NTT DoCoMo shows off automatic email generator for mobiles (video)

Demonstrated at the Wireless Technology Park 2010 exhibition last week, this automatic email generator from NTT DoCoMo promises to take just three words' worth of input, whether spoken or typed in, and convert them into a fully fleshed out, anatomically correct email. An anthropomorphic genie creature serves as your guide on this journey into gimmick world, although some rather nice sophistication is also on the cards. The carrier's rep informs us that the composition of the missive will be dependent on the sort of person that you are and your relationship to the recipient. Thus, an email from a teenager to his parents will read quite differently to one from an employee to her boss, even if both believe they're writing to their draconian overlords. Check it out on video after the break.

[Psyg Posted May 18th 2010 7:32AM]

Yep, sure will be fun to yell out "LATE! 10 MINUTES!!" on public transport... whereas since you're going to be late 10 minutes then you have time to type it out.

[Wesscoast Posted May 18th 2010 8:24AM]

@Psyg

Remember when cell phones first came out, and they always had those 'message templates' like, "See you soon!" "I love you" or some crap.

It's not 'more convenient' to have a pre-written message, because you're almost always going to tweak the message anyway.

We don't need this. Good to see the Japanese have totally given up on writing any kind of software (besides SquareEnix and Nintendo).

[kurisutofu Posted May 18th 2010 8:53AM]

@Psyg
In the morning when the train is crowded, you don't have so much space to use your phone sometimes ... sending a template quickly might be useful ...
I have an email saved saying I might be late 10 minutes at work and I send the same saved email anytime the train is late ... I wanted to program that kind of app but I thought smartphones already had that ...

[wraith404 Posted May 18th 2010 10:00AM]

@kurisutofu

How about when you're in your car and don't want to break the law or kill someone? While stopped at a red light you have the time to press a hot key and blurt out your predicament, but not to type it. Sure you can pull over and type, but then you better amend your 10 minutes to 15.

[Schmich Posted May 18th 2010 1:01PM]

@Psyg Nothing wrong with this. It has some advantages and brings AI forwards.

[Endurer Posted May 18th 2010 7:34AM]

Can't wait to have it on my Droid. I Hope it does English too.

[rik66 Posted May 18th 2010 7:37AM]

you realize this will be abused in due time? Automatic generators of any kind have a tendency to be abused . In other words : companies engaged in spamming will jump on this .

[KAL326 Posted May 18th 2010 11:33AM]

@rik66 Exactly, I wonder what email it would generate off of "Viagra" and "Cheap"? Probably the exact same one as 60% of the spam I get.

[Killbom Posted May 18th 2010 7:40AM]

I dunno about the UI but i think that this could be a blast if used for SMS...

[DDragon Posted May 18th 2010 8:17AM]

Looks cool but the real question most of us should ask is, when will it be able to do this in English?

[TikiTeko Posted May 18th 2010 12:17PM]

@DDragon I dunno, let's ask them ***press hotkey*** "english" "available" "when"

メアリーは、ひつじいた
ひつじ、ひつじ、
メアリーは、ひつじいた
そのフリース雪のように白かった。
そして、どこにでもメアリーは行って、
メアリーは、メアリーは行きました、行きました
とどこメアリーは行って、
ラムに行きたいことを確認した。

[Bash Posted May 18th 2010 2:49PM]

@TikiTeko I'd hate it if my phone spewed nursery rhymes when I ask it to write me an email.

(The JP text is basically Mary had a little lamb)

[TC Posted May 18th 2010 8:41AM]

When I say 'Late!' I need it to be able to email 'Hi guys, another busy day huh?' but timestamp it for 9am. Also if my girlfriend says '10 minutes' I need this thing to email me that 10 minutes is a minimum, and my credit card is in the process of being maxed out.

[ka1axy Posted May 18th 2010 10:01AM]

@TC If my girlfriend sends me a message saying "Late. 10 Minutes", there are two possibilities. The most likely one, of course, is that she's telling me that she needs more time to do her makeup.

There is, however, a small chance that in 10 minutes, I'll be receiving some news I'd rather not receive, and I'll need to be thinking of ways to deal with an unplanned pregnancy.

[jediknight999 Posted May 18th 2010 8:43AM]

In another news.... A software that reads a 200 word e-mail and tells you what it really means in 3 words or less

[Hazman Posted May 18th 2010 8:59AM]

@jediknight999
My 3 words are: Microsoft, Word, Autosummarize.

[Sogeking Posted May 18th 2010 8:49AM]

This is it.

This is the end of the world.

[kurisutofu Posted May 18th 2010 8:55AM]

I'm not sure the japanese guy is more showing the "send late" feature rather than the auto correction of sentence and form of talks (formal, polite, respect etc ...)

[michbeck Posted May 18th 2010 8:56AM]

is that all he said ?
it sounded like there was a lot more he wanted to say.

[slee62 Posted May 18th 2010 9:03AM]

What's with the caption o_O

[ounkeo Posted May 18th 2010 9:20AM]

I really that that phone interface with all that cutesy animation. Quite cool and a breath of fresh air from all these newer phone models being all business and so serious.

[scoobydooby Posted May 18th 2010 9:52AM]

Little hard on the comment editing here - I made a joke that mentioned those little blue boner pills, and it was deleted :D

[Ahmed Alzayani Posted May 18th 2010 11:52AM]

Good , now whenever i regret an email, i will just say it was auto-generated.

[spazblade Posted May 18th 2010 1:14PM]

This is good stuff, I'm no longer obligated to learn keigo as much.