A new market for publishers have arised in the form of novels written from cell phones in Japan. Social networking sites like Mobage-town allows users to upload single sentences to form stories. Cell phone novel or keitai shosetsu emerged in Japan nearly a decade ago and this culture is also spreading to other countries.

The first and largest mobile novel portal in Japan, Magic Island has a million titles with some 3.5 billion monthly visitors and six million registered users. Many authors use pen names and most novels center around themes that are considered taboo in the Japanese society such as sex, pregnancy, abortion, rape and others.

However, keitai shosetsu which rapidly rise to mass popularity is slowly declining which shows that it could be just another teenage fad.

Source: CNN

An interesting article by Maria Mihale of Cameraphones Plaza that takes a look at what a girl wants in a futuristic phone. From the Bracelet concept phone, clamshell concept phone to pink themed gadgets, there’s a phone for any lady to be excited about.

Read On: Cameraphones Plaza

This Transformer concept phone by Shkinder Maxim looks sleek and futuristic and can do much more than the average mobile device. This design won the Tancher Design Award 2008. It is capable of not only a mobile phone with photo/video camera but also as a projector with holographic imaging and 3D scanning (e.g storing a 3D image of an object into the memory and could even project the exact holagram of the object later on).

2 more pics of the Transformer Concept Phone after the jump.

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Onyx, a new UK company, hopes to have a share in the market of trendy phones with the introduction of its new Liscio device. Not only does this phone attract fashion-conscious users, to all bulksick phone users, the Onyx Liscio is one good grab with its petite size measuring 90mm x 35mm x 17.8mm and lightweight at 60g.

The major drawback of this device would be the fact that it is not equipped with a camera and has a 1.10 inch display at 96 x 96 pixels that is definitely not good enough to enjoy a good movie.

Other features include an FM Radio, MP3 player, Micro SD card slot, 128 MB internal memory, Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity and Polyphonic ringtones.

The Onyx Liscio is available in the UK for £129.99 ($ 255).

1 more picture of the Onyx Liscio after the jump.

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Designed by Cris Owens, this concept fashion phone known as Edge uses touch and light technology for a fashion oriented design. It has an easily noticeable glowing glass keypad that can be slided out when needed, be it in times of answering an incoming call or even trying to make an outgoing call. The glowing effect is caused by an embedded LED illuminating the etched numerics via refraction where the only visible lines is the microphone wiring disguised as the keyboard border.

4 more pictures of the Edge Fashion Phone Concept after the jump.

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Asus has recently released its versatile Asus M530W Smart Phone that works pretty well with data management whereby it supports push E-mail, simultaneously receive mails and is fully equipped with a convenient tiny QWERTY keyboard in a traditional PDA phone form. To brighten up the look of the typical dull Smart Phone, the Asus M530W will come in fresh white and orange tones.

Other specifications of the Asus M530W include:
- 2.0 megapixel camera c/w flash and strong close-up shot ability
- Windows Mobile 6.0 Operating System
- 2.4″ 65K color QVGA display
- microSD (up to 2GB) memory card support
- Bluetooth connectivity
- 3G connectivity
- Dimensions: 11mm x 65mm x 13.8mm

8 more pictures of the Asus M530W after the jump.

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This Golden Buddha Phone is platted with 24k yellow gold and is definitely not one of those cheap Chinese handphones in the market. In fact, by the look of the pictures, the workmanship is undeniably detailed and fine. Equipped with a built-in camera, a touch screen and microSD slot just like any other normal phone, this Golden Buddha Phone is loaded with tons of Buddhism menu and wallpapers.

As elegant as it is to have an expensive phone like this, the concept does not seem to tie in with the Buddhism teachings. This is because one of the Buddhist teachings is that wealth does not guarantee happiness and also wealth is impermanent. Nevertheless, the Golden Buddha Phone is still an extraordinary alternatives to regular or branded handsets.

3 more pictures of the Golden Buddha Phone after the jump.

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Hop-On has announced its low-end and disposable phone known as the HOP 1900 Graffiti that will be available for less than USD50. Although the Graffiti loses out on its outlooks, environment defenders will find them attractive as the phone is subject to recycling.

As declared by Hop-On in its press release, this phone is ideal for teens, seniors, tourists, vacationers, business travelers, especially those who need an inexpensive handset that can just be used for its primary function.

The specifications of the HOP1900 Graffiti are: -
- Networks - CDMA 1900 MHz
- Phone book for 100 entries
- 12 ringtones
- GPS-module (optional)
- Li-Ion 720 mAH battery
- Talk time - 3 hrs
- Standby time - 240hrs
- Dimensions – 112mm ×46mm x 17mm

Via: Latest Mobile