NTT DoCoMo, KDDI and SoftBank have created the “Japan Mobile NFC Consortium,” which will help the three carriers coordinate and adopt an international NFC standard. Currently, all three operators offer an NFC service dubbed Osaifu-Keitai (wallet phone) which uses a contactless-IC smartcard that’s called FeliCa. Unfortunately, the technology doesn’t work overseas where other carriers use Type A or Type B NFC standards, which means Osaifu-Ketai won’t function properly for NTT DoCoM...

With near field communication technology shaping up to be the number one new feature on handsets and mobile devices starting next year, a Japanese carrier is already planning on releasing limited NFC functionality to the iPhone 4. Softbank is set to debut a NFC sticker or “seal” which will cover almost the entire rear of the device without preventing the use of Apple’s Bumper cases. While the NFC sticker doesn’t appear to interact with the iPhone in any way, it will reportedly allow iP...

In an interview with the Nikkei Business Daily, NTT DoCoMo’s president Ryuji Yamada revealed that Japans’s largest wireless carrier may go SIM-Free in 2011. The move would allow customers to easily switch to and from NTT DoCoMo by merely swapping out a SIM. With its quality network, and soon-to-be unlocked handsets, NTT DoCoMo is hoping to snag customers from rival Softbank which has a slight competitive advantage over its larger rival by being the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in Japan. The N...

8 megapixels? Puh-leeze. While companies like Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG and Nokia continue work on 8 megapixel camera phones, Sharp is kicking things up a notch in the Asian region. Definitely falling into the “phone-camera” category, the AQUOS SHOT 933SH will debut on Japan’s Softbank Mobile at the end of this month with a release in US to follow… Never. While we won’t be seeing the handset on this side of the globe any time soon, we can still drool over the 10 megapixel shoote...

The iPhone 3G might be selling like hotcakes here in the US but it looks like other countries may be a bit reluctant to hand over standard functionality such as MMS and copy/paste in exchange for the smooth touchscreen ride the iPhone affords. According to a press release issued by SoftBank Mobile early this morning, the Japanese carrier is preparing to introduce some unheard-of pricing for the iPhone 3G — free. And you thought $99 was a good deal… Starting Friday and extending though the end of M...

With the way technology and software have been moving, nothing beats open source anything. From open source browsers to operating systems, it seems the trend is going to become the standard very soon. So, the Open Handset Alliance has just announced the addition of 14 new members to its growing community. Powered by the sacred Google-juice, Android seems to be the platform or mobile OS of choice these days, and why wouldn’t it be given its open source goodness? In addition to those already part of the a...