Phone Review | Softbank 705P Thin clamshell phone

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

When it comes to cell phones, like many gadgets, everyone has their own tastes. Some prefer a small format cell phone, while others may prefer a larger size phone to avoid problems with the small keys. Then there are those who want a very thin cell phone that still has features like a normal LCD screen or a camera.

If you belong to the last group than you will be pleased to know that Panasonic has released to Softbank its latest cell phone: the 705P. This 3G/GSM device is one of the thinner cell phones on the market with its 14.8 mm width and its light on the weight side too with only 103g. To ease the opening process of the cell phone Panasonic added a button that when pressed automatically opens the clamshell cell phone.

As for the multimedia features the Softbank 705P has a high resolution 2.2-inch LCD screen, a video camera above the screen and a two mega-pixel camera on the back. The first will be used for video chats and videoconferences while the second camera comes with a 9.7x zoom that should satisfy most photographers.

Panasonic thought also about wireless chats and games by including in the thin clamshell phone the support for the Bluetooth technology. Customers will be able to communicate with close friends and play games with them using the Near Games service. Speaking of the latter the Softbank 705P has three pre-installed games but more can be downloaded (together with other extras) from the Panasonic website.

Lastly this thin clamshell phone supports Adobe Flash files, has a USB connection and a microSD expansion slot. The clamshell phone will be available only in Japan for the moment and will count a total of seven different colors.