ZTE Launches Waterproof Smartphone

ZTE on Tuesday launched a waterproof android smartphone in Japan. The device, STAR7 Softbank 009Z features a wide 3.8-inch touch screen and takes its inspiration from the solar system, planets and satellites. It is available in a lineup of seven metallic colors: Neptune green, Venus yellow, Mars red, Jupiter pink, Moon white, Saturn black and Earth blue.

Weighing only 152g, the handset is waterproof equivalent to IPX7 without being overly bulky. It also features an emergency earthquake alarm. It also allows users to watch digital TV under the one-segment broadcasting service. Users can enjoy watching TV even if they are holding the handset with wet hands in the kitchen.

The phone's user interfaces and icons adopt Softbank's ''father'' model and the standby screen can also be set as father walking in the space wearing a spacesuit. The father based live wallpaper comes in eight patterns, for 64 possible total combinations.

The handset uses GSM and W-CDMA communication systems, supports wireless LAN networking and Bluetooth 2.1. The phone runs on a 1GHz Qualcomm processor and has a battery capacity of 1500mAh and it comes with a 5.3 million pixel auto focus camera.

The STAR7 Softbank 009Z handset also features email, global roaming, 3G high-speed, GPS Flash and disaster preparedness information.

According to the 3Q11 report by telecoms industry analysts ABI research, IDC and Strategy Analytics, ZTE became the fourth largest handset manufacturer in the world in that period. A 3Q11 report by IDC states that ZTE's handset shipments reached 19.1 million in the quarter, up by 57.9 per cent, with market share increasing to 4.9 percent.

In the first three quarters of 2011, ZTE's revenue from terminal sales increased 53.4 percent year-on-year.