15
May
Untitled

It's probably not the water-cooled superphone you've been looking for, but Japanese smartphone maker NEC announced the succinctly named Medias X 06E for the NTT DoCoMo network today, the world's first smartphone with a CPU cooled by H2O. Unfortunately, the specs are decidedly middling, and NEC intends to market the device as a "lady's" phone in essentially the same vein as HTC with the Rhyme.

jewel_verge_super_wide

The Medias X 06E packs a quad-core Qualcomm processor clocked at 1.7 Ghz, a 4.7-inch 720p OLED display, and a 13.1 megapixel camera. It comes in two colors, white and pink, and includes an attached light-up faux-jewel pendant.

29
Apr
nec logo

If you've never heard of Japanese manufacturer NEC, don't worry, you're in good company. While the corporation has indeed been producing Android devices for years, some of which are quite unique and impressive, they haven't seen fit to expand most of their mobile hardware beyond Japan. (Note the complete lack of cellular devices on NEC's American page.) That's why it's so puzzling to see noted tipster @evleaks' latest break: the NEC Terrain for AT&T. The phone would be NEC's very first Android phone to hit America's shores.

BJDIFXaCMAAzbRE

Even more interesting is the fact that it appears to be a budget-focused candy bar phone with a full QWERTY keyboard.

21
Jan
mediasws

There have been a few cautious entries into the world of dual-screen Android devices from the likes of Kyocera, Sony, and Samsung, but Japanese manufacturer NEC is hoping to leave these efforts in the dust with their new smartphone. The MEDIAS W has a form factor that's distinctly different from any yet seen in the Android world: two 4.3-inch screens in equal resolution, side-by-side. It's a bit like a smaller, inverted version of the Sony Tablet P turned 90 degrees, or the old Microsoft Courier concept shrunken down.

medias w

The MEDIAS W was revealed in prototype form at Mobile World Congress 2012, almost a year ago.

23
Feb
2-23-2012 11-47-47 PM

Adding to the heap of pre-MWC goodies we've seen lately, NEC decided to show off three of their new Android-powered phones today in Japan, and if nothing else, the devices look interesting.

2-23-2012 11-47-47 PM

The first thing that jumps out is the strange gizmo on the far left – it appears to have 2 displays back to back (when folded), and is labeled as the "best cloud device," hinting at easier cloud connectivity. According to The Verge, the handset also has a super powered battery to keep both displays running.

Next is the "Large Screen in One-hand" phone which, as the label suggests, appears to have a luxuriously large screen.

03
Oct
nec-mgx-2

I will never quite get the Japanese consumer electronics market, but hey, NEC has done pretty well for itself occupying just that niche. Their latest creation? A weird super-thin (9.9mm, to be precise) Android laptop:

229

Yes, that is Android 1.6 you see running on this "cutting-edge" piece of technology. Seriously, they couldn't even get Gingerbread? And yes, the screen is supposed to be that aspect ratio (it's 7 inches). But hey, at least it's a touch display (we think), and you can rotate the hinge on it all the way back, so then it's like a tablet (how's that work with a keyboard on the backside...?)!

21
Feb
nec1
Last Updated: January 21st, 2013

If rumors are to be believed, NEC's newest Android phone - the MEDIAS E-04C - will be the world's thinnest smartphone at 7.7mm when it launches this Thursday. It has only been a short time since Sony Ericsson launched the razor-thin Xperia arc and Samsung crowned its Galaxy S II phone as the "world's thinnest smartphone," but at 8.7mm and 8.49mm at their thinnest points, respectively, these phones look positively obese in comparison.

nec1

According to Akihabara News, Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo will be announcing its new spring collection later this week, but apparently someone could not wait and leaked photos of NEC's newest offering to Japanese blog Ameba.

17
Dec
nec_lifetouch_dual-screen_mockup

Last month at GSM 2010, NEC showed off  a 7" touchscreen Android tablet. The company was marketing it towards businesses, and it's supposed to function mainly in the cloud - an interesting proposal. Unfortunately, it seems the execution is lackluster in just about every way. The specs are utter crap:

  • 600 Mhz CPU (NEC says this will be updated to 1 Ghz at some point)
  • 384 MB RAM
  • 1 GB ROM
  • Resistive touchscreen
  • WiFi & Bluetooth
  • Android 2.1, with updates coming down the road
  • Custom UI

Based on the video below, it it looks like it runs like a dog. On top of that, the thing is....