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Sendo gets smart with Symbian launch

Rupert Goodwins ZDNet.co.uk

Published: 21 Oct 2003 17:30 BST

Sendo, the UK's only mobile phone manufacturer, has announced details of its latest smartphone, called the Sendo X. Built around Symbian and Nokia's Series 60 software platform, the phone has been developed from scratch in just under a year following Sendo's spectacular cancellation of its co-development deal with Microsoft.

The phone weighs 120 grams, and includes a VGA resolution still/motion camera with flash, a 65k colour 176x220 pixel screen, 64-voice polyphonic ring tones, and a suite of graphics, audio and video software all running under Sendo's Now! environment. Other software includes Java J2ME, a personal information manager with email that can synchronise with PCs, the RealOne audio and video player, and a smattering of games. It's compatible with Symbian and Series 60 applications, and has around 32MB of its internal 64MB flash memory available for user programs and data. This can be expanded through MMC and SD cards, although Sendo claims that the standard memory can store up to 1,000 pictures or half an hour of 'quality' video and audio.

The phone has triple-band GSM and GPRS class 8, Bluetooth, USB and infra-red connectivity, and incorporates a third-party Internet browser from a major but as yet unspecified company. This supports HTML, frames, WAP 2.0, and XHTML MP as well as standard secure SSL Web and WTLS WAP secure pages.

"The Sendo X will be available first in southern Europe -- Spain and Italy," Marijke van Hooren, Sendo's communications director, told ZDNet UK. "It will be available in the UK either towards the end of the year or at the beginning of 2004, depending on approvals." She said there had been a great deal of interest from mobile network operators but declined to name any except the Italian company TIM, which has been demonstrating the product to dealers. Likewise, price and talktime figures will be "very competitive" but have yet to be finalised: in Italy, where mobile phones are sold at full price without subsidies, it will cost around 500 euros. The price will be lower in the UK, where the cost of the phone will be discounted as part of contract deals with networks.

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