Last year Japan's number three cellular telephone network operator, Vodafone KK, was faulted by analysts and customers alike for not having a wide and attractive enough range of handsets. Now it's seeking to put that right and in early May launched six new phones that will go on sale in the middle of this year. Two of them caught my eye.

Visit a cellular telephone retailer in Japan and you'd be able to see what are undoubtedly some of the world's most technologically advanced handsets. Packed with megapixel cameras, high resolution color screens, music players, radio tunes and televisions, the handsets on offer from ten-or-so companies can satisfy a consumer's every wish -- unless that wish is for something that looks a little unique. Clamshells rule the roost here and have done for several years. Aside from a few styling lines on the cover and the placing of the sub-display the most ambitious most phones get is a small number of different colored cases.

That's all changing now thanks to the surprise success of a series of telephones for the Au network that featured design as their biggest selling point. The "Au Design Project" produced the first candy-bar type cell phone that has been a success in Japan for several years and also a number of other funky designs that have attracted consumers who care more about looks than megapixels or Java applet size.

Now Vodafone Japan is getting in on the act with one of its new handsets, called "Koto." Produced by Toshiba Corp., the telephone was designed to blend traditional Japanese and modern design elements based on the concept of universal beauty, according to Vodafone. The outside of the phone is smooth and shiny with a very discrete Vodafone logo embossed into the front while the inside has a matte finish.

It's good news for customers who want their cell phone to be a little more unique than the mass-market models crowding shop shelves. Better news yet is that it's the first of a number of telephones planned for the design project range, said the carrier.

Vodafone V303T Koto Handset

For a handset that is so much about design, I almost feel I shouldn't be paying attention to the technical specifications but they are probably just as important for the majority of users. So, what's inside the cool looking case? The telephone has the now standard QVGA (320 pixels by 240 pixels) 2.2-inch screen and there's also a 1-inch sub-display. The camera has a 300,000 pixel resolution sensor -- a little on the low resolution side these days -- that can be used to take photos or video images. The internal 8M-byte memory can accommodate up to 3 minutes of video, said Vodafone. Talk time is 120 minutes and standby time is up to 360 hours. The phone measures 48 millimeters by 96 millimeters by 26 millimeters and weighs 108 grams. It will go on sale in Japan in May at a price yet to be determined and won't be offered for sale outside of

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