14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless carrier Vodafone recently announced the addition of no less than eight new mobile phones to its lineup, some of which prove to be rather interesting handsets. One of the said handsets, Vodafone 541, comes to the carrier's offering as an entry-level touchscreen, and it the result of the operator's partnership with MediaTek. The same applies to the Vodafone 340 camera phone, yet the most interesting handsets to be launched by Vodafone would be those in the Vodafone 533 Catwalk Collection: Vodafone 533 Crystal, Lady and Red.
Patrick Chomet, Group Director of Terminals for Vodafone, said that “I am delighted to be adding further diversity to the Vodafone own branded device range. From fashion-influenced mobiles to business tools, these new handsets will give our customers stylish, contemporary and great value choices. This new range of mobile phones will offer features such as a touchscreen experience and services like the mobile internet to a broad base of both European pre-pay customers and customers in emerging markets, many of whom will be using them for the first time.”
The Vodafone 533 is a slider device that sports both style and value, the carrier states. The specs list of the phone shows a 1.3-megapixel photo snapper, Bluetooth connectivity, MMS capabilities, FM Radio and MP3 player, as well as a memory card slot for additional storage space. The “Crystal” version of the handset is the result of Vodafone's collaboration with CRYSTALLIZED. The black slider case sports a series of crystals and a special coating, while the screen will show a CRYSTALLIZED Swarovski Elements animation when the handset is activated.
As for the rest of the new phones headed for Vodafone's users, we can count the Vodafone 340, which proves to be an affordable candy bar device that can deliver a VGA camera, an 1.8-inch display, messaging capabilities, Internet access through Opera Mini, and FM radio. The phone comes in black, yet some markets will also receive exchangeable back covers in white and pink. Also a candy bar device is the Vodafone 1240, only that it sports a QWERTY keyboard and a 2-megapixel camera. In addition, the entry-level business phone also includes a 262k colour QVGA landscape screen, Visto push email and 3G HSDPA support.
The Vodafone 540 is also a candy bar handset, only that it is aimed mainly at multimedia enthusiasts. It features a 2-inch TFT color display, a 2 megapixel photo snapper with video recording capabilities, SMS, MMS and email capabilities, as well as mobile Internet browsing capabilities through the use of Opera Mini. The new mobile phone also comes with FM radio, as well as with support for MP3 and AAC. The Vodafone 540 will only come to pre-pay users in Europe.
The wireless carrier will also add to its offering two touchscreen mobile phones, the Vodafone 541 and Vodafone 840. The former sports a 2.4-inch QVGA color screen, a 1.3-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities, WAP mobile Internet browsing, FM radio and SMS and MMS capabilities. While being launched only in a black variant, white and red versions are expected to become available in the near future for Vodafone's pre-pay users. The last in line is the Vodafone 840, or 3G Touch, which includes a 2.8-inch QVGA display, a 2-megapixel camera, 3G connectivity and multimedia capabilities. The phone will come to the market in silver in the beginning, yet pink and white versions will also emerge.
