Japan LTE growth continues, NTT DoCoMo adds a million users in under 2 months

Japan LTE growth continues, NTT DoCoMo adds a million users in under 2 months

As British readers bang their heads on desks, and LTE remains something perpetually happening "next year," another island nation is very much on-board with the new tech. NTT DoCoMo, one of Japan's biggest mobile carriers, has announced it now has over 4 million LTE users, with the last million joining its 4G Xi (pronounced "crossy") network in the last month and a half. Speeds top out at an impressive 75 Mbps, with eight of its most recent releases -- including the Galaxy S III and the Optimus Vu -- compatible with the new network. NTT DoCoMo saw uptake growth double after launching the LTE-centric summer range.

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Japan LTE growth continues, NTT DoCoMo adds a million users in under 2 months originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jul 2012 04:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT DoCoMo’s augmented 3D chat system lets you have your virtual cake

Google's Project Glass has garnered lots of attention among Earthlings and Saiyans on the augmented reality front. Now NTT DoCoMo is serving up its take on the subject -- a tablet-based interface it calls the "Live 3D Communication System." An augmented version of video chat, the system lets users create virtual objects via speech and also check out 360-degree views of virtual environments by moving their tablet around. Use of a special range-imaging camera also allows the software to add people within virtual spaces. The technology is a prototype so it's still a bit rough around the edges. For folks pining for a future with holodecks, however, this is the kind of baby step that's likely needed to make such dreams a reality (though, to be honest, you'll probably be long dead before a real holodeck comes to fruition). Folks whose appetites aren't quite satiated by the video from the Wireless Japan 2012 show can also check the official Japanese promo in all its cake-filled, cheesy glory after the break.

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo's augmented 3D chat system lets you have your virtual cake

NTT DoCoMo's augmented 3D chat system lets you have your virtual cake originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 06:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT DoCoMo launches free Concier mail translation app for Android devices

NTT Docomo launches free Concier mail translation app for Android devices

Not content to simply dabble in double-sided transparent touchscreens, Japanese mobile provider NTT DoCoMo continues its efforts to break the language barrier -- this time with a new Android app. "Mail Honyaku Concier" (honyaku means "translation" in Nihongo, while that last word is a play on "concierge") is a free app that lets users translate text into different languages. The software is compatible with smartphones and tablets sporting Android 2.2 or higher and accepts both keyboard and voice input for text. As part of its translation, the app sends a copy of the source material in its original language -- you know, just in case the thing does a Sheldon Cooper and coughs up "Oxen are in my bed." In addition to working with NTT DoCoMo's "sp Mode Mail" service, the software also plays nice with other apps. Languages supported so far are Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. As with any translator, you might want to use this with caution when dealing with important people -- like potential business clients or fathers-in-law, for example.

NTT DoCoMo launches free Concier mail translation app for Android devices originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jun 2012 01:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Transparent Fujitsu Android Smartphone Offers Two-Sided Touchscreen

I guess that the next generation smartphones will be sporting a brand new look that’s almost out of science-fiction. This has been something that people have been lusting after for years – transparent screens – like the ones in Avatar.

fujitsu transparent smartphone japan

This prototype Android smartphone was developed by the Japanese mobile phone carrier NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu. The transparent display allows it to work as a touchscreen on both sides of the display. This provides more flexibility in touch-based operations, including being responsive to both front and back-based inputs at the same time, creating unique new gestures and commands.

The prototype has got a screen that measures 2.4 inches, but they hope to increase its size when they go into production. They still need to improve the overall brightness of the screen so that it’s more visible in high light levels as well.

fujitsu transparent smartphone japan in use

[Diginfo via designboom]


Double-sided transparent touchscreen shown off on NTT DoCoMo prototype (video)

Double-sided transparent touchscreen shown off on NTT DoCoMo prototype

See-through displays may or may not be making a comeback, but NTT DoCoMo is at least trying to give them a different spin. Working with Fujitsu, it's added a Vita-style extra touch panel to the rear of the screen, which works with the transparency to let the user navigate Android without ever obscuring the UI with their fingers. It also allows new types of interaction based on "gripping" objects -- holding down a finger at the back to modify the effect of a swipe on the front. The prototype was actually announced a little while back, but DigInfo has a video (embedded after the break) that shows how it works in practice -- just don't expect to be enjoying Netflix on that washed-out QVGA display anytime soon.

Continue reading Double-sided transparent touchscreen shown off on NTT DoCoMo prototype (video)

Double-sided transparent touchscreen shown off on NTT DoCoMo prototype (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 08:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT DoCoMo expands its instant translation trials to 10 languages and 10,000 users

NTT DoCoMo expands its instant translator trials to 10 languages and 10,000 users

NTT DoCoMo's high-speed over-the-phone translation service has hit its second wider trial, aiming to test its skills with 10 languages and 10,000 subscribers -- up from 1,000 during its initial tests in 2011. DoCoMo has thrown in a few more details on how its real-time translator works. The feature is split into three steps: first, the carrier's servers recognize what you're saying, parses it into another language through its own cloud services and then converts the final translation into an audio message. The service currently functions with any Android device running version 2.2 or higher and a separate app will handle the interpretation for French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Thai. The Japanese carrier aims to launch a commercial version by March 2013 -- just in time for that vacation to see those falling cherry blossoms.

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo expands its instant translation trials to 10 languages and 10,000 users

NTT DoCoMo expands its instant translation trials to 10 languages and 10,000 users originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 08:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Eye-Fi Mobile X2 card does old tricks, but with less hassle for Android and iOS users

New Eye-Fi Mobile X2 card does old tricks, but with less hassle for Android and iOS users
Direct Mode on an Eye-Fi card makes a lot of sense when you want to beam photos from your camera straight to your smartphone. The latest edition of the Mobile X2 promises to simplify this process by coming pre-configured for Direct Mode from the factory, and being accompanied by a 10-digit pairing code that'll let you register the camera securely with the Eye-Fi app on your Android phone without recourse to a PC. We'd feel more excited about this if Toshiba's FlashAir card hadn't done something similar already using a clever browser-based connection we saw at CES. Still, if Eye-Fi is the brand and workflow you want to stick with, then be advised that this particular Mobile X2 is Japan-only for now. However, a worldwide release is planned at some point, along with an update to the iOS app that'll make the key-code pairing thing work for that other section of humanity too.

New Eye-Fi Mobile X2 card does old tricks, but with less hassle for Android and iOS users originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 06:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung, NTT DoCoMo, et al. cancel plans for LTE chip joint venture

ImageLooks like the decision to not make a decision has... well, created a decision. Back in December of 2011, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic, Samsung and a smattering of other Japanese firms put their heads together in order to launch a joint venture to manufacture and sell ICs for mobile devices. Communication Platform Planning Co. was actually established with the goal to hawk these LTE semiconductors, but now that a consensus on how it'd all play out wasn't reached by the March 2012 deadline, it'll be liquidated in June. Reportedly, DoCoMo even set aside some $5.4 million to set up the now-defunct subsidiary, but now it's all for naught. The entire press release is embedded just after the break, though it's about as light on deets as they come.

Continue reading Samsung, NTT DoCoMo, et al. cancel plans for LTE chip joint venture

Samsung, NTT DoCoMo, et al. cancel plans for LTE chip joint venture originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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