Motorola Debuts 3G Smartphone in Japan
DoCoMo’s hybrid 3G-PDA M1000 handset is off the showroom floor and finally on the street. WWJ was at the M1000 launch event and we’ve put together a quick video program showing just what sort of hoops this smartphone jumps through. Previewed at an April 15 press conference, the tri-band business-use handset from Motorola juggles W-CDMA, GSM and GPRS for global roaming, opens Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs as well as PDF files, and allows multiple email functions including POP and IMAP email. Internet access channels through the Opera 7.5 browser. DoCoMo took the (daring) step of dropping i-mode capability for the M1000 in favor of global compatibility. More PDA than phone, all navigation is through the bright, 2.9-inch touch screen.
As noted on the initial announcement in April, DoCoMo synched the M1000 launch with an upgrade to their ‘mopera’ mobile ISP service for FOMA subscribers who connect to the Web via a PC, PDA or — now — the M1000 handset. Mopera provides mobile access to the Web via DoCoMo’s 3G FOMA, PHS and 2G PDC networks and mobile access to email accounts. It also enables FOMA users to access public wireless LANs from mobile PCs.
While listening to the presentation (.mp3 here), check out their M1000 Japanese website and click through to the M1000 Special Website enter bar; the spinning info balls on this Flash site may be there to hypnotize prospective users into forgetting about the high domestic fees Japanese they might face when using the M1000’s global-roaming capabilities overseas.
— Editors