<span class="vcard">editors</span>
editors

Sharp's New 4GB Hard Drive PDA

Sharp will begin marketing November 10 the latest model in the Personal Mobile Tool Zaurus series of PDAs. The SL-C3000 PDA [.jpg image] is the first in the industry to feature a built-in 4GB hard drive to enable users to carry large-volume data such as business documents, photo images, music and video. It can also be doubled as an external hard drive when linked to a PC via a bundled USB cable.

NEC to 'Get Personal' in China

Japanese electronics firm NEC aims to double or triple its shipment of mobile phones and build its brand into the most respected and innovative in the Chinese market. The company had launched a branding strategy called “Get Personal” to shorten its distance from customers. NEC (China) is to release about 20 models in the second half of the year and the product line will extend from its current high-end segment to middle and low-end customers.

SkyWave and LignUp Partnership Builds on Channel in Japan

SkyWave, Inc., Ltd., a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) pioneer and leading provider of VoIP services and solutions in Japan, and LignUp Corporation, a leading provider of SIP-based voice applications and software infrastructure for the enterprise, today announced that the companies will build on channel and customer successes in Japan by partnering to jointly develop and market SIP solutions that enhance enterprise communications while reducing long distance costs, reducing telecom operating costs, and eliminating redundant infrastructure costs.

China Telecoms Sign SMS Pact

China’s four top phone carriers have agreed to make short messaging services (SMS) between mobile and fixed-line phones interoperable, which is expected to boost the revenues of phone and SMS operators. China Unicom Ltd. said Thursday that its parent had signed an interclearing and interconnection agreement with China Telecom Corp. and China Netcom Group to allow the exchange of SMS between mobile and fixed-line users.

Dilithium Networks' CTO to Speak at Mobile InfraTech

Dilithium Networks, a leading provider of 3G video telephony solutions for the world’s mobile and broadband industries, announced today that Dr. Marwan Jabri, its founder and CTO, will speak at Mobile InfraTech, the only event worldwide focusing entirely on mobile network infrastructure. Mobile InfraTech addresses the current trend towards convergent architectures by adopting an inclusive policy that covers all mobile networking standards. Mobile InfraTech is co-located with the UMTS Congress, the world longest established event focusing on 3G networks, with over 5,000 participants over 8 years.

Cell Phones Morph into Music Players

Watch out, iPod! The hottest mobile news on planet Earth this week is KDDI’s announcement of a full-song mobile download service for 3G. If the service launches as planned, the profits could be enormous for carriers and labels alike. But all is not well in Japan’s mobile music land and those pesky FTC raids are just part of the worry.Part 1 of a Series.

Sony Ericsson Triples 3Q Profit

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson today reported that it had more than trebled third quarter pre-tax profits, but the market leader, Nokia, reported a 20% fall. Sony Ericsson, the world’s fifth-biggest handset maker, made gains on the back of soaring demand for its camera phones. It said it expected sales to grow further during the crucial Christmas shopping quarter.

Japan Cellphone Sales Off 8.5%

IT researcher and consulting firm Gartner Japan has announced sales in Japan of cellular phones between January and June. Sales reached 22,133,100 units, down 8.5% over the same period last year. The company attributes the decline in sales to the fact that demand for camera phones was not as brisk as a year ago. Gartner also reports that W-CDMA phones accounted for almost 15% of total cellphone sales.

Softbank Sues Over 3G Plan

Softbank has apparently asked a Tokyo court to block the Japan government’s plan for distributing 3G spectrum to mobile phone operators, saying it would bar new entrants until 2012. The company argued the plan favoured the existing top two mobile phone operators — NTT DoCoMo and KDDI — in the 800-Mhz band used for high-speed wireless services, impeding Softbank’s mobile business plans.

Casio's New 3G W21CA Handset

WWJ Editors, 14 October 2004
Casio has announced a Japan mobile industry first handset equipped with 2.6inch QVGA liquid display ‘Wide View Style’ screen and Opera browser. The W21CA [.jpg image] comes complete with a 2mega-pixel camera capable of making images at UXGA (1600×1200) this swivel style design also has BREW, GPS, and Flash functions built-in. It can even shoot mpeg movies for up to 15 minutes at 320×240 to the 24MB onboard memory.