KDDI Sony Ericsson Xmini Walkman Phone

Japanese carrier KDDI have announced a tiny new Walkman phone by Sony Ericsson.  The Xmini slider measures just 44 x 75 x 18mm, and has a touch-sensitive control surface that lights up with music transport buttons when the phone is closed. 

Unlike Japan's usual superstar phones, which tend to be over-blessed with buttons, high-definition displays and general wonderment, the Xmini has a mere 1.8-inch QVGA (240 x 320) LCD display and 4GB of internal storage.  Inside are some particularly small number keys, which are likely to present a problem to anyone without the slenderest of digits.

Nonetheless, the CDMA cellphone is compatible with KDDI's LISMO Video service, for streaming TV and movies, and EZ 'Chaku Uta' for audio downloads.  The Sony Ericsson Xmini will be available in Japan at the end of December; don't hold your breath for a release elsewhere.

[via Akihabara]