NFC-enabled mobile payments may be waiting for a miracle to happen for a wider adoption in the western hemisphere, but they are already being used by high-tech folks living in Japan and South Korea. Like that’s not enough, we now have SK Telecom joining forces with Japan’s KDDI and SoftBank Mobile to develop an interoperable…
Sharp IS01 rocks Android, Snapdragon CPU and 5-inch screen!
When you say cutting edge technology in Japan it means something completely different than in the rest of the world. In that sense, we were not surprised to see the Sharp IS01 – which is actually a small Android-powered laptop that also doubles as (huge) phone. Feature wise, it comes with a 5-inch touchscreen (which…
Toshiba K01 heading to Japan as IS02
Toshiba K01, which we’ve seen getting an FCC approval few days ago, is heading to Japan. KDDI is picking up the device with plans to introduce it in June of this year as the Toshiba IS02. As you probably already know, the K01 is probably the single most desirable upcoming Windows Mobile smartphone on the…
KDDI acquires 51% of U.S.’ prepaid carrier Locus Telecommunications
Japan’s KDDI bought a controlling stake (51%) in the little known, Englewood Cliffs, NJ-based prepaid carrier Locus Telecommunications. The two companies plan to work together to introduce new products and services. Locus’ CEO Jason Chon said that he likes the idea of taking advantage of KDDI’s global telecommunication network and expertise in wireless business to…
China Telecom, KDDI and Verizon Wireless join the GSMA since they’re all switching to LTE; CDMA is dead
China Telecom, KDDI and Verizon Wireless all use CDMA today because when they deployed their networks, CDMA offered superior voice quality and data speeds. Earlier this century UMTS came, then a few years later HSPA became the golden standard in Europe and Asia. America is getting there, but it’s taking some time; blame AT&T. But…
Up to 19 LTE networks to go live in 2010, 36 networks to be operational in 2012; list of who and where!
The GSA (Global Suppliers Association) is reporting that over the past 8 months there has been a near 100% increase in the number of operators around the world committing to the LTE standard. There are now 51 network commitments in 24 countries, an increase of 96% over the past 8 months. Not all is rosy…
Bundle of New Phones Coming to Japan from KDDI
Thirteen impressive new phones are coming down the pipe for Japanese service provider KDDI. Here’s the breakdown: Casio Exilim Keitei CA003: 12 megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom, autofocus, image stablizer, and 20 images/second rapid shot Sharp Aquos Shot SH003: 12 megapixel camera, FM transmitter, transfer and view Blu-Ray movies Sharp Aquos Shot SH006: 12…
Motorola scores a big deal with KDDI to help the carrier build LTE network
Motorola’s handsets unit may be suffering heavily these days, but their infrastructure business is a different story. On that note, the American company announced that they will help KDDI develop and implement LTE network, including RAN/base stations. The Japanese carrier will deploy its LTE network in both 1.5GHz and 800MHz bands, and plans to offer…
Japanese operator KDDI adds three more funky devices to their au Design Project lineup
The au Design Project was created by Japanese operator KDDI in May 2001 because customers complained that they’re tired of seeing the same form factors, over and over again, with minor differences based on color and materials. They showed off three prototypes at launch, the info.bar, rotary, and wearable, and after much pressure they launched…
Japanese mobile porn consumption strains wireless data networks
Porn. Go anywhere in the world and you’ll find porn going strong. Go to Japan, however, and you you’ll find that mobile porn consumption is straining wireless data networks to the max. With more and more Japanese mobile subscribers opting for unlimited data plans, the mobile phone is starting to replace the desktop PC in…