NEPRO Japan published a report [in Japanese] giving results of a study into mobile phone GPS usage. At the moment, KDDI/au has more than 15 GPS-enabled models (DoCoMo has 2; Vodafone has none). In December 2003, au introduced their NAVI-Walk personal navigation service with an aggressive TV campaign presenting the advantages of mobile-phone GPS.
Samsung Electronics will market the world’s first 5-megapixel camera phone [.jpg image]. The company said Wednesday that its new cell phone handsets equipped with a 5-megapixel camera will be sold through SK Telecom beginning late this month.
WWJ Editors, 14 October 2004
Casio has
According yesterday’s press release, KDDI will roll out FeliCa IC chip-enabled handsets by Q42005. DoCoMo launched four models that utilize Sony’s non-contact solution earlier this summer and has stated that all future phones must have this feature. The Mobile FeliCa system allows users to make small cybercash transactions; it can also be used as an ID pass to access secure areas and for marketing programs such as retail customer loyalty point programs.
OMRON Corporation, a leading Japanese RFID systems provider, is launching the V740 series EPC reader/writer for UHF-band RFID tags in North America. The first UHF tag reader/writer from a Japanese RFID device manufacturer, the unit supports both EPC Class 0 and Class 1 protocols. It is also designed to accommodate Generation 2 protocol by EPC Global (C1G2) by upgrading its firmware when these specifications become available. Additionally, the product supports standard network protocols including DHCP, UDP/IP over Ethernet, 820.11x (Wi-Fi), HTTP and SNMP, and its superior network adaptability enables its software to be easily implemented from remote sites.
In conjunction with its parent company, Casio Computer Co., today announced that using its proprietary optical technology, it has developed the world’s first lens using transparent ceramics. This breakthrough will make it possible to create zoom lenses for cameras with greatly reduced profiles. Ever since CASIO’s EXILIM thin card-size digital camera went on sale, the entire digital camera market has undergone a huge change. Compact digital cameras offering mobility in a small package have become mainstream, while there has been a major push in technological development to find better methods of creating smaller, thinner cameras.
