2. Softbank 911SH (Sharp)

A recent trend has seen LCD manufacturers collaborating with phone providers on projects such as the 911SH. Sharp's AQUOS range of LCD televisions is taken as the inspiration for this digital broadcast-compatible cell phone, which adopts a 3" LCD at a resolution of 240 x 400. The design of the 911SH's display is such that, once the phone is flipped open, it can be rotated through 90 degrees to achieve a TV-like ratio close to 16:9 (400 x 240). This is not only advantageous when watching TV broadcasts, but also when viewing PC versions of Websites with the included browser. Widespread adoption of this screen rotation technique (described by Softbank as a "cycloid" motion) is expected to be seen in phones throughout the United States and Europe during 2007.

KDDI MUSIC-HDD W41T (Toshiba)

This is what music-loving cell phone owners have been waiting for. The Toshiba-made MUSIC-HDD W41T features a 4 GB hard drive specifically for audio file storage and playback. Japan's Showa Denko KK produces the phone's hard disk - at 0.85" in diameter it was labeled as the world's smallest HDD when the W41T entered production in August 2006. The W41T is pre-loaded with KDDI's "au Music Player" software, which offers a portable music store. Access to the "Listen Mobile" (or "LISMO") service is also granted, enabling users to share play lists wirelessly with friends via Sony's proprietary "Uta-tomo" software. Access to KDDI's digital radio service, however, is limited to models from the winter 2006 collection and beyond, such as Sony Ericsson's W44S.