Recently in Benq Category

When we last heard about Benq's E55, it was just a EDGE-toting cell phone with a dash of style and some low to mid-end goodies thrown in. Turns out this flip phone can do 3G too and is aiming for Taiwain, although there are no details about its release elsewhere. Other features include a 2-inch 176x220 pixel internal screen coupled with a smaller 96x64 pixel external display, FM radio, microSD expansion, and Bluetooth in a fashionable 94x48x19mm package that weighs in at just 95 grams. There are two cameras, a 2-megapixel and a front-facing VGA camera for video calls, making this a good contender in the mid-range category. Available in Taiwan for about $230 starting at the end of this month.

Benq isn't exactly breaking ground with its cell phones, although I do have a certain spot for their computer peripherals. In the same vein, the e55 is just a phone with a dash of style mixed in a clamshell form factor.

The e55 works on GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz and WCDMA 2100 networks with GPRS and EDGE support. The only highlight, if you can call it that, is inclusion of Bluetooth with support for the usual array of Bluetooth profiles. All this is crammed into a stylish flip phone with a smooth finish, but mind you, this is just what's been doing the rounds on the internet and that's what we will get until the official announcement on complete details on the e55 including its price and release date.

Benq has just announced the C36 music phone, a successor to its earlier C30. The phone is similar in design and style to the C30, but has several improvements over its predecessor. It weighs an almost unnoticeable 78g and has a unique top-key design with dedicated keys for FM radio, MP3 player, and the 1.3 megapixel camera onboard. If you think this isn't any different from the other music phones out there, think again. The C36 has the ability to record FM radio and the 1.3mpx integrated camera can record videos in AVI format, a big difference from others if you ask me. The camera can also act as a webcam when connected to a PC. There is a 2.0 inch LCD display, too small to make use of the included ebook reader or the photo editor. The phone is equipped with dual speakers and supports microSD expansion for up to 2GB. The C36 also comes with a health management application for the health-conscious music lover. There aren't too many options in the connectivity segment with just USB 1.1 support and WAP/GPRS.

The C36 will be available in Indonesia starting this month with a graduated release world over.