Cellphone transformers with artificial intelligence in movies and real life

I had this idea of cellphone transformer for a long time. Finally it became a reality as Softbank teamed together with Tokyo TV to release two cellphone transformers in an attempt to draw attention to an upcoming sci-fi TV drama starring… yes, two cellphone transformers called Phone Braver 07 and Phone Braver 01 with artificial intelligence inside them. The real life copies – the silver and black color variations - known as the SoftBank 815T PB are actual cellphones made by Toshiba and they even have some pieces of intelligence by themselves. Besides the ability to change its form into a robot-like, the 815 PB features a home screen application Buddy Talk, which reminds me of tamagotchi toy. The phone via Buddy Talk will attempt to nag his owner with text messages throughout the day asking questions and trying to become a real buddy by learning more about his owner’s daily routine. Besides the communication part Buddy Talk can express its emotions with different “face” impressions. Additionally, Softbank and Tokyo TV pre-installed an RPG game closely related to TV drama’s plot to increase drama’s stickiness. Nonetheless, this is an innovative example of mobile marketing bringing together television and mobile worlds. However, I would expect mobisodes of the drama made available for download onto these phones but no information was provided. And the phone doesn’t even spot a one-seg TV tuner.

Phone Specs
Model:	815T PB
Carrier:	Softbank
Maker:	Toshiba
Cellular radio:	W-CDMA
Form factor:	flip/ transformer
Color variations:	silver, black
Weight:	107g
Dimensions:	50 X 102 X 16mm
Main display:	2.4" QVGA (240x320) TFT LCD
Talk time:	160min
Standby time:	420 hours
Platform / OS:	N/A
Memory:	14MB
Memory card slot:	microSD (up to 2GB)
GPS / Location:	No
Bluetooth:	No
Infrared:	Yes
USB:	N/A
Wi-Fi:	No
Camera:	2.0MP (autofocus)
Video calling:	Yes
One-seg TV:	No
Music player:	Yes (Chaku-uta Full)
WAP / Web browser:	PC site browser
Other apps:	e-comics, S! Town
Mobile Wallet:	S! FeliCa
QR-code:	N/A
Biometrics:	No

Source: Softbank press release (Japanese)

eMobile starts voice service, releases eMonster terminal

eMobile finally enters the mobile voice market in Japan with two handsets from HTC and Toshiba scheduled for official launch in March 28. HTC’s device called EMONSTER S11HT is a Windows Mobile 6 smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard and unlocked SIM card, which makes it possible to be used abroad with a local SIM card. Toshiba’s handset is a voice-centric clamshell with one-seg TV tuner inside.

EMONSTER Specs
Model:	S11HT EMONSTER
Carrier:	eMobile
Maker:	HTC
Price:	TBD
Form factor:	PDA-centric clamshell
Color variations:	grey metallic
Weight:	190g
Dimensions:	59 X 112 X 19mm
Main display:	2.8" QVGA TFT LCD (touchscreen)
Talk time:	up to 264 minutes
Standby time:	up to 350 hours
Platform / OS:	Windows Mobile 6 Pro Edition
Memory:	N/A
Memory card slot:	microSD (SD2.0) X 1
GPS / Location:	Yes (Mobile Google Maps, Navitime)
Bluetooth:	2.0 + EDR
Infrared:	N/A
USB:	miniUSB (2.0 Full Speed)
Wi-Fi:	802.11 b/g
Camera:	3MP (main with autofocus) + VGA (sub)
Video calling:	Yes
One-seg TV:	No
Music player:	Yes
Browser:	IE Mobile
Cellular radio:	HSDPA/WCDMA (1700MHz)
Mobile Wallet:	No
QR-code:	N/A
Other:	MS Office Document viewer, QWERTY keyboard

Toshiba H11T Specs
Model:	H11T
Carrier:	eMobile
Maker:	Toshiba
Price:	TBD
Form factor:	Clamshell
Color variations:	white, blue, black, pink
Weight:	160g
Dimensions:	50 X 104 X 17.9mm
Main display:	2.8" Wide QVGA LCD (240 X 400)
Talk time:	approx. 160 minutes
Standby time:	approx. 350 hours
Platform / OS:	N/A
Memory:	approx. 50MB
Memory card slot:	microSD (sold separately)
GPS / Location:	N/A
Bluetooth:	A2DP compatible
Infrared:	IrMC 1.1
USB:	N/A
Wi-Fi:	No
Camera:	3.2MP (autofocus/ anti-shake)
Video calling:	No
One-seg TV:	Yes (Toshiba REGZA TV technology)
Music player:	Yes (AAC/MP3/WMA)
Browser:	Full HTML NetFront browser
Email:	NetFront Messaging client
Mobile Wallet:	No
QR-code:	Yes
Other:	Access NetFront Mobile Client Suite (JV-Lite 2, etc.)

Source: eMobile press release (Japanese)

SoftBank's top ten selling phone models

GfK, a market research company, published ranks of top selling mobile phones with each operator in Japan during the last week of November. This post will cover SoftBank. See table below for the top 10 sellers with SoftBank brand.

SoftBank Top Ten
1 (3)	Sharp 920SH
2 (1)	Sharp 911SH
3 (2)	Panasonic 705Px
4 (5)	Toshiba fanfan. 815T
5 (7)	Panasonic 810P
6 (6)	Sharp 910SH
7 (8)	Toshiba 911T
8 (10)	Toshiba 814T
9 (4)	Sharp Fullface 913SH
10 (11)	Sharp 812SH

Source: GfK via ITMedia

KDDI au's top ten selling phone models

GfK, a market research company, published ranks of top selling mobile phones with each operator in Japan during the last week of November. This post will cover KDDI au. See table below for the top 10 sellers with au brand.

KDDI au Top Ten
1 (1)	Toshiba W53T
2 (2)	Casio Exilim W53CA
3 (3)	Sharp W52SH
4 (4)	Sanyo W52SA
5 (5)	Kyocera A5528K
6 (8)	Sony Ericsson W53S
7 (6)	Casio W52CA
8 (7)	Panasonic W52P
9 (9)	Toshiba W54T
10 (20)	Kyocera W53K

Source: GfK via ITMedia

The launch of Toshiba W55T is limited to 3,000 models

KDDI au is launching today a limited edition of Toshiba’s super slim W55T, with only 3,000 models to be sold. KDDI is targeting the handset, which size-wise emulates the business card, at style-conscious business customers who value exclusivity and personalization. The personalization comes with the ability to engrave the owner’s name, initials or some citation on the stainless back panel of the handset. As for the accessories, the Weinheimer design house has created a leather case that looks like a business card holder and features an imprinted serial number of the handset.

The exclusive and limited offerings of cell phones are still rare occurrences in the mobile world but it can change with the saturation in the mature markets. Currently, to drive the replacement sales in such market carriers are introducing technological advancements in new handset models. While these tactics seem to be working in approaching the mass market, the carriers can’t afford to overlook the market segments that don’t want bells and whistles of advanced mobile phones. The strong interest to design and fashion from users, along with the desire to personalize your phone, is growing trends that will make carriers and handset manufacturers sell more limited and exclusive handset models in future.

Phone Specs
Model:	W55T
Carrier:	KDDI au
Maker:	Toshiba
Price:	$485~$290
Form factor:	Clamshel
Color variations:	Golden, Platina, Black
Weight:	104 g
Dimensions:	54 X 94 X 9.9mm
Main display:	2.4inch QVGA (240X400)
Talk time:	22o min
Standby time:	240 hours
Platform / OS:	N/A
Memory:	N/A
Memory card slot:	microSD
GPS / Location:	GPS (EZ Navi Walk)
Bluetooth:	No
Infrared:	N/A
USB:	No
Wi-Fi:	No
Camera:	2.0 megapixels
Video calling:	No
One-seg TV:	No
Music player:	Yes (LISMO)
Browser:	PC site viewer
FM radio:	Yes (EZ-FM)
Mobile Wallet:	No
QR-code:	Supported
Biometrics:	No

Sharp is still undisputed handset leader in Japan: 1Q07 data

Sharp continues to hold its dominant position in Japan’s handset market through four consecutive quarters, increasing its market share to 22.6% in 1Q07 from 21.2% in 4Q06, reports IDC. Strong sales of Raku-Raku series phones are worth mentioning among other 1Q07 highlights as they helped Fujitsu get in the top five handset vendors.

Overall, handset shipments increased by 3% from last year, reaching the five-year record of 14.39 million handsets. National carriers’ flourishing spring handset collections targeting at various segments with ultra-thin and easy-to-use models and improvements in service and pricing contributed to this rather unusual burst in handset sales.

Source: IDC Japan

Toshiba 814T: First titanium handset debuts in Japan

Toshiba is bringing the handset differentiation game to the new level by adding titanium elements to its new ultra-slim 814T model. Softbank is happy to pitch the titanium handset's benefits, if any, to the Japanese end-users. The main message is that this is the first handset in Japan to have titanium inside. Japanese handset makers have a long way to go in this direction if they take Mendeleev's periodic table as a guide.

Phone Specs
Model:	814T
Carrier:	Softbank
Maker:	Toshiba
Bands:	W-CDMA
Form factor:	Clamshell
Color variations:	light silver, titanium silver, rose pink, navy, brown
Weight:	97g
Dimensions:	50X101X14mm
Main display:	2.4 inches, QVGA, 240X320
Talk time:	160 minutes
Battery type:	N/A
Platform / OS:	N/A
Memory:	14MB
Memory card slot:	microSD
GPS / Location:	N/A
Bluetooth:	No
Infrared:	Yes
USB:	N/A
Wi-Fi:	No
Camera:	2MP
Video calling:	Yes
One-seg TV:	No
Music player:	Yes
Web browser:	browser
FM radio:	Yes
Mobile Wallet:	N/A
QR-code:	N/A
Biometrics:	Face recognition

20-to-1: Japan's mobile vs. PC music downloads

Commenting on Apple-Softbank iTunes phone Business Week provides data that Japan's music downloads onto mobile handsets outstrip PC downloads at a 20-to-1 proportion. While there is a huge gap between mobile and PC music downloads, overall the mobile music downloads represent a small chunk of Japan's total music market:

Sales of digital music for cell phones accounted for around 5% of Japan's $4 billion music market last year, according to the Recording Industry Association of Japan. "There's a lot more room for growth in digital music downloads for cell phones," says Ichiro Michikoshi of BCN, a tech market research firm in Japan.

Business Week also says that iPod held a 51.9% music player market share in Japan as of April 2006, followed by Sony (15.2%) and Panasonic (7.1%) who also produce music phones. The move into the handset turf by Apple will seriously deteriorate the handset makers' attempts to grab a market share from Apple, while at the same time will provide Apple with the bargaining power to get much-desired contracts with domestic top labels.

On a carrier's side, the Apple-Softbank phone could provide a boost to Softbank-Vodafone's mobile music service, which is far behind the rivals. For example, KDDI au started offering its full song download service in 2004:

As of mid-January, AU had sold 5.9 million music-playing phones to customers who have bought more than 300 million tunes over the carrier's wireless network. Its LISMO and DuoMusic services let subscribers mix their collection of songs downloaded to cell phones and PCs. One of its handsets, made by Toshiba, has a 4-GB hard disk drive that stores 2,000 songs.

Toshiba’s 4GB handset hard drive peeked (pics)

In February, Toshiba introduced the W41T, the first handset with a built-in hard drive. Made for KDDI this CDMA EV-DO handset spots a 0.85-inch hard drive capable of storing 4GB of data. The release of Japan’s first hard drive handset generated a lot of hype, so that IT Media website decided to peek inside the W41T to see how the hard drive is accommodated in the limited environment of a handset. See detailed pictures at IT Media.

Vodafone probes Japan's market with 2G phone

Believe it or not, but they still release 2G phones in Japan. This time, Vodafone together with Toshiba presented the V502T model, first phone from Vodafone's spring line-up. Retailed at 12,090 yen ($103), the V502T spots a 2.4 inch QVGA display and has only 20mm in width.

The phone is being targeted at first-time users that require a user-friendly interface and a simple operation. To meet these requirements Vodafone incorporated into the phone a ‘Simple Mode 3’ feature. According to Vodafone,

"Simple Mode 3 displays frequently used functions such as voice call, mail and camera in large fonts, making the V502T easy-to-use for both beginners and mature customers. It is also equipped with ‘Limit Mode’, which lets customers control when calls are made, usage volumes and outgoing or incoming numbers to prevent overuse, making the V502T suitable for children."

Here are some additional specs of this phone:

• Size: 51mm x 103mm x 20mm
• Weigth: 119g
• Talk time: 120 minutes
• Stand by time: 380 hours
• 1.3MP camera
• Extension slot: miniSD
• Applications: V Appli ver.2 (256Kb)/ QR-code scanner/ Chaku Uta

Vodafone's V502T product page

Vodafone and Toshiba teamed up to market 3G handsets

The world's largest cellular operator Vadafone announced that it had agreed a strategic partnerships with Toshiba to market a range of handsets in Europe, Australia and Japan, according to The Financial Times.

Initially, they will start with the shipping of TS 921 3G handset in Europe, also known as V903T in Japan.

For Toshiba it will be an opportunity to break out of its domestic market, which accounts for 40m handset sales a year, and enter the European market, which is more than three times larger than Japan, with 148m phones sold every year.

The TS 921 is Toshiba's first 3G handset based on UMTS standard. The group currently has a 10% market share in Japan, where it is hamstrung by not having a relationship with NTT DoCoMo, the dominant mobile phone operator.

Japanese mobile handset makers are desperate to enter the global mobile phone market, because their domestic market witnesses a decline in sales. Now, with a global spread of 3G standards, they have this chance. They will learn from Toshiba's attempt how to export their products to the West as they need to address many factors, including localization of their handsets.

Vodafone will ship the V903T 3G handset in Japan in April this year. The handset features USB connectivity, Bluetooth, PC Link, IrDA, Video output, QR Code reading, etc.

Vodafone highlights the following main features of the Vodafone 903T:

• Active Turn Style design for enjoying a variety of viewing styles in different situations
• Auto focus 1.92 megapixel mobile camera
• Twin stereo speakers for greater enjoyment when listening to long version Chaku-Uta musicdownloads and ringtones
• Fully supports Vodafone 3G services
• International roaming support for seamless voice, mail, web and video call services