Year: <span>2004</span>
Year: 2004

Year: 2004

Vodafone Prepares for Show Time

Vodafone will call together analysts and investors today to showcase its top operations in a quest to restore shaken market faith in the world’s largest international mobile phone operator. Earlier this week, the company unveiled plans for a broader 3G mobile phone launch, with seven of the 10 new multimedia handsets aimed at Japan, where Vodafone has blamed its lack of a competitive 3G handset range for eroding revenues and profits as it loses customers to rivals.

Mobile TV Rocks!

In his 14 September WWJ Viewpoint, Philip Sugai raised some valid criticisms of the new TV cell phones and points to both technological and end-user behavior limitations that he believes doom TV phones to “DOA” status. Of these, the behavioral problems appear to be the most difficult to overcome. These criticisms, however, seriously underestimate both the technological developments that the devices will undergo in the next 18-24 months as well as the imagination and creativity that Japan’s end-users and broadcasters will apply to receiving and delivering, respectively, useful content via mobile TV (and FM radio).

Part 2 of a two-part series. Previously: MobileTV: Hype or Reality?, by Professor Philip Sugai.)

CEATEC 2004 & Japan's IT & Electronics Industries

The fifth staging of CEATEC JAPAN is nearly upon us. Optimism has returned to the industrial world this year, boosted by strong demand for mobile network-related products and car electronics equipment. Digital home appliances have been especially popular. In the Japanese electronics industry, domestic production reached peak levels of 25.4 trillion yen in 1997 and 25.1 trillion yen in 2000. In 2004, the figure also looks certain to exceed the 20.0 trillion yen mark.

Sony's New PSP Debut on Video

Sony's New PSP Debut on VideoThe Tokyo Game Show opened yesterday — with all the usual fanfare — at Makuhari Messe in Chiba. Amid the pounding music, laser light shows and the 3G’s (Games, Geeks and Girls), we found what has been one of the most highly anticipated product debuts of the season: Sony’s new PlayStation Portable; the device is also Sony Entertainment’s first step into the mobile gaming market. Today’s program brings you close-up video of the PSP during its first public unveiling. Bonus: get a hands-on look at a several new games for DoCoMo’s F900i-series of handsets.

Chunghwa Telecom Adopts Dilithium Networks' 3G Test Tool

Dilithium Networks, a leading provider of wireless multimedia solutions, today announced that Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) the largest telecommunications operator in Taiwan, has purchased the Dilithium Networks Analyzer (DNA) the industry-leading 3G protocol analysis and test tool. The DNA will be used for interoperability testing and standards compliance with equipment manufacturers.

Wireless Developments Showcased at 3GSM World Congress Asia

The 3GSM World Congress Asia looks set to be the most important congregation of industry leaders in the telecommunications industry. The congress will showcase the latest wireless developments from Singapore and around the world, while latest updates to the programme reveal the participation of even more industry movers and shakers.