I don’t know what Nokia is thinking about when it’s working on the launch of its MVNO network in Japan, but since they have the money and the knowledge they might just be able to pull it off. Although I am surprised that the Finnish mobile manufacturer wants to create it’s own network and, of all places, it has picked Japan. Sure Japan is a large market for cell phone users and on top of that NTT DoCoMo will be involved in the project. What Nokia doesn’t have in Japan is market share. A mere 1% of Japan has a Nokia phone. So that’s why they want to create their own network…

Nokia has tried before the whole MVNO thing but it hasn’t really worked out. Oh, and MVNO stands for mobile virtual network operator. Basically Nokia will use some cell phone lines owned by NTT DoCoMo.

via Reuters

We have four of the Japan’s finest companies that decided to play together in order to create a SH-Mobile G4 single-chip LSI device. Wow, that’s so cool, I will want two or three of those!

Seriously speaking, NTT DoCoMo, Renesas, Fujitsu and Sharp are working on a handset which will have GSM/GPRS/EDGE support and HSUPA/HSDPA/W-CDMA standards. The Japanese companies are getting ready a cell phone that’s going to offer HSUPA speeds of up to 5.7Mbps and HSDPA speeds of up to 7.2Mbps. The devices will come with 45-nm processors, 3D graphics support, HD support and more. The SH-Mobile G4 will arrive in 2010, which is a long long time from now. Maybe too long!

NTT DoCoMo is ready to offer its Japanese subscribers a new phone. The Sony Ericsson SO-10A is quite the smartphone. At least its design is worth talking about. Depending on what you want to do, you can choose which side you want to view. One sides has a keypad and a smaller display, like in the picture here but the other side has a full toushscreen display ready for some serious action. Now that’s a phone I’d want to check out!

Unfortunately we don’t have any pricing details yet. But then again, you aren’t going to Japan anytime soon right?

Well you’ve seen the video, what do you think? Do you actually need this feature embedded in your current smartphone. As you might already know there are various mini-projectors to choose from and we did show them to you earlier on. I could think of lots of reasons for not having a DLP projector inside my phone but then NTT DoCoMo will tell you otherwise.

It looks like the Japanese carrier has a DLP phone projector which would use a LED light source in order to project a 20-25 inch image across the room. How many time will you say “Wait honey, I have the projector with me! I know it’s somewhere inside this phone. Sure we can look at all those wedding photos… again!”

While the Bold is yet to arrive from AT&T in the USA, it looks like NTT DoCoMo is ready to offer the BlackBerry 9000 to its subscribers. It looks like Japan should be a logical move from RIM. But the Japanese market has been proven to be a tough market for RIM to crack.

The Bold is a truly unique device which is already being sold in various countries across the globe. If successful in Japan it might lead the way for other great RIM phones. The Pearl, the Curve and particularly the Storm might also be sent out to Japan if all goes well for Japan.

The Bold is going to be sold in Japan in 2009. Hear that AT&T? Even Japan is getting it?

NTT DoCoMo is getting ready for its next-generation 4G network and in the process it has chosen Fujitsu to help. NTT DoCoMo will use the Evolved Packet Core from Fujitsu. Fujitsu will also supply the wireless base stations and handsets for the future LTE network in Japan. Nokia will provide hardware and software to be used with Fujitsu’s technology.

Does anyone know when the new LTE network will be finishing? Any official testing to take place soon? Any LTE capable devices to be created soon? Is Nokia going to provide them first? Too many questions will be left unanswered for now.

Sony Ericsson has released a new clamshell handset, the Sony Ericsson SO706i, which will be available from NTT DoCoMo. Well, since Sony is from Japan, its no wonder they are releasing another great phone for the Japanese market. I guess we’ll have to wait for a little while until this phone comes out in the western market.

As mentioned, the SO706i is a clamshell phone and features a 2.8 inch with 262K colors and a 240×427 pixel resolution internal TFT display and external LEDs for incoming calls, 2MP camera with Auto Focus and video recording, memory expansion of MicroSD memory format, which is able to accept microSD cards up to 2GB, Mobile TV, advanced e-mail and web capabilities, supports Flash Lite 3.0, Google Maps and integrates Google search.

The dimensions of the handset is 105×49x13.4mm and the phone weighs 98 grams. The device is able to work up to 3.6 hours in talk-time mode, up to 290 hours in standby mode and up to 1.67 hours in TV viewing mode.

SO706i will be out in Japanese NTT DoCoMo shops on July 4, retailing at about 40,000 Japanese yen - equivalent to about $380 or 240 Euros.

via: sonyericsson

I always wondered when we’re going to get to the next level. When are we going to see technology similar in concept to what others imagined in those Sci-Fi movies?
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Over the years, I’ve proven that fragrances help to make us remember instances in the past. The sense of smell is very powerful and could incite one’s moods. NTT DoCoMo decides to capitalize on this and is currently looking to expand their novel fragrance delivery service to support the delivery of smells via cell phones. Since 2005, NTT DoCoMo has offered a device which releases aromas based on the input of the cell phone network. This time, they want to commercialize their new invention of controlling these devices through one’s mobile phone. The technology entails controlling the fragrance device through signals sent passing through infrared signals. A “Fragrance Playlist” would be downloaded on the phone and then users could choose what aroma they’d like to smell. Upon selection of an aroma, an accompanying MIDI sound or GIF animation would play on the cell phone. As of now, the availability of DoCoMo’s “Fragrance Playlist” is still far off into the future, but when the public could get a hold of it already, I reckon it would be a hit with the Japanese consumers.

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The Fujitsu F705i tries to proves beyond a doubt that “waterproof” and “slim” is a good combination. It is the latest in its “FOMA i series” of waterproof phones headed to NTT DoCoMo conforming to IPX5 and IPX7 waterproof standards and measures a scrawny 13.7 mm. Waterproof up to 30 minutes at 1 meter depth, this phone features a 1.3-megapixel camera, Super Clear Voice and Super Clear Mic for in-call adjustment of volume to surrounding sounds, a 2.7-inch QVGA LCD screen, and Quick Zoom for increased visual accessibility. This cell phone also has another notable feature, which is a buzzer that can be set off in case of an emergency alerting people in the proximity.

The Fujitsu F705i will be available in three colors of snow white, dark blue, and light pink, although my Japanese doesn’t permit me enough to say when.

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