The Sciphone i68 has been, for the last year or so, an incredibly popular low-cost alternative to an expensive smartphone. Thanks to its elegant and rounded appearance, full color touch screen interface and numerous applications, the i68 has sold very well in Europe.
However, a sticking point for i68 users has been the lack of WiFi internet browsing.
With the emergence of thousands of wireless hotspots across the UK – in hotels, restaurants, cafes and workplaces – the Internet is available virtually everywhere. And mobile phone users expect their phones to keep up with this technology and to be able to surf the Internet on the go.
Unfortunately, current i68 models do not support WiFi Internet connectivity. Instead, consumers connect to the Internet using the WAP browser: a much slower and often more expensive form of Internet access provided by the mobile network.
However, all of this is set to change this May.
This week a new Sciphone i68 model was publicly unveiled in the UK. Dubbed the i68 WiFi: This new version of the i68 features full wireless Internet access. Connecting to wireless hotspots at home, work, a hotel, or anywhere Wi-Fi is available, this new model can surf the web, check email, send and receive instant messages, and do a thousand other things with Internet. In addition to this, Sciphone has made many other major improvements to the i68 experience. The touchscreen interface has been vastly improved: it now offers more control and is responsive to the slightest touch. The phones’ camera functionality has been increased: it has a fully functional second camera on the front for video conferencing and a flash on the back for better lighting. And audio playback has been enhanced with powerful stereo speakers at the bottom of the phone.
The new i68 WiFi model will go on public sale in the UK on May 1, 2010.