Softbank to release Yahoo! smartphone in September

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Softbank Mobile will release an Android-based Yahoo! cell phone in late September. The smartphone, called “Yahoo! Phone”, comes preloaded with 13 apps that allow easy access to Yahoo!’s free web services like auctions and maps. It is the first cell phone to be branded with Yahoo!’s logo.

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The phone will be a rebranded version of the Aquos 009SH handset, made by Softbank and Sharp. It features Android 2.3 as the OS, a 4-inch LCD with QHD resolution, an 8MP CMOS camera, Bluetooth 3.0, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, a microSDHC slot, a digital TV tuner, an e-wallet function, and infrared communication.

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Existing SoftBank cell phone subscribers who choose the Yahoo! Phone become Yahoo! Japan premium members for free for two years (instead of having to pay 360 yen monthly). A premium membership is required to bid over 5,000 yen for auction items on Yahoo! Auctions. Subscribers can also get additional points for every purchase made on Yahoo! Shopping for the next two years.

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Yahoo! plans to test the market with the Softbank collaboration and analyze sales data before approaching other cell phone companies and manufacturers.

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