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QUALCOMM Comples Interoperability Testing on DoCoMo's 3G Network

QUALCOMM Incorporated, pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, today announced the successful completion of WCDMA interoperability testing (IOT) on NTT DoCoMo’s 3GPP WCDMA-compliant FOMA network. The IOT began in June 2004 using QUALCOMM’s Mobile Station Modem(TM) (MSM(TM)) MSM6250(TM) chipset and software solution. The successful testing included extensive network performance, standby-time and talk-time evaluations. In addition to the existing interoperability of QUALCOMM’s solutions with global WCDMA networks, the successful conclusion of IOT with DoCoMo ensures that the software for the MSM6250 chipset and all future QUALCOMM WCDMA chipsets will also be fully compatible with the FOMA network.

Japan's Most Popular Cell Phones

According to research done by Idomco that surveyed handset sales in the greater Tokyo area for the week ending 3 April, the NTT DoCoMo NEC 901ic in white pearl is No. 1 in the ranking of top 20 models. The survey also notes a new entry on the charts, in 4th position, for DoCoMo’s SH700i by Sharp in black; 17 of the 20 are 3G handsets. Log-in to access the full list.

Welcome to Aichi Expo 2005

The Aichi World Expo officially opened here yesterday and “Japan has pulled out all the technological stops to show that its gadgetry and ingenuity is the best in the world.” Opposite Toshiba’s digital cinema is Hitachi’s virtual reality safari. Hitachi equips visitors with portable handsets that contain a prototype of its mu-chip, a processor slated to become the key component of future wireless devices, including mobile phones. As the handset is brought close to particular transmitters, it instantly downloads any information on offer in that area and displays it on a small screen.

Some of Japan's Cool New Apps

In a telephone interview with a research company in Toronto last night, I was asked for examples of the coolest new applications or services in Japan. Without a doubt, I answered, mobile music and the Chaku Uta Full song download services are really eating up packet bandwidth. The week before last, KDDI announced that the cumulative downloads for EZ Chaku Uta Full (provided via the CDMA 1X EV-DO WIN network) had surpassed 3 million as of 1 March 2005, less than four months after the 19 November 2004 launch. The company added that the 1 million and 2 million milestones were achieved on 5 January and 5 February, respectively.

From the WWJ Newsletter. Log in to read full article. To receive WWJ’s free email newsletter, subscribe here.

It's Quiet on Tokyo's Mobile Street. Too Quiet.

Checking headlines around the Web yesterday and today, I was struck by the eerie silence on Tokyo’s mobile street. There is a ton of coverage on the Livedoor/Fuji TV take-over battle, but that’s largely a Web/media topic and not really related to mobile. Where’s all the silence coming from? And could it be related to Vodafone, Softbank or flat-rate mobile voice calling? To be sure, we’re not totally lacking mobile news; DoCoMo have posted a couple of releases in the past two weeks, including the 22 February announcement of Mobile FeliCa, see WWJ’s video coverage here and the 8 March notice on the launch of the N700i and P700i 3G FOMA handsets. Similarly, KDDI have some releases up (but only in Japanese; nothing in English since 8 February), notably on their new W31S music-player form-factor celly from Sony Ericsson.

NTT DoCoMo Adopts Adobe Reader LE for Its 3G Mobile Platform

Adobe Systems Incorporated and NTT DoCoMo, Inc. today announced an agreement for DoCoMo to adopt Adobe Reader LE software for its 3G FOMA handsets, providing customers of the popular i-mode™ service with access to high-impact, reliable content delivered in the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Utilizing Adobe Reader LE technology, i-mode customers will be able to view and interact with a wide range of new business and entertainment content, making their mobile Internet experience easier, more productive and more secure.