14 DAY TRIAL // After releasing the slimmest Android smartphone available on the market, the MEDIAS N-04C, NEC plans to launch another device in the MEDIAS family, the N-06C, which appears to be waterproof.
While the phone bears the same design as the N-04C predecessor, it's 0.2mm thicker and about 10g heavier than the slimmest handset on the market. NEC N-06C measures 128 x 64 x 7.9mm and weighs 115g (battery included).
Another obvious difference between the two smartphones is the fact that the manufacturer swapped the N-04C physical buttons with touch keys in the N-06C.
However, unlike the N-04C that runs Android 2.2 Froyo, the N-06C comes with Gingerbread on board. In addition, the phone is IPX5/IPX7 certified, proving that it is waterproof.
Furthermore, the device is powered by a single core 1 GHz processor and packs 1024 ROM, 512 RAM, as well as microSD card for memory expansion (up to 32GB, 2GB memory card included).
NEC N-06C is compatible with 14 Mbps FOMA download speed and comes with a large 4-inch LCD touchscreen with 262,144 colors support and 480 x 854 pixels resolution.
The 5-megapixel rear camera features autofocus, LED flash, as well as video recording capabilities (720p).
When it comes to connectivity, the smartphone offers 'standard' features such as: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth with A2DP support and microUSB.
Although NEC has yet to announce the precise release date of the N-06C, it is expected that the smartphone will be available through NTT DoCoMo, just like its N-04C predecessor, sometime this summer.
The phone's information page suggests that it will be available in three simple color schemes: Black, Pink and White.
Unfortunately, there are slim chances that any of the two NEC smartphones will be available outside Japan.
However, potential customers living in other Asian countries may be lucky to get the NEC handset in case one of the carriers decides to pick it up.