NEC to Launch Cellphone as Eden of the East Tie-In
Humberto SaabedraNEC is set to release a new cellphone in Japan based off of the cellphone used in the ongoing Eden of the East anime, with a focus on navigation.
The as yet unannounced model is set to be announced tonight as a part of its Summer 2009 lineup and will also serve as an official tie-in product for Eden of the East. The phone itself features real-time GPS navigation (the keypad flips around on top of the main display, which engages the GPS mode) with that display also being a touchscreen.
Another related feature is turn by turn directions can be fed over Bluetooth enabled headsets or helmets, which would make it easier to focus on the road while riding as well as using it as a standard navigation device when in a special pedestrian mode. The phone itself is otherwise is a very conventional handset with a large display, microSDHC expansion slot, camera of unknown resolution, and Flash based user interface.
Pricing for the device has yet to be confirmed, but is expected to be around $700 before a service agreement, which would the bring it down to ~$100 after new agreement and service plan.
