Mobility Phones - Mobile Phones

“Japanese handset supplier Kyocera Corp said on Friday it planned to stop using NEC Tokin Corp batteries in the future after some ruptured or caught fire, injuring three people.”

NEC Corporation today announced that NEC Europe, a subsidiary of NEC Corporation, is working with mobile operator Telefonica O2 Europe to deliver the UK’s first live femtocell trial.O2 has begun an initial period of live testing in February. If successful, the trial will be rolled out in greater numbers across the UK in the summer, with the view to a commercial launch by early 2009. NEC is providing O2 with its Femtocell Solution, which includes 3G Femtocell Access Point for direct subscriber use, Femtocell Gateway and Access Point Management and Provisioning System.

The demand for 3G mobile voice and data services is accelerating and up to 70-80% of these services are used indoors, but there remain issues with 3G radio penetrating buildings. Femtocell provides a cost-effective alternative to the macro network to improve the 3G coverage and capacity indoors. A Femtocell is a 3G access point which has been developed as a consumer device for use in buildings. Femtocells provides a low-cost dedicated 3G coverage and capacity indoor, enabling a user with an existing mobile phone to access high quality voice and high-speed data services thus enabling a true ubiquitous high speed mobile broadband experience. The European femtocell market will represent the largest global market, with 16.6 million units per annum in 2012 out of a total shipment volume of 36 million units and a market valuation of US$4.2billion, according to ABI Research.

Richard Hanscott, VP Network Solutions Division, NEC Europe, commented: “This trial marks a watershed in the industry, as the benefits of femtocell technology for both operators and subscribers will be tested and proven for everyone to see. O2 is taking a leading approach to trial this solution which will help meet subscriber demands, and will reap the benefits when the service is launched commercially. NEC is leading the development of the femtocell market, demonstrated by the fact that we currently have several further trials underway globally. NEC is also heavily involved in the femtocell standardisation activities and is board member of the Femto Forum which sets the agenda for femtocell deployment worldwide.”

Purple Labs, a leading supplier of embedded Linux solutions for mobile phones, announced today that it has joined the LiMo Foundation and will support the organisation’s mission to develop a world-class Linux-based software platform for mobile devices. In joining the LiMo Foundation as an Associate member, Purple Labs becomes the first commercial Linux platform for feature phones in the consortium, thereby extending the LiMo initiative to mass-market mobile handsets.Founded by industry leaders Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics, and Vodafone, the LiMo Foundation aims to create a rich ecosystem based on Linux, which will enable compelling and differentiated services for mobile users.

“LiMo Foundation is very pleased to welcome Purple Labs as a new Associate member. We are rapidly rolling out our open mobile terminal platform based on Linux and Purple Labs will undoubtedly help the Foundation to further extend its reach within the feature phones arena,” said Morgan Gillis, executive director, LiMo Foundation.

“We are also pleased to see Purple Labs joining the LiMo Foundation efforts and helping to bring Linux to the mass market,” added Guido Arnone, Director of Terminals Technology at Vodafone. “We believe Linux can become a relevant platform not just for smartphones but also for entry-level feature phones - thus the support of the Purple Labs team will add value to the LiMo Foundation.”

Purple Labs has developed a highly optimised platform enabling Linux to run on low-cost feature phones. The company’s comprehensive Linux suite, from Linux service package and middleware to mobile applications, is the first commercial solution running a single-core chipset architecture, allowing the development of very cost-effective, entry-level feature phones.

“Purple Labs is strongly committed to enabling LiMo-compliant mobile phones for the mass market,” stated Simon Wilkinson, chief executive officer of Purple Labs. “We look forward to working with other LiMo Foundation members in creating an open and tightly integrated environment for developing mobile handsets based on Linux.”

NEC Corporation today announced the successful development of a wideband wearable antenna.The wideband wearable antenna is an antenna that uses a conductive fabric which can be attached to clothing and other items, or folded up for easy carrying. It is a high-performance mobile antenna that can act as a supplementary antenna in areas with poor reception.

Antennas are generally designed to operate in an open space, and if used in close proximity to a human body or other object, the impedance deteriorates, causing a noticeable reduction in performance. This antenna is designed to demonstrate equally good impedance characteristics whether used in an open space or close to a human body, for example when attached to the user’s clothing. One of the difficulties encountered in the past when using conductive fabrics was that soldering was not possible. In the case of this new antenna, power is supplied to a small flexible print substrate by a soldered coaxial cable, so that power supply is possible through capacity coupling with the substrate.

NEC will first test reception of digital terrestrial broadcasts in the 470-770 MHz band. Later, it will test the potential of this antenna as an external antenna for terminals in the future, conducting ongoing development while studying potential future applications.

NEC Corporation has recently commenced a full-scale mobile WiMAX ( 16e ) trial with Tatung Company ( Tatung ), a major Taiwanese conglomerate company which runs manufacturing, sales of consumer-electronics and LCDs, as well as ISP business. This mobile WiMAX trial marks the first project to be conducted by NEC outside of Japan, and will continue until September, 2007. After receiving an order for the trial system from Tatung in January of this year, NEC worked in collaboration with Tatung to prepare for implementation of the trial in Hualien city, which is located in the eastern part of Taiwan. Hualien city plans to utilize the system for tourism and medical services in the future. In this trial, NEC demonstrated internet access and video streaming service which achieved 6 Mbps throughput per user. It also verified the excellent performance of NEC’s WiMAX system by realizing smooth handover between base stations, and stable in-vehicle access while running. As a result, Tatung plans to acquire an official WiMAX business license in June. NEC will aim to install commercial systems in Hualien, as well as other service areas.

This trial was conducted as part of the “M-Taiwan” project being lead by the Taiwan. M-Taiwan is a national project to establish a networked information society and to cultivate IT-related industries in the domestic market. Taiwan aims to upgrade its IT infrastructure based on wireless broadband application technology and cultivate domestic industries related to WiMAX, including application services, which are one of the major objectives of this project.

NEC signed a memorandum of understanding with a Taiwan’s affiliated organization in February this year as part of the M-Taiwan project to cooperate with Taiwanese hardware and software industries in the development of WiMAX related products and applications. This will play an important role in the spread of WiMAX.

Many government and telecom carrier officials are expected to participate in the Asia Pacific WiMAX Conference & Exhibition ( May 14 - 15 ), which is sponsored by the Taiwan. NEC is ready to receive existing and potential customers at the event where NEC President Kaoru Yano will make the keynote speech and NEC will present live demonstrations of WiMAX with Tatung.

NEC plans to use the valuable experience gained in the Tatung project to deliver integrated network solutions worldwide.

NEC Corporation has developed a completely new kind of bioplastic composed of plant-based material and carbon fiber, which realizes heat conductivity higher than that of stainless steel. The innovative bioplastic is expected to make electronic products more environmentally sound, while solving conventional heat release issues.The features of the new bioplastic are as follows:

*Creation of a cross-linked structure of carbon fiber through use of a unique binder in the polylactic acid (PLA)*1 resin achieves high heat diffusion (with carbon fiber of 10% and 30% the heat diffusion ability of the new bioplastic composite is comparable to and double that of stainless steel respectively). This enables good heat conductivity in the plane direction of the PLA resin board, which is a characteristic conventionally difficult to attain in metal boards.

*The composite is extremely environmentally friendly as it is mainly composed of biomass-based components including the binder (the biomass ratio exceeds 90%, excluding inorganic components such as the carbon fiber).

*The strength and moldability of the composite have been fundamentally verified for use in electronic products.

NEC’s newly developed bioplastic composite in the housings of electronic products easily releases the heat generated from electronic parts with high temperatures through whole housing surfaces, while slowing up an increase in the temperature of the housings near parts.

Recently, small-sized electronic products such as mobile phones and personal computers have suffered heat-release issues due to an increase in the amount of heat being generated from electronic parts. However, conventional heat-release devices such as fans and sheets are difficult to incorporate as products become smaller and slimmer.

In electronic product housings, the use of heat-conductive metals is considered to be one alternative to plastic for improving heat release, however, heat conductivities in the thickness direction of metal boards are too high and can cause partial or rapid increase in the temperatures of housings near electronic parts that have high temperatures, causing unnecessary anxiety to the user.

Attempts have been made to increase heat release from whole parts of housings by using heat-conductive plastics. However, previous heat-conductive plastics have had the disadvantages of low moldability, as well as high densities and costs, as they contain large amounts (more than 50%) of heat-conductive fillers such as fibers or particles made from carbon and metals. Therefore, a new kind of heat-conductive material has been long sought after to solve these issues.

On the other hand, however, recent bioplastics made from renewable plant resources, including PLA, have been enjoying increasing attention as new environmentally friendly materials and are now starting to be used in electronic products. But, PLA has low heat conductivity like current petroleum-based plastics and many of its practical characteristics are also lower than those of petroleum-based plastics.

NEC has been focusing its research activities on how to solve these bioplastic issues and has succeeded in the development of a kenaf*2 fiber- reinforced PLA composite that realizes high heat resistance and strength. Moreover, the composite is already being used in a mobile phone commercialized by NEC. In addition, NEC has also discovered how to add flame retardancy - without using toxic flame retardants - and shape memory to PLA.

The new bioplastic that achieves high heat conductivity has been enabled by new technology for carbon-fiber cross-linking with a unique biomass-based binder, which were both realized at NEC’s fundamental and environmental research laboratories.

NEC will continue to develop these technologies toward realization of mass production of the bioplastic composite by the end of the fiscal year ending March, 2009, after which it will start to use the composite in housings of electronic products and seek out new applications.

SanDisk Corporation announced that NEC Electronics Corporation has selected the SanDisk iNAND embedded flash drive (EFD) as the solid-state mobile storage solution for a new music phone platform that is based on its latest music playback chip, the AP131 audio processor. This marriage of advanced technologies, said the two companies, could give music lovers greatly increased playback times by lowering power consumption up to 85 percent.”Combining NEC Electronics’ AP131 with SanDisk’s high-capacity iNAND allows users to store and listen to more music on their handsets due to the higher capacity iNAND and the extended battery life of the chipset,” said Masakazu Yamashina, general manager of the Mobile Systems Division at NEC Electronics. “SanDisk iNAND, with its high-capacity, industry-standard SD interface and ease of integration, aided us in the design of our AP131-based platform.”

The AP131 audio processor is a very small (6mm x 6mm) music playback chip that allows mobile phones to play and share multiple formats of music files, including SD audio. Compared to conventional mobile phones relying on the host CPU for music playback, the AP131 chip from NEC lowers power consumption during music playback by as much as 85 percent, delivering up to 60 hours of continuous use from a standard 750mAh mobile battery(a). The AP131 chip with SanDisk iNAND embedded flash drive (EFD) will be offered to handset manufacturers for inclusion in future mobile phones.

“Allowing mobile phone users to enjoy music on their phones without running down the battery is an impressive feat for this little chip from NEC Electronics,” said David Tolub, vice president and co-manager of SanDisk’s Mobile Handset Vendor division. “By enabling users to enjoy up to 60 hours of music on a single battery charge, owners of AP131-based music phones are sure to benefit from the abundant capacity offered by our iNAND EFD.”

Based on the leading industry-standard SD interface, iNAND is a reliable, high-capacity, high-performance NAND flash storage device. iNAND facilitates lower integration efforts and seamless access to the most cost-effective high-capacity multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash technology available.

SanDisk iNAND is designed to support mobile TV, multimedia downloading and other storage-hungry applications on portable systems such as mobile handsets, digital audio/MP3 players, gaming applications, personal media players, PDAs and music phones.

Continuing its recognized environmental leadership in the electronics industry, NEC Display Solutions of America, the leading stand-alone provider of flat panel desktop displays, today announced a solar-powered system for use with all its monitors. In conjunction with Carmanah® Technologies Corporation, one of the fastest growing renewable and energy-efficient technology manufacturers in the world, NEC is the first display company to offer a solarpowered system for all of its monitors.
The solar-powered system is designed to produce approximately 293 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, or 800 watts per day *. By running a display monitor off solar power, the need for standard electricity, which is produced by means of nonrenewable energy sources, will be significantly reduced and, in some cases, nearly eliminated. Large companies could
realize substantial energy savings from the solar-powered battery packages and could potentially save thousands of dollars each year in electricity costs, while also reducing harmful pollutants, which are produced when using non-renewable generated electricity.
“Working in the LCD display industry is a new project for Carmanah, and we are excited to work with NEC Display Solutions in this joint venture on new energy-saving technologies,” said Mark Spilsbury, Account Manager for Carmanah.
Saved solar energy can last for days of normal usage when running a typical LCD monitor. Multiple monitors can be run
simultaneously; however, the run time of a battery would vary depending on usage and the number of devices drawing on the power.
“Using solar power not only significantly reduces electricity costs, but it also reduces environmentally harmful emissions,”
said Richard Atanus, Vice President of Engineering, Technical and Environmental Services for NEC Display Solutions. “Plus,
with the batteries having a life expectancy of over 20 years, depending on the number of cycle times, and a panel life of 50 or more years, the investment return is considerable.”
The full solar-power package includes the following:
• 2 x EV-120 - Evergreen 120 Watt Solar Panel
• 3 x EX-1000 - Extreme 12V, Deep Cycle Solar Battery - 100 AHr
• 1 x GPR-25 - Go Power! 25 Amp Digital Charge Controller
• 1 x GP-SW150-12 - Go Power! Pure Sine Wave 150 Watt Inverter 12 Volt
• 1 x GPSC -12-10A - Go Power! 10 Amp Smart Battery Charger
• 1 x Battery/Solar Wire & Misc.
All NEC LCD displays are RoHS (Restriction on Hazardous Substances) compliant, containing fully disposable plastics and
minimal amounts of hazardous materials, such as lead, hex-chrome, cadmium, mercury, PBDE and PBB. Orders for the
entire solar-powered battery package are available for immediate delivery.
*Note: Generated power and usage will depend on solar cells placement, amount of sun light provided to the solar panels,
and type of display connected to the solar-powered system.

NEC Corporation of America, a premier provider of IT, network and telephony solutions, today announced their S-Series Storage Systems have been verified by Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. as compatible with Brocade-based Storage Area Networking (SAN) infrastructure, according to the testing requirements of the Brocade Fabric Aware Program. This program is a comprehensive testing and configuration initiative designed to foster SAN interoperability in multi-vendor Brocade-based SAN environments.
Testing was conducted at the Brocade Fabric Aware labs, which are state-of-the-art facilities supporting
end-to-end interoperability and performance testing of SAN products in multi-vendor and large fabric SAN
environments. The Brocade Fabric Aware Program boasts an impressive collection of members since its
launch in 2000.
“NEC has 42 years of experience in serving our storage customers, and have a deep understanding of the
vast importance of compatibility with Brocade switches to accelerate SAN implementations,” said Matthew
Wolken, vice president, Fault Tolerant Server and Data Storage of NEC Corporation of America. “We are
working to ensure interoperability of NEC’s complete storage product line, as part of our continuous effort
to provide the marketplace with quality storage solutions and value-added services.”
Available in North America, the NEC S-Series of storage systems include the S1500, S2500 and the S2900
which offer high performance, full data availability as well as a comprehensive suite of business continuity
and disaster recovery capabilities.
“We are pleased that NEC has successfully completed the Fabric Aware testing with Brocade fabric
switches in multi- vendor SAN environments,” said Dan Crain, chief technology officer for Brocade
Communications Systems, Inc. “Storage area networks are being deployed worldwide at a rapid rate as a 2 NEC Corporation of America scalable, high-performance networking foundation for storage environments. The Fabric Aware program is an example of our continued commitment to our SAN customers.”
About the Brocade Fabric Aware Program
The Brocade Fabric Aware program is a comprehensive testing and configuration initiative designed to
foster end-to-end SAN interoperability. As part of the program, testing is conducted in SAN configurations
that comprise a heterogeneous mix of servers, storage subsystems, Brocade fabric switches, SAN
management and enterprise applications, and other SAN technologies. Brocade has created a dedicated lab
comprising of a heterogeneous SAN fabric, in which the company tests and validates partner equipment in
specific configurations. Vendors receive Brocade Fabric Aware Certification after successfully completing
tests to confirm that vendors’ products meet compatibility guidelines. For more information, visit
http://www.brocade.com/partners/fabric_aware_program.jsp.
About NEC Corporation of America
NEC Corporation of America is a leading technology provider of network, IT and visual display solutions.
Headquartered in Irving, Texas, NEC Corporation of America is the North America subsidiary of NEC
Corporation (NASDAQ: NIPNY), and delivers technology and professional services ranging from server
and storage solutions, digital presentation and visual display systems to biometric security, optical network,
radio communications and IP voice and data solutions. NEC Corporation of America serves carrier and both
SMB and large enterprise clients across multiple vertical industries. For more information, please visit
www.necam.com.
NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Other product or service marks
mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. © 2006 NEC Corporation of America.

Yeah, we’ve heard it before, but they mean it this time. Carriers Vodafone and NTT DoCoMo have teamed up with Motorola, Samsung, NEC, and Panasonic to succeed where others have failed, busting out a common Linux-based smartphone platform and sharing costs and R&D resources along the way. Besides unifying the fragmented mobile Linux community behind a single open platform, the group’s goal is to see the light of day in a production phone before the end of 2007, but let’s be honest — the project won’t be considered a success unless the joint venture can produce a popular, well-known platform that can scrap with the Symbians and the Windows Mobiles of the world. Hey, Access PalmSource, you guys paying attention?

As we all know, FCC approval means virtually nothing for a phone’s chances of seeing a US release, but we can dare to dream. The 900/1800/1900 tri-band NEC e373, just released on Italian carrier TIM, treads some moderately uncharted territory as a truly low-end UMTS clamshell, lacking an external display and expansion slot. To boot, the useless-for-anything-but-video-calling VGA camera and 32MB of internal memory make the phone all but useless as a multimedia device, but yeah, we have a soft spot in our hearts for hot-looking 3G clamshells, so we’re going to give the e373 a mulligan this time.

Company’s Design-in Accepted; To Supply Camera Components for Use in NEC Mobile Handsets

Comtech Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:COGO), a leading module design solutions provider in China focused on the mobile handset and telecom equipment industries, today announced that it has begun providing camera modules to NEC for use in its mobile handsets.

Comtech’s camera module design was adopted by NEC’s original design manufacturer (ODM) earlier this year. Comtech has begun generating revenue from this specific design-in and anticipates that by the end of the first quarter 2005 the Company will have generated more than US$1.0 million in revenue. Comtech believes that the revenue stream generated from this specific design-in will continue through 2005.

“Comtech is achieving more success as its modules are designed into more products from multinational brands,” said Jeffrey Kang, Chairman, President and CEO of Comtech Group. “As an increasing number of multinational companies move product development to China, either through their internal staff or through ODMs, we believe that we will have more opportunity to provide our module designs and products to these multinational companies directly or through their ODMs.”

About Comtech
Comtech Group, Inc. aims to be a gateway to the technology industry in China. The Company is a module design solutions provider in China, focused on the mobile handset and telecom equipment industries. The Company designs solutions for mobile device products, including liquid crystal display (LCD) modules, camera modules, persistent storage modules, input/output modules, sound system and power supply modules. In the telecom equipment industry Comtech targets optical solutions, data communication solutions, public switched telephone network (PSTN) switching and wireless base stations.