Vodafone KK (Japan) has announced its release of the Sharp V604SH cellphone. Surprise surprise, this phone sure looks quite promising! It is a successor to the Sharp V602SH, the world’s first cellphone with optical zoom.

Here are some of its neat features:

• 103 x 50 x 26 mm (folded)
• Weighs 144g
• 3.2 megapixel camera with 2x optical zoom and auto focus
• Max photo resolution of 1,536 x 2,048
• Integrated analog TV tuner with recording and still image capture functions
• Save TV programmes and EPG (Electronic Programme Guide)
• Internal display: 2.4-inch, 240 x 320, 260k colors LCD
• External display: 12 x 72 monochrome LCD
• miniSD memory card support
• Battery life of about 130 mins talk time, 450 hrs standby time, and 60 mins TV/FM usage time
• Available in 3 color schemes: Turquoise & Black, White & Silver, Black & Magenta

According to Vodafone KK, the Sharp V604SH’s camera is “best-in-class” at the time of release (November 17 2005). The Looks department of the phone seems decent, and the bold magenta is a nice refreshing color.

I wonder if this phone will ever reach outside Japan. Especially for the U.S, it seems very unlikely. It goes for a mere 21,800 yen (~US$183).

[via Ubergizmo, the Gadgets Blog, Slashphone]