Pharos has introduced the Traveler 137 smartphone at CES 2009 in Las Vegas. The Traveler 137 has a 3.5-inch touchscreen display and 3.5G connectivity. Pharos is primarily a navigation company so it’s no surprise that the GPS phone utilizes the company’s Smart Navigator software in the handset. Therein lies the best feature the Traveler 137 offers.
Smart Navigator works outside of wireless coverage zones so even if the phone can’t connect to its carrier it’ll still display maps, provide voice-guided turn-by-turn directions and create routes. Initially maps of the United States will be free. Pay-as-you-go mapping purchase options will be available for Canada, Western Europe and Eastern Europe priced daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. In the future maps will also be available for China, Russia, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil.
Features of of the Traveler 137 include:
- Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
- 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM 7201A processor
- 256 MB DDR SDRAM and 512 MB Flash ROM memory
- unlocked GSM quad band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, EDGE / GPRS, Tri-band 3G, 1700/1900/2100 MHz, UMTS 384Kb/s, HSDPA 7.2Mb/s, HSUPA 2Mb/s
- 4 hours talk time and 200 hours standby time
- 480 x 800 WVGA TFT LCD touchscreen with 65, 000 colors
- GPS, aGPS
- 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v2.1+EDR, and FM tuner
- 3 megapixel camera for pictures/video and 0.3 megapixel rear camera for video conferencing
- USB 2.0, microSD/SDHC, and stereo audio slots
- 1380 mAh lithium-ion rechargeable battery
- 4.6 x 2.4 x 0.51 inches in dimension
- 4.9 ounce weight
The Pharos Traveler 137 GPS smartphone will hit major retailers in the first quarter of 2009 for $599.95. Pharos’ Traveler 117, Traveler 127, and Traveler 619 which were available only from Dell before Christmas are now available at all major retailers in the United States.