Sign of the Times
Sign of the Times

Sign of the Times

India, Japan to Sign Telecom Deals

India will sign three agreements with Japan, aimed at enhancing ties between institutions and industries of the two countries in the IT and telecom sector, in the first meeting of ministerial forum on ICT starting tomorrow. The ICT forum will also witness the signing of three separate MoUs by National Institute of Information and Communication Technology (NICT), Japan with C-DAC, C-DOT and IIT Guwahati, to undertake joint programmes in research and development and HRD in the ICT sector, an official statement said.

Mobile Phone Designed for Seniors

DoCoMo will release a new mobile handset able to slow down speakers’ voice speed later this month. The key targeted users are the elderly. The speed converter technology used in the handset slows down speakers’ voice speed up to 0.7x, so the listener can feel like that the speakers’ dialogue goes slowly. By reducing the number of menu items as well as using relatively large icons, screen operation became easier than before. The unit also features an emergency 80 dB alarm system and a built-in pedometer.

Namco Ports RidgeRacer for BREW

EZweb gamers can rejoice in spending about $5 to download and burn RidgeRacer rubber now that Namco has made the popular title compatible with Qualcomm’s BREW platform. While apparently only available for the new W31SA at launch, no doubt it’s just a matter of time for it to become more widely available across KDDI’s WIN handset fleet… and then… The World! We also noticed another interesting Namco title, while snooping around their mobile site, called IdolMaster. Talk about RPGs! WWJ members log in for the full skinny!

Fancy Tech on Runway

In the future, we’ll text-message hugs to each other’s shirts, our coat buttons will house cameras, and our underwear biosensors will phone home when we’re in trouble. This week’s runway show brought together 35 exhibitors from 10 countries to display wearable computers, computer-generated jewelry and clothing designs festooned with electronics; the exhibitor list combined familiar fashion brands like Oakley and Fossil with tech names like Sony, Charmed Technology and the MIT Media Laboratory.

Panasonic Mobile Bullish on China

Japan’s Panasonic Mobile Communications aims to have a two-digit share of China’s mobile phone market by the end of the year. The firm is betting on better tie-ups with Chinese mobile operators and a focus on the country’s high-end handsets to achieve its goal. “We expect to grab a 10 per cent share of China’s handset market in 2005,” said Taro Itakura, managing director of Panasonic Mobile Communications’ China operations.

TEPCO, KDDI to Cooperate

Tokyo Electric Power Co., Japan’s largest power company, has launched negotiations with telecom carrier KDDI Corp. for a possible capital tie-up or merger of their communications businesses, the Asahi Shimbun reported Tuesday.