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DoCoMo Releases N506is Handset

Yesterday, NTT DoCoMo announced the 2G N506iS by NEC [.jpg], which the company says is the world’s first mobile phone featuring a flat-panel display that also functions as a speaker. The flat-panel speaker emits sound by sending vibrations throughout the entire display panel. A user can hear the person on the other end by placing an ear anywhere on the panel. DoCoMo says that this makes audiovisual content more vivid than conventional handsets, whose speakers are located on the side of the display.

New Year Gadget Shopping: Cell Phones that Look Like iPods

One of the best things about having a few days off over the holiday season in Tokyo is having time to wander casually through Akihabara and check out the latest gadgets. 2005 is shaping up as a showdown year for music-enabled portable devices and I couldn’t help but notice how DoCoMo’s new 3G handset, the SH901ic by Sharp, really does seem to have at least a slight style similarity to the iPod. As the network speed increases — and with flat-rate packet costs and improved handset technology — critical mass adoption by mainstream users buying even more data seems to be at hand. As competition increases, how will carriers, handset makers and content providers adapt their offerings over the coming year?

While it remains to be seen exactly what kind of applications and services will hit the streets, it has become increasingly clear that a race is on. Having both KDDI and Vodafone launch fixed-line access to content for mobile devices in Q42004 shows, at least in the mid-term, they are ramping up the business model to deliver larger-size files to end users. A little crystal-ball gazing for the coming year — and some very cool Akiba gadget photos — after the jump.

Xybernaut and Stargate Mobile Deliver Wireless Computing for Auto Industries

Xybernaut Corp. and Stargate Mobile LLC today announced a partnership relationship under which Xybernaut mobile/wireless computing technologies and Stargate integration and solution expertise will be combined into a single solution for a variety of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and after-market applications within the automotive industry. Under the relationship, Stargate has joined Team Xybernaut(TM) as a systems integrator and solution provider working with Xybernaut in the automotive sectors. Both companies have been working together for more than six months to develop and deploy the integrated computing platforms.

Vodafone Releases 902SH 3G Phone

Vodafone K.K. just announced that the company will commence sales of their high-end V902SH 3G handset (by Sharp) on 29 December in the Kanto-Koshin region, with Japan nationwide rollout following thereafter. The V902SH [.jpg image] features a Mobile ASV display, which is based on ASV (Advanced Super View) liquid crystal display technology found in Sharp’s AQUOS line of LCD TVs. The company says customers can “enjoy remarkably clear viewing in bright locations outside and in dark spots indoors.” In addition, the handset display offers a 160-degree viewing angle from all angles without colour distortion in conformance with JEITA standards; it also has a 5:1 contrast ratio.

Decorating your Cell Phone: Not Just for X-mas

Decorating your Cell Phone: Not Just for X-masFor a special bonus Christmas present, today’s video program highlights a small company that really adds sparkle to Japan’s national obsession with custom keitai decoration. WWJ videographer Lawrence Cosh-Ishii spoke with Syouji Koyama this week at his (temporary) LED blazing storefront in the fashionable Shibuya shopping district, right across from Japanese gorgeous-Gal headquarters (aka the 109 Building). Cell-phone accessories may look like kid stuff to overseas viewers but the fun and games of charms, designer hand straps, custom-painted handsets and key pad jewels is a multimillion dollar spin-off industry that’s crossing Japan’s borders into Asia and coming to a country near you.

It’s been a fantastic year for us reporting from the heart of Japan’s mobile revolution and 2005 is shaping up to be yet another exciting adventure in the world of mobile.

Kyocera Testing iBurst

Kyocera has obtained a permit from the government to begin experiments of the “iBurst System,” ArrayComm’s wireless technology with maximum downstread of 1Mbps, and has begun testing the technology inside of their Yokohama office. The system is said to have a data receiving capability of a maximum of 1Mbps. Based on the TDD standard, a service using iBurst began in March of this year in Australia. The companies offer base station access via PC cards to clients on a monthly flat-rate data service package.