Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Japanese SMS and mail on Western phones? No problem…
This one flew well under the radar when it was launched a few weeks ago, but the news that Japanese-speaking residents of the UK can finally get their phones speaking fluent kanji, hiragana and katakana is worth revisiting.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Video: DoCoMo lifts lid on future phone plans
NTT DoCoMo’s corporate videos have long been a Big Deal for the 800lb gorilla of a phone company, so it’s always worth checking out the latest to see the public face it wants to present to the world.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Updated: DoCoMo amps up the marketing spend to push new handsets
The current rebranding attempt DoCoMo is making to push its phones to some pretty jaded customers here in Japan is clearly a big deal for the company.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
DoCoMo’s new phones drop old branding, bring us lots more of the same
Like anyone who’s easily put off by ridiculous levels of gadgetry, I’m not very impressed by most Japanese cellphones, so I’ll just point you in the direction of DoCoMo’s newly revealed fleet of 22 new handsets.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Electrical eyeballs controlling our gadgets
The field of disability aids has seen many devices controlled by computers that visually track the eye movements of paralysed people, but none that reads the electricity given off by swiveling eyeballs.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Japanese phone armada sets sail Westward, but does it have a map?
The myth that Japanese mobile phones are the best in the world is typically perpetuated by overseas observers obsessed with the cutting-edge services on offer there and confusing those with what are typically very dull handsets.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Brethalyzer phone keeps watchful eye on Japan’s truck drivers
Big tech companies like NTT DoCoMo come up with dozens of unusual applications for their gear every year, but most tend to end up consigned to glossy brochures that describe some anodyne ‘perfect’ future. One bizzaro contraption that is apparently out in the wild is Big D’s FOMA-based Videophone Alcohol Check System - as the above photo shows, it’s in use on at least one truck round these parts.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Two new LiMo phones to challenge Android
We’ve already digested everything there is to know about Android, the Google-led open operating system for mobile phones and a little about LiMo, the other open-source challenger, but we’ll bet you didn’t know there are two spanking new LiMo phones on the market.
Friday, February 01, 2008
DoCoMo using RFID cellphones to open doors, boot PCs and plenty more
After years of waiting, DoCoMo has finally made good on its promise to deliver an office security system based on the RFID chips in its cellphones.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Study shows Japanese children are addicted to phones
The latest research on the mobile phone habits of Japanese children may be music to the ears of phone providers, but the depth to which the gadgets have penetrated the lives of the young there is bound to set alarm bells ringing elsewhere.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Bone conduction goes wireless with Bluetooth headset
We’ve seen a few bone-conduction devices before, including a cellphone, a sports headband and an industrial safety helmet, but this is definitely the first we’ve come across that sends the good vibes by Bluetooth.
Friday, November 09, 2007
DoCoMo: We don’t really care about Android
After Monday’s announcement by Google and the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) of their Linux-based Android platform for mobile phones there are more questions than answers about exactly what it means for the end user.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Overrated Japanese phones: only a mother could love ‘em
I don’t know if I’m noticing it because I work in the field, but the last year or so seems to have seen an inordinate amount of coverage by the Western media of Japanese cellphones like the new 905i series from DoCoMo that was unveiled here in Tokyo yesterday.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Japanese Super 3G to hit 300Mbps ahead of 4G switchover
As if the mobile phones with 3.6Mbps internet connections that are relatively common in Japan weren’t enough, NTT DoCoMo has announced that it is working on technology to up that almost tenfold by 2009.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
LG Chocolate phone hits Japan amid 704i handset flurry
DoCoMo just launched the 704i series of cellphones in Tokyo this afternoon - the latest handsets in the 700 series of simpler phones designed for the non-power users here.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Japanese cellphones to warn of earthquakes, bring down email systems?
Anyone who’s ever been through a major earthquake will immediately recognize the value of an early-warning system being planned by Japan’s largest mobile phone operators.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Future DoCoMo phones to include health-monitoring hardware
During a busy week for Japan’s largest cellphone company, NTT DoCoMo, it has emerged that the firm has plans to use the nation’s ubiquitous phones as interactive health monitors.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Gundam game is first up for DoCoMo’s Wii-alike motion-sensing phones
When we brought you news on Japan’s latest feature-packed mobile phones yesterday we also promised to look into exactly how the new handsets will make use of their built-in gaming motion sensors.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
DoCoMo’s 904i series phones might not be pretty but they sure are loaded
The announcement of new mobile phones in Japan is done like most everything else in that most efficient of nations – with precise timing. NTT DoCoMo’s latest wave of handsets was unveiled as expected this afternoon and it includes plenty of innovative technology, from motion sensors to IC credit cards.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Anti-AIDS red RAZR phone arrives in Japan
The continuing march of the limited-edition (Product) Red goods that are part of the eponymous charity’s drive to raise funds for AIDS relief and research across the world reached Japan today, when Motorola unveiled its red RAZR for the market here.
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