Mobility

Photos: More phone fun in Japan

By // February 21, 2007, 2:39 AM PST

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  • KDDI, Japan's second-largest mobile-phone operator, has opened its Designing Studio in Tokyo's Harajuku area. Part one of CNET News.com's recent tour of the facility is now live.

    A Sharp LCD TV cell phone is shown here. TV phones get five channels in Tokyo. The service is free, but people have to get a fancy phone (with TV tuners and a good LCD) to watch. KDDI's rival NTT DoCoMo estimates that a million people have TV phones in Japan.

    Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com

  • The Casio GZ One can sit underwater for 30 minutes and survive.

    Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com

  • Several manufacturers have talked about using fuel cells to power phones, but most such devices are still in the experimental stage. Pictured are early prototypes. KDDI hopes to offer a fuel cell phone next year.

    Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com

  • Fuel cells aren't as bulky as they once were. The wedge under this phone is a direct methanol fuel cell.

    Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com

  • Press the button on this GPS-enabled device and it sends a signal to a private security company that will then drive by to help if you are in trouble. The device has been on the market for a few years and service costs 2,000 yen ($18) a month. Parents buy it for their kids.

    Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com

  • KDDI is out with an experimental game called "Check the Harajuku Gao!" Consumers walk into a booth and get their picture taken. A computer then analyzes their face and tries to determine their occupation. When CNET News.com editor at large Michael Kanellos (left) gave it a try, the game said there was a 48 percent chance of him being a Web designer, a 40 percent chance of him being a fashion designer, and a 36 percent chance of him being a bartender. So he has lots of career options.

    Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com

KDDI, Japan's second-largest mobile-phone operator, has opened its Designing Studio in Tokyo's Harajuku area. Part one of CNET News.com's recent tour of the facility is now live.

A Sharp LCD TV cell phone is shown here. TV phones get five channels in Tokyo. The service is free, but people have to get a fancy phone (with TV tuners and a good LCD) to watch. KDDI's rival NTT DoCoMo estimates that a million people have TV phones in Japan.

Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com

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