Proving again that Japan has the prettiest phones in the world, au by KDDI has released its Fall and Winter lines, showing off eight new models with emphases on super bright and big Organic EL screens, multimedia "au BOX" connectivity, and a funky mobile personal trainer and calorie counter called "Karada Manager." While we will probably never see these gadgets States-side, I can't stop myself from obsessing over them. Perhaps I've got a case of unrequited mobile love.
The Hitachi Wooo W63H and Casio Exilim W63CA both came with 3.1-inch organic electro-luminescent screens and the ability to sync up with au BOX and Lismo Video (which lets you download full movies onto your handset). The Casio Exilim also boasts an 8.1MP camera, making it a pretty good point-and-shoot replacement.
Sharp Aquos' model beats out the Hitachi and Casio on screen size (3.5-inches), even if it's not OEL. While the battery life is probably shorter, those .4-inches could make a big difference if you're a big TV-on-the-cellphone watcher.
Sony Er! iccson's re fashion phone kind of reminds me of the Nokia I owned in High School, only its interchangeable fashion plates are much nicer. Right now, you can buy soon-to-be-dated 007 and Fifa World Cup themed plates.
The Toshiba W65T is a sportsy slider that includes, along with the au BOX connectivity and LISMO movie viewing, a Wireless Music option and GPS.
The last three phones in the line up are, more simplistic fashion phones. I guess not everybody's enamored with a handset that has more features than you can shake a stick at. Though the Kyocera W65K, SE W64S and Panasonic W62P (left to right) eschew LISMO and au BOX, they still come with the Karada Manager.
Even if none of KDDI's lineup makes it outside the Land of the Rising Sun, some of these features will probably trickle to the States a couple years down the line. [au by KDDI via Gizmodo Japan]