Shanshui P72 a Windows XP phone in all but appearance
Over the past year we've seen a few examples of smartphone/UMPC hybrid devices running Windows XP, the most well known of these being the ITG xpPhone, with another example being the ViewSonic VCP08. So far neither of these devices have been released yet, although with its latest appearance the xpPhone does seem to be edging closer.
Today we've come across another device hailing from China to join the exclusive WinXP phone club, the Shanshui P72. As indicated by the title, you can't miss the blatant iPhone-inspired design, with the handset even having an iPhone-esque home menu! However that's where the Apple cloning stops, as the device is a full-fledged smartphone running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005.
With a 7-inch WVGA screen, the P72 is quite a bit larger than the xpPhone and VCP08, let alone an average sized smartphone. Specifications include a 1.2GHz VIA C7-M processor powering proceedings, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, the choice of either 16 or 32GB of local storage, b/g/n WiFi and 3G connectivity, GPS, a 1.3MP webcam, and a range of input/output ports including three USB ports, mic in, and audio out. A 2500mAh battery unfortunately only provides 3 hours of use, with about 1 day of standby.
The P72 definitely seems much more like a UMPC than a smartphone with its large size and what is almost certainly a hefty weight. Demonstrations also show the ability to connect a USB keyboard and mouse to the device for a desktop-esque PC experience but there doesn't appear to be a VGA or video out to use a larger display. The product is still in the development stage so further details are quite sparse and there is no information on a release date, availability, or price.
Although I have always held a degree of fascination for the rare breed of WinXP phones running full PC operating systems, I increasingly wonder whether it's worth the costs in terms of practicality, size, weight, and user friendliness, especially in the face of the current breed of smartphones with their combination of powerful hardware and mobile OSs without compromising practicality.
But having said that, the Shanshui P72 still seems like an interesting device and one to keep an eye on. Let us know your thoughts of the P72 and don't forget to check out a video of the device below.
[Zol.com.cn via Cloned In China]
