NTT DoCoMo to roll out 19 new cell phones in Japan

NTT DoCoMo today announced two new cell phone series (906i and 706i), which will be launched in Japan over the next months. The company will offer a total of 19 handsets coming in 64 different body colors.

The 11 models of the 706i series feature extra-slim bodies. The P706iμ, for example, is just 9.8 mm thick (iPhone: 11.6 mm), making it the slimmest handset compatible to One-Seg-TV on the market. The 706i line-up also includes a waterproof model with a built-in One-Seg tuner (F706i) and an easy-to-use cell phone (P706ie). A so-called “Wellness” device (SH706iw), which enables the user to constantly monitor his or her diet and health through DoCoMo’s “healthio”-technology will also be available.

The 8 new models of the flagship 906i series all come with a range of features:

- 3G/GSM international roaming
- enhanced GPS location
- HSDPA
- One-Seg TV tuner
- access to DoCoMo’s Music & Video channel
- upload of videos and photos up to 2 MB
- enhanced e-wallet functions
- DoCoMO’s 2 in 1 service (one phone can have two numbers)
- voice-to-text translation for English, Chinese and Japanese
- new browser including display of Windows Video (except for the F906i) and Flash 8 (except for the P906i)
- “Pocket U” function to remotely access the PC from the cell phone via VPN
- video transfer from Blu-ray recorders to the cell phone via USB

The P906i made by Panasonic will be available in Japan as early as June 1st. The other models of the 906i line-up follow in the same month. DoCoMo will start delivering the 706i series from June/July through September this year. The air for the iPhone is getting thinner in this country.