NTT DoCoMo
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NTT DoCoMo launches, no joke, 28 phones; pegs December 24th for LTE launch
NTT DoCoMo and its Japanese competitors have a long, rich history of announcing dozens of new phones in one fell swoop, but the carrier is saying that its latest line -- comprised of a mind-bending 28 devices -- is its largest single launch ever. We've already told you about a couple of the notables (and some of these we saw at CEATEC not long ago), but the company proudly proclaims that the lineup includes 11 waterproof units, three that can function as WiFi hotspots, 10 with touchscreens, nine that shoot HD video, and five capable of shooting 1080p. Perhaps even more notably, though, NTT DoCoMo is sharing details of the launch of its so-called Xi network -- the consumer brand for its LTE airwaves -- and it turns out locals will be able to get in on the action come December 24th, initially in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. Interestingly, there will be no unlimited data plans offered on Xi; when you consider that the service is billed as being ten times faster than FOMA with downlink speeds of up to 75Mbps, that's a little disconcerting -- but if you're not scared off, you'll be able to choose from a USB modem and an ExpressCard at launch.
Sharp Touch Wood concept turns real with limited run of 15,000 handsets on NTT DoCoMo
You might have expected Sharp's pebble-shaped Touch Wood concept to remain just that, a concept, but the eclectic Japanese market has found a spot in its heart to fit 15,000 units of the curvy, wood-trimmed cellphone. Built from locally sourced cypress timber, each handset will have its own unique pattern and color, while the innards will be filled with a five megapixel imager, a 3.4-inch (854 x 480) display, a MicroSDHC expansion slot, and your usual GSM and 3G wireless radios. You can get yours through NTT DoCoMo some time around February or March.
LG L-03C has 3x optical zoom, 12 megapixel CCD sensor, Xenon flash -- and it can make phone calls!
Dear Nokia and Samsung, please come to reception to collect your old and busted 12 megapixel cameraphones. The new king of the phonecamera heap, in appearance at least, has arrived in the shape of LG's L-03C. It comes with a retractable 3x optical zoom lens from Pentax, a 12 megapixel CCD sensor, a Xenon flash, and a 720p movie recording mode. The L-03C is also intentionally styled to remind users of the more timeless compact camera designs of the past (and present) and it's only by entering the NTT DoCoMo OS and hitting up the dialer that you discover that it's also a cellular phone to boot. In spite of its 3-inch display and 800 x 480 resolution, this is still strictly just a featurephone, but it's sure put in a lot of work to make sure one of those features stands out. Look out for it in Japan from this January.
Sharp Lynx SH-10B is a MIDdling Android smartphone we could get behind (video)
Sharp's NTT DoCoMo-living / Android-loving Lynx SH-10B isn't brand new by any stretch -- it hit local markets in late July, and earlier this year was released on KDDI as the ISO1 -- but this week's CEATEC would be the first time we've had a chance to play around with, and given the dearth of comparable US form factors, we couldn't resist. The 5-inch 960 x 480 resolution MID / smartphone sports a pretty snappy and easy-to-use keyboard and a responsive touchscreen. Unless you've already prepared for the likes of Dell's Streak, the Lynx isn't exactly pocketable, and by our estimates, it's about twice the thickness o the iPhone 4 when closed up. The customized UI (running over what we presume is Android 1.6) is pretty unique in design, although functionally there was some minor lag in change panels and opening panes. You know the drill: pics below. Enjoy! %Gallery-104379%
NTT DoCoMo's touchable 3D display prototype seamlessly integrates haptics, chameleons
Okay, that might not be a chameleon -- we're not the reptile experts we wish we were -- but NTT DoCoMo claims it is. Regardless, we were pretty impressed with this little setup NTT DoCoMo had going in the R&D (that is, not-for-production-just-yet) section of its CEATEC booth. The crown jewel of the setup is a small glasses-free 3D display -- obviously intended to mimic the size and style of display you'd see on a phone -- with stereoscopic cameras just above it to detect the presence and position of an attached stylus. As you move the stylus toward a point on the display, the cute little beast lashes its tongue out in the direction of the tip, and a surprisingly strong haptic kick is generated inside the stylus through an inductive coil to mimic the effect of the tongue hitting you. It's pretty obvious that something like this would have neat implications for mobile gaming... but like everything in NTT DoCoMo's R&D department, it's going to take a while to get to retail -- and even when it does, it'll very likely be Japan-only. Follow the break for video. %Gallery-104361%
Qi charger prototype from Sanyo and NTT DoCoMo seeks out, ruthlessly charges stuff
Wireless charging gear compatible with the Qi standard should be hitting shelves any minute now, but NTT DoCoMo's charging base at CEATEC has a completely unnecessary (and completely awesome) trick up its sleeve to set itself apart from the crowd. The prototype -- developed in concert with Sanyo and bearing the Eneloop brand -- gives you some visual indication that a compatible gadget has been detected by displaying a ring of blue LEDs that converges around the device to be charged once you set it down. It's a neat effect... and you can see it unfold on the video after the break. No indication on whether NTT DoCoMo will actually be bringing its own branded Qi charger to market, but clearly, these products are nearly production-ready. %Gallery-104373%
NTT DoCoMo's Taion Heart supports rarely-used soul-2-soul Bluetooth profile (video)
A Valediction: Electronically Assuaging Longing As virtuous men travel mildly'away, And cling to their Taion Hearts, to goe, Whilst their Heart-equpped friends doe say, The pulse goes now, thanks, and some say, to NTT DoCoMo. So let us grip, and make no noise, No Skype calls, nor instant messages send, 'Twere illuminations of our joyes To pulsate the complementary device of our love rend. Gripping of t'heart sends light and color, Bluetooth sync reckons what it did and meant, But vibration of the other, Though greater farre, is innocent. Additional reporting by John Donne; video after the break %Gallery-104363%
NTT DoCoMo's AR Walker is augmented reality at its finest (video)
Say you're in New York... or Tokyo. You have absolutely no idea where you are, where you need to go, or where the closest Starbucks is. Sure, you could look at the mapping app on your AGPS-equipped handset, but where's the sci-fi in that? Leave it to Japan's NTT DoCoMo (in partnership with Olympus) to whip up a wearable augmented reality solution that's nearly small enough (and reasonable-looking enough) for individuals with an ounce of self-respect to use, and we've had a chance to check it out here at CEATEC this week. Follow the break for impressions and video! %Gallery-104359%
NTT DoCoMo's ion-generating phone is literally a breath of fresh air
Sharp has been working on miniaturizing its so-called Plasmacluster line of ion-generating products as of late, most recently with the pocketable IG-CM1. Well, imagine if you took an IG-CM1 and duct-taped it to the back of a Japanese-style flip phone... what would you get? You'd get something like this concept being shown off at CEATEC, we think. Found in the booths of both Sharp and NTT DoCoMo, the basic idea is that the phone surrounds you with pleasant, invigorating ions while you chat away, repelling viruses and generally making you a better, happier, and healthier human being; in addition to the functional prototype, DoCoMo was also showing off totally fake (and considerably sexier) design concepts of how a personal ion generator / phone combo could look down the road. We're not aware of any commercialization plans here -- but considering that Plasmacluster technology comes pre-installed on some Toyota cars sold around the world, it's not a far leap to say that we could see it in a production phone, too. We suppose. %Gallery-104251%
Panasonic Lumix Phone eyes-on (video)
Right on schedule, Panasonic's 13.2 megapixel Lumix Phone made its physical debut buried within NTT DoCoMo's CEATEC booth. And by buried, we mean locked behind plexiglass and out of reach of our own hands. That didn't stop the light-capturing mechanics of our cameras, however. We're not sure where the "folding mechanism" mentioned in the press release comes from, but it looks to be a slider phone that keeps a numpad / text entry box out of view. Color options include black, pink, blue, and gold (though frankly, it looked more silver to us). Alas, that also means no chance to provide sample shots from the devices itself, but we do have a smattering of product photos from which you might derive glee -- and that aforementioned video after the break. %Gallery-104245%
Japan chooses ISDB-Tmm over MediaFLO for new mobile TV network, KDDI pouts
Well, that wasn't much of a delay at all! Japanese regulators have apparently gone ahead and selected NTT DoCoMo's proposal for Japan's next-gen mobile TV network scheduled to go live in 2012 -- ISDB-Tmm, an evolution of the country's existing one-seg technology -- over the MediaFLO-based solution floated by competitor KDDI. Considering that KDDI is tied up in CDMA / EV-DO, it's little wonder they were pushing MediaFLO, a product of CDMA patron saint Qualcomm -- but it's a moot point now that the license is going to DoCoMo's broadcasting consortium. For what it's worth, KDDI -- understandably none too pleased by the decision -- has said that it will refuse to offer programming for the new network, which likely means that its 30 million-plus subscribers won't have access. Great to see these guys can work together so well, isn't it?
Japan holds off on choosing tech for next-gen mobile TV
We'd surmise that neither Europe nor the Americas are anywhere close to worrying about a next-generation mobile TV standard, since virtually no carrier has managed to monetize the standards they've already adopted -- but things work a little differently in Japan where one-seg tuners are offered on nearly every portable device with a screen that's sold. A refinement of the existing ISDB-T technology designed to take advantage of the analog TV shutdown, ISDB-Tmm, had been pushed by NTT DoCoMo, while competitor KDDI -- the country's main CDMA operator -- had wanted to adopt Qualcomm's MediaFLO in a regulatory decision originally scheduled to be made by the middle of this month, but the government has apparently decided to hold off in the hopes that the two sides can work together on a mutually beneficial standard. Commercial availability of the network had been expected in 2012, so it'll be interesting to see if these two giants can bury the hatchets long enough to work this out.
NTT DoCoMo announces 'Xi' brand for LTE, somehow pronounced 'crossy'
You're probably thinking "chi" or "zee," right? Nope: NTT DoCoMo has laid down the law in its press release touting the LTE service it'll be launching later this year, and it turns out that "Xi" -- in this case, anyway -- is pronounced "crossy." Of course, ultimately, they can call it whatever they like -- it's the service itself that matters, and to that end, we can expect downlink speeds up to a positively blistering 75Mbps, rolling out first in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya in December followed by "other major cities and then additional areas of the nation." DoCoMo's accounting for handoffs, too, so you won't be dropped (theoretically) when you move between Xi and FOMA areas. 75Mbps seems a bit optimistic for a first-phase LTE launch, but hey, we're pulling for 'em. Pricing and hardware will be announced later; in the meantime, you can follow the break for the full press release.
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 looks to sell handheld game manufacturers on 3G
Japanese telecom operator NTT DoCoMo is apparently in talks with heretofore unnamed manufacturers to get its 3G modules embedded in handheld game consoles. "We are discussing this with various players," said company president Ryuji Yamada. The Wall Street Journal makes an educated guess that Nintendo might be one of the "players" (or "ballers," if you will), which sounds pretty good to us: we know that the upcoming Nintendo 3DS handheld is still being tweaked, and including 3G would be a pretty big deal. We can dream, right? Either that, or move to Mexico City and get a Zeebo (sure, it's not a handheld, but whatever).
NTT DoCoMo handsets going entirely unlocked next year
Responding to a government request -- a request, not a mandate -- to let customers take their phones wherever they like, Japan's juggernaut NTT DoCoMo has announced that it'll be selling all of its phones fully SIM-unlocked starting with devices launching next April. It seems DoCoMo's moved is primarily targeted at putting pressure on rival SoftBank (which offers the iPhone 4 exclusively) to do the same, since it's been unwilling to make the move so far. With KDDI on CDMA, it seems like a competitive disadvantage for the government to require the HSPA giants alone to go fully unlocked -- so in the absence of a mandate, it seems this becomes quite a gambit for DoCoMo that could end up paying off or hurting the bottom line.
NTT DoCoMo, KDDI launch their endless Summer 2010 collections
Surprise: Japanese carriers are announcing literally dozens of phones at once. Okay, look, that's not a surprise at all, but bear with us, because there are a few shining jewels in here amongst the seemingly endless array of WVGA displays and one-seg tuners from NTT DoCoMo and KDDI au, both of whom have announced their Summer 2010 collections of handsets this week. Of note, two of the models from DoCoMo -- the Fujitsu F-06B and Sharp SH-07B are capable of shooting 1080p video, while KDDI's SH008 from Sharp, S003 from Sony Ericsson, and CA005 from Casio all feature sensors of 12 megapixels or larger. Several of the devices can also be used as WiFi hotspots, and Hitachi's trick Beskey for KDDI has interchangeable keypads that change the shape of the keys, not the layout -- a bit superficial, perhaps, but we're all about choice. DoCoMo is also launching a handful of smartphones: the Lynx SH-10B from Sharp (not to be confused with the old Atari handheld of the same name) that features Android atop a 5-inch touchscreen, Toshiba's 4.1-inch T-01B Dynapocket with WinMo, and RIM's plain old BlackBerry Bold 9700. Don't get us wrong, it's still quite a haul, but we can't help but feel that the gap between Japan's wireless scene and the rest of the world is closing fast.
NEC rolls out Windows CE-based N-08B MID / phone for Japan
The chances of this one ever making its way to these shores are about as slim as can be, but it looks like folks in Japan will soon be able to get their hands on NEC's new N-08B, which is part phone and part MID (but mostly MID). Relying on the venerable Windows CE operating system, this one packs a 4.6-inch, 854 x 480 display (non-touchscreen, it seems), along with a full QWERTY keyboard complete with a trackpoint-like pointer, WiFi and 3G connectivity, a micro SD card slot for expansion, a 3.1 megapixel camera, and a promised 350 minutes of talk time when used as a phone. Still no indication of a price, but this one will apparently be available on NTT DoCoMo in August.
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.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is likely NTT DoCoMo's best selling smartphone -- ever
Japan's wireless networks have a longstanding, legendary reputation for existing in some parallel plane that's technologically light years ahead of the rest of the world, but that reputation's unquestionably in greater danger today than in any point in the past fifteen years. Why? Though the featurephones offered by NTT DoCoMo, SoftBank, and KDDI are ultra high-spec beasts, they're still featurephones at the end of the day -- and this comes at a time when smartphones are finally becoming true cultural phenomena across the remainder of the developed world (and, in some cases, the developing world). There's no greater evidence of this than the word this week that Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 -- a phone that's been met with lukewarm reviews, including from Engadget Japanese's own Ittousai -- has allegedly become NTT DoCoMo's best-selling smartphone in history, a fact that would seem completely inexplicable in any other market globally. What makes it possible in Japan, of course, is DoCoMo's historically lame selection of true smartphones, a lineup that currently includes localized versions of the HTC Magic, and the original HTC Touch Diamond and BlackBerry Bold. What's more, many of these devices integrate poorly with popular carrier services on account of their super-tight control of the operating systems running across the featurephone lineup, something they've got less control over with a device running Android or Windows Mobile. In other words, when it's reported that DoCoMo had sold 100,000 X10s in its first 20 days -- and a third-party retailer claims that the Magic-esque HT-03A is the next best seller at 80,000 units in 10 months -- it seems plausible, if not likely (and Ittousai agrees). Yeah, even though the localized device has been plagued with performance problems and bugs, incompatibilities with DoCoMo's i-mode push email, and so on. It's hard to say what it's going to take for these guys to make an honest-to-goodness transition to the brave new world of open platforms and freewheeling third-party development, but they're clearly not there yet.
