DoCoMo's promise of a beyond-3G phone
May 11, 2006For some, having a MP3 player, camera, video player, organizer and Internet access on a single mobile phone simply isn't good enough. The picture quality must be better, as must the sound. But most importantly, the download speed has got to get even faster -- or so NTT DoCoMo is betting.
The Japanese mobile giant Thursday unveiled eight new models of its hit FOMA series of cellular handsets, which included one that was compatible with the much-ballyhooed high-speed downlink packet access protocol. The company said that the HSDPA-compatible N902iX model will be more than 10 times faster than the existing FOMA models, having a download speed of 3.6 megabytes per second.
In addition, the company said that its beyond current third-generation phone will have improved music-playing quality as well as higher security control functions. DoCoMo is expected to introduce its latest "9" series models in Japan from June onwards, with the self-proclaimed 3.5 generation HSDPA phone expected to be rolled out by August, initially in the Tokyo area, but plans to sell the product outside of Japan are still not known. The company also plans to launch its own musical download distribution service, Music Channel, to coincide with the phone shipments. Its music service will allow subscribers to download multiple songs more quickly than ever, DoCoMo said. Analysts broadly agreed too that the offering would make good use of its move last November to become the main shareholder of Tower Records Japan.
Meanwhile, the company also announced Thursday that it will be working with Microsoft to make NTT DoCoMo phones compatible with online music stores that use Microsoft's technology.
That would make Japan's biggest mobile group compete head-on in the music-download business with KDDI, the country's second-largest carrier, and its au music unit. In one of the most cutthroat mobile-device markets in the world, Apple's globally popular iPods have not been as big a hit in Japan as elsewhere, as more mobile-music listeners prefer to have their tunes downloaded onto their cell phones rather than separate MP3 players. According to the Recording Industry Association of Japan, nearly 96 percent of the 268 million tracks purchased electronically in the country were downloaded via mobile phones.
Indeed, offering music downloads has been a major factor for KDDI's recent surge, and the carrier has seen more than 40 million songs downloaded since it started its au music service in 2004.
Earlier this week NTT DoCoMo reported that it gained 253,800 subscribers in April, raising the total number of customers to 51.4 million. However, those subscribing to its 2G services actually fell by 846,500 to 26.8 million, making it clear that people were prepared to pay more for premium services and upgrade their phones as well.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
-
Japan's NTT Docomo, Dai Nippon launch e-book service
Jan 11, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Japan tech fair offers glimpse of future lifestyles
Oct 05, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Japan's Sharp to start e-book business in December
Sep 27, 2010 |
4 / 5 (1) |
3
-
Japan's NTT DoCoMo chosen for mobile broadcasting: reports
Sep 08, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Japan's NTT DoCoMo to launch Xperia smart phone
Jan 21, 2010 |
3 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (31) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
-
Need help reading 3-D
6 hours ago
-
A way to send and receive wireless data
12 hours ago
-
Tabletop Cold Fusion Reactor
13 hours ago
-
Calling function with no input argument
Feb 10, 2012
-
Force free body diagram problem on gym equipment
Feb 10, 2012
-
Empirical data regarding shower heads and water
Feb 10, 2012
- More from Physics Forums - General Engineering
More news stories
Japan scientist makes 'Avatar' robot
A Japanese-developed robot that mimics the movements of its human controller is bringing the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar" one step closer to reality.
Feb 10, 2012 |
5 / 5 (7) |
13
Intel packs performance and reliability into its latest SSD 520 series
Intel Corporation announced today its fastest, most robust client/consumer solid-state drive (SSD) to date, the Intel Solid-State Drive 520 Series (Intel SSD 520), a 6 gigabit-per-second (gbps) SATA III SSD ...
Feb 07, 2012 |
5 / 5 (1) |
4
Google rumored to have built Heads-Up-Display glasses prototype
(PhysOrg.com) -- 9to5Google is reporting that they have received a tip from someone they believe to be a reliable source saying that Google is working on a Heads-Up-Display (HUD) pair of eye-glasses. The per ...
New Kindle Touch is an impressive e-reader
When it comes to reading digital books, tablets are all the rage. But there's a lot to like about simple e-readers, which over the past year have become both a lot cheaper and a lot less clunky.
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Feb 09, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
1
Apple to debut 'iPad 3' in March: report
Apple will unveil a new version of its market-ruling iPad table computer in March, according to a report in Dow Jones-owned technology blog All Things D.
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Feb 09, 2012 |
1.9 / 5 (21) |
0
Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...
GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear
A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.
Europeans protest controversial Internet pact
Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.
Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket
A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.
Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity
In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...
Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings
(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.