14 DAY TRIAL // Vodafone announced the release of a new handheld in Germany - VPA compact III, the device speed UMTS network. The device can be used in the high-speed UMTS network. VPA compact III combines a powerful phone and PDA functions in one single device. The compact all-round phone is based on the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, so it can use the Vodafone push e-mail service, Windows Mobile E-Mail. The device incorporates a pull-out QWERTY keyboard enabling the user to write texts, process e-mails and administer appointments and contact data. This multitalented VPA provides access to the Internet or Intranet via fast UMTS and GPRS data connections and local W-LAN hotspots.
It runs on the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system. Popular office applications - Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile and a PDF viewer - are already installed. You can create Word and Excel documents, edit e-mail attachments using the QWERTY keyboard and you can forward e-mails to other recipients via fast UMTS connections. Vodafone's Windows Mobile E-Mail enables the transfer of e-mails to the VPA compact III to eliminate the need for an electronic mailbox. Appointments, contact details and tasks in MS Outlook can easily be directly synchronized with the office PC via an Exchange 2003 mail server.
VPA compact III weighs in at 176 grams and it is a quadband phone that operates in all international networks. An integrated W-LAN function enables the use of W-LAN hotspots. When closed, the device's dimensions are only 112.5 x 58 x 21.95 mm.
Vodafone is planning to put the VPA compact III on sale in mid-July. The device can be purchased for EUR 899.50 without a contract.