The spotlight may be on Apple’s iPhone, but over in Japan today au announced three new handsets – two catering for the very young and one for the not-so-young mobile owner.

First is an update to Sanyo’s Junior Keitai– a fully functional phone aimed at kids 7+. This new model features waterproofing and a battery that can only be removed using a special tool.

Also by Sanyo is the “Sweets Cute” – the successor of the “Sweets” and “Sweets Pure” handsets aimed at teenage girls. The features are similar but, according to the designers, the theme this time is “a biscuit soaked in cream”. Hmmm.

Toshiba completes the lineup with a handset aimed at the seniors market. The A5523T is a 2G handset with big keys, big text, big icons and big volume for calls.

Au used the announcement to demo improvements to their location tracking services and a new capping service to place a limit on a contract’s monthly bill. With the new handsets and services, au is aiming to position itself as an emergency hotline between parents and kids (and grandparents).

# posted by Jan Kuczynski @ 1:50 pm