ntt

LG's Optimus G Pro smartphone will reach consumers in April, at least those in Japan.

Japanese provider NTT DoCoMo announced the news yesterday. A Google-translated version of the company's press release revealed early April as the launch date for the successor to LG's popular Optimus G.

A DoCoMo slideshow page reveals a host of details about the phone, but only for people who can read Japanese. The PDF slideshow is protected, making it impossible to copy and paste the text for translation.

Specs published by Japanese media site Impress Group point to a 5-inch display with a 1,920x1,080 pixel resolution. … Read more

You've probably never heard of Tizen, but the companies behind it are some of the most recognizable brands in the tech industry.

Tizen draws its heritage from the likes of Nokia and Intel through their aborted MeeGo initiative, as well as Samsung Electronics, Verizon Wireless, and Vodaphone through the LiMo Foundation. Now it's under the direct control of Samsung and Intel, two companies steering the development of an operating system that claims to be more open and customizable than Android.

Tizen has come about in some ways as a reaction to the growing dominance and influence of Google'… Read more

Samsung Electronics will be the first to sell a smartphone running on the Tizen operating system through Japanese carrier NTT Docomo and other partners next year, according to Japan's Daily Yomiuri.

Samsung, NTT Docomo, and their partners hope to build a platform that will rival the major operating systems from Apple and Google. Other carriers interested in Tizen include the U.K.'s Vodaphone and France Telecom, according to the report.

CNET has contacted Samsung for comment, and we'll update the story when the company responds.

Tizen is a Linux-based operating system that emerged from the death of … Read more

NTT DoCoMo lost 40,800 subscribers in November, acknowledging that it's due to customer flight to the iPhone 5, according to Japan's Nikkei business daily.

For Japan's largest mobile-phone carrier, it was the first monthly drop in over five years.

NTT DoCoMo made no bones about blaming its shrinking subscriber base on customers opting for the iPhone 5 at rival carriers.

The company does not offer the iPhone, while rivals Softbank and KDDI do. Both of those carriers posted subscriber gains in November, with KDDI showing net gains of 228,800 customers and Softbank adding 301,900, … Read more

NTT DoCoMo has always showcased interesting concepts at trade shows. For example, we saw a breathalyzer in a smartphone and an ultra-high-speed charging jacket at Mobile World Congress earlier this year.

This time, at Ceatec in Japan, NTT DoCoMo has come up with a concept handset that can be operated with one hand simply by gripping it in various ways.

The Grip UI, which is really a combination of hardware (pressure sensors on the back and both sides of the phone) and software, can be applied to activate shortcuts for opening apps or unlocking the phone. … Read more

Japan has some pretty high-tech trains, but bumpy rides are still common. If you're squashed between dozens of commuters and gripping a strap with one hand while holding reading material in the other, turning the page as the speeding carriage lurches to and fro can be downright dangerous.

That's why NTT DoCoMo has developed a prototype tablet that you can control with your eyes. The "i beam" has a gaze-tracking function that frees your other hand so you can hang on to that subway strap, or, for instance, pull a suitcase around if you're walking through an airport. … Read more

You'd think there aren't any Japanese left whose fingers aren't incessantly caressing a smartphone touch screen, but NTT DoCoMo begs to differ.

The giant carrier will launch the Android 4.0 Raku-Raku Smart Phone on August 1, targeting novice touch-screen users, with a display that mimics the feel of old-fashioned buttons.

When a menu item on the screen is touched, it gets highlighted. The user then has to push more firmly to confirm the choice. The handset responds with a click and slight vibration. … Read more

Japanese wireless carrier NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu showed off a sensational prototype device at the 2012 Wireless Japan expo sporting a feature unlike any other on the market today: a transparent dual-sided OLED touch screen smartphone. In other words, science fiction meets reality.

The latest take on the barely there touch screen concept appears slightly more practical than ever before, as one could control the user interface from the front or rear of the phone. For example, one could pull down the notifications bar or select an icon with the unused index finger behind the phone, meaning less finger obstruction over the screen. The prototype shown at the expo featured a 2.4-inch OLED screen (320x240) and used an unidentified version of Android. … Read more

I still see kids in the Tokyo subway actually using payphones (remember those?) to call their parents as they make their way home from school. Telecommunications giant NTT DoCoMo seems to be launching this just-for-junior Android-powered smartphone to convince them to knock it off.

The HW-01D (PDF) comes in yellow, blue, or pink. It's powered by Android, has a 2.0-inch QVGA screen with a 240x320 resolution.

The browser and phone can be restricted to parent-set contacts and sites.

It has a 100-decibel alarm to ward off nasty people, GPS, and can send SMS texts so you can keep … Read more