Toshiba K01/IS02 Snapdragon-powered WM 6.5 phone headed to Japan in June
Following hot on the heels of the Sharp IS01 clamshell Android MID revealed earlier today, Japanese carrier AU/KDDI has announced that it will also be releasing the similarly named Toshiba IS02 smartphone in June. But unlike its Android clamshell/smartbook relative, the 1GHz Snapdragon-powered handset will be running Windows Mobile 6.5.3 and adopt a very slim slider form factor with QWERTY keyboard. At 12.9mm (0.5") thick, Toshiba claims the IS02 is the slimmest QWERTY slider available.
The device was originally shown at MWC earlier this year under its international model name, K01, and just passed FCC approval indicating we may be seeing it outside Japan as well. Other headline features include an impressive 4.1-inch AMOLED WVGA capacitive touch screen, 384MB RAM, 512MB ROM, 3G, b/g WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR connectivity, 3.2MP camera, and a light weight of 5.57oz.
The specs and design are certainly impressive. It almost seems like an HTC HD2 with a sliding QWERTY keyboard! My only obvious concerns are the late release date and the choice of WM 6.5.3, with Windows Phone 7 Series looming on the horizon. It's also pretty certain that the IS02/K01 will not be upgradeable to Windows Phone 7, just like the HD2. These are unfortunate issues with what appears to be a great piece of hardware, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see how things play out.
In the meantime, head over to Engadget Japan for additional hands-on images of the IS02.
