NTT DoCoMo and NEC have developed a mobile handset that
marries third-generation cellular telephony with wireless
Lan.
The handset is compatible with both W-CDMA (Wideband Code
Division Multiple Access) and the IEEE802.11b wireless Lan standard
and is expected to be launched at the beginning of April, said
Takuya Ori, a spokesman for NTT DoCoMo in Tokyo.
In wireless Lan mode, the telephone supports both data
transmission and, when linked to a corporate IP telephony server,
voice transmission. This enables the telephone to double as both a
regular mobile telephone and, within a company wireless network, as
a cordless handset and data modem.
Compared with NEC's existing W-CDMA handset sold by NTT DoCoMo,
the N2102V, the prototype shares similar styling. At 123g, it
weighs 14g more than the N2102V.
NTT DoCoMo has also begun work on its own implementation of the
Linux operating system for use in mobile telephones.
The end result of the work will be offered to handset makers for
inclusion in future handsets, although the carrier said the final
decision on what operating system resides in each phone lays with
the manufacturer.
The company has yet to look into the intellectual properties
claims that SCO Group is making on Linux users and developers. As
part of its claim that Linux contains its intellectual property,
SCO is demanding licensing fees of $32 per device for embedded
Linux.
"We're looking into the hurdles in bringing Linux into the
mobile platform," said Ori. "We haven't heard about these costs for
the Linux operating system."
Martyn Williams writes for IDG News Service