NTT DoCoMo has announced that it will start selling a new 3G videphone from 27th September 2002. FOMA T2101V is smaller and lighter than existing 3G handsets and offers up to 125 hours of standby time, addressing criticisms that the original FOMA handsets were too large and power-hungry.
It is equipped with a 100,000 pixel CMOS camera and can store clips of incoming video calls directly on the handset. It also supports DoCoMo’s i-Motion video download service and picture messaging. The video camera can be set to automatically activate when a call is received from another DoCoMo customer equipped with a compatible handset.
In a separate announcement, DoCoMo said that its development partnership with Hewlett Packard had resulted in the creation of a robust system for the simultaneous delivery of video to millions of 3G users. HP and DoCoMo agreed to collaborate on next generation wireless technology in December 2000 and have now developed server technology designed exclusively for the requirements of 3G video transmission. The Mobile Streaming Media Content Delivery Network uses intelligent management technology to dynamically allocate server usage in times of peak demand, ensuring that the system can cope with spikes.