May 9, 2004
Japan Sees Future in Phones That Give Directions
In a country where quiet efficiency and a frenetic pace manage to coexist, Japanese consumers are discovering the convenience of mobile phones that know where they are and can help you get where you want to go, reports Reuters.
Excerpts:
"Lost in an unfamiliar part of town? Ask your phone how to get home and it will provide step-by-step walking or train directions.
Arranging a dinner party in a restaurant? Send your friends a message with the time and street address, and their phones will direct them to the right place.
They will even tell them whether it's faster to take a train or a taxi, and calculate approximate fares.
Early location-finding services in other parts of the world have failed to lure phone users with the vision of getting a coupon for French fries as they walk past a McDonald's fast-food restaurant. Many consumers were, in fact, unnerved.
Cybird Co. Ltd. (4823.Q) of Japan is trying out services that allow users to download information onto their phones directly from digital television programs by aiming the phone at the television screen and pressing the appropriate button.
The company believes phones with GPS technology could allow users to receive information specific to their location, such as weather forecasts or ads for promotions in local stores.
"A housewife could receive information about her local supermarket's daily discounts over the television instead of waiting for the afternoon newspaper," said Shinji Terada, vice president of strategic planning at Cybird, in an interview. "
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