Willcom D4 (Sharp WS016SH) MID headed to Japan in June

Looking nothing like it did as a prototype under glass, the Sharp-built Willcom MID made an earlier-than-expected official debut in Japan today. Dubbed the Willcom D4 and/or Sharp WS016SH, the 7.4" x 3.3" x 1.0" clamshell will be running Vista Home Premium (does this make it a UMPC?) on a 1.33GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, and 40GB hard drive when those living in my home country (don’t let my married name fool you) are able to pick one up this summer in exchange for 128,600 yen.

Even though a US release seems unlikely, the cost will be much lower when subsidized by a two-year contract with Willcom, and straight conversions are never accurate, that much yen is still equivalent to about $1280.

I know a frequent commenter who should be beside himself at the size of the 64-key QWERTY keyboard (do the words "touch-type" and "fit in a jacket pocket" sound familiar?) and a few other fellows who are sure to be pleased by the prospect of surfing the web using the preloaded Opera browser on the D4’s slide-and-tilt 5-inch touchscreen (1024 x 600).

Is this your definition of the "perfect" MID?

Pocketables does not accept targeted advertising, phony guest posts, paid reviews, etc. Help us keep this way with support on Patreon!