Toshiba
TS21i

The TS21i was specially developed by Toshiba's European handset division to work with NTT DoCoMo’s i-mode service. Toshiba was the second phone maker after NEC to support i-mode in Europe. The phone was designed by UK agency Alloy, and had a distinctive tapered design. This meant the keypad narrowed making it challenging to type numbers and compose text messages. It was the first phone to be launched by Toshiba in Europe just two months after setting up its business unit in that region. The colour display on the TS21i supported i-mode’s graphics-based services and was initially offered selected by KPN Mobile. At first, it was available in Germany, and subsequently was sold via KPN networks in the Netherlands and Belgium. Network operators Bouygues in France and ePlus in Germany also committed to sell the phone. Initially, the TS21i was expected to be in the shops during the second half of 2002 but was delayed, which negatively affected sales. It failed to Toshiba’s volume expectations and was a disappointing start to the company’s efforts in Europe.