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The NEC N343i is a GSM 900 – GSM 1800 – GSM 1900 mobile phone which was manufactured by NEC. Announced in quarter 2 of 2005, the phone's most attractive point was its modern new looks; at just 109 × 43 × 12.7 mm and weighing only 95 g, the phone was one of the smallest candy-bar models available in the UK.
The phone was one of the first coupled with the launch of telecommunication company O2's i-mode service, a global system where operators design the compatible handsets, give strong editorial and usability rules to content providers, and propose an open business model to them. i-mode uses open standards as technologies: a light version of HTML is used for producing content, the i-mode mail is interoperable with e-mail, images and sound formats are the ones used on the Web. i-mode users have access to various services such as e-mail, sports results, weather forecast, games, financial services and ticket booking.
The N343i was criticized for high temperatures, regular failure, and most commonly poor battery and reception levels; and praised for its small form factor, low price, and good looks.