BenQ-Siemens P51 and E61 spotted at CeBIT
BenQ-Siemens unleash the GPS-equipped P51 smart phone and the MP3-ready E61 music handset -- two of the earliest highlights from CeBIT 2006
Most manufacturers are still setting up their stands at CeBIT 2006, but the eager beavers at BenQ have already shown Crave a set of new mobile phones at the company's impressive football-themed booth. Among the most interesting additions to the range are the P51 'Smart Navigator' and the E61 'Fascinating Music Phone'.
The latter immediately conjures up memories of the Sony-Ericsson W900i Walkman phone, partly because of its generous homage to the colour orange. It lacks the sliding mechanism of the W900i, but its wedge-shaped handset has a set of music control buttons mounted at the top for easy access. It supports MP3, ACC and AAC+ audio formats, and has a six-band graphic equaliser so you can crank up the bass and treble while you nod your head to the latest G-Unit banger.
More interestingly, the E61 can display song lyrics during music playback, so you can impress and annoy fellow commuters with your vocal range or knowledge of contemporary gangsta rap. The phone has 1GB of storage as standard, but if the 240-song capacity proves too miserly, you can add extra tracks via an optional miniSD memory card.
BenQ-Siemens also unveiled the P51 smart phone. As you might expect, this calculator-looking handset runs Windows Mobile 5.0, but also includes an optional integrated GPS receiver and navigation software. Aimed at the BlackBerry set, it features the same SiRF Star III navigation gubbins as most current GPS units, and has a large 72mm (2.8-inch) touchscreen to help reduce your chances of getting lost. Of the gadgets we've seen at CeBIT 2006 thus far, it's at the top of our most-wanted list, as navigating the seemingly endless CeBIT halls is proving something of a challenge. -RR
See our CeBIT 2006 Special Report for all the latest news, product announcements, photos and videos from CeBIT.