Sprint Launches First Hitachi Wireless Phone in United States with Vision-enabled PCS Phone by Hitachi
Sept 24, 2002 09:00 AM
The Hitachi P300 PCS Phone Clearly Marks Another Industry First in Nationwide Rollout of PCS Vision from Sprint
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. Sept. 25, 2002 - Clear wireless you can see and hear comes alive through the best color screen available today on the P300 PCS Phone by Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT). The Vision-enabled P300 makes it ideal to view photos when browsing the Web or identifying an incoming caller; setting animated Ringers and Screen Savers; or playing brand-name Java-based games with PCS Vision from Sprint. The P300 launched today by Sprint (NYSE: FON, PCS) also features a light sensor to automatically adjust the ringer volume when tucked away in a pocket or purse and a 7-color LED located on the back of the phone to be synchronized with incoming numbers so either way, you never miss a clear call. The P300 is available at Sprint Stores nationwide for $299.99.
"Sprint was the first wireless carrier to introduce a Third-Generation (3G) service nationwide with PCS Vision and follows on the heels of this with another industry milestone -- the launch of the first Hitachi wireless phone in the U.S.," said John Garcia, senior vice president for sales and distribution. "The P300 by Hitachi embodies the innovation for which Hitachi is known with the valuable and visual applications of PCS Vision from Sprint."
"Hitachi is pleased and honored to have the opportunity to provide our 3G technology to industry leader Sprint. The unique capabilities of the P300 represent the culmination of Hitachi's advanced research and development efforts and many years as a pioneer in both semiconductor and telecommunications technologies. The introduction of Hitachi's first ever U.S. mobile-phone complements our global focus on being a "Best Solutions Partner" to our customers, particularly in advancing our position as a supplier of advanced electronics and information infrastructure products," said Hiroshi Nakayama, Sales Director, Ubiquitous Platform Systems, Hitachi, Ltd.
PCS Vision enables customers to check personal and corporate e-mail, play games with full-color graphics and polyphonic sounds, use select Vision-enabled PCS Phones with the PCS Vision Camera to take and receive pictures, and browse the Internet wirelessly with speeds comparable to a home computer's dial-up connection. The shift to providing clarity you can see and hear has revolutionized virtually every aspect of wireless service from Sprint to provide the introduction of applications, features and devices that no other wireless carrier in the nation can match. The PCS Phone by Hitachi P300 supports the following PCS Vision applications:
Messaging - PCS Vision makes wireless messaging services from Sprint an extension of the desktop experience with fully functioning Web-based PCS Mail, PCS Short Mail, Wireless Chat and Messaging Fun games. The additional local POP3 client on the P300 also enables workers to download email and work offline.
Ringers - Sprint was the first to offer polyphonic ringtones and now, with Vision-enabled PCS Phones from Sprint, users can express even more personality with hundreds of unique downloadable ringers, including the latest music releases, showtunes and sound effects that can be assigned to specific numbers in the address book.
Screen Savers - PCS Vision allows customers to personalize their wireless service by wirelessly downloading screen savers right from their phone, many featuring synchronized animation.
Web - PCS Vision provides an improved Web experience with downloads, icons and full-color graphic versions of popular Internet sites.
Games - PCS Vision enables Sprint and its development partners to move the wireless game experience from the text-based games of today to graphically rich, full-color brand name games on Vision-enabled PCS Phones using the Java 2 platform, Micro Edition.
The PCS Phone by Hitachi P300 is the first digital, wireless handset in the United States from Hitachi. In addition to the full-color display, the slim and sleek P300 also features a built-in speakerphone; 7-Color Caller ID; Light Sensor for ring volume adjustment and Customizable Photo Caller ID.
Key features of the P300 include:
• Large Color Display: Vibrant full-color TFD screen with animated icon driven menu, displaying 8-lines of text.
• Local Email Software (POP3): Compose, download and send emails directly from your phone
• USB Interface for PC connection
• Built-in Speakerphone: Hands-free operation of your phone made easy with this built-in speakerphone.
• Environmental Switch: Three convenient ringer settings via a switch on your phone.
• Seven-Color Caller ID: Know who's calling you by customizing the color, pattern and rate of your phone's blinking LED.
• Customizable Photo Caller ID: Know who's calling you by linking a photo to the contacts in your Internal Phone Book.
• Light Sensor automatically adjusts loudness of ringer; Polyphonic CMX-MIDI v2.2 for animated Ringers.
• Personal Organizer: Manage your time using the built-in calendar and scheduler to record appointments. Alarm clock is also available.
• Internal Phone Book: Assign up to 200 entries, each storing five numbers for a total of 1000 entries.
• JPEG accelerator for faster image access
• Games and ringers with enhanced multi-tone (16-chord) melodic sound
• Voice-activated dialing
• Multiple Languages: Supports voice and text prompts in both English and Spanish.
• Single-band: This phone may be used on the Sprint Nationwide PCS Network.
• TTY compatible: This phone can support TTY services. TTY service requires network support.
• GPS (Global Positioning System)-Enabled: GPS-enabled for location-based services, which may be available in the future.
• Browser: Openwave (WAP 2.0 compliant)
• 3.6 ounces
• 3.5 hours (210 minutes) Talk Time; 10 days standby