Pantech goes wide with SKY IM-U160

When you've finally managed to saturate your home market with digital TV-packing cellphones, what is there left to do but take it widescreen? That's the question Pantech is posing with its new IM-U160, a rather distinctive member (if you call eerily similar to an LG Chocolate "distinctive") of its high end SKY line. Besides the 2.6 inches of 15:9 ratio goodness on which to view DMB programming, the rectangular slider offers a touch sensitive set of buttons on the top side (ring any bells?) that can be set to vibrate when pressed, 184MB of Flash expandable via microSD, a 2 megapixel autofocus cam, and the typical potpourri of multimedia support. A Korean launch appears to be imminent, and expect it on US networks -- oh, that's right -- never.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 14th 2006 7:51AM]

I could have sworn that the whole point of Helio was to pring these phones into the US. WHY AREN'T THEY??!!

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 14th 2006 6:10PM]

Because the US decided to broadcast Digital TV in their own unique (ok, Japan uses as well) "Standard" of ATSC, while the rest of the world broadcast in DVB-T. DVB-M (aka DMB) is a subset of DVB-T so it's easy(ish) for the TV Networks to broadcast Mobile content on-top of their regular TV content.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 14th 2006 7:28PM]

So why haven't we seen any of those Japanese TV phones either?

[(Unverified) Posted May 25th 2007 2:43PM]

damn it!!! im falling inlove for this fone!!! i seriously wanna have it!!! u know if they bring these kind of fones in the US they would sell big!! y dont they?! american fone sucks!!! if u really want to get a cool fone u'll have to buy it some other place!!! sucks!!