Panasonic Mobile Communications is shipping another LiMo (Linux Mobile)-compliant phone for NTT DoCoMo's FOMA network. The FOMA P706ie offers a 3-inch QVGA display, a 2-megapixel camera, a 2GB or 8GB memory card, voice clarification, and video record and playback at up to 15fps, says Panasonic.

(Click for larger view of Panasonic's FOMA P706ie)

The FOMA P706ie is Panasonic's seventh handset to support the LiMo Platform for mobile Linux devices, and the 23rd LiMo phone to date. Like the other Panasonic LiMo phones, including the recently released FOMA P906i and the P706ie's close cousin, the FOMA P706iu, the phone is designed to work on NTT DoCoMo's 3G FOMA network infrastructure, prevalent throughout Japan and also present in parts of Europe and elsewhere. The P706ie uses Panasonic's sixth-generation of “MOAP/L” Linux application stack, which is said to offer on-demand media streaming, videoconferencing, and electronic wallet features that take advantage of the FOMA network intrastructure.

FOMA P706ie in three colors
(Click to enlarge)
The FOMA P706ie incorporates High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) 3G data transmission, and is also said to support 3G international roaming. Compared to previous 706i models, the new model is said to offer improved sound output and voice-clarifying features, including the ability to reduce voice speed by about 30 percent to improve comprehension, says Panasonic. It is also said to offer a “Mobile W Speed” feature for enhanced viewing of short “Mobile TV” segments.

Up close and personal with the FOMA P706ie
(Click to enlarge)
The clamshell measures 4.3 x 1.9 x 0.6-inch (109 x 49 x 16mm), weighs 3.7 ounces (106 grams), and can be opened with a single touch, says the company. In addition to the 240 x 427-pixel main screen, there's a smaller 96 x 25 status display that measures 0.8 inches (20mm), as well as navigational shortcut keys. The MicroSD slot supports 2GB or 8GB cards, and a MicroSDHC slot is optional. The front-facing 2-megapixel camera offers autofocus and zoom capability, and supports MP4 video recording at 640 x 480 resolution. Talk time is rated at about 190 minutes, says Panasonic.

The P706ie's LiMo-compatible cousin, the P706iu (Click for details)

Stated Morgan Gillis, executive director of the LiMo Foundation, “Panasonic Mobile Communications' latest LiMo handset is engineered within a vision for the emergence of the true mobile Internet, with new innovations being cost-effectively built on top of the LiMo Platform.”

Availability

The Panasonic FOMA P706ie appears to be available now at an undisclosed price. More photos and basic information should be available at a special P706ie website, this NTT DoCoMo page, or this translated NTT DoCoMo page.

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