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By the numbers, the KDDI Walkman Xmini phone is nothing special. Well, except for a few of the numbers: at 44mm wide and 18mm thick, the 1.8in screen phone is absolutely minuscule.
Proving again that Japan has the prettiest phones in the world, au by KDDI has released its Fall and Winter lines, showing off eight new models with emphases on super bright and big Organic EL screens, multimedia "au BOX" connectivity, and a funky mobile personal trainer and calorie counter called "Karada Manager." While we will probably never see these gadgets States-side, I can't stop myself from obsessing over them. Perhaps I've got a case of unrequited mobile love.
As though the flood of WTF-type phone concepts weren't enough, KDDI revealed a proof of concept for a wireless, colour, e-paper display they have in the works. The idea is that a mobile phone would be used to broadcast a signal to the display via infrared. The 13.1-inch display can display up to 4,096 colours and refresh the onscreen image in 12 seconds. KDDI says the display is intended for the finance and insurance industries, where the need to view A4-sized documents are apparently key. [Tech-On]
The term "word's first" gets thrown around a lot with gadget releases, but with kooky creative phone maker KDDI behind the project, I'm a lot less skeptical about the claim that they have developed the first 3D mobile phone screen. You can't get the full effect from the images here, but it appears that this prototype 3.1-inch 480 x 800 WVGA LCD utilises the "parallax barrier method" that divides images or video separately for the right and left eye. Naturally, no timetable for a release has been revealed. [IT Media via Mobile Mentalism]
KDDI announced a new prototype phone that uses six different types of sensors to see its surroundings, including other people and objects within proximity. According to Tech Radar, KDDI was hush hush about the specifics, but did reveal the sensors include GPS and multiple types of accelerometers and geomagnetic technology — which are then used to render the environment in OpenGL. Its also able to detect how many calories one has burned via walking or running, even using the microphone (?) in the process. No demo was offered, but I'll be waiting to hear how this really works. [Tech Radar]
Japan mobile phone carrier KDDI has a knack for turning out handsets that belong in museums. Past hit designs like the INFOBAR, talby, neon and MEDIA SKIN made into the permanent collection at the MoMa in New York. The trendy telecom showed off some of its concepts at CEATEC outside Tokyo, showcasing the talents of Hideo Kambara, a designer from Hiroshima who also made into the MoMa with his Kadokeshi eraser that has 28 corners. Kambara's PLY phones are inspired by songs, novels, numbers and symbols. PLY means "lamination layers," according to KDDI, and the whimsical handsets in the series include concepts like a mobile projector, a printer, a game controller, tissue dispenser, and a mint tablet dispenser. The other concept phones from KDDI include models resembling jewel boxes and satellites, and are apparently equipped with mini solar panels. Just in case civilization fails, there's always the sun.
Yamaha and KDDI put together a group of concept mobile phones with musical themes, including a trumpet, guitar, DJ scratch pad, and drums. [MobileMentalism and AkihabaraNews]
The KDDI AU Design Project bunch over in Japan have stumped up with this latest concept phone for music mobile phones of the future. And it blends two things we like a Giz: funky mobile phone tech and Transformers. In fact Box To Play is less "robot in disguise," and more "hi-fi in disguise" because when it's a phone, it's a normal phone—keypad, camera and such—but when it transforms it's its own speaker system with a graphical visualiser around its faces. Neat, and exactly the sort of innovative design I'd like to see in future phones. Check out the movie of the concept in action at the KDDI link. [KDDI AU]
This phone, inspired by the multiple layers of wooden sandwich in plywood, is of multiple slider design. Inside, and separated by tabs, are a printer, projector, gamepad and sliding downward, a dialpad. It's as cool as it is impossible to build, and so KDDI labs should feel proud for making an imaginary device with so much character. [KDDI via Cscout]
Evolution Robotics ViPR visual search technology is coming to the iPhone this June. ViPR allows you to take a photo of any movie, CD or book, send it to a server, and automagically get an email back loaded with information and links pointing to YouTube videos or iTunes Music Store links. It will also be deployed in Japan on KDDI's au camera phones this Spring. As you will see in the iPhone demo after the jump, it works incredibly well, even when the object is partially occluded:
