SoftBank unveils "premium" mobile phone models for winter

   SoftBank Mobile Corp. on Oct. 22, 2007 unveiled 10 new models of mobile phones for this winter. The new models covers a wide range of different designs, including the fourth generation of the company's main product "Aquos Ketai" that can receive 1seg broadcasting, a mobile phone with 5-mega-pixel digital camera equipped with the Canon Flash, and another mobile phone designed with Char Aznable, a popular character in the phone Mobile Suit Gundam series, as the motif.

Masayoshi Son (front) with the new model "The Premium 821SH" in hand.

   At the press conference held to unveil the new models, Masayoshi Son, president of SoftBank, said that the main theme of the new designs was "premium". "They are of high quality, stylish and cool. That's the sense of premium tried to express in the line of the new terminals," he said.

   Reflecting what he said, "The Premium 821SH" is of the thinnest body of all the 1seg mobile phones of 12.9 millimeters. The body is made of stainless steel to give the impression of high class product.

"Cha Senyo Ketai" designed with "Char Aznable" motif (right) and the charging adaptor shaped like the Char Zaku head

   The "920SH" (made by Sharp), a new product in the "Aquos Ketai" series has a thickness press down to 18 millimeters, although it has a 3.2-inch wide VGA liquid crystal screen. "Photos 920SC" (made by Samsung Electronics) is equipped with the 5-mega-pixel digital camera that "recognizes" human faces for focusing. It also has the Canon Flash.

   The line of the new products also includes the terminal designed with popular cartoon character motif. The "913SH G Type-Char" designed with "Char Aznable" motif is installed with the special waiting screen and comes with its own charging adapter shaped like the Zaku head. There are also other types, including "Hello Kitty Ketai" and "Snoopy Ketai". Son himself is said to be a great fan of Snoopy, and he gave a special attention to the designing of the "Snoopy Ketai".

   The sales of the new products will start between the middle of November and middle of December, except for Hello Kitty and Snoopy, which were to be sold from Nov. 3.