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NTT DoCoMo's latest FOMA device aids the elderly
Providing emergency assistant kits for the geriatric set seems to be all the rage these days, and now NTT DoCoMo is jumping into the mix in a presumed attempt to look after the constantly aging Japanese population. The firm's latest
NTT DoCoMo rolls out ten phones; in other news, sky is blue
We think we've finally ceased to be amazed when Japan's NTT DoCoMo drops some endless array of new phones on its domestic market. Sure, the latest gaggle -- which includes the multi-manufacturer 703i series, the SO903iTV from Sony Ericsson, and the D800iS from Mitsubishi -- holds a number of claims to fame, but we're trying our darndest to stand firm in our commitment to remain unmoved by the torrent of Far East-style technology. The 703i variants from NEC and Panasonic, denoted with a "μ" on the ends of their model numbers, are said to be the thinnest WCDMA handsets in the world at 11.4 millimeters, the D800iS includes a second display in place of the keypad for handwriting recognition and various "ooh, aah" kinds of functionality, and the Bravia-branded SO903iTV rocks 1seg for mobile TV reception. We have to admit, our resolve is wearing a bit thin here; anyone care to fly us out to Japan?
Sanyo booth tour
Sanyo had a bit of a twist this year at CES -- it was making a push for the environment. In between displays of HD camcorders and wireless projectors were numerous low consumption devices and solar powered chargers. Keep reading to see what you may have missed among the plethora of products that were on display this year.
Epson cranks out "world's smallest" GPS module
Apparently Epson is hoping that small is in, as the firm is pumping out yet another "world's smallest" object, and this time it's a wee-sized GPS module. Crafted specifically for tiny applications like mobile handsets, the S4E19863 measures just 7- x 6- x 1.28-millimeters and purportedly holds the title for "world's smallest GPS chip." Already available in NTT DoCoMo's FOMA 903i series, Epson has begun shipping these things in bulk, hoping to add GPS functionality to other miniscule handsets as well. Built to receive even the faintest signals indoors and out, the chip also boasts "3GPP-compliant positioning modes (MS-Based, MS-Assisted and Autonomous)" to offer greater compatibility across the board. Plus, we bet it's just a matter of time before these tiny positioning modules are up and running in some streamlined dog collar for the "anxious pet owner" crowd.[Via Far East Gizmos]
NTT DoCoMo shows off solar charger
No, this isn't the next Mars lander, nor is it some sort of biology experiment. This impossibly unruly contraption is a concept for how NTT DoCoMo would like y'all to juice up your phones in the future. The system apparently involves a solar array employing spherical silicon cells, yielding efficiency far beyond that old-skool array your granpappy used to use. No word on production plans for this thing, but given everything we know of DoCoMo, it will hit the streets eventually -- and when it does, we can only hope it gets a little smaller.[Via Slashphone]
Panasonic's P702iD looks sentient to us
"Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?" This little gem is the P702iD from Panasonic, which (you guessed it) is destined for NTT DoCoMo's FOMA network. Besides the (moderately frightening) LED array underneath the phone's surface -- which can be programmed to display one of ten different patterns of varying color and intensity, they say -- stand-out features include a microSD slot, 1.3 megapixel shooter, and push-to-talk. The "Feel*Talk" feature analyzes the user's voice in real time and chooses animations and LED effects based on their mood; of course, it probably chooses not to open the pod bay doors, too.
Falling birth rates? NTT DoCoMo has the answer
If there's two thing we know Japan has, it's a steadily declining birth rate and insanely advanced mobile technology. Doesn't it seem like one could be used to solve the other? (No?) Leave it to the good folks at NTT DoCoMo to have a crack at it, releasing the new D702iF FOMA clamshell from Mitsubishi. It seems innocent enough, but a few keystrokes allows the user to track his or her (hopefully her) menstrual cycle and be notified during the most fertile times of the month. The somewhat unusual function, along with the phone's bullet-shaped design and pastel colors, are the brainchild of Japanese designer Momoko Ikuta. The decidedly feminine phone also features a built-in recipe database (which we hear features a mean white bean chicken chili) and a "camouflage melody" function -- a fancy way of describing a fake ring for those times when you want to completely ignore the people around you.[Via CNET]
DoCoMo launching video voicemail
It only makes sense that if you're using your 3G phone to make video calls, you should be able to leave video voicemail (or videomail, as it were). Apparently each person's FOMA "Answering Machine Service" inbox will have room for as many as 20 messages (though if you don't check it for 72 hours they'll start getting deleted willy nilly). Oh, the possibilities.[Via TechJapan]
NTT DoCoMo announces F882iES flip for seniors
Never mind the elderly, this seems like a perfectly hot phone for pretty much anyone looking for a decent 3G clamshell. Fujitsu's F882iES operates on NTT DoCoMo's 3G FOMA network, rocks 2.2-inch QVGA internal and 64 x 64 external displays, a 1.3-megapixel shooter, and miniSD expansion in your choice of gold, pink, or black. But here's the best part: much like KDDI's A1406PT from Pantech, the F882iES features a piercing alarm that can simultaneously fire off a pre-recorded message to a number of your choice. At 100 ear-annihilating decibels, we think it might even pack enough oomph to outdo our phone-in-a-wine-glass trick.[Via TechJapan]
HTC builds Hermes-like "Z" for NTT DoCoMo
When you're trying to console yourself after perusing NTT DoCoMo's extraordinary lineup of hotness, it looks like the "at least we're getting the Hermes" argument no longer holds much water. HTC and NTT DoCoMo have teamed up to put together the "HTC Z," a Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC with rather obvious Hermes roots. The FOMA-compliant handset shares all of the Hermes' critical stats -- right down to the secondary cam for video calling -- and sports a Japanese cut of Windows Mobile to make things easy on the home crowd. Okay, so maybe you're thinking "at least we get our Hermes first." Not even: the Z allegedly drops in late July, so unless you're one of the lucky few, it looks like NTT's got you beat every which way. Typical.
Mitsubishi's Symbian-powered D702iBCL for NTT DoCoMo
Fashion phones not your cup of tea? Looking for something a little more business oriented perhaps? NTT DoCoMo has you covered with their D702iBCL FOMA smartphone, brought to you by the good folks at Mitsubishi. The D702iBCL sports NTT's MOAP (Moblie Oriented Applications Platform) UI sitting atop Symbian 8.1 along with a QVGA display, all while coming in at a relatively sprightly 130 x 47 x 16.8mm and 97g. A camera is conspicuously missing, but being that this is a business phone, that's just as well.
NTT DoCoMo adds six to endless array of FOMA choices
NTT DoCoMo -- in an apparent bid to not just out-do, but humiliate the rest of the world's carriers -- has dropped yet another six 3G flips on its home crowd. The new handsets are part of NTT's "7 Series" of fashion-oriented phones, and include entries from Mitsubishi, Panasonic, NEC, Motorola, and Sharp. Moto has actually contributed two models here, one in the V3x vein and the other apparently a let's-see-how-long-we-can-milk-this port of the original V3. All six of the phones support the typical i-mode goodness, FOMA, video calling, and an array of functions that sound like science fiction to the non-Japanese among us.
Waterproof meets FOMA: the SO902iWP+
If we had a dollar for every story we've heard of a flushed cellphone, we'd have, like, ten dollars. NTT DoCoMo's new alphabet soup, the SO902iWP+, may not get you your phone back if it makes its way to your town's sewage system, but it might just be working when it finally gets fished out. Besides sporting the usual FOMA goodies like a stunning UI on a QVGA display, camera, and music player, the candybar is waterproof for up to 30 minutes in 1 meter of water. We're not sure who makes the SO902iWP+ for NTT, but since it includes both a Memory Stick Duo slot and FeliCa support, we have our guesses.[Via Mobile Magazine]
Mitsubishi's D902iS slider for NTT DoCoMo
To the rest of the world, the D902iS is a ridiculously high-end object of desire -- but to Japan, what we have here is just another FOMA slider. The phone, slapped together by Mitsubishi for NTT DoCoMo, packs virtually every feature you can imagine into its 110 x 49 x 19.9mm chassis: 400 x 240 display (for when QVGA just isn't good enough and VGA is a little too much), 4 megapixel camera with MP4 video recording, MinSD slot, and full web browsing at a nice WCDMA clip of 384kbps. Heck, you even get a PDF reader. To boot, the menus are some of the most beautiful we've ever seen on any phone. Our Japanese readers probably got bored halfway through this post while the rest of you are drooling uncontrollably, and you can keep on drooling, folks -- we don't expect this one outside Japan.[Via Mobile Magazine]
DoCoMo develops cellphone to test for drunk drivers
NTT DoCoMo has devised a cellphone-based breathalyzer system that'll let bus, taxi, and truck companies test their drivers remotely to see if they've been boozing it up behind the wheel. The system consists of a small breath-alcohol sensor made by Tanita that's attached to one of DoCoMo's FOMA 3G handsets and, unlike similar offerings from LG which are merely for one's own edification, this one will transmit the results to the driver's boss, who can also make sure there's no cheating going on thanks to the phone's handy videophone function.
DoCoMo breaks out a slew of HSDPA phones
In typical DoCoMo fashion, they've introduced not one or two, but eight new phones today to kick off their FOMA 9 Series line. We can't find much solid dirt on these, but HSDPA is definitely a part of their new N902iX HIGH-SPEED, and their F902iS turned some heads with its PlaysForSure support, and the possibility of adding Windows Media Video DRM support in the future as well. Otherwise, our Japanese readership should keep an eye out for new models such as the D902iS, N902iS, P902iS, SH902iS, SO902iWP+, SH902iSL DOLCE SL, which will have such varied features in 9 Series as Push-to-Talk, Osaifu-Keitai e-wallet services, Omakase Lock data security, Chaku-moji ringback messages, Chaku-Uta multimedia apps, ToruCa mobile shopping information, and even home theater remote control. We'll let you know as more info trickles in from our phone-loving friends overseas.[Thanks deluxe, via MSN-Mainichi]
