WirelessBR

5. What does the screen look like?

I-mode displays are somewhat larger than regular cell phones. Some models are monochrome while others display gray scale or 256 colors. Most models can show small animations (animated GIFs). The size ranges from the smallest screen with 96 x 108 pixels (D501i) to the largest one with 120 x 130 pixels (N502i). This corresponds to anywhere from six to ten lines of text, at 16 to 20 characters per line.

6. Why do English sites look so strange on i-mode?

Because i-mode was designed for use in Japan, i-mode phones and their built-in microbrowsers are made to display Japanese text, which doesn't require spaces between words. Desktop web browsers like Netscape Communicator and Internet Explorer automatically insert line breaks between words when they run onto the next line. However, on i-mode phones, text written in the roman alphabet (such as English and most European languages) gets split when the number of characters on the line is wider than the screen, even if it is in the middle of a word..

7. Can I read my regular email on i-mode?

Yes, you can read your regular POP3 email on i-mode. The easiest way is to set your regular POP account to forward your email to your i-mode email address that consists of your mobile phone number followed by @docomo.ne.jp (Example: 09074065370@docomo.ne.jp) if you haven't changed it to something like "yourname@docomo.ne.jp".

If your POP3 mail provider doesn't allow you to automatically forward all your mail to another address, or if you prefer to access your POP3 mail only from time to time on your i-mode phone, you can alternatively use a POP3 Mail Gateway service like Netvillage's "RemoteMail" that allows you to remotely access your POP3 mails from your i-mode phone. For a detailed how-to description, please refer to this article: "How to read your Mail from your i-mode phone".

8. How big can an i-mode email message be?

Using an i-mode phone, you can send and receive email messages with up to 250 (double-byte) Japanese characters or 500 Latin characters in the body of your message, including spaces (total allowed size: 500 bytes). If an email message is bigger then that, all text after the first 250 characters will be cut off without warning and cannot be read.

9. What happens on i-mode if I send email with an attached file from a regular computer?

If you try to send email with an attached file (e.g. an image or a text file) to an i-mode phone, the attachment will be deleted by DoCoMo before the message is delivered to the receiver, with a remark at the top in Japanese that says the attachment has been deleted.

So, if you would like to send an image to an i-mode phone - e.g. to use it as a phone display wallpaper - you will have to upload the image first on to a webserver and then email the URL for that image instead of the image itself. When the phone user sees the URL in her email and clicks on it, the phone will connect to the URL and display the image or website.

Please note though that i-mode phones only support GIF images, and cannot display JPEG or PNG images.  

10. Is it possible to access my i-mode e-mails (e.g. my_name@docomo.ne.jp) from a computer or other device?

No, not at this time.  

11. Are there any i-mode phones with an English-language user interface? Where can I find English-language instructions for using my i-mode phone?

Some i-mode phones come with a short English summary at the end of their instruction manual with but most provide only a basic introduction. The N209i (http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/i/lineup/n209i/n209i.html) (J) has a bilingual menu, except for the list of Japanese language sites and the "options" setting page. It also comes optionally with an English-language manual. 

The NM502i i-mode phone from Nokia (http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/i/lineup/nm502i/nm502i.html) (J) is fully bilingual and also comes with an English-language manual.

12. How fast is i-mode?

I-mode phones transmit data at a speed of 9600 bps. Although this sounds slow compared to ordinary 56kps computer modems, it is actually quite satisfactory for i-mode, since each email is limited to only 500 bytes and most i-modes sites are relatively lightweight (i.e., made up mostly of text data with very few graphics, averaging about 1.2K in size). Downloading email and i-mode pages usually takes only a few seconds.

13. I am coming to Japan (for a brief visit) and I want to buy or rent an i-mode phone. What are the requirements?

Short answer:

• A Japanese visa which is valid for more than 90 days from the day of the phone purchase
• Your Alien Registration Card
• Your passport

Longer answer:

Purchasing an i-mode phone is easy provided you have an alien registration card and a visa valid for more then 90 days. That means that you can't get an NTT DoCoMo cell phone as long as you are just a tourist on a brief stay, even if you register yourself at your local ward office and have an alien registration card.

NTT DoCoMo will also not sell an i-mode to you without registering you as a customer, which means you cannot just buy one as a souvenir.

Basically, you need a working visa or a student/spouse visa in order to get an i-mode phone.

To get a cdmaOne phone (WAP) is not that limited by the way. If you agree to pay with your credit card, you don't need to have the alien card and can sign up as a tourist as well with DDI and IDO.

To get prepaid phones is the easiest way of course (you don't have to sign any contract and you pay in advance), but there are no i-mode or WAP prepaid phones on the market so far. The prepaid phones you can get offer just plain phone functionality: making and receiving calls.

14. Where can I see commercials for i-mode and i-mode phones?

NTT DoCoMO is offering some i-mode commercials for download at their website (J).

Copyright by NTT DoCoMo

Please note that you will need a Quicktime Movieplayer version 2.5 or higher in order to view these short movies.

15. What i-mode phone models are available?

NTT DoCoMo is currently offering the following handsets with i-mode support. Here is an example:

16. What accessories are available?

Mobile phone accessories like phone straps, flashing antennae and mascots are extremly popular in Japan. You can buy a huge variety of phone related accessories and items at almost any electronics shop in Tokyo.

(c) 1998 K.F.S.Inc.

Some illustrated examples of cell phone accessories are shown here: http://k-tai.impress.co.jp/column/strap/ (J).

17. What are the most popular i-mode sites?

The most popular i-mode sites are by far entertainment-related sites where you can download character images and ringing tones, play games, read your horoscope and find dating services. Other popular services include weather information and news-related sites.

18. How much does i-mode cost and how are charges measured?

Your bill will depend on how much you use i-mode on your phone, and whether you choose to sign up for any fee-based i-mode content services.

There is a basic fee of 300 yen per month to access i-mode service. When you actually use i-mode to surf websites and send or receive email, you are charged 0.3 yen per packet (128 bytes) of transferred data (sent as well as received). According to NTT DoCoMo, the average total bill for i-mode data transmission is about US$13 per month.

Additionally some i-mode services charge a monthly fee - usually 100 to 300 yen per month. When you sign up for a fee-based service, you will be informed of the monthly fee before you are charged.

Your monthly bill will combine the costs of your phone calls, packet data transmission fees, and any monthly fee-based services you've signed up for.

19. Is i-mode related to WAP? How are i-mode sites made?

I-mode service is not based on WAP (Wireless Application Protocol). I-mode uses a simplified version of HTML, Compact HTML (cHTML) instead of WAP's Wireless Markup Language (WML).

20. Where can I find more technical information about i-mode?

The Mobile Media Japan has daily news reports and links to other articles and technical resources. They also have an i-mode FAQ for developers.

Transcriçao de matérias publicadas na WEB

ALLNETDVICES : Section 12 - i-Mode (http://allnetdevices.com/faq/?cat=12)

Why is there an i-Mode section in this WAP FAQ

Origem: http://allnetdevices.com/faq/?pair=12.001

It's true that iMode has very little to do with WAP on the technical side, but many of you developers will come almost certainly in contact with I-Mode, and there's really not that much information available on the subject. At least not yet. iMode is getting established in Asia, and will most likely catch on in Europe as well. Further, there is talk about future WAP versions incorporating iMode compatibility. Better be prepared.

And even if you should never come in contact with iMode, it doesn't hurt to put some more nice technical information into that thing between your ears :-)

i-Mode Emulator

Origem : http://allnetdevices.com/faq/?pair=12.003

At present I only know of one iMode emulator and it is in Japanese. How NTT DoCoMo are planning to take over the world with an iMode emulator that only supports Japanese, is beyond me. Still, it is possible to use for us with a Latin alphabet.

The emulator runs in the Windows9x environment, and requires the Visual Basic Runtime SP3 extras. To get the iMode emulator up and running you first need to download the emulator itself, and although I do not usually host software not written by me on this site for copyright reasons, I've made an exception this time. First of all it was impossible for me to read any copyright notes in the application because of the Japanese language, and further I had problems downloading the archives from the locations I was given. PLEASE let me know if I am violating any software piracy laws by doing this, and the archives will quickly be removed from this site.

As I was saying, you need to download the emulator itself, and that can be found on this site at http://allnetdevices.com/faq/extras/imode_sim.zip. Then you need the Visual Basic Runtime extras which can be found at http://allnetdevices.com/faq/extras/vbrt63_3.exe.

First unpack the imode_sim.zip archive to a directory of your choice. Then unpack the vbrt63_3.exe file (self-extract) to the same directory. Then run SETUP.EXE found in the same directory. You'll now start to notice the strange characters that your Windows cannot render. Just click straight through the installer. Finally lanuch the emulator by running I-Tool.exe. If someone that can read Japanese could fill out the blanks, I would appreciate it very very much!

What is i-Mode and where I can find more about it?

Origem : http://allnetdevices.com/faq/?pair=12.002

This I-Mode section will eventually hold links and information about I-Mode that will cover most of the subject, but in the meantime you can find out more about I-Mode from these sites.

The creators of iMode, NTT DoCoMo

Quick iMode at-a-glance http://www.nttdocomo.com/source/i_mode.htm

More coming shortly...

How is i-Mode different from WAP

Origem : http://allnetdevices.com/faq/?pair=12.004

The difference between iMode and WAP is first of all that iMode uses another markup language. For WAP, the markup language is WML (Wireless Markup Language) while iMode uses CHTML (Compact HTML). Not to be confused with "Chunks of HTML", a phrase related to generating dynamic HTML content.

Compact HTML has an advantage over WML in that a large majority of WML developers come from the "web" world where they are used to HTML. Compact HTML is a subset of HTML 2.0, 3.2 and 4.0. However, the future of internet content serving is XML, and from XML the step to WML is hardly noticable. It's much more noticable with Compact HTML or HTML.

iMode with its markup language similar to HTML is NOT the WAP killer the media has been waiting for. To be honest both technologies are in their infancy, and would do well to learn from eachother.

You can read a lot more about Compact HTML here.

iMode browsers support images in the GIF format. This is likely to change as the rest of the "web" world is turning away from the format due to patent problems.

Compact HTML does not support the following

• JPEG images
• Tables
• Image maps
• Multiple character fonts and styles
• Background image
• Frames
• Style sheets
• <INPUT> buffers larger than 512 bytes
• <SELECT> buffers larger than 4096 bytes

iMode also has a very different set of protocols, but reliable information on this is not yet available. I'd rather not base this on rumours. Stay tuned.

How does Compact HTML (CHTML) work?

Origem : http://allnetdevices.com/faq/?pair=12.005

Compact HTML, or CHTML is the markup language of iMode and is a subset of HTML 2.0, 3.2 and 4.0. This is not meant as a reference guide to Compact HTML, but simply shows which tags are available and how to use them.

Strangely enough, the MIME content type for Compact HTML is the same as for HTML, text/html.

All current iMode browser version will read all HTML 1.0 tags. The 520i series iMode browsers will in addition read HTML 2.0 specific tags. In addition, the browser supports the following tags. Since some tags are supported on some iMode browsers, and others not, you should attempt to detect which browser version that is being used. The procedure is explained here.

For the current authoritative source on what Compact HTML contains, read the Compact HTML for Small Information Appliances available at W3C.

In addition to most HTML 1.0/2.0 tags, note the following differences:

The following additional attributes are supported

How can I tell iMode browsers from other browsers?

Origem : http://allnetdevices.com/faq/?pair=12.006

Just like with WML browsers, you will need to know which browser is being used to display your Compact HTML content to keep compatibility as high as possible. The procedure for WAP devices is explained here. (http://allnetdevices.com/faq/?pair=04.006)

This detection of browsers has to be done on the server side, and the following very simple PHP code will simply show you some details about the browser. From this you will be able to tell if the iMode browser can display HTML 1.0 or HTML 2.0 with iMode extensions, and so on.

<? $browserinfo = split("/",$HTTP_USER_AGENT,5);
// Split the USER_AGENT string into 5 parts echo
("This is a ".$browserinfo[0]." browser\n");
// Usually says "DoCoMo" echo
("It supports HTML ".$browserinfo[1]."\n");
// Contains the supported HTTP version number echo
("The browser model is ".$browserinfo[2]."\n");
// Contains the browser model echo
("The cache size is currently ".$browserinfo[3]."\n");
// Contains the current cache size in Kilobytes echo
("Remaining information: ".$browserinfo[4]."\n");
// Displays the rest of the USER AGENT string, if any. ?>

In short, the script above takes the HTTP_USER_AGENT string which for an iMode browser looks something like DoCoMo/1.0/F50i for the 501 models, and DoCoMo/2.0/F502i/c10 for the 502 models. The first part of the string says DoCoMo indicating that it is an iMode client. The next part indicates the supported HTML version number. The third part indicates the device model number, such as "F501i" and "F502i".

The fourth part, only available on certain 502 models indicates the current cache size. Like with WAP devices, an iMode device can only accept a certain amount of data in one go. The number is in kilobytes, and the default size is 5KB.

How does i-Mode works?

Origem : http://allnetdevices.com/faq/?pair=12.007

Like WAP, iMode is a way of providing information to mobile devices. iMode is however slightly different from WAP in that it uses cHTML as a markup language, and uses more traditional internet protocols to deliver it. Or rather, less of the new wireless protocols. The content is served using HTTP to a so called iMode center which in a way works like the WAP gateway. One major difference is that this iMode center is under the control of the developers of iMode, NTT DoCoMo. In WAP, gateways are and can be owned by virtually anyone with an internet connection. The iMode center performs protocol conversions which enable the content to be delivered to the phone.

Although there's nothing preventing iMode's "single" gateway structure from handling a large number of users, it creates a sort of monopoly that the US and European markets will most likely not agree to. It is also very likely that this structure will be changed as iMode, like WAP, evolves.

Thanks to Peter Roxburgh (peter.roxburgh@securetrading.com) for the insight.

WMLCLUB

Origem : http://www.wmlclub.com/articulos/imode.htm

• ¿QUE ES EL I-MODE?

• El mundo de Internet móvil en Japón lleva sufriendo una revolución que ha provocado que cerca de 10 millones de japoneses tengan acceso a la red a través de sus teléfonos móviles. La compañía clave que ha llevado esta revolución a cabo es NTT DoCoMo, la operadora de comunicaciones móviles más grande de Japón. Hacia febrero de 1999, esta compañía lanzó el servicio "i-mode" que permitía una conexión continua con Internet a través de los teléfonos móviles y pronto se hizo un espectacular hueco dentro de la industria de Internet móvil.
  

  ¿Como funciona?

  Es básicamente un servicio de información por paquetes. Los ingenieros de DoCoMo idearon una red de paquetes conmutados a lo largo de la existente red digital y celular de la empresa. Con este sistema de informacion "en paquetes", a diferencia de las redes telefónicas de conmutación de circuitos, no es necesario que cada ususario reciba la información a través de un solo canal de radio, lo que tiene como consecuencia que un gran número de gente puede acceder a la información simultáneamente. Además, el modelo en paquetes ayuda a reducir los costes, ya que las tarifas se basan en el volumen de información envíada y recibida.

  Claves:

  • Proveedores oficiales: Actualmente hay existen cerca de 300 proveedores oficiales de contenido que propocionan más de e-mail y chat, juegos, horoscopos online, calendarios y boletines de noticias personalizados. Además se puede acceder a cerca de 5000 web sites con este servicio.
    
    
  • Envio de contenido: El contenido se envía a través de Internet. Es necesario procesar la información para que se pueda leer en las pequeñas pantallas de los teléfonos móviles. I-mode usa un subtexto de HTLM llamado HTML compacto para convertir la información. Al mismo tiempo muchos operadores japoneses están lanzando sites adpatados a i-mode debido a la sencillez de formatear una página web en una adaptada a i-mode.
    
    
  • Servidores i-mode: Los servidores i-mode realizan una division de la información en bases de datos adaptadas al perfil del usuario, lo que permite que estos tengan un más fácil acceso a la información. Estos servidores realizan tambien la facturación por volumen de información enviada y recibida. Igualmente, debido a la característica de que los proveedores de información pueden "impulsar" el envío de información, los servidores i-mode pueden comprobar que este tipo de información se ajusta al tipo de información a la que está suscrito el usuario, evitando el envío de información desechable.
    
    
  • Redes de conexión: La red de conexión de DoCoMo envía esta información a los teléfonos móviles. Utiliza tecnología compresora para aumentar el volumen de datos transmitidos. El sistema de conmutación de paquetes, hace que se utilice de una manera eficiente la banda ancha.

  ¿Cuales son las razones de su éxito?

Las razones del éxito son, sin duda alguna, variadas. En primer lugar, es el primer servicio que ofrece acceso constante a Internet con la única limitación de la duración de la batería.

Otra gran ventaja para el usuario es el bajo precio de suscripción, unas 500 pts al mes, gracias al cual se consigue una dirección i-mode de email (1,63 ptas por cada e-mail mandado) y sobre todo la ventaja de que solamente se paga por los datos enviados y recibidos y por los servicios añadidos de libre elección que suelen ofrecer los proveedores oficiales.

Estas prestaciones, junto con la cobertura de un 98% del territorio japonés han hecho posible que cerca de 10 millones de japoneses estén suscritos a este servicio. Se calcula que de los 20 millones de usuarios de Internet que hay en Japón, solamente acceden desde los hogares unos 3 o 4 millones. Las suscripciones diarias a este servicio se elevan a más de 20.000 personas.

Una peculiaridad del mismo consiste en que la facturación la realiza el operador que es el que posee los datos del cliente. Los proveedores de contenidos con servicios de pago cobran a partir de la factura emitida por la operadora quedándose ésta el 9% de la cantidad facturada.

Diversas encuestan han puesto de manifiesto que los servicio más utilizados por los usuarios de este servicio son mail "i-mode", banca móvil, horarios de de trenes e información de transporte en general.

Los terminales que soportan este servicio tienen la característica de que tienen un tamaño de pantalla mayor y que tienen visualización en color.

Otro rasgo también ventajoso es la primacía que se da a la comunicación por voz. Es decir, si se recibe una llamada mientras se está navegando se pasa inmediatamente a la llamada. Cuando esta termina, volvemos automáticamente a la pantalla "i-mode" con la conexión a la informacion a la que accedíamos antes de recibir la llamada.

Conocer las claves del éxito del i-mode en Asia es importante porque será muy similar al éxito de la tercera generación. Tenemos un gran referente para tener ideas de futuros negocios.

¿Cuales son sus limitaciones?

El servicio actual tiene una velocidad de transmisión de 9.6 kilobits (kbps) por segundo, algo lento hoy en día, y más aún cuando pensamos en las velocidades de transmisión que permitirán las redes de tercera generación. Además, DoCoMo puede sufrir dura competencia en su propio país, ya que los dos mayores rivales de esta empresa están a punto de introducir su propia red de paquetes con una velocidad prevista de 14.4 kbps. Otra limitación es la descarga de imágenes a dos frames por segundo, mientras que el e-mail está limitado a unos 250 caracteres por mensaje.

¿Como se accede a la información?

• A través de links a diversos servicios incluidos en el portal i-mode de DoCoMo.
• A miles de sites que no aparecen en el portal a través de direcciones www.
  

¿Como se estructura el tráfico de información?

1. 15% transacciones económicas
2. 15% consultas a bases de datos
3. 25% servicios de información
4. 45% entretenimiento
   

¿Que otros servicios ofrece?

Pueden enviar e-mail a ordenadores, PDAs y otros teléfonos celulares i-mode. La dirección de email es simplemente el número de teléfono celular seguido de @docomo.ne.jp. Los email se muestran automáticamente cuando llegan, ya que el servicio i-mode está siempre activo.

¿Cual es la relacion entre WAP e i-mode?

I-Mode utiliza HTML compacto, por lo que no hay compatibilidad entre los dos formatos. EL contenido i-mode puede crearse simplemente modificando de una manera parcial el contenido existente en formato HTML, lo que supone toda una ventaja. Sin embargo, hay que tener en cuenta que i-mode es a la vez una marca y un servicio, pero no una tecnología, por lo que el protocolo wap podrá soportar -no tiene porqué desplazar- este servicio ofrecido por DoCoMo. De hecho, esta empresa va a hacer una propuesta firme al WAP Forum para que las especificaciones de i-mode formen parte de las especificaciones WAP.

Introduction to i-Mode

Chances are, if you're living in the Eastern Hemisphere you're already familiar with i-Mode. But for most Westerners, i-Mode is something of an enigma. We've heard about it, but the truth is most of us really don't understand it (admit it). So what is i-Mode? Is it available to us in the western world? We'll get to all that in a moment. First, lets look to the Rising Sun and see where all this i-Mode stuff came from.

What is i-Mode and how'd it all start?

In 1999, NTT DoCoMo, Japan's leading cellular phone operator, launched a service called i-Mode. i-Mode (which stands for information-mode) is a mobile phone service which offers continuous Internet access. i-Mode is similar to WAP (WAP is another technology which has a scope of offering Internet access worldwide).

The reason DoCoMo decided to go with i-Mode instead of waiting for WAP is simple. The Japanese were ready to access the Internet through their mobile phones. They didn't want to have to wait for WAP to provide them with wireless data services they needed.

Consider that last year, NTT DoCoMo had 21 million subscribers and products that were preparing for the coming of W-CDMA (a technology that allows for the high-speed transmission of video and large-volume data). The Japanese - who make up the world's second-largest mobile phone market - were ready to access the Internet through their mobile phones. Thus, DoCoMo created i-Mode, along with a network of partners who offered specially formatted websites to fit into the small screen on the mobile handset.

NTT DoCoMo's decision to forego WAP for i-Mode was a completely practical solution. And with 10 million new subscriptions predicted for the service within the next three years, the decision was obviously the right one.

• What does an i-Mode enabled phone look like?

  An i-Mode enabled cellular phone is similar to in appearance to most cellular phone models. One feature in particular is a four-point command navigation button at the center of the phone. This allows the user to control the pointer on the display, as well as connect to the i-Mode service by pressing a single button.

  There are several companies that manufacture i-Mode cellular phones, including Panasonic, Nokia, Ericsson, and Sony (these models are only available within the Asia Pacific - see Figure 1a). However, NTT DoCoMo's models are the most popular within the industry.

  Figure 1a. Nokia's i-Mode enabled phone
  
                    

  How does the i-Mode network service work?

  The i-Mode service uses an additional packet communication network that is built onto DoCoMo's main network. This packet data transmission technology allows for constant connectivity. Thus, users are not charged for how long they are online, since this time is unlimited. Rather, users are charged only for how much information they retrieve.

  With that said, there are essentially four main components that are required for the i-Mode service. They are as follows:

  • A cellular phone capable of voice and packet communication and with a browser installed
    
  • A packet network
    
  • An i-mode server
    
  • Information providers

  Unfortunately, the i-Mode service is currently available in Japan and Hong Kong only. However, there are plans in the works to bring i-Mode to parts of Europe in the near future. It is unknown at the moment if i-Mode will make it to the United States.

  
  How does an i-Mode-enabled phone connect to a wireless network?

  Typically, networks utilize two types of computers - servers and clients. Servers are the computers that hold information. Clients are the computers that we view the information from.

  The way the Internet works is that servers hold our web pages. We then view these web pages from our PCs (the clients). In the case of the i-Mode Internet, an Internet server contains the i-Mode web pages. But now, instead of viewing the pages from a PC, we are using a cellular i-Mode phone. These phones are now the clients.

  There are two other factors involved in connecting a to a wireless network. In order to connect a cellular network to a server, a gateway must exist. Also, the web site must be in an i-Mode format.

  
  What is a gateway?

  A gateway translates wireless requests from a mobile phone to the server. It also sends information from a gateway back to the mobile phone. NTT DoCoMo provides a gateway to their users; however, this is only available to those in Japan.

  There are other gateways on the market that allow users outside of Japan to build new mobile Internet services based on cHTML. One of the new gateways to hit the market is the m-WorldGate. This is the world's first commercially available cHTML gateway. m-WorldGate was developed by Logica.

  
  What is an i-Mode enabled site?

  Web pages today are often written in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), which is too complex for mobile phones because of their slower connection speeds. An i-Mode enabled web sites utilizes pages that are written in cHTML (Compact Hypertext Markup Language), which is a subset of HTML designed for devices with slower connection speeds.

  Today, the i-Mode service boasts 500+ i-Mode enabled websites linked to a portal page, as well as 12,000+ "unofficial" web pages created by private individuals.
  What is cHTML like?

  cHTML is extremely similar to HTML - in fact, it is HTML. The only difference is that some of the more resource intensive areas of the code (such as tables and frames) have been taken out. Mobile devices have a slower connectivity speed. Thus, by eliminating some of the more involved portions of the code, cHTML allows i-Mode web pages to download more quickly to mobile devices.

  The World Wide Web Consortium (www.w3.org) contains a complete listing of the cHTML tags available to developers. Also, you can visit the NTT DoCoMo site at www.nttdocomo/ser2.htm for an outline of cHTML tags available to developers.

  
  What do i-Mode enabled web sites look like?

  Most i-Mode phones today utilize a micro-browser. These usually have a title bar with icons at the top of an LCD screen. These icons then allow users to access various services such as weather forecasts, transportation schedules, data searches, and news updates. Below this title bar is a text screen that displays text messages and data (Figure 1b).

  One micro-browser in particular is Compact NetFront, developed by the Japanese company Access. Compact NetFront is used as the micro-HTML browser for about 75% of all i-Mode enabled devices. Information on Access's Compact NetFront can be found at www.access.co.jp/english/product/proline/c_nf.htm.

  Figure 1b. Compact NetFront Micro-browser
  
  
  How do I develop an i-Mode application?

  The criteria for creating an i-Mode application or an i-Mode web page are essentially the same as creating web apps and web pages with HTML. You must develop in the cHTML language, and then load the page to an Internet web server utilizing FTP or some other transfer method.

  Currently, the cHTML language does not support scripting language (this being a major obstacle for developers). However, NTT DoCoMo and Sun Microsystems have announced an alliance recently. There are plans to incorporate Java, Jini, and Java Card technologies into i-Mode cellular phones. The first wave of these phones is expected to hit the market around the end of 2000.

  
  Where can I find out more information about i-Mode?

  Finding information about i-Mode can be a challenge here in the western world (a lot of the information isn't available in English). Do check out NTT DoCoMo's site at www.nttdocomo.com for great information about the latest developments with i-Mode and the company that is making it possible. Also, you can look to our site for the most current information and news regarding i-Mode and its place in the wireless industry as a whole.

DoCoMo e HP trabalharão na quarta geração de celulares

Terça-feira, 19 de dezembro de 2000 - 19h59 

Pelo acordo, as companhias trabalharão com serviços interativos como os de comércio eletrônico. Os celulares de quarta geração devem oferecer multimídia com alta performance e qualidade. Também terão aplicações de identificação do usuário, funcionando como uma carteira de identidade eletrônica. 

"Basicamente os celulares 4G serão mais rápidos e sofisticados que os 3G", afirmou o porta-voz da DoCoMo. 

Os celulares de terceira geração, com transmissão mais rápida, vídeo e som com qualidade de CD, têm lançamento programado para o mês de maio no Japão. A DoCoMo também está preparando o lançamento em outros países. 

Já os celulares 4G poderão inclusive apontar a localização exata dos usuários, usando a tecnologia do sistema de posicionamento global (GPS). 

Em novembro, o sistema de telefones i-mode da DoCoMo alcançou 15,4 milhões de usuários. O sistema usa tecnologia de pacotes, que permite que o usuário receba de uma vez um grupo grande de informações, podendo navegar posteriormente, sem a necessidade de estar com a conexão ativada.

From CNET     http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-5403188.html?tag=lh   

There are growing signs that Japanese phone giant NTT DoCoMo is encountering problems, including an expected spectrum and bandwidth shortage, with the third-generation phone service it plans to launch in less than two months.

Its chief executive, however, remains confident the company will still offer the world's first 3G network, the next generation of phone service that can deliver voice and data to a cellular phone on a network capable of broadband speeds.

Most of the supposed problems, documented in government filings, involve delivering third-generation services to Tokyo, a densely populated area. Millions using the same system could strain it to the breaking point, especially because of the huge files that third-generation networks are supposed to shuttle to customers. That has ramifications for other carriers, which are expected to offer third-generation services in cities that also have huge populations in relatively small areas, such as Paris, Los Angeles or New York.

A bandwidth shortage could potentially impact NTT DoCoMo's plans with AT&T Wireless in the United States, since AT&T is counting on its new partner to help it develop its own 3G network. Though no dates have been given on when the joint work would be ready for consumers, a setback in DoCoMo's home territory may push its expansion plans to territories such as the United States back as well.

"Generally, we're starting to see the inevitable transition from tech hype to what third-generation networking is really going to mean," Jupiter Research analyst Joe Laszlo said. "Carriers will have to retrench their expectations as to what they can offer for 3G."

NTT DoCoMo's problems also affect companies building applications for third-generation networks, Laszlo said. PacketVideo, which has received more than $100 million in financing, Emblaze Systems and SolidStreaming are constructing video-streaming applications for wireless devices. They may have to rethink their products, Laszlo said.

In recent weeks, NTT DoCoMo executives have acknowledged possible problems.

DoCoMo has applied to a Japanese government agency for additional spectrum to run its network. One of its own executives, Kyoji Murakami, a senior manager, explained that without the additional spectrum, DoCoMo thinks that its network will likely run out of room to deliver the data-heavy video and audio files in less than five years.

DoCoMo had expected to run its network on a bandwidth of 20MHz, with a quarter of the bandwidth being used to run earlier-generation phone services that will still be offered. Murakami believes the 15MHz won't be enough to run the 3G system in about five years, he said.

While the company is expecting the rich media files like video to take up more bandwidth than expected, it won't really know the extent until it actually launches the service, Murakami said.

Also, in its submissions to a Singapore government agency that is now auctioning off third-generation spectrum, DoCoMo competitor British Telecom said that initial testing by NTT DoCoMo is "finding (the network) unsuitable for carrying large video or sound clips, one of the services which could provide important new revenue streams for 3G operators."

An NTT DoCoMo spokesman declined to comment on the BT report. A spokesman for British Telecom said the company couldn't comment on where it got its information because it's in a quiet period prior to an initial public offering.

The admissions by NTT executives and government filings are in stark contrast to the other supposed problems the Japanese provider has had.

"The rumor mill hasn't been kind to NTT DoCoMo," Gartner's Brian Prohm said.

From   http://www.mcommercetimes.com/Technology/82