NTT DoCoMo

If you are living in Europe or Japan and ready for the next fashionable handset from LG, prepare yourself for the launch of the KF300, also known as the LG Wine.  With triband GSM/GPRS/EDGE support and dual displays, this flip phone delivers a decent set of features in an ultra thin form factor.  The exterior screen measures 1.3 inches and 128 x 160 pixels while the interior screen is 2.2 inches and QVGA resolution.  AS you might have expected, the LG Wine will be sold as the FOMA L706ie in Japan under NTT DoCoMo while KT Freetel will sell the phone in September in South Korea.

Details on the European launch are scarce, but we expect to see the device hit retail channels sometime in August.  The big question is whether or not a 2.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, 10MB of internal memory and a microSD slot will be enough to sway buyers in the most advanced cellular markets.  While we are sure the LG Wine | KF3000 | FOMA L706ie would do well in the US as a stylish handset for T-mobile USA, Europe and Japan are the dominant forces in cellular technology and the slow rollout might have hurt the success of the device.

While the BlackBerry 8700 series is on its way out in the US, Japanese customers using NTT DoCoMo will just begin their journey with RIM and the 8707h this August.  Starting in August, NTT DoCoMo will launch BlackBerry Internet Services in Japan, but the service will only be available for the BlackBerry 8707h to start.  At a montly cost of $28.50 USD (3,045 yen) in addition to regular monthly fees, the success of the BlackBerry lineup in the Japanese consumer market will have its first real test next month.

The BlackBerry 8707h, complete with a full QWERTY keyboard, is a quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) phone, but unlike the US version it includes WCDMA (2100MHz) connectivity.  This means that the BlackBerry Bold will not be the first high-speed GSM 3G device for Japan.  Along with a QVGA display and the handy thumbwheel we learned to love before being subjected to the rolling ball, the BlackBerry 8707h is a solid performer despite being available for over a year in Japan.

Full Press Release:

TOKYO, JAPAN and WATERLOO, ON — June 7, 2007 — NTT DoCoMo, Inc. (DoCoMo) and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced Japanese-language support for the BlackBerry 8707h smartphone, which is available in Japan via DoCoMo.

The addition of Japanese-language support for the BlackBerry 8707h will help satisfy customers who are interested in deploying BlackBerry smartphone in Japanese-language environments. Customers will be able to compose and read Japanese e-mails, browse Japanese websites and input Japanese text for personal information management (PIM) applications. A Japanese user interface will also be available.

The launch of Japanese-language support will also include the localization of BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry Desktop Manager. BlackBerry Enterprise Server software tightly integrates with IBM Lotus Domino , Microsoft Exchange, and enables secure, push-based wireless access to e-mail and other corporate data, while BlackBerry Desktop Manager enables data synchronization between a BlackBerry smartphone and PC.

The localized BlackBerry software is expected to be available beginning this summer and will be pre-loaded on the BlackBerry 8707h.

DoCoMo will accept advance orders of the BlackBerry 8707h with Japanese-language support beginning June 11, 2007. Details are available at the NTT DoCoMo Business Online corporate sales site www.docomo.biz (Japanese only).

About NTT DoCoMo
NTT DoCoMo is the world’s leading mobile communications company. DoCoMo serves more than 52 million customers, including 36 million people subscribing to FOMA, launched as the world’s first 3G mobile service based on W-CDMA in 2001. DoCoMo also offers a wide variety of leading-edge mobile multimedia services, including i-mode, the world’s most popular mobile e-mail/Internet service, used by more than 47 million people. With the addition of credit-card and other e-wallet functions, DoCoMo mobile phones have become highly versatile tools for daily life. NTT DoCoMo is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. For more information, visit www.nttdocomo.com.

About Research In Motion (RIM)
Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including e-mail, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. RIM’s portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.

Don’t let the model number fool you, the L852i is still the same LG Prada KE850 as before, but this time with a new twist: 7.2 HSDPA connectivity (for Japan). The details on the follow up to the very successful LG Prada (Prada 2) are scare and LG seems to be focusing on updating the existing model to stay busy in the meantime. Since Japan happens to be the most advanced cellular market in the world, the LG Prada K852i will be partnered up with NTT DoCoMo in an effort to support the fastest data on the device LG believes is the most advanced of its kind.

As far as the changes go on the LG Prada L852i over the KE850, you will notice that the phone looks unchanged and the 2 megapixel camera, 3-inch 240 x 400 touchscreen display and microSD memory slot are all reamining the same.  The only changes in this unit are the support for 7.2 Mbps HSDPA connectivity and a front facing camera which offers .3 megapixel resolution for video calls.  While LG believes the L852i Prada is revolutionary, we are still considering this recycled, but we will remain envious of the 7.2 Mbps data speeds in Japan until At&t can play catch up.

[source: unwired view]