Dick Tracy Shaped Phone a Hit

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

I saw one of the watches at the last DoCoMo Advisory Board meeting I
attended. It was neat, light and I want one except right now it only works
on Japan PHS wireless not normal cellular.

Dave


------ Forwarded Message
From: TruChaos () aol com
Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 23:35:22 -0400 (EDT)
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Dick Tracy Shaped Phone a Hit

Dick Tracy Shaped Phone a Hit
    
Aiko Hayashi displays NTT DoCoMo's handcuff-like Wristomo, 37,000 yen
($310), 113 gram (4 ounce) wristwatch mobile phone in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Koji
Sasahara) - click to enlarge.
<http://www.rednova.com/news/images/3/2003/07/11/cellphone_15big_wristomo.jp
g>  
    
By YURI KAGEYAMA

It's cool to play Dick Tracy with a watch-shaped phone. But it turns out the
thrill wears off pretty quickly, especially if you like to keep your phone
conversations private.

That's why the $310 Wristomo from Japan's leading mobile carrier, NTT
DoCoMo, snaps off and straightens into a handset to be used more like a
regular cell phone.

The handcuff-like Wristomo, weighing 4 ounces, works fine in its watch form
a la Dick Tracy. And if you choose to use it as a handset, it wraps back
around your wrist with an easy click - a watch again.

The logical question is: If you're going to use it like a cell phone, why
not just use a regular cell phone?

Try telling that to the Japanese.

All 5,000 Wristomo phones have sold out in two months. The device is a hit
with trend-conscious youngsters and nostalgic Baby Boomers. The latter
group, mostly men, is drawn by the Wristomo's angular metallic look, which
was inspired by gadgets worn by the Japanese TV action heroes they grew up
on.

DoCoMo has no plans to offer Wristomo overseas, though Samsung offers a
wrist-phone of its own that is currently available only in South Korea.

One hassle with the Wristomo is writing e-mail and dialing a number, which
involves selecting letters or numbers on a chart that pops up on the
black-and-white watch face, moving the cursor with buttons that are tiny
specks on the armband.

Calling up stored phrases like, "I'm running late," or "Thanks," is
recommended, as is saving frequently used phone numbers to your Wristomo
directory.

Made by Seiko Instruments, Wristomo is meant to be a backup mobile device
for those on-the-go individuals who're determined not to miss a single call
- whether mingling at a noisy party, attending a business meeting, and even
sleeping or taking a shower.

It's waterproof for 24-hour wear. Keep the vibration feature on, and
Wristomo twitches on your arm whenever a call comes in.

To stay relatively small and thin, Wristomo uses the Personal Handyphone
System, a wireless technology used in Japan that requires less energy than
conventional mobile phones.

Making a similar device on more widespread formats will remain difficult
without a major breakthrough in battery life or data transmission, DoCoMo
manager Godo Irukayama said.

In addition to talk, Wristomo offers Net links with simple weather
forecasts, news headlines and train schedules. It also features
location-recognition capabilities and recommends restaurants in your area.

A different kind of wrist appliance is due in the United States this fall.

Microsoft is planning a service that will beam data over a portion of FM
radio spectrum to high-tech watches. Watchmakers Fossil and Suunto are
developing the appliances.



http://www.rednova.com/news/stories/3/2003/07/11/story001.html




------ End of Forwarded Message

-------------------------------------
You are subscribed as interesting-people () lists elistx com
To manage your subscription, go to
  http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip

Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/