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NTT DoCoMo announces 12 new mobile devices for the spring, launches Smart Home initiative

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NTT DoCoMo announces 12 new mobile devices for the spring, launches Smart Home initiative

Change of season? You can bet NTT DoCoMo has an armload of new devices to announce -- it's almost a tradition. This time around, the Japanese carrier has revealed 10 new smartphones, two tablets and a mobile WiFi hotspot. Large, 4.5 to 5-inch displays and quad-core processors pepper the entire spring smartphone line, but there are a few notable standouts, including the previously leaked LG Optimus G Pro, Huawei's Ascend D2 and the NEC Medias W -- a curious dual-screen smartphone we first saw at MWC 2012. DoCoMo fills its tablet quota with the Sony Xperia Tablet Z and a carrier branded device called the dtab, a 10.1-inch WiFi slab apparently built for DoCoMo's Smart Home initiative. Don't let the name run away with your imagination -- the Japanese carrier is focusing on sharing music, video and digital content between smartphones and other home electronics, not automating your apartment.

The dtab is compatible with a handful of carrier exclusive services, such as the dmarket and DoCoMo cloud. It's not technically part of the carrier's mobile line, but DoCoMo had one more announcement for spring: an HDMI dongle. The SmartTV dstick gives HDTVs access to the carrier's dvideo, danime store and dhits services, and can be controlled with via smartphone or a similarly named tablet. Spring hardware will start hitting Japan on January 25th with the Aquos Phone EX, and continue to roll out through March. Read on for the official press release.

Update: Apparently, we're looking at a different Ascend D2 than the one we saw at CES, one with a smaller screen (4.7-inch 720p vs. 5-inch 1080p) and battery (2150mAh vs. 3000mAh).

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NTT DOCOMO Unveils 12 New Mobile Devices
- 5 Models to Link with Home Electronics and Play Full-HD under New Initiative -

Products & Services

TOKYO, JAPAN, January 22, 2013 --- NTT DOCOMO, INC., announced today its 2013 spring lineup of 12 models that will launch in sequence beginning on January 25. The lineup includes 11 smartphones and tablets, plus one mobile Wi-Fi(R) router. For maximized ease of use, the models feature upgraded versions of numerous popular functions introduced in the 2012 winter lineup.

Some of the new and prominent features of the lineup include:
o.First DOCOMO smartphones capable of full-HD for superb high-definition video.
o.Compatible with DOCOMO's Xi[TM] ("crossy") LTE service for max. downlink of 112.5 Mbps (some areas), the fastest LTE connection in Japan as of January 21.
o.A large selection of models featuring quad-core CPUs for increased enjoyment of mobile games and videos.
o.Many models running on Android[TM] 4.1.
o.Large-capacity batteries (2,000mAh or more) for power-thirsty users.
o.Smartphone model with special safety and security features for preteens.

Also announced today was "docomo Smart Home," an all-new initiative for sharing videos, music and other content between smartphones and home electronics, realizing a convenient new way to enjoy high-definition digital content both at home and on the move.

As part of this initiative, the new spring lineup offers the "dtab," a Wi-Fi-dedicated tablet with special features for DOCOMO services such as the dmarket[TM] portal, and the "SmartTV dstick," a small flash drive-like HDMI device for enjoying movies and animation from dmarket, etc. on large-screen televisions.

In addition, new functions have been added to the Twonky[TM] Beam app, which enables DOCOMO smartphones to play full-HD digital-terrestrial and broadcast-satellite programs that are stored on the user's Blu-ray[TM] recording devices at home.

[See source link for pictures and attachments]

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NTT DoCoMo unveils winter lineup, pushes big displays, LTE, quad-cores and NFC payments

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NTT DoCoMo unveils winter collection big displays, LTE, quadcores and NFC payments are all so chica

Just as the air begins to chill, NTT DoCoMo has announced its forthcoming lineup for release in November and December, including nine smartphones, four feature phones and a tablet. As the Japanese populace would no doubt demand, all of the bigger smartphones -- from the 4.7-inch Arrows V F-04E through to the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II -- come with 1,280 x 720 displays, a healthy degree of water- and dust-proofing, plus decent quad-core credentials. The new Aquos Phone Zeta SH-02E stands out for its low-power 4.9-inch IGZO panel and 16-megapixel camera, while the Arrows Tab F-05E 10-inch tablet packs a 1,980 x 1,200 display and what sounds like the latest 1.7GHz iteration of Tegra 3 (as seen in the HTC One X+). It's also interesting to a see a Korean-style variant of the Galaxy S III (the Alpha SC-03E) packing a souped-up 1.6GHz Exynos chip and 2GB RAM. In related news, NTT has also announced that it's partnering with Mastercard PayPass and will offer the contactless payment system for Japanese customers travelling abroad by fall next year -- and indeed all the new smartphones are NFC-equipped. Click the first source link below for the full run-down.

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NTT DoCoMo unveils winter lineup, pushes big displays, LTE, quad-cores and NFC payments originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 10:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT DoCoMo translation app converts languages in real time (hands-on video)

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NTT DoCoMo translation Android app converts languages in real time handson video

Last year at CEATEC, we saw NTT DoCoMo demo its translation app, which made life easier by translating a Japanese menu into English text. This time around the carrier is showing off the new Hanashite Hon'yaku service for Android devices, which can translate spoken Japanese to English and vice versa (it supports a total of 10 languages, including French, German and Korean). In addition to providing an on-screen translation, the system reads out your speaking partner's words in your language.To use the service, you need an Android-enabled (2.2 and higher) device running on either the carrier's spumode or moperaU plan. Provided you fit those requirements, you'll simply have to dial the other party, speak into the phone and wait for it to play back your words in a foreign tongue.

Of course, you can also use the service in person, which is exactly what we did at DoCoMo's booth. When we gave it a test run with some simple questions ("Where are you from?", "What time is it?"), the app had no trouble spitting back those phrases in Japanese so the DoCoMo rep could respond. When he answered in Japanese, the translation to English was equally seamless, taking just a second or two to communicate that he is from Japan. Though the app is free, you'll have to pay call and data charges (using the service for face-to-face conversation only entails a data fee). The cross-cultural barriers will break down starting November 1st, but you can get a glimpse of the service in action just after the break.

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NTT DoCoMo translation app converts languages in real time (hands-on video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 10:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT DoCoMo’s i beam tablet prototype is driven by your eyes (video)

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NTT DoCoMo's i beam tablet prototype is driven by your eyesvideo

Another prototype from DoCoMo aimed at Nihon's commuters, the i beam concept tablet forgoes any touch at all, allowing the user (once they're at the specified 'sweet spot') to navigate around apps and screens using your eyes. Two sensors along the bottom edge of the tablet track both of your eyes and after a slightly laborious configuration setup, we were able to tour around the prototype slabs features without laying a finger on it. The navigational dot was a little erratic, but we'll put that down to prototype nerves. The tablet was otherwise able to follow our eye-line and fulfill what we wanted it to do.

Returning to the home screen by targeting the kill box in the top right corner proved to be the most difficult thing -- we soon resorted to tapping at the screen for that. DoCoMo showcased an eye-controlled game, alongside picture galleries, a web browser and a reader app. The e-book client seemed to be the most heavily involved, with the ability to look up words with a hard-stare, and flip pages by eyeing the two lower corners. The Japanese carrier isn't planning a consumer launch any time soon -- and the hardware comes with a pretty pronounced chin at the moment, but if you like staring at someone staring at a tablet, our eyes-on is after the break.

Gallery: NTT DoCoMo's i beam tablet prototype hands-on at CEATEC 2012

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo's i beam tablet prototype is driven by your eyes (video)

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NTT DoCoMo's i beam tablet prototype is driven by your eyes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT DoCoMo hands-free videophone prototype replaces that off-center webcam stare with your digital doppelganger (video)

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NTT DoCoMo handsfree videophone prototype replaces that offcenter webcam stare with your digital replica handson

In a sort of reverse-Project Glass, one of DoCoMo's latest prototypes flips its cameras back at the wearer. This hands-free videophone headset ties together seven separate cameras, each recording 720p video from wide-angle lenses. Aside from the single camera pointing behind the user (and beaming the background image), the rest of them point at the users' face, recording different quadrants. These are then composited together, creating a three-dimensional avatar of the user that's then broadcasted to the other caller. The model then nods, blinks, and moves -- all based on the camera footage -- all in real-time.

In its current guise, the bottom half of the face is still composed from high resolution stills captured beforehand, but the program is able to animate the mouth based on the words and tones that the built-in mic picks up. NTT DoCoMo had some lighter, slight less clunky, future prototypes on show, and suggested that the headset could have medical applications, embedding further sensors that could gauge blood pressure, pulse and temperature and possibly broadcast this data during a call to your future physician. Work is currently underway to utilize smaller, higher quality sensors. We take a closer look at CEATEC after the break.

Gallery: NTT DoCoMo hands-free videophone prototype at CEATEC 2012

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo hands-free videophone prototype replaces that off-center webcam stare with your digital doppelganger (video)

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NTT DoCoMo hands-free videophone prototype replaces that off-center webcam stare with your digital doppelganger (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NEC Medias Tab UL runs Android 4.0, weighs just over half a pound (hands-on)

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NEC Medias Tab UL runs Android 40, weighs just over half a pound handson

Folded in between DoCoMo R&D prototypes and One Piece-themed smartphones unlikely to make it across the Pacific, NEC's new Android tablet caught our eye. The 7-inch NEC Medias Tab UL is one very svelte slab. Measuring in at just 7.9mm (0.3 inches) thick and weighing a mere 250g (0.55 lbs), the tablet still manages to house a 3,100mAh battery, and a Snapdragon MSM8960 1.5GHz dual-core processor. If you'd compare it to the Nexus 7, Google's own effort look a little weighty and thick against this white-finish tablet. Performance from the dual-core chip is also suitably impressive, despite the curious DoCoMo-decked Android skin coating the Ice Cream Sandwich OS.

In true Japanese style, there's a TV aerial embedded within the side and while it won't broadcast the crisp high-definition delights of NOTTV, there's plenty of terrestrial viewing available -- if you stay in the Land of the Rising Sun. We were pleasantly surprised with its crisp WXGA screen, which looks to be TFT. The 1,280 x 800 resolution display meant videos and websites looked sharp, while there was barely any color degradation at wider angles. On DoCoMO's network, users can expect to see download speeds up to 75Mbs, and upload speeds hitting up to 25Mbps. The tablet is now on sale across Japan, but there's still no word yet on it launching elsewhere.

Gallery: NEC Medias Tab UL hands-on at CEATEC 2012

Continue reading NEC Medias Tab UL runs Android 4.0, weighs just over half a pound (hands-on)

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NEC Medias Tab UL runs Android 4.0, weighs just over half a pound (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 07:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT DoCoMo Grip UI detects how you hold your device, makes big phones friendly for tiny hands (video)

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NTT DoCoMo Grip UI detects how you hold your phone, make short work for tiny hands

Maintaining your balance on a packed train while trying to handle the big-screened smartphones of today is often a tough challenge. At least NTT DoCoMo thinks so, offering up a new interface to avoid such issues -- and throw in some extra gesture shortcuts. Gesture UI is a combination hardware-software prototype that the Japanese carrier is showing at this year's CEATEC showcase in Japan. Consisting of a trio of grip sensors located along the two edges and across the back of the prototype phone, these can each detect up to five levels of pressure from your hand, as well as detecting how you're holding the device.

This data is then channeled into the user interface, which allows the user to customize what the device does under certain conditions. We saw demonstrations of grip "shortcuts" to send you back to the homescreen, while holding certain portions of the sides would launched pre-assigned apps -- pinching at the top of this device launched the internet browser. Once inside the browser, the Grip UI also allows the user to transfer across to other programs without returning to the aforementioned homescreen, using a combination of gripping and swiping across the display. We get a handle on the prototype UI inside DoCoMo's imaginary train right after the break.

Gallery: NTT DoCoMo Grip UI prototype hands-on at CEATEC 2012

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo Grip UI detects how you hold your device, makes big phones friendly for tiny hands (video)

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NTT DoCoMo Grip UI detects how you hold your device, makes big phones friendly for tiny hands (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NTT DoCoMo Builds a Phone that Can Determine if You’re Hungry or Not

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Some pretty good advice I’ve heard when it comes to gaining control of your weight is this: eat only when you’re hungry. But your perceptions might be a little mixed-up if you’ve lived your whole life with an unhealthy and undisciplined eating habit.

Coming to your rescue is NTT DoCoMo’s phone-slash-breathalyzer that will tell you if you’re really hungry or not, based on your bodily reactions.

hunger detecting phone
The phone is actually a modded Toshiba Regza that has been made to work with a breath analyzer attachment to detect the levels of acetone in a person’s breath.

So what does acetone have to do with hunger? Well, when the body starts to burn body fat instead of food, acetone is produced and will be detected in the person’s breath. By detecting the acetone level, the phone can then tell the person to eat up or lay off the bacon.

[via Red Ferret]


Reserve the Sharp AQUOS SH-10D on NTT DoCoMo from tomorrow, full launch next week

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Reserve the Sharp AQUOS SH-10D on NTT DoCoMo from tomorrow, full launch next week

We knew the Sharp AQUOS SH-10D was due to hit NTT DoCoMo at some point this summer, and now we've got the full details. You can reserve yours through the carrier from tomorrow, and the proper launch will take place the following week on August 30th. The device will be available in the three colors you see above, and as it recently passed through the FCC, a trip to the US could also be in the cards. But unfortunately, that orange wallpaper is all too harsh a reminder of one that never ventured outside Japan.

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Reserve the Sharp AQUOS SH-10D on NTT DoCoMo from tomorrow, full launch next week originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Xperia GX makes Japan debut today

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Sony Xperia GX arrives in Japan stores today

The Xperia GX passed muster at the FCC labs a few weeks back and is filling shelves of NTT DoCoMo stores starting today. If you like your smartphone screens big and high-resolution, you'll probably be very happy with the Xperia GX's 720p 4.6-inch display, wrapped in a curved frame similar to last year's Xperia Arc. There's no word on whether the phone will remain a Japan-only exclusive, but Sony is likely to have something new to show off at European trade show, IFA, in only a few weeks. Arguably more of a looker than the Xperia S, perhaps we'll see a global model -- there's a pentaband 3G radio in this iteration -- sidling up next to an Xperia tablet in Germany very soon.

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Sony Xperia GX makes Japan debut today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 04:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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