CeBIT : BenQ's New Phones Come Calling

Company shows off handsets that feature music players, multimedia players, and Windows Mobile 5.0.

Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service

HANOVER, GERMANY- BenQ Mobile introduced six new mobile phones at the CeBIT trade show here on Wednesday, including the P51, a Windows Mobile 5.0 device.

The P51 includes Wi-Fi and comes pre-loaded with Skype so that users can make voice-over-IP calls over Wi-Fi networks. The device features a QWERTY keyboard, GPS (Global Positioning System), and 128MB of built-in memory.

The Windows Mobile software includes Powerpoint and allows users to receive push e-mail from their corporate e-mail accounts. The P51 is expected to become available in the third quarter.

Also on Display

The EL71, another new handset, is a slider phone featuring a metal finish and designed for the "young professional," BenQ says.

Other new handsets it introduced include the CF61, a consumer-oriented phone with a music player, Bluetooth, and exchangeable covers, and the C81, a multimedia phone with a larger-than-usual speaker for better audio, BenQ says.

BenQ also announced that it would preinstall a Google search bar on some handsets. The announcement follows similar deals over the past few months between Google and other handset vendors and operators.

BenQ also launched a service that will allow its customers to wirelessly update the software on their phones. It will provide people with more ways to configure and personalize their phones, BenQ says.

For more coverage from CeBIT, the world's largest technology show, go here.