Year: <span>2002</span>
Year: 2002

A Guy and his DoCoMo 3G Cellphone

A Guy and his DoCoMo 3G CellphoneTakaharu Mita is just a regular guy with a DoCoMo 3G videophone — but like many early-adopters, he’s got no one with whom to hold video calls. In March, he posted his number on his “FOMA Diary” Web site and invited the world to call — anytime. Well, the world responded, and Mita-san has got a lot to say about videophones, Big D, and how society’s gonna change…

Telematics for Tokyo and beyond

Telematics for Tokyo and beyondJapan’s Omron has tied up with America’s Cellport to commercialize telematics technology that will allow onboard sensors to report maintenance, operation, and other data to a central server using a keitai. We take a look at a Cellphone-enabled Jeep parked in downtown Tokyo and speak with the CEO of Omron Cellport Telematics Inc. to find out when we’ll be able to buy a Lexus that’ll transmit low engine oil problems straight to the garage (Not that soon..)

Interview with i-mode Contrarian, Part 1

Interview with i-mode Contrarian, Part 1In the first part of our Killer Interview Series with one of Tokyo’s contrarian telecoms analysts, we find out what happens to data ARPU when price-insensitive, heavy-volume users migrate to new services (like Java). The answer? It’s not a pretty sight, and the same may be in store for 3G. Plus, we cover ARPU stats, compare FOMA data usage to 2G, and reveal what generates the most packet traffic (think “self-generated content”).