Audiovox announced today that it will launch the PPC 5050, a WAN handheld based on Microsoft's increasingly popular Windows Mobile 2003 platform - or more specifically, the Pocket PC Phone Edition of it. The announcement was made at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The Audiovox PPC 5050 scores a world first with its support for 1xEV-DO

In addition to being a Pocket PC and dual band CDMA/PCS wireless phone, the PPC 5050 is powered by a 400 MHz Intel XScale processor, boasts 64 MB of on-board memory and offers a built-in SD/MMC Card for storage expansion purposes.

A world first, the PPC 5050 features support for not only CDMA2000 1xRTT packet-based data, but also its successor, 1xEV-DO, which offers vastly increased wireless data transfer speeds.

The PPC 5050 has a 16-bit TFT colour screen measuring 3.5", capable of displaying up to 65,536 colours, an IrDA compatible infrared part, and measures a total of 5.1" x 2.9" x 0.72.

The PPC 5050 also includes a Lithium Ion battery of a generous 1500 mAh capacity, which according to Audiovox can sustain up to five hours talk time or 200 hours standby time. An AC adapter with plug and connector adapters, a carrying case, a stereo headset, stylus and a USB cradle are among the items bundled with the handheld.

Additional accessories for the PPC 5050 include a thumb keypad and cigarette lighter charger, among other items.

Information concerning pricing was not available at the time of writing, but according to Audiovox, the PPC 5050 is slated for availability in the first quarter of 2004.

An additional hi-res picture of the Audiovox PPC 5050 is available on the following page.