Just as Fujitsu’s F905i handset was announced in Taiwan, a Sharp counterpart in the form of the WX-T923 was also unveiled, also through Far EasTone Telecommunications. Kyocera will be gunning for other global markets while NEC is reportedly planning its own strategy and will start conquering mobile world starting from Hong Kong.

Other Japan-based handset vendors like Casio might also follow the trend, but so far those identified above are the only one’s who’ve been verified. In any case, this is good news for mobile enthusiasts since more regions will get the chance to experience the high-tech telephony being provided by Japanese handsets, and at the same time a boon for the Japanese mobile phone industry.

Via DigiTimes

• Kyocera plans Android and LTE phones for 2010 and 2011
• Kyocera X-tc and JAX introduced by Virgin Mobile
• Sharp sells 10 million One-Seg handsets in Japan
• Nokia to become a MVNO in Japan, helped by NTT DoCoMo
• Cheap Kyocera S1300 and Cricket A100 launched in the US

However, NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu want to change that, as they’ve just announced the release of F905i in Taiwan.

Similar to the FOMA F905i (already on sale across Japan), F905i is a clamshell phone that’s available for Taiwanese customers via Far EasTone Telecommunications. 

The F905i is the first phone from DoCoMo to be officially launched in other country than Japan. Customized for the needs of Taiwanese users, it comes with support for Traditional Chinese characters and access to i-mode, Far EasTone’s mobile Internet service.

Apart from that, the F905i features a 3.2-inch WVGA display, a 3.2 MP camera and Fujitsu’s proprietary audio technology.

Far EasTone is a “strategic partner” of NTT DoCoMo, this explaining the new phone’s release in Taiwan.

Via Press release  

• BlackBerry Bold goes to Taiwan with a special QWERTY keyboard for Chinese input
• Taiwan starts fining sellers and buyers of fake Chinese phones
• NTT DoCoMo M702iS Dolce & Gabana To be sold online
• NTT DOCOMO launches PayPal-like service for mobile phones
• Google to launch mobile advertising in Greater China area soon

In an earlier announcement, NTT DoCoMo had said that it will launch the Nokia E71 sometime between February and March 2009. But since Nokia’s surprise announcement regarding its decision to pull out of the Japanese cellphone market, NTT DoCoMo’s apparently been doing some thinking. And their decision is to cancel the Nokia E71.

NTT DoCoMo’s announcement of their decision is pretty straight-forward:

NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today that it has cancelled its planned launch of the docomo PRO series™ Nokia E71 handset due to Nokia Corporation’s decision to terminate sales of all Japan-specific handsets through Japanese operators.

Well, bad one for Nokia, and even worse for forward-looking Japanese business-types who were attracted by the classy and thin Nokia E71. If anything else, at least they’ve got Vertu.

• 19 new handsets from NTT DoCoMo include LG Wine, Nokia NM706i
• 22 new handsets in four new series announced by NTT DoCoMo for Japan
• NTT DoCoMo Blackberry 8707h. Now in Japanese too
• Nokia to become a MVNO in Japan, helped by NTT DoCoMo
• NTT DoCoMo Unveil New Branding

It seems that the Finnish giant will collaborate with NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile carrier.

Thus, Nokia will use DoCoMo’s high-speed network in order to offer its own mobile phone services. 

It’s not clear yet if the new MVNO will simply be called Nokia or if it will have a name closer to Japan’s mobile values. However, it’s said that the Finnish company will start offering its services only together with high-end devices, as to establish a strong brand from the beginning.  

I guess it will be hard for Nokia to be really successful in this Japanese MVNO attempt, first of all because the Japan mobile market is almost saturated, as nearly everyone has at least one cell phone. Also, Nokia handsets account for less than 1% of the total handsets currently sold in the Asian county, which only shows that Japanese consumers are not exactly the biggest fans of Nokia phones.

Super-devices, like the ones made by NEC, Sharp or Panasonic, are hugely popular in Japan, so Nokia will have a hard time trying to lure Japanese users on its side.

• Nokia to stop selling cellphones in Japan
• Mobile phone shipments in Japan down 30% in July
• NTT DoCoMo cancels Nokia E71 after Nokia ditches Japan
• NEC to re-launch phones outside Japan, probably in Europe
• Panasonic plans an Android phone for outside Japan

Today, we have yet another update about yesterday’s issue, and this time, any confusion should be cleared once and for all. This is the part where the Android community starts celebrating a bit, and then speculating on what news I will actually spew.

Turns out, NTT DoCoMo really is planning to launch their own Android-powered smartphone in Japan, only they haven’t been discussing with any partners whatsoever, much less with one from Korea like KTF.

Speaking to AFP, an NTT DoCoMo spokesman blames their association with Google as the reason why they’re considering an Android device. “As we are allied with Google, we are considering a commercial mobile device together,” said the spokesman.

Unfortunately, there’s still no hard info on specs, and especially prices, so we’re still kind of stuck on that “OK we’ll make an Android phone” part and don’t know much else about the Japanese wireless carrier’s plans. Hopefully, we’ll get more on that in the near future.

Via AFP

• KTF: No, we’re not making an Android smartphone with NTT DoCoMo
• NTT DoCoMo and KT Freetel to launch Android smartphone in 2009
• HTC Magic to become DoCoMo HT-03A – Japan’s first Android phone
• 22 new handsets in four new series announced by NTT DoCoMo for Japan
• Google’s own slider smartphone patent app

The new NEC N-01A is itself a proud owner of a 854 x 480 pixels screen, a 5.2MP camera and HSDPA connectivity.  But what really makes it newsworthy is its design and the fact that it comes with three different styles: Touch Style, Share Style and Communication Style.

The large display of N-01A can be swiveled in two ways: at 180 degrees or at 90 degrees. In the first case, you get a pretty normal slider phone (if a WVGA display can go as being normal). In the second case, after the display is swiveled, you get a phone that looks to be perfect for watching mobile TV (thanks to the built-in 1Seg tuner), for taking clear, sharp photos with that 5.2MP autofocus camera, or for browsing the Web.     

We first saw the N-01A at the beginning of October, when NTT DoCoMo announced its new line-up of handsets, but there were only few details about it then, and its ability to be transformed the way described above was not known.

NEC N-01A will be on sale in Japan starting November 21, as part of NTT DoCoMo’s Prime line-up of handsets. Its price was not revealed yet, but something tells me it won’t be an affordable one. 

Source: NEC

• 22 new handsets in four new series announced by NTT DoCoMo for Japan
• High-end SOLAR HYBRID SH-08A phone from NTT DoCoMo
• Sharp sells 10 million One-Seg handsets in Japan
• NTT DoCoMo M702iS Dolce & Gabana To be sold online
• Telefónica and NTT DoCoMo announce the Toshiba TG01, service & software collaborations

A report from Nikkei business daily cited by Reuters is saying that NTT DoCoMo will team up with KT Freetel in launching their very own Android-powered smartphone, just like how they intended to jointly procure the LG Wine, and somehow launch the iPhone in Japan when it still wasn’t a Softbank exclusive a few months back.

There’s no word on what particular magic tricks the future NTT DoCoMo and KT Freetel Android phone will be able to do, but it is said that it will be introduced with a price that’s “20 percent lower than existing smart phones.” The fact that the Android OS is open-source has something to do with it, naturally.

Aside from what’s mentioned above, details about this upcoming Android phone in 2009 are rather scarce. We’ll just have to update you with more info when we have it.

Via Reuters

• NTT DoCoMo reaffirms plans to launch Android phone in 2009
• KTF: No, we’re not making an Android smartphone with NTT DoCoMo
• HTC Magic to become DoCoMo HT-03A – Japan’s first Android phone
• China Mobile’s 3G Android-based Ophone to be launched soon
• Samsung i7500 officially confirmed as Samsung’s first Android phone

The devices are part of four new series that the Japanese operator will offer to its customers: docomo STYLE series, docomo PRIME series, docomo SMART series and docomo PRO series.

Obviously, the docomo STYLE series is the one targeted to users who don’t necessarily need lots of high-end features into their handsets, as long as they’re fashionable. The other three series are designed for customers who are more interested in functionality and performance. 

One of the most interesting future handsets of NTT DoCoMo is SH-04A, built by Sharp and part of the PRO series.

The SH-04A is somehow similar to the HTC Touch Pro, but offers more advanced features, including a 3.5 inch TFT touchscreen display with 854 x 480 pixels and a 5.2 MP camera.

The rest of the docomo PRO series is formed by: the already mentioned  HTC Touch Pro, HTC Touch Diamond, BlackBerry Bold and, surprise, Nokia E71 with its tiny 320 x 240 pixels display.    

All the new 22 mobile devices from NTT DoCoMo will be released in Japan starting November 19. The last ones will hit the market in March 2009 the latest.

Via NTT DoCoMo  

• NEC N-01A, a high-tech transformer phone
• High-end SOLAR HYBRID SH-08A phone from NTT DoCoMo
• NTT DoCoMo Blackberry 8707h. Now in Japanese too
• Vertu / NTT DoCoMo MVNO officially launches as Vertu Club
• Nokia to become a MVNO in Japan, helped by NTT DoCoMo

If I understood correctly what I read in the press release issued today, the Japanese companies are preparing one or more cell phone models capable to offer HSUPA speeds of up to 5.7Mbps, in addition to HSDPA speeds of up to 7.2Mbps.

Manufactured with 45-nm process technology, the SH-Mobile G4 is designed to provide uber-fast processing and advanced integrated functions, including enhanced support for applications that use 3D graphics and HD (high definition) videos.

The SH-Mobile G4 will only be available in 2010. The good news, though, is that the handsets built on the platform are planned to be released not only in Japan, but also worldwide.

• HTC TYTN II to support HSUPA?
• NTT DoCoMo tests Super 3G system with up to 300Mbps data transfer rates
• Samsung UFO SCH W300 7.2 Mbps HSDPA slider
• Vodacom Launches HSUPA Service in South Africa
• 3 UK to roll out 14.4Mb/s HSDPA in 2010

Starting August 15th, the Panasonic P706ie will be released through NTT DoCoMo in Japan to take advantage of its 3G network. It doesn’t really bring anything special in terms of features to the table, but if you’re in Japan and need a new handset, feel free to add this one to your choices.

The Panasonic P706ie comes with a decent amount of features: 2 megapixel main cam with autofocus, 3-inch screen and support for up to 8GB microSD cards. It also has a front-facing camera for video calls, as well as several shortcut keys beside the navigational keys for easy access to frequently used services and applications.

No pricing details have been provided, however, as mentioned above this handset is already out now.

Via Aving

• Panasonic plans an Android phone for outside Japan
• SoftBank 930SH out in Japan with an 8MP CCD autofocus camera
• Mio Amber Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone coming soon
• Interesting Philips C600 and W186 unveiled
• LG New Chocolate BL20 – official specs unveiled

The Raku Raku Phone V is also known as the rather generically named phone F883iES, and features functions that are normally only found in semi-high end handsets.

For starters, the Raku Raku Phone V will have a 2.8-inch widescreen main display, 2 megapixel camera and built-in GPS capabilities. Not too shabby for a phone that’s supposed to be targeted towards the older market and be very very simple, eh?

It’s also reported to have support for international WCDMA networks, microSDHC cards, speech recognition and health tracking features via a built-in pedometer. Again, these features are not what you’d normally expect to find in a phone for your grandma, but I’m all for letting the older generation peruse the latest technological advancements for convenience, so good job to NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu for this one! Whether this phone will be launched outside of Japan or not is still uncertain, though, so boo.

Via JustAMP

• Fujitsu F905i, the first phone released by NTT DoCoMo outside Japan
• 22 new handsets in four new series announced by NTT DoCoMo for Japan
• Qualcomm and Fujitsu join the Symbian Foundation board
• BlackBerry Bold coming to NTT DoCoMo in Japan next year
• NTT DoCoMo M702iS Dolce & Gabana To be sold online

The telerobotic shopper demo was performed at Izutuya department store in Kitakyushu, Japan, where a caring granddaughter took care of her sick grandmother’s shopping fix. The girl and the robot took to each other’s side, examined the hats on display, and eventually picked one to purchase and take home to the grandmother.

Apparently, the telerobotic shopper is some kind of robot wielding a cameraphone that does video calls with you so you can see what the robot sees. How this is better than just letting a friend go to the mall with a regular cameraphone and doing a video call with you, I don’t really know. But I’m sure tmsuk is going to work hard enough on it anyway to try and make it as mainstream as soon as humanly possible.

Via Gizmodo

• KTF launches mobile-controlled cleaning robot
• Revolution in cellphone design! A Cellpphone Robot :)
• Samsung Robot Sentry can shoot you on sight
• Panasonic P706ie headed for NTT DoCoMo in Japan
• LG Prada L852i enters Japan, get’s 7.2 HSDPA

The Softbank iPhone price only goes near $199, at $215, on July 11th at the same time as the other countries that are included on the first official worldwide rollout.

The iPhone 3G is going to be released simultaneously on July 11th in 22 countries, and Japan is one of them. So far, only Softbank has been confirmed as a carrier for the iPhone in Japan, although we know that NTT DoCoMo is also vying for rights to market the handset.

The price of the iPhone in Japan through Softbank will now be 23,040 Yen (or $215) for the 8GB model, and about $320 for the 16GB model.

Via AP

• Softbank iPhone pricing plans leaked?
• Softbank Get iPhone in Japan
• iPhone 3G not really coming to 70 countries on July 11th worldwide rollout
• Softbank Mobile nets first major corporate iPhone customer in Japan
• iPhone 3G not such a big hit in Japan

NTT DoCoMo has actually released two batches of handsets, the 906i series and the 706i Series. The phones we know, or are at least familiar with, the FOMA L706ie (LG Wine) and Nokia NM706i both belong to the NTT DoCoMo’s 706i Series of phones.

The 906i Series is composed of eight handsets, all of which are equipped with top of the line features, and some of these are the following:

• 3G/GSM international roaming, HSDPA network support
• upgraded GPS location information
• “One-Segment” mobile TV, 2 in 1® (combines capabilities of two phones in one)
• DCMX® mobile credit card, iD™ mobile credit payments
• VGA LCD screen
• voice-to-text translation for Chinese, English and Japanese

The 906i series phones also act as mobile multimedia monsters, with direct access to DOCOMO’s Music & Video Channel, which offers users more than 100 channels of downloadable broadcasts spanning 14 genres.

The 706i series, on the other hand, is composed of 11 phones, all of which “boast slim, sophisticated designs (as exemplified by the LG Wine) and compatibility with “One-Segment” mobile TV.” A very bulky Nokia NM706i is included in the series, measuring 46mm×105mm×15mm. It carries most of the same features of the other phones in the series in which it belongs to.

A launch schedule is also provided for both series of phones, with the 906i Series scheduled for an earlier release than the 706i Series, starting at June while the other could start in July.

Hopefully, pricing and additional info as to where exactly these phones will be available gets included in NTT DoCoMo’s next update, but far as we can see, Japan may be the only place where you can score them.

Image from IT Media + D

Update: DoCoMo’s Nokia NM706i is actually the Nokia 6214 Classic, originally offered by Vodafone. Who woulda known?

• LG Wine 3 announced in Korea; features circular display
• NTT DoCoMo has 10 million mobile payment customers
• NTT DoCoMo, KT Freetel to Jointly Procure LG Wine
• LG Wine 3G phone to come in September
• 22 new handsets in four new series announced by NTT DoCoMo for Japan

This move, they say, is “for users seeking a simple and easy-to-use, yet stylish, handset.” Well I can’t complain about that; the LG Wine does look like it bears a lot of sophistication itself. We have a detailed review of the LG KF300 Wine posted just a few days ago, so check it out and see how fine this phone is for yourself.

The LG KF300 Wine, to be marketed as the FOMA L706ie in Japan starting August, is a slim and shiny clamshell type phone that offers mostly middle-of-the-road features. Its 2 megapixel camera, aside from 3G connectivity, is probably the only thing that deserves mention.

This is the second joint procurement to be worked on by the two companies, so apparently, they’re getting the hang of this thing and it’s not likely that they keep doing it with even more phones, at many more times in the future. The only question now is, will the iPhone be included?

Press Release

• NTT DoCoMo and KT Freetel to launch Android smartphone in 2009
• KTF and NTT DoCoMo to jointly launch iPhone in Korea and Japan?
• LG Wine 3 announced in Korea; features circular display
• New wine LG Vu 920 to hit AT&T
• Softbank confirms $215 iPhone in Japan

Neighboring Asian countries received Apple’s blessing over a week ago, and the most notable of which is Singapore’s SingTel, which brought the touchscreen wonder to three other countries as well via its associate operators. But Japan and Korea have not been so lucky, and we have yet to hear about an official announcement about an iPhone launch happening any time soon in both countries.

With the way Apple is acting right now, it might not be long before it reaches out to KTF and NTT DoCoMo to bring an official deal to the table, and such talks about jointly launching the iPhone won’t be necessary. But just in case Apple is reluctant (if only at first) for a Korean and Japanese iPhone launch, then the two telcos would do good to continue their discussions.

The Apple iPhone has been on the news quite a lot recently, mostly because of updates about multi-country deals that Apple has been inking with carrier after carrier. Just recently Orange France said that it would introduce the iPhone in ten more countries, in some side by side with Vodafone and T-Mobile. So it would seem like a no-brainer for the iPhone to also head for the world’s top 3G/UMTS/WCDMA destinations, especially since a 3G version is rumored to be on the way.

We feel for you, Japan and Korea. For now, you can settle for your favorite Nokia, Samsung, and LG phones but bear in mind that Apple needs you if they’re ever going to sell 10 million iPhones in time. So be optimistic!

Via Telecoms Korea

• Softbank confirms $215 iPhone in Japan
• Vodacom South Africa to launch iPhone on July 20
• Korea’s KTF in talks with Apple to bring the iPhone home
• NTT DoCoMo still waiting for “right condition to sell” iPhone in Japan
• Softbank Get iPhone in Japan

As stated in a press release published on the NTT DoCoMo website earlier today:

The new logo’s color is red, which symbolizes the company’s energy and dynamism. The logo, along with other branding elements, embodies DoCoMo’s commitment to achieve customer satisfaction by understanding the needs of the customers and building stronger relationships with them, and to maximize the creativity of the company’s workforce and remain a leading innovator in the mobile communications industry.

This is their old logo, in case you are not familiar with the DoCoMo Corporation, and when doing a side by side comparison it is easy to see the major differences that have taken place.

The logo is now bolder and more dynamic, and is really going to help the company to keep their place in the mobile industry.

This was a very smart move on DoCoMo’s part, as they are already one of the world’s leading mobile communications companies and yet are showing that they are still on their toes, keeping up with the trends and ensuring that they are at their very best.

The decision to change the logo was the rest of DoCoMo’s review of its branding and related marketing strategies after having established the Corporate Branding Division in August of last year.

• NTT DOCOMO launches PayPal-like service for mobile phones
• NTT DoCoMo still waiting for “right condition to sell” iPhone in Japan
• 19 new handsets from NTT DoCoMo include LG Wine, Nokia NM706i
• NTT DoCoMo cancels Nokia E71 after Nokia ditches Japan
• NTT DoCoMo has 10 million mobile payment customers

This time it’s one cool bone conducting Sound Leaf+ Bluetooth headset from NTT DoCoMo.

Instead of normal speaker effect, the sound vibrations from NTT Sound Leaf + Bluetooth headset are transferred directly via bone to your inner ear. This way the sound can be easily heard even in the noisy environments and by people with hearing disabilities.

In addition to bone conduction, NTT DoCoMo Sound Leaf+ headset has an interesting flip form factor for a twin microphones. One of the directional and another not. This allows you to answer incoming calls just like on any flip-phone and provides for significant noise reduction.

Via Mobile-Review

• Motorola Endeavor HX1 Bluetooth headset with bone conduction technology announced
• iPhone Available With New Text Plan for Customers With Disabilities
• Verizon to offer LG Dare, Decoy and Chocolate 3 in time for summer
• How to build your own Bluetooth “handgun” headset
• Nokia 7610 gets FCC-approved

While not yet officially under HTC’s own brand, HTC Nike P5500 has been announced in Japan by NTT DoCoMo as FOMA HT1100 smartphone.

And now in addition to official press photos, we get official info about all the features of HTC Nike/HT1100.

Confirmed specs for HTC P5500 Nike are:

• GSM/GPRS/W-CDMA/HSDPA connectivity
• 2.6″ 240×320 px 65K color TFT LCD
• 2 mpx backside camera
• 100K px front camera for video calls
• microSD memory card slot
• FM Radio
• 170 min GSM and 160 min 3G talk time
• 270 hrs GSM and 240 hrs 3G stand-by time
• 70 min of continuous video calling
• Dimensions: 107×55x16.5 mm
• Weight: 120g

NTT DoCoMo expects to start marketing FOMA HT1100 in first quarter of next year.

Does that mean that we won’t be seeing HTC 5500 until Christmas as well?

• HTC P5500 Nike becomes HTC Touch Dual
• LG KG291 and LG KE590. Two new i-mode sliders for Europe
• LG Prada L852i enters Japan, get’s 7.2 HSDPA
• NTT DoCoMo SO905iCS Cybershot from Sony Ericsson is here
• LG KU800 Chocolate 3G launched in Asia

Now NTT DoCoMo is doing it again with the test of experimental Super 3G system that could support up to 300 Mbps data download speeds. Super 3G system is a highly advanced version HSDPA and HSUPA technologies, featuring low-latency data transmission and improved spectrum efficiency.

To achieve data transmission speeds of up to 300 Mbps Super 3G  uses up to four Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antennas for both the base station (transmission side) and mobile station (receiving side).

During the experiment NTT DoCoMo will test the functionality of the Super 3G system for various voice, image, games, video and other applications for which Super 3G will be used in the future.

NTT DoCoMo expects to complete the development of the technology by 2009.

• NTT DoCoMo announces new spatial audio transmission technology for mobiles
• AT&T to upgrade its 3G network to HSPA 7.2Mbps
• LG SH150 DMB phone with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA download speeds
• SFR combines its HSPA and optical fiber networks
• AT&T plans 20 Mbs HSPA+ network upgrade in 2009

Until now.

Today NTT DoCoMo announced that it will provide Japanese language support for BlackeBerry 8707h. According to NTT:

The addition of Japanese-language support for the BlackBerry 8707hâ„¢ will help satisfy customers who are interested in deploying BlackBerry smartphone in Japanese-language environments. Customers will be able to compose and read Japanese e-mails, browse Japanese websites and input Japanese text for personal information management (PIM) applications. A Japanese user interface will also be available.

NTT DoCoMo will start accepting orders for BlacBerry 8707h with Japanese language support from June 11, 2007.

• BlackBerry Bold goes to Taiwan with a special QWERTY keyboard for Chinese input
• 22 new handsets in four new series announced by NTT DoCoMo for Japan
• BlackBerry Bold has overheating problems too; sales in Japan halted
• NTT DoCoMo cancels Nokia E71 after Nokia ditches Japan
• HTC Magic to become DoCoMo HT-03A – Japan’s first Android phone

Now they have come up with their own designer phone – 3G NTTDoCoMo FOMA N904i by award-winning designer Stefano Giovannoni.

NTT DoCoMo will be manufactured by NEC and will come in four colors: Orange Cut, Day and Night, Urban Blue, and Pink Soda.

It will be introduced during Milan Design Week starting today.

• Orange Vegas launched in the UK for only £48.50
• Exclusive LG Cookie KP501 outed by Orange UK in pink and silver
• New LG Projector Concept Flaunted
• AT&T’s Nokia Mural 6750 now official, comes on September 6
• 22 new handsets in four new series announced by NTT DoCoMo for Japan

NTT DoCoMo 702iS D&G phones will cost 75K Yen (~640 US$) and will be available online from 8:30 on April 20th to 10:30 pm May 31st, or while supplies last.

Well, “exclusive” sale with with concrete time window and “while supplies last” line is a good way to build the initial buzz for the launch of new phone.

Except that it is not a new phone, it’s the same old Motorola RAZR V3i Dolce & Gabana phone that has been selling around the world for months now.

It’s got great looks but puny specs (2.2″ QVGA 262K display, 1.3 Megapixel camera), especially for Japan market.

Let’s see if the looks and smart marketing are enough to translate into real sales.

Source: NTT DoCoMo

• NTT DoCoMo 3G FoMA N904i by Stefano Giovannoni
• NTT DoCoMo still waiting for “right condition to sell” iPhone in Japan
• Hummer HT1 Car Fashion Phone
• LG Prada L852i enters Japan, get’s 7.2 HSDPA
• Fujitsu F905i, the first phone released by NTT DoCoMo outside Japan

And as with most of the business versions of popular phones, I expected some feature enhancement, like additional productivity applications, more memory/storage, better connectivity options, etc;

Not so fast, says NTT DoCoMo. You don’t even need the features that the standard F903i has and we disabled them!

Yep. In order to “avoid information leakage� NTT DoCoMo has turned off the camera, external memory, USB in and Infrared ports, e-wallet service and limited address book to 101 entries on FOMA F903iBSC.

And in order to focus all your attention on the job on hand, they have removed music player and all preinstalled Java applications.

If you lose the phone or leave the company without giving it up, NTT DoCoMo can reset all other functions such as phonebook, e-mail, scheduler, data-box, call records or screen memos remotely.

I guess FOMA F903iBSC will make paranoid company IT security chiefs happy, as for me, I will happily do without it

Source: NTT DoCoMo 

• NTT DoCoMo 3G FoMA N904i by Stefano Giovannoni
• HTC Nike P5500 announced as DoCoMo FOMA HT1100
• Verizon admits: some of our employees have accessed Barack Obama’s personal cell phone account without authorization
• Fujitsu F905i, the first phone released by NTT DoCoMo outside Japan
• NTT DOCOMO launches PayPal-like service for mobile phones

Apparently Sony Ericsson and NTT DoCoMo did not think this was such a bad idea. Last week they released a new very cool looking handset – Sony Ericsson SO703i – that “relieves stress with aroma”:

Aromatic scents for NTT DoCoMo SO703i phone come from a scented sheets (11 different flavors matching panel designs) that can be inserted into a slot on the panel rear.

Full specs for NTT DoCoMo/Sony Ericsson SO703i are:

And now, that smell-o’phones are here, let’s wait for Samsungs answer to it. Shoud we start preparing our own smell’o tones?

• Sony Ericsson W600i cellphone review by C-Net
• Sony Ericsson launches new panels for Xperia X1: Facebook and Windows Live
• Sony Ericsson P5i specs and looks
• Sony Ericsson m610i live pics and more details emerge
• NTT DoCoMo SO905iCS Cybershot from Sony Ericsson is here