NTT DoCoMo

Eye-Fi Gets $20 Million in Funding, Looks to Mobile Phones for Growth

Lauren Goode in News on February 29 at 11:54 am PT

Eye-Fi, which made its mark with Wi-Fi SD cards for digital cameras, is eyeing the mobile market.

Fujitsu Seeking Way Into Crowded U.S. Smartphone Market

Ina Fried in Mobile on January 12 at 5:00 am PT

In an interview, a top Fujitsu executive says the Japanese computer giant is still figuring out how to make its mark in the States, with an entry planned for later this year or early next year.

Apple’s Ban on Bloatware Bollixes NTT DoCoMo Deal

John Paczkowski in Mobile on November 16, 2011 at 4:20 am PT

Japan’s mobile giant still hopes to carry the iPhone, but only if it can add a few preinstalled apps. That doesn’t fly in Cupertino.

Creepy Japanese Humanoid Cellphone Threatens Mobilized’s Friday Productivity

Ina Fried in Mobile on March 4, 2011 at 9:15 am PT

Researchers in Japan have created the Elfoid–a cell phone with a vaguely human shape and skin-like texture. Read the full story for all the icky details.

Voices

The DoCoMo-Baccarat Phone: Smart in Another Way

Juro Osawa, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on February 7, 2011 at 12:00 am PT

In Japan’s mobile phone market, as in many other countries, Apple Inc.’s iPhone and rival smartphones based on Google Inc.’s Android platform are undoubtedly the hottest commodities right now. Still, Japanese mobile carriers haven’t forgotten about those who are looking for a different kind of style and glamour when choosing new handsets.

Voices

A 3-D Chameleon Strikes Back

Juro Osawa, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on October 8, 2010 at 8:04 am PT

From televisions, video cameras, cellphone displays and videogame consoles, 3-D is spreading into every category. In the near future, it could become a common feature on all kinds of electronic devices. So what’s next?

Voices

DoCoMo Looks to Rescue Long-Distance Relationships

Daisuke Wakabayashi, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on October 5, 2010 at 7:50 am PT

Maintaining a long distance relationship can be tough but modern technology–mobile phones, Skype, instant messaging–has made things a little easier. NTT DoCoMo Inc., Japan’s biggest mobile carrier, thinks it can take things to the next level by helping long-distance couples share “non-verbal” communication.

SoftBank: You Can Have My iPhone Exclusivity Agreement When You Pry It From My Cold, Dead Hands

John Paczkowski in Mobile on July 7, 2010 at 10:22 am PT

SoftBank gained more than a quarter of a million new subscribers in June–largely because of Apple’s iPhone. The company–the iPhone’s exclusive carrier in Japan–said today that it added a net 229,500 subscribers for the month, far more that the country’s biggest provider, NTT DoCoMo, which reported a gain of 164,000.

iPad 3G SIM-locked to Softbank in Japan

John Paczkowski in Mobile on May 10, 2010 at 4:59 am PT

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs first uncrated the iPad in January, he said the 3G version of the device would ship unlocked outside the United States so it could be used with any carrier willing to manufacture a GSM micro-SIM card for it. Today, this no longer appears to be the case–at least in Japan.

NTT DoCoMo Announces BlackBerry Blister

John Paczkowski in News on February 27, 2009 at 8:07 am PT

Troubling reports today from Japan about Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Bold. NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest mobile carrier, has suspended sales of the device after receiving multiple reports that it’s prone to overheating. This just days after the Bold’s debut in Japan.