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NTT DoCoMo's Fujitsu LOOX F-07C goes official, dual-boots to Windows 7 and Symbian (updated)
Yes, 'tis quite a shock for a Monday morning, but it turns out the dual-booting Fujitsu LOOX F-07C smartphone is indeed legit. According to NTT DoCoMo's preliminary spec sheet, this 7.69-ounce landscape slider handles both Symbian and Windows 7 (Home Premium, 32-bit Japanese edition) with its 4-inch 1,024 x 600 LCD (that's 297ppi right there!), along with a 1.2GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of LPDDR400 RAM, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 32GB of eMMC disk space, and expandable memory via microSDHC. You'll also find a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with face detection on the back, coupled by a VGA front-facing camera. Of course, the main concern is how the battery life fares here: we're told that in "mobile phone mode" you get up to 600 hours of generous standby time and up to 370 minutes of 3G talk time; whereas in Windows 7 mode you'll have to make do with just two hours, and then you're forced into mobile phone mode when the battery level is low. If you're itching to get yourself an eccentric F-07C, then watch out for its launch in June or July. Full list of specifications and press release after the break. Update: ASCII's just posted a few real-life shots of this device, and mentions a retail price of around ¥70,000 ($860). Oh, and there's HDMI-out via a USB adapter. Update 2: Akihabara News has a hands-on video -- check it out after the break, and be sure to take a gander at its photos as well.
NTT DoCoMo adding an app store to i-mode
It looks like NTT DoCoMo is learning a lesson that phone manufacturers have been learning for the past couple years now: people like to shop for apps. Lots of them, in fact. Indeed, Japan's largest carrier appears to be feeling some heat from rival SoftBank's iPhone exclusive and from the sundry Android devices popping up on all the domestic networks (DoCoMo included), saying that it'll be adding some sort of third-party app platform with revenue sharing to its i-mode service attached to the featurephones that comprise most of its product lineup -- a lineup used by over 50 million of its subscribers. Of course, i-mode already offers apps, so it's not exactly clear this is all going to play out; if we had to guess, it amounts to a lowering of the bar for average developers to get their wares into the ecosystem. There doesn't seem to be a timeline set for the launch just yet, so in the meantime, we suppose you'll just need to keep enjoying your one-seg TV and your 1080p video recording. Poor babies!
NTT DoCoMo might just enter the US cellphone market, MVNO graveyard wishes it luck
If you've paid any attention whatsoever to the goings-on in the American cellphone market, you'd know that ponying up the dough to start an MVNO here is probably not your best shot at striking it rich. One after another has fallen flat, even ones that had millions (and millions) in marketing dollars behind 'em. That said, Japan's own NTT DoCoMo is mulling the possibility of fully entering the US cell market next year, offering up smartphones and "other high-performance handsets with its i-mode mobile internet service." We're told that the operator may start as an MVNO (mobile virtual network operator), leasing capacity from T-Mobile USA or AT&T until it decides on its next move. Call us crazy, but we're guessing it just might have a shot here on US soil if it snags the iPhone, enables all those 3G services that have been running for years on other platforms and only charges one (as opposed to three or four) human limbs for a monthly plan.[Thanks, shinbunboi]
Nokia rolling custom 6124 classic in Taiwan with i-mode support
Wait, Taiwan? i-mode? Yep, turns out that Far EasTone Telecommunications licenses NTT DoCoMo's well-known mobile internet brand for use in Taiwan, and they've partnered with Nokia to deliver the service on a customized version of the 6124 classic candybar -- the first Nokia ever to offer it. Of course, no i-mode handset is complete without blazing data speeds, and sure enough, the 6124 classic delivers with support for HSDPA in addition to a 2 megapixel cam, QVGA display, and S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1. Yep, that's right, not only is Nokia tying up with i-mode, they're doing so on an honest-to-goodness smartphone. Kudos![Via IntoMobile]
NTT DoCoMo raises i-mode rates, offsets with free family calling
Think of it like myFaves, but where your faves have to be relatives (a nightmare for some, yes, we know). NTT DoCoMo is now offering free calls to family members when both are subscribed to the Japanese carrier's "Fami-wari MAX50" plan, in addition to a nice 60 percent off video calls. There's also this bizarre clause that allows for free family calling for folks that are subscribed to either "Family Discount" or "Office Discount" in addition to the new "Ichinen Discount" service and have contracts of at least one year in length -- and, oh yeah, have been DoCoMo subscribers for at least 10 flippin' years. The simple flow chart above should help explain it all.Separately, DoCoMo is raising pricing on its i-mode mobile internet service from 210 ($1.95) to 315 yen ($2.93) per month, which we figure is still dirt cheap compared to pretty much anywhere else in the world. That's on top of packet data charges, though those remain unchanged.Read - DoCoMo to Offer Free 24/7 Domestic Calling to Family MembersRead - NTT DoCoMo to Revise i-mode Monthly Charge
NTT DoCoMo to marry Google services with i-mode
Nikkei reports that NTT DoCoMo is poised to integrate Google's suite of mobile services with its own i-mode goods, following KDDI's lead and offering a direct competitor to Softbank's Yahoo!-branded apps in one fell swoop. Overall, Google continues to trail Yahoo! in the hearts and minds of Japanese searchers, so the move positions Google to take advantage of DoCoMo's incredibly large user base while bolstering i-mode's existing offerings when it allegedly hits next spring. The market seems to agree that the deal's a really good idea, too, with DoCoMo stock rising 3.3 percent on the news.
LG intros two i-mode handsets, meet the KG291 and KE590
LG's pressed a bit of love into Italian provider Wind's hand recently with the exclusive LG KE590 (left) and KG291 i-mode handsets. The KG291 slider features a 1.3 megapixel camera, 7 MB of internal memory to store pics, MP3's and vids -- plus microSD expansion -- Bluetooth, and 4 / 100 hours of talk and standby time. The pricier KE590 comes equipped with a 2 megapixel shooter, 56 MB of memory, and the same talk and standby time as the KG291. Both handsets are tri-band GSM jobbies, and with the KG's price marked at €99 (roughly $150) and no word on the KE -- though we expect a similar entry level price point -- we expect these'll be popular once they land in Wind retail shops.[Via UnwiredView]
O2, Telstra pull plug on i-mode
Yeah, NTT DoCoMo's i-mode mobile data service does alright in Japan -- in fact, we curse the heavens every day that we aren't there to enjoy it -- but it has been met with considerably less success in the twelve other countries where it's offered in licensed form. O2 and Telstra are both phasing out their i-mode offerings -- O2 in 2009, Telstra in December -- with O2 saying that despite extremely high satisfaction among its i-mode users, a general lack of hardware available to support the service (isn't it just a deck of content on a 3G phone?) prevents it from moving forward. Of course, this doesn't spell the end of either carrier's mobile content or 3G efforts -- far from it, in fact -- with Telstra encouraging users to migrate to Next G.
Samsung's SGH-730i i-mode slider Europe-bound
Samsung looks set to release another i-mode-ready handset in Europe, with its SGH 730i slider now making its first appearance online. According to Unwired View, this one boasts tri-band GSM capabilities, along with a 176 x 220 display of an unspecified size, a 2 megapixel camera, and 80MB of internal memory, with a microSD slot provided for further expansion. Apparently, France and Italy will be the first to get the phone, although there doesn't appear to be any exact word on pricing or availability.
Samsung serves up the Z650i 3G slider
i-mode might be a foreign concept here in the States -- if you don't count mMode, that is -- but in much of the world, carriers license the NTT DoCoMo-owned brand for marketing their mobile data services. Samsung has announced a trio of new models destined for i-mode, most interesting of the bunch being this here SGH-Z650i slider chock full o' UMTS, 132MB of storage expandable via microSD, Bluetooth, QVGA display, and a 2-megapixel shooter. Though the phone definitely won't be crossing the pond (in any official capacity, anyway) in its current incarnation, Samsung appears to be stepping up their involvement with Cingular's 3G network as of late -- so it's not unreasonable to think that we couldn't be getting something along these lines down the road.[Thanks, Tony]
LG preparing low-end L343i for O2's i-mode
A brushed metal case and Bluetooth are all well and good, but the 160 x 128 display and VGA camera make LG's L343i clamshell reek of low-end -- not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. Besides the aforementioned Bluetooth, O2 customers opting for the spartan handset will get i-mode support, speakerphone, MP3 ringtones and, well, not much else. Occasionally -- occasionally -- simplicity can be refreshing. No official word on pricing or availability, but signs point to the L343i dropping in the UK shortly, and we have to believe it'll go for peanuts.
Motorola L6i and L7i for O2's i-mode?
The time has apparently come in the SLVR's life cycle for Moto to start MLKNG it for everything it's worth -- this time around, imodephones is reporting that Motorola is about to drop the SLVR-like L6i and SLVR-proper L7i for O2's i-mode service. If you're familiar with the L6 and L7, you'll be right at home with their i-mode counterparts -- the chief difference is reported to be the addition of a 1.3 megapixel camera on both models (compared to VGA on the originals). We're on to your product lifecycle strategy, Moto, and while we're sure it pays the bills, it's boring. Spill some details on the SCPL and we promise to lay off for a while. For a few hours, anyway.
All DoCoMo handsets to be GSM-capable within 2 years, sez paper
Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun is reporting that NTT DoCoMo is working to make all of its handsets GSM-compatible in the next two years, which would allow them to work in over 130 countries. Furthermore, DoCoMo's customers would have access to the popular i-mode Internet service in over 70 countries under the new plan, according to company sources quoted by the paper. Reuters reminds us that this move comes at a time when Japan's wireless industry is preparing for increased competition this fall, and may also be a response to the attractive packages Softbank can now offer thanks to their recent purchase of Vodafone Japan.
