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BenQ unveils back-to-basics business phones
21st century looks, 20th century spec?
BenQ Mobile has unveiled a pair of "economy class" handsets pitched at business users looking for an inexpensive but good-looking handset that doesn't have to offer all the latest features favoured by consumers.
The Benq-Siemens A38 is a voice-centric compact candybar phone with a 1.4in, 96 x 94, 60,500-colour display based on old-style CSTN technology. The handset measures 10.4 x 4.6 x 1.9cm. There's sufficient memory for 300 phonebook entries and 300 text messages, and the A38 has an alarm clock, a world clock, a calendar and a calculator.
The phone offers just over fours hours' talk time - not market-leading, alas - and a stand-by time of 286 hours.
The A58 adds Bluetooth and ups the screen spec to a 128 x 128, 65,536-colour model. The phone can operate as a voice recorder, and there's enough memory for 60 minutes' recording time and 500 contacts. It also has an external aerial port and a serial port for data transfers. Sounds a bit old fashioned, doesn't it?
The BenQ-Siemens A38 will be available in the color variations black and grey from July in Europe, August in Asia and September in Latin America. The A58 is currently scheduled to ship in Europe in August. BenQ did not provide pricing details. ®
Biting the hand that feeds IT
