Inbrics Readies 3G, 4G Android

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 2/22/2010

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean telecom-equipment maker Inbrics plans late 2010 or early 2011 availability in the U.S. of an Android-based smartphone that’s also designed to share content with multiple devices around the house.

The device, which features 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen and slide-from-the- side QWERTY keyboard, will be available in a 3G HSPA version with cellular voice and 4G Mobile WiMAX version that will be VoIP-capable. A later WiMAX version will incorporate GSM or CDMA cellular voice.

The company will target cable companies, landline and wireless phone operators, although it’s also considering selling the device unlocked as well, a spokesman said.

Although the device will be finished in March, it might not be available in the U.S. until the end of the year because of the company’s focus on selling through a carrier or cable company, the spokesman added.

The device will use Wi-Fi and USB 2.0 to stream content to PCs and other USB equipped devices, and a docking/charging station will feature HDMI output to a TV display and audio outputs for connection to a stereo system. The intent, Inbrics said, is to make it easy for consumers “to access and share their digital photos, music, movies and more from any device in their home and outside wireless networks.”

The 2.4-inch by 5-inch by 0.54-inch M1 will ship with the latest Android OS version available, the company added.

Other features include Wi-Fi 802.11b/ g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 480 by 800 touchscreen, GPS, 3-megapixel camera on back, VGA camera on front, 16GB of internal memory and MicroSD card slot. Other features include a proximity sensor and accelerometer.