Japanese CDMA operator KDDI has decided that they’re going to go with LTE for their next generation network, just like their competitors NTT DoCoMo (NYSE: DCM) and Softbank (OTCPK: SFTBF). Expect the new network to be up and atom sometime in 2010.

[Via: Cellular News]

Wow, the Japanese handset market is really proving to be a tough nut to crack (a profit from, that is). With Sanyo (OTCPK: SANYY)’s recent exit from the mobile phone business, and Mitsubishi’s withdrawal from the handset game, it’s clear that even Japan’s larger handset makers are done with the grind that is the mobile phone industry.

The Japanese market isn’t as keen on the smartphones that are so popular in the US and Europe as they are with gimmicky feature phones that can take advantage of the island nation’s decidedly advanced wireless infrastructure. But, that poses a problem for firms like Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE). While Sony Ericsson enjoys wide success throughout the rest of the world with a marketable handset lineup, product development costs on specialized, single-market handsets are hard to recoup in an environment where the world’s No. 4 handset maker is ranks a lowly 6th place in Japan.

A Nikkei business report indicates that Sony Ericsson will stop developing handsets for DoCoMo after launching new devices this summer. Instead, Sony Ericsson is said to be planning to source handsets from other Japanese handset manufactures on an ODM basis and sold to DoCoMo as Sony Ericsson-branded devices.

Sony Ericsson spokesman Toshiyuki Kawamura denies the claims made in this report, saying that Sony Ericsson doesn’t intend to stop developing phones for DoCoMo and that there will be no outsourcing of handsets.

So, what are we to believe? Will Sony Ericsson stop developing handsets for DoCoMo but retain it’s KDDI partnership? Will SE exit Japan? Or is all this talk of market-surrender nothing more than baseless rumor?  We’ll have to wait and see.

[Via: Reuters]

Remember those days of yore when we’d “beam” data between our mobile gadgets via that little dark-red-plastic covered port known as an IR port? It was super-convenient to be able to transfer some contact information on the fly, but it was also super-annoying to have to make sure the ports were lined up correctly – and even then we weren’t assured that the transfer would go smoothly.

So, what’s up with KDDI R&D Laboratories’ reviving the technology from the almost-grave? Well, it seems that they’ve developed an IR (Infra-Red) technology (Warning: Japanese PDF link) that is capable of 1Gbps data transfers – which completely trounces the old theoretical limit of 4Mbps.

Now, besting a theoretical limit by even ten-fold would be an incredible feat, but how did KDDI manage to beat the limit over 250 times? Well, KDDI swapped out the low-performance LED diode for a super-performance semiconductor laser. The laser can blink on and off fast enough to transfer a full CD worth of music in under a second. A good dose of buffer memory is needed to make all this high-speed data transferring go smoothly.

KDDI says this new IR tech could be used in PCs and mobile devices alike, which bodes well for the future of high-speed data transfers to our mobile phone. Imagine transferring your entire music library to your cellphone in mere seconds. Hell, we’d settle for transferring our entire collection to our handset in under a minute. Of course, you’ll still probably have to ensure that the laser-toting IR port is lined up correctly.

[Via: DigitalWorldTokyo]

Sharp, the pioneering LCD manufacturer, has released another handset fitted with their famous Sharp AQUOS brand of LCD display. The Sharp W61SH will only be available to subscribers on Japan’s KDDI network – sad. With a 2.8 inch Sharp AQUOS display that sports an amazing 2000:1 contrast ratio, the Sharp W61SH is almost enough to get us to move to Japan. Yankees with a longing for a mobile phone with a Sharp AQUOS display will have to settle for the T-Mobile (NYSE: DT) Sidekick LX.

The Sharp W61SH is available in Black, White, or Hot Pink (care to take a guess at our favorite color?).

[Via: MobileWhack]

There’s nothing new in a fact that two companies from different industries are co-operating to extend both of their respective brands. Most notably, you’re probably aware of the Nike/Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) partnership which resulted in Nike offering its shoes along with an iPod.

Now, we have the mentioned shoe manufacturer partnering with KDDI in Japan to offer the limited series of customizable shoes with KDDI’s Infobar 2. Just like the phone, the shoes will be also available in four different colors to match the phone’s look, and will be further customizable using the Nike ID feature.

Starting December Nike will be accepting orders, but to keep it exclusive only 222 will be sold…

[Via: textually.org]

Those lucky Japanese. Again they are mocking us with all their modern technology and services. Now Opera Software, probably the best known by its (mobile) web browser, partnered with Japanese carrier, KDDI, to integrate Opera Widgets on Toshiba (OTCPK: TOSBF) W56T, Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) W54S and Sanyo (OTCPK: SANYY) W54SA mobile phones. The new service called “au one Gadget” aims to provide users with the tools to “improve and personalize” their browsing experience, and will allow users to access the existing Opera Widgets library. “When” you ask? According to Opera’s press release (which follows after the jump), KDDI will release handsets with “au one Gadget” functionality in December this year…

The mobile widget space is heating up. We have Nokia (NYSE: NOK) pushing its WidSets and the upcoming S60 Widgets, and now Opera is coming with its solution. Guess Yahoo and Google (NSDQ: GOOG), which already have widgets in their offering are next to mobilize widgets. We’ll watch this space carefully… In the meantime, if you want to know more – check out the mentioned press release after the jump.

Read the full article »

Our Far-East friends are always getting the trickest technology available. It’s enough to make us feel a little left out of the tech-game – what we wouldn’t give to get nicked by that cutting edge every now and then. Alas, Samsung has announced that they will start mass production of handset displays for 4 new KDDI handsets. Not much of an announcement, except for the fact that these new handsets will be rocking Samsung’s Active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) displays!

The KDDI handsets you see pictured above and below will all be fitted with Samsung’s power-saving but still brilliantly illuminated AMOLED displays in either 2.6-inch or 2.8-inch flavors. Check out the Infobar handset above, we’d seen this unique design before, but we had no idea that it’d be sporting AMOLED goodies.

Aside from these pics (courtesy Unwired View), Samsung and KDDI are staying tight-lipped about their upcoming AMOLED handsets. Hopefully they’ll release more deets, but we’re still trying to come to terms with the fact that KDDI Japan will be getting mobile phones with AMOLED primary displays.

We can only hope that Samsung sees fit to bring AMOLED mass production Stateside. Don’t hold your breath, but do cross your fingers (and maybe toes while your at it.

[Via: Unwired View]

We’ve all heard of (pun?) the bone conduction technology in the awesomely awesome Aliph Jawbone Bluetooth headset, heck we’ve even got an in-house model. But, when you start to think about it, it just makes sense for the background-noise-eliminating technology to hit mobile phones.

Pantech has done just that. The Pantech A1407PT has just been unveiled as the first ever handset utilizing bone conduction technology to cut down on ambient noise. But, you’d think that a mobile phone with bone conduction technology would be choke-full (or at least slightly full) of other nifty features, but you’d be wrong. The Pantech A1407PT Bone Conducting clamshell phone features a 2.4-inch QVGA internal display, 96 x 64 external display, 1.3 megapixel camera, 20MB of internal memory, and microSD slot. KDDI in Japan will be getting top-billing as the carrier for the Pantech A1407PT.

We hope the launch goes well enough for this trick tech to make it Stateside. If Bluetooth headsets can cut down ambient noise transmission, why can’t headsets? It’d be nice to see a high-end smartphone with some bone-conduction technology.

[Via: Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]

So far, we’ve seen few companies working on AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) screens and just when we were wondering when will first such devices start appearing, Samsung announced that it will start the mass production of AMOLED display equipped phones for KDDI in Japan. Yeah, it’s always Japan that gets the latest cool technology, but I guess once Samsung starts producing screens with the new technology, the prices will go down and soon enough we’ll see Nokias and Motorolas of the world jumping-in and releasing their own AMOLED screen equipped handsets. And in case you’re wondering, we’ve no further information about the deal, as both Samsung and KDDI haven’t provided more information about it.

[Via: Unwired View]

Just as we, and the Japanese Ministry of International Affairs and Communications, expected, KDDI has cut their rates and fees in the ever-continuing battle to win over wireless subscribers. The wireless carrier will no longer be subsidizing handsets with new-activations, offering lower calling plan prices.

KDDI customers can expect to pay 1,050 yen ($9) and 15.75 yen for 30 seconds of talk time, compared to the firm’s current lowest fee of 1,800 yen a month and 20 yen per 30 seconds of talk time.

It looks like wireless customers that stick with one phone for long periods of time will be the ones to benefit from this change of rates. Those customers that like to change their handsets frequently will find that they’ll have to shell out more than ever before for that brand-new handset.

[Via: Yahoo]