N-03C: Casio's Newest Rugged Cell Phone Goes On Sale In Japan

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

Dr. Serkan Toto is an independent consultant and advisor focusing on Japan’s web, mobile and social gaming industries. Based in Tokyo, he works together with financial institutions and startups worldwide. Serkan has been the Japan contributor for TechCrunch.com since 2008. He is sept-lingual, holds an MBA and is a PhD in economics. → Learn More

Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo just started selling the  N-03C [JP], a new cell phone that’s both shock- and waterproof. The device meets the drop-test standard “MIL-STD-810G Method 516.6-Shock” established by the U.S. Department of Defense.

In other words, it cleared 26 drops from 1.2m onto plywood with one unit. While the 3.2-inch screen is made of Gorilla glass, maker NEC Casio used stainless steel for the back of the keypad and a special screw to fix the battery door.

NEC Casio also says the N-03C can be submersed in water as deep as 1.5m for half an hour without any problems (meeting the Japanese IPX5/8 and IP5X standards).

The 158g handset also features an 8.1MP CMOS camera with Sony’s “Exmor for mobile” sensor, Bluetooth, GPS, GSM, and an OLED sub display.

NEC Casio, which offers similar (but weaker) handsets outside Japan, sells the N-03C for the equivalent of $480.

Tags: ,

Sponsored Ads

blog comments powered by Disqus

Sponsored Ads

Sponsored Ads

Upcoming Events

E3 2012

Los Angeles, CA

Disrupt SF 2012

San Francisco, CA