Phone is a quad-band GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) mobile phone based on Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system. BenQ introduced the phone, which will be available worldwide next month for about $800, at the 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Wireless LAN capabilities and other mobile connectivity options give the phone better synchronization and improved access to voice and data applications on virtual private networks and shared networks, according to the company.

The mobile phone supports Java applications and comes with Microsoft's Word, Outlook, and Excel applications. It can also synchronize applications with a PC through Bluetooth, infrared, and USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0. The phone has a thumb keyboard.

Games, Music, and Business

Though the P50's network connectivity and productivity software capabilities target corporate users, other features make it attractive to casual users. The phone has a 1.3-megapixel CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) digital camera with integrated flash and digital zoom. Users can record and play MP4 (MPEG-4 Structured Audio) files, play video games, and use MP3 audio files as ring tones, according to the company.

The phone has a 2.83-inch, 18-bit TFT (thin-film transistor) LCD (liquid crystal display); a touchscreen; 64MB of flash memory; and 64MB of SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM). It weighs just under 6 ounces and measures 4.7 inches by 2.4 inches by 0.8 inches.

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