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New Walkman Phone Announced

Sony Ericsson unveiled their latest Walkman handset today at CES in Las Vegas. The W801i comes with Quadband GSM 850/900/1900/850 and EDGE support, dedicated music buttons in the joystick like the W900. Specs include a 2-megapixel camera with autofocus and flashlight, 1.9-inch 176×220-pixel 262k color screen, Memory Stick Duo Pro slot and 20-MB of internal memory. This latest design, however, apparently lacks the FM tuner. Scheduled to be available worldwide in the first quarter of 2006.

CES 2006 Preview

Said to be the world’s largest consumer electronics tradeshow, CES, gets underway 5-8 January, in Las Vegas. While not open to the general public, CES previews consumer electronics and wireless technologies, devices and networks from over 2,500 exhibitors. The conference program, keynotes, SuperSessions, exhibitor news and press releases announce thousands of products. Announcements for new products are available for broadband, home networking, mobile/vehicle electronics, personal electronics, satellite systems, telephones, video, WiFi and wireless communications, as well as mobile entertainment and consumer VoIP. Check out the Wireless TechZone for the full list of upcoming presentations.

GPS for your Yamaha Scooter

Wise Gear Ltd. has announced that the ‘First in Country’ GPS motorcycle navigation system, using an FM transmitter for voice directions, is on the road (literally) as of 26 December 2005. The Garmin Street Pilot 2610 package touts an 84mm x 44mm waterproof touch-screen with a 512-MB Compact Flash memory card and has easy-mount custom brackets for most late-model Yamaha bikes. The unit is also detachable, apparently to enable a little Nabis sidewalk surfing, and at approximately $1,500 per unit, appears to provide some much-needed curb-side theft prevention.

Panasonic and Skype Collaborate

Panasonic Communications have teamed up with Skype to develop Panasonic Internet calling products. As its initial offering, Panasonic plans to launch a Skype-compatible cordless telephone product that will enable select Panasonic cordless telephones to interface directly with Skype. With the new product, consumers will be able to make and receive Skype and traditional calls using the same Panasonic cordless phone. Panasonic’s future Skype-compatible products will give consumers access to Skype services including SkypeOut, SkypeIn and Skype Voicemail using a cordless phone and a computer running Skype.

Challenge Facing Foreign Handsets

At the end of last year, a group of procurement officials from NTT DoCoMo visited China to inspect Nokia’s mobile phone plant. The visit, ahead of the launch in February of the Finnish group’s handsets bearing the DoCoMo logo, was designed to reassure the Japanese carrier that Nokia’s facilities were up to its demanding standards. DoCoMo cancelled its initial contract and scaled back its procurement from Nokia when the launch was delayed due to the difficulty of installing i-mode, according to one official.

Wireless Watch Japan – Top Stories for 2005

Wireless Watch Japan - Top Stories for 2005We published 596 articles on Wireless Watch Japan in 2005 and thought you might enjoy looking back at the most popular Japan mobile industry highlights from the year. The links below, three from each month, represent the two top stories (by volume of visitor requests) and a third which we consider a significant development in that 30-day period.

It’s been a year of explosive year in the mobile world and 2006 is set to be even much more interesting with faster mobile networks, more powerful handsets and compelling contents settling into the mainstream. Here in Japan, we are expecting a dramatic increase in m-commerce adoption, driven in part by Mobile Suica’s launch, set for later in January and the start of ‘One-Seg’ digital TV broadcasting starting — on all three carriers — on 1 April (no joke). We also see a potential increase in churn as a result of the (belated) introduction of number portability and with three new carriers entering the market, even DoCoMo is concerned.

One of the more obvious action areas in 2006 will be the increase of M&A activity at all levels; in particular, look for consolidation in the Japanese handset market. Meanwhile, lets boldly predict that we’ll have at least a few 3.5G (HSDPA) phones on the streets of Tokyo by this time next year. Interesting times ahead, indeed. Get all the skinny after the jump!

NEC Considers Handset Merger

NEC Corp. is hoping to tie or merge its cell phone business with that of another Japanese handset maker within the next 6 months, its president said in an interview published Tuesday in a Japanese newspaper. President Akinobu Kanasugi told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper that he wants to find a domestic partner for his company’s cell phone business. He has ruled out working with a foreign cell phone maker because NEC has a large amount of 3G-related technology and know-how that was gained with NTT DoCoMo and other domestic partners, he said.

DoCoMo to Release New 2G Handsets

NTT DoCoMo is set to release two new 2G models early next year, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Quoting company sources, the move is aimed at preventing DoCoMo’s subscribers from switching to rival phone companies because of communication issues for its FOMA 3G phones in some rural areas. It added that the new models would be developed and produced by Panasonic Mobile Communications and NEC Corp.

Sanyo Markets Wireless Broadband

Sanyo Electric Co. announced it will begin marketing a wireless broadband communications system it has developed jointly with Soma Networks Inc., a U.S. venture business for broadband solutions. Sanyo will initially develop and produce transmitting and receiving equipment, ground stations and other devices for the system before providing the service of creating telecom systems. Sanyo has already won an order to supply a system to a telecom operator in the Cayman Islands.