Fujitsu Ltd. is reported to be re-entering the European market with both 2- and 3G phones in 2005, according to a report in Japan’s Nikkei. Fujitsu’s last foreign foray overseas, in the United States, ended in 1997. The Nikkei reports that Fujitsu plans to develop dual-standard phones with France’s Sagem SA, with which Fujitsu signed a technology partnership agreement back in 2002. The new phones are reported to support both GRPS and W-CDMA.
Superscape, specialists in the development of industry standard 3D technology to deliver console quality, over-the-air (OTA) games on mobile phones, will be showing the latest additions to its portfolio at the 3G Mobile World Forum to be held in Tokyo (13-16th January 2004). In addition Dr. Mike Grant, Superscape’s VP Marketing & Strategy, will be joining other international conference speakers to give a paper entitled “Bringing global mobile brands into mobile gaming.” Superscape’s Swerve engine has been selected by such industry giants as Siemens, Samsung and Motorola as their 3D enabling technology of choice.
Sharp’s V601SH handset hit the Tokyo streets in late December with a rollout price under $200 (19,800 yen). It features an embedded 2-megapixel CCD camera capable of capturing 2.02 million effective pixels and comes with autofocus and 20x zoom capability. The 2.4-inch QVGA CG silicon screen provides a bright and clear image display and is compatible with Bitflash’s vector imaging technology that allows documents (such asMicrosoft Office and Adobe Acrobat) to be scaled with very little loss of quality, so users can easily zoom into a specific area on a large spreadsheet document. The unit can also record 320 x 240-size .3gp video clips at 15 frames per second as well as display still images, games, and video clips on a TV using the video output function. In addition, the V601SH is the first cell phone to support Bow-Lingual, an entertaining dog barking translation function based on a toy device first offered by Takara. The software, contained on an SD memory card (which you have to purchase separately) can be loaded into the phone. When you’re within 15 inches of a dog, the program can register and is supposed to analyze the beast’s barks. We just shot a video episode featuring a live demo of a hound ordering a Doggy Treats and Perrier that will be coming online soon! (only WWJ could make this possible folks…). Meanwhile, as we get geared up for our January 2004 Wireless Watch programming, take a look at this short video clip we made using the V601SH on New Year’s Eve at the Hakone Shrine. Kotoshimo Yoroshiku! Win. Media 56k 300k
Vowing to stay No. 1 in Taiwan’s mobile phone wars, Motorola announced it would roll out at least 30 new handset models next year in addition to the three sporty camera phones it unveiled yesterday. Its 2004 product portfolio might include at least two third-generation handsets, said Jonathan Hong, Motorola’s senior marketing promotion specialist in Taiwan. “In the coming year, we will be launching two to three models of our 3G phones. Everyone will be switching to 3G phones sooner or later. Motorola thinks it will happen in 2005 because there’s not enough content to make 3G devices attractive,” he said.
Currently, increased competition and stagnating economies have helped drive down end-user prices and voice service has become a commodity. While call minutes are increasing, ARPU is failing to keep pace with growing costs and shrinking margins. The 3G business case says that every incremental dollar spent on the network must produce a return on investment almost overnight. In the Asia-Pacific, Pyramid Research says 3G mobile subscribers will jump from 21 million in 2002 to 162 million in 2008.
A quarter of all mobile-phone users in Japan are expected to switch to a 3G service by March 2005. Analysts say DoCoMo, Japan’s largest wireless carrier, could add a million customers a month in 2004, once improved phones are released. Meanwhile, DoCoMo’s rivals, KDDI and Vodafone KK, are also expanding, leading executives to predict that 2004 will be the year of 3G in Japan. “If 3G is validated here, a lot of carriers and suppliers will point to Japan as a success,” said Mark Berman, an analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston in Tokyo. “This could touch off a 3G rally” worldwide.
