The name "Cocoon" gives a clue as to the design - the outer case is curved (the design sketches at the bottom of the page will give you the best idea of the design) giving the handset a very elegant look. In many ways the design is reminiscent of the B&O Serene, but the O2 Cocoon is a much more highly specified device.
The outer case on the O2 Cocoon has a hidden display panel with large LED-style letters. This is a little like the Fujitsu F703i and Sony Ericsson Z610i in terms of concept. The external display can show track information, caller ID or other messages.The O2 Cocoon is a very unusual and highly attractive clamshell phone, due to hit O2 retail outlets in the UK during August.Open the O2 Cocoon up and the minimalist design continues on the inside with a very subdued and quite uncluttered layout. There's a QVGA (240x320 pixel) display and what appears to be a secondary video camera (which would make this a 3G phone). The keypad layout is pretty simple, but look on the side of the O2 Cocoon and you'll see that the media controls are discretely mounted on the outside. This arrangement means that you can use the Cocoon's media keys while it is open or closed, but presumably it might take a little practice.
The Cocoon features a 2 megapixel autofocus camera, there's also a MP3 player, FM radio with RDS, expandable memory up to 2GB (we believe the O2 Cocoon uses miniSD cards). Other details aren't known, but you can expect the O2 Cocoon to come with a web browser and email client too.
Another clever feature with the O2 Cocoon is a device called the "nest". Really, it's just a docking station with an inbuilt charger, but it turns the Cocoon into a sort of desktop MP3 player/radio/alarm clock.
The overall look and concept of the O2 Cocoon has been designed by Swedish firm Syntes Studio, and their design concept (below) gives a clearer view of the Cocoon's elegant curved design. The O2 Cocoon is due in the UK in August 2007, and it should be free for customers on a £35/month tariff. Pricing and availability in other regions are not known at present.
O2 Cocoon provisional specifications
(subject to confirmation)
Available:
Q3 2007
Network:
GSM + UMTS
Data:
GPRS + UMTS (3G)
Screen:
240x320 pixels
Camera:
2 megapixels
Size:
Not specified
Bluetooth:
Yes
Memory card:
miniSD
Infra-red:
No
Polyphonic:
Yes
Java:
Yes
Battery life:
Not specified
