Year: <span>2006</span>
Year: 2006

Year: 2006

Fujitsu Upgrades Fingerprint Sensor

Fujitsu Microelectronics and Phoenix Technologies recently announced that Fujitsu has introduced the latest member of its fingerprint sensor IC technology, the Fujitsu MBF320 Sweep Sensor. The new MBF320 features TrustedCore pre-boot authentication (PBA), fingerprint-matching algorithms and biometric software from Cogent Systems, and a USB 2.0 full-speed interface. According to the companies statement, a single, rapid fingerprint sweep across the MBF320 sensor captures fingerprint features associated with high-resolution, 500-dpi fingerprint data.

DoCoMo's Fuel Cell for Mobile Devices

The Fuel Cell Development Information Center (FCDIC) recently held a seminar titled “Dawn of the age of fuel cell for mobile devices” with lecturers were invited from leading companies involved in fuel cell development such as NTT DoCoMo, Inc., NEC Corp., Toshiba Corp., Hitachi, Ltd. and Canon Inc. In the lecture, the company mentioned not just the basic performance as a power source for mobile devices but also specific requirements with respect to reliability and safety in actual usage.

Japan Spectrum Draft Report

Frequency issues may be a gating factor in Japan, where WiMAX penetration depends on how the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) regulates the usage of the 2.5GHz band. In December 2005, the group offered recommendations for spectrum usage from 800MHz to 81GHz. The MIC study group chose the 2.5GHz band specifically for low-cost broadband mobile wireless services not provided by current mobile-phone networks. An advisory telecommunication council will issue a draft report in September, with a final report due in November.

Japan Number Portability: The Autumn of Discontent

The hottest topic roiling Tokyo’s hot street this month is MNP – mobile number portability.

Details on pricing, dates and procedures that Japan’s carriers will follow to implement the regulator-mandated programme have been posted on WWJ in several items on this topic, including here, here and here.. Analysts, pundits and assorted commentators have all more or less concluded that the net winner will be KDDI/au, while the net loser will be DoCoMo (the jury is still out on Vodafone/SoftBank Mobile). At least some are attributing this pending negative migration to mere probability – as the carrier with the largest customer base, they argue, DoCoMo naturally stand to lose the biggest number of churners – all things being equal. But this analysis is weak and WWJ thinks..

KDDI Annual Shareholders Report

KDDI has published its Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended March 31, 2006. In the president’s message to shareholders, President Tadashi Onodera is pleased to report that KDDI’s goals continue to expand while the company cultivates new business domains based on the watchwords “Strategy and Speed,” while KDDI, as the “Ubiquitous Solution Company,” continues to ‘Take It to the Next Level.’ Specific actions towards an enhanced structure with a view to propelling future business expansion include: the merger with the three TU-KA firms and the merger with Powdercom Inc. based on a comprehensive alliance in telecommunications services with Tokyo Electric Power Co. and an agreement on the provision of integrated FTTH services.

Fujitsu Announces Micro Mobile HDD's

Fujitsu has announced their first hard disk drives that use perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) to deliver enhanced storage capacity. The company unveiled its MHW2 BH-series of 2.5-inch hard disk drives for mobile PCs which will go on sale to the industry in October this year. The two PMR models are the 160GB MHW2160BH, which Fujitsu claims has the industry’s highest storage capacity for a 5,400 rpm HDD, and the 80GB MHW2080BH. The company aims to ship six million units of the two models.

Applications for MNP Start 1 September

Vodafone Japan K.K. announced Thursday it would charge its customers 2,100 yen to cancel their contracts when transferring their phone numbers to different service providers. With Vodafone’s announcement, all three major cell phone firms have set their cancellation fees at 2,100 yen. Starting Friday, Softbank will accept applications for number transfers from the other two firms at Vodafone shops, by phone or on its Web site. The mobile number portability system will officially begin on 24 October.

Toyota Announces Telematics 2.0

KDDI and Toyota have announced an update to the existing G-Book telematics service. A limited release of 7,500 new TiMO handsets, Toshiba’s 3G terminal otherwise known as the W44T11, will be available from October this year. WWJ has a video interview from the Tokyo Motor Show in 2003 demonstrating the original service and it would appear at first blush their new offering is at least somwhat improved. Full specs and dedicated site links after the jump.

SoftBank Announces First Branded Handset

According to a company press-release today SoftBank mobile will release the first handsets branded with it’s corporate logo (replacing Vodafones) starting Sept. 2nd. The Sharp 705 series 3G phones will be limited to 10,000 units and feature the usual specs. with 2 mega-pix. camera, ASV display and bluetooth on-board. They have also released images of the popular 1Seg digital TV enabled 905 model, made by Sharp as well, with the SoftBank logo however no details were provided about it’s availability.

Lucky Mobile Numbers Sold Online

Cell phone numbers that repeat the same digit several times or contain regular number sequences are being sold on the Internet for huge amounts of money, sometimes demanding prices of hundreds of millions of yen, industry sources and police said. The prices of the “good numbers” have soared ahead of the introduction in October of a system which will allow people to retain the same phone number even if they switch cell phone companies.