The Hyundai MB-910 is a full-blown wristwatch phone, similar in concept to the upcoming LG GD910 and it opens up the possibility of a new battleground for manufacturers.
Hyundai say that the MB-910 should be due in the UK during the late second quarter of 2009.. and crucially, the estimated SIM-free retail price of the MB-910 is going to be around £200 (approximately €220) when it hits the streets.
The MB-910 is being pitched as a second phone by Hyundai, and at this sort of price it is easy to see the phone's appeal.
If you ignore the cool packaging of the MB-910, the underneath you will find that this is a tri-band GSM phone with a 1.5" 132 x 176 pixel touch-sensitive display, Bluetooth, a multimedia player with 128MB of memory, USB 2.0 connectivity, a WAP 2.0 browser, email client and a set of personal information management applications.. including a full-screen clock.
Hyundai MB910
Hyundai MB-910 Of course, what's really clever about the Hyundai MB-910 is the fact that it can be worn on the wrist, so it is basically just like a wristwatch. We must say though that the MB-910 is a very large wristwatch. Weighing 58 grams and measuring 58 x 44 x 16mm, the MB-910 is about twice as heavy as a typical man's watch, and three times as heavy as a woman's watch.. and of course it is much bigger. Think of the MB-910 as being around the same size as a diver's watch and you might get a feeling for just how large this is.
The small 400 mAh battery can drive the MB-910 for up to 3 hours talktime and just under 3 days standby time. That may not seem like a long time, but really the MB-910 is going to appeal to people who will wear it for a few hours and then take it off.
It's hard to say if the MB-910 will be a success as it isn't exactly a mainstream phone, but then none of the recently announced Hyundai handsets have been very mainstream.. and that's a very good thing for consumer choice.
Hyundai MB-910 at a glance
Available:
Q2 2009
Network:
GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900
Data:
GPRS
Screen:
132 x 176 pixels
Camera:
No
Size:
Wristwatch phone
58 x 44 x 16mm / 58 grams
Bluetooth:
Yes
Memory card:
No
Infra-red:
No
Polyphonic:
Yes
Java:
Not specified
GPS:
No
Battery life:
3 hours talk / 3 days standby
-Hyundai MB-910 Wristwatch phone
