NEC Launches Ultra-Slim Cell Phone

Hoping to cash in on the buzz surrounding ultra-thin phones like the Motorola RAZR, NEC on Wednesday announced that it had launched the world's thinnest mobile phone in Hong Kong, and would bring the handset to other markets shortly.

At 11.9 millimeters thick when folded, the new phone comes in about two millimeters thinner than the RAZR. The phone will support GSM/GPRS, and comes complete with a 1.3-megapixel digital camera.

The RAZR has been one of Motorola's best selling phones in recent months, and has spurred a development craze among manufacturers to create smaller and thinner devices, while still maintaining a large feature set.

"This ultra-slim, clam-shell type mobile phone is a symbol of NEC's leading position in the area of mobile technology," said Susumu Otani, Associate Senior Vice President and head of Mobile Terminals Operations Unit at NEC Corporation.

"We will continue to strive to offer the latest, most innovative and most attractive mobile terminal solutions on the market."

NEC holds a 16.2 percent market share in Japan and is the biggest of any phone supplier in that region, but the company has struggled to make inroads elsewhere. NEC phones have largely been passed over by North American carriers.