Bandai, the brand that was responsible for the Tamagochi crazy few years ago, has released the SmartBerry, a childish mobile phone dedicated to...well, children, mostly girls, as there are few "boys" which like pink.

The SmartBerry is a slider with a touchscreen, and will be available for US$100. The device has many features that children would want, such as email. Yeah, I can really see 6 year-old girls sending emails to their other 6 year-old friends. Seems that Japan is on the verge on technological takeover, that, if it hasn't happened yet.

Besides email functionality, the following features are available:

• Profile - in form of business card, where you can enter your name, birthday date, and blood type. Yeah, blood type, this keeps on impressing me. It seems that the blood type is like a horoscope for the west.
• Friend notebook - to keep your friends profiles and their blood types.
• Picture email - Save up to ten drawn pictures, and send them by email.
• Chatroom - includes emotions. Now I don't really feel very secure about this.
• Games - Four games included such as Picture Matching, Fortune Telling, Typing, and Nervous Breakdown (sounds really suitable for children).
• Character room - hang around with a digital friend.
• Tools - Calculators, alarm, etc. Kids should not be allowed to have alarms. They set them up for crazy hours, never wake up with them, and it's us who have to wake up and turn them off at 4am.

Available at the Girls Channel.

Source: Wireless Watch Japan via Shiny Shiny