Hello Kitty characters have been around for more than thirty years, and that boils down to about four generations of pre-teen females who have delighted in all their company. But over the years, Sanrio’s Hello Kitty characters have cracked though the age barrier, and have won a worldwide following in the hearts of fans of all ages. Just as that adorable friendly little alien known as ET touched the lives of all who came in contact with him, so it seems that Hello Kitty and her friends have done quite the same, with Keroppi, Badtz Maru, Pachacco and Chocolat appearing on everything under the sun from lunch boxes to bicycles to coffee makers and now to cell phones.

Sanrio, hand-set maker, Nokia and Cingular Wireless merged a while back to create a cell phone based on Hello Kitty and her various sidekicks. The Hello Kitty cell phone is pink and covered with Sanrio’s characters, and Nokia sold the cell phones as “prepay”, meaning that there was no service contract or monthly fees, but rather a payment up front for airtime. Motives here could not have been more transparent. Sanrio was trying to increase the number of young adults who simply “must have” cell phones and other electronic devices and thereby go the way of all commercial flesh. While nearly 80 percent of all adults own at least one cell phone, research indicates that only 40 percent of American teens between the ages of 15 through 19 subscribe to wireless services.

Now OKWAP of Taiwan (I know. Think about that.) is offering four Hello Kitty cell phones that are not completely new but are still worth a look at. They all come with matching pouches and cell phone charms and other accessories. These Hello Kitty cell phones have many fine features, including: inside display at 128 X 128 pixels, outside display at 96 X 48 pixels, a camera that takes images or video clips in various sizes and qualities, the ability to assign special ringtones to those in your selected directory and a flashlight for low-light conditions.

Should you get one? That all depends on how old you are, how old you think you are and how young your children are!

For more information:

http://www.engadget.com/2005/01/15/two-more-hello-kitty-cellphones/