Sharp has developed a widescreen Windows Mobile-based PDA (personal digital assistant) for a new Japanese cellular carrier (EMobile) that will begin service next month. It measures 140 millimeters by 70 millimeters and is 18.9 millimeters thick and weighs 250 grams including the battery pack.The EM-One is compatible with EMobile Co.'s high-speed 3G (third-generation) data service that will launch on March 31 and offer download speeds of up to 3.6Mbps. Also packed into the device is:

• 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
• Bluetooth
• tuner for Japan's mobile digital television broadcasts
• full QWERTY keyboard slides out from behind the display for typing and the device also sports a camera,

• 1.3-megapixel camera

• Uses Windows Mobile 5.0, i
• 4.1-inch widescreen with WVGA (800 pixels by 480 pixels) resolution.

Pre-installed software includes:

• Internet Explorer Mobile
• Opera Mobile
• versions of World, Excel and Powerpoint, Windows Media Player 10 Mobile,
• PDF viewer
• image and video player software
• a bar code reader and dictionary software.

EMobile is one of two new cellular carriers planning to launch service this year in Japan. The company has built a WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access) network for data services that will offer HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) from launch. EMobile is owned by Japanese broadband provider EAccess Co. and hopes to tap in to the market for wireless data services.

Cellular data services are popular in Japan, but mainly for downloading content to cell phones or looking at mobile Internet sites. As a result data charges are tailored so carriers can make money from services that typically involve shifting a small amount of data. That means surfing the wider Internet from a PC is often an expensive proposition because of the much greater amount of data involved.EMobile will offer flat-rate services for PC owners in addition to users of the EM-One, it said Tuesday.