Catching up With Ketai Culture: 3 Next Gen Features North Americans Should Look Forward To
Earlier on the cell phone plans blog, we discussed the LG eXpo, the first projector phone to hit North American shores. Like many cutting edge smartphones, the LG eXpo debuted many mobile features and technology that were new to the U.S., but old hat for the prescient Japanese mobile phone culture (”keitai culture”). For example, the LG eXpo’s claim to fame – it’s projector capabilities (thanks to the DLP Pico projector) – was first seen in the wild on the Fujitsu F-04B, a prototype showcased in Japan in 2008. The Samsung Show, another DLP Pico projector phone, hit South Korean markets in 2009. The LG eXpo also comes with AT&T’s Video Share – the closest thing to true blue video calling (common on mobile phones in Japan) and the much touted Smart Sensor technology which recognizes your fingerprint for lockbox tight security (Japan, meanwhile, has facial and fingerprint recognition).
If the LG eXpo teaches us anything about smartphones, it’s that we can get a pretty accurate glimpse into the future by taking a peek at what’s hot in Japan. With that being said, check out some of the features that we believe will be coming to the U.S. next:
Mobile Payments via Smartphone
Convergence is king in the mobile world. Markets in both Europe and Asia are adopting the mobile payment model, where your smartphone doubles as your credit card. Osaifu-Keitai (”mobile wallet”), Edy and Mobile Suica all let you use your cell phone to pay your way onto trains, into venues and over the counter at retail and convenience stores. The technology exists in the U.S. already – contactless payments via MasterCard’s PayPass and Visa’s Paywave are evidence of that and Nokia has already created a phone with an integrated Near Field Communication (NFC) chip which showcased at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Yet North America is still waiting on mobile wallets. For now, we’ll have to be satisfied with apps like Paypal Mobile available for BlackBerry phones and other smartphones.
Megapixel Madness
Turning up your nose because you snagged a BlackBerry Storm with a 5-megapixel camera, giving you a full 2 megapixels more clout than the iPhone? Well prepare to be humbled – the majority of Japanese carrier DoCoMo’s cell phones pack 8-megapixels or more with many ranging up to 10 megapixels. Meanwhile, Sony Ericsson and Nokia have 12 megapixel cameras in the works. Here in the States, we’re lucky to get 3-megapixels out of our phones, with the best cameraphone available in the U.S. being the Samsung Memoir, which has 8-megapixels.Mo
Mobile Manners
When it comes to etiquette, keitai culture skews towards the more considerate side. Answering a phone in public places, such as on commuter trains, is considered highly rude to the point where even having your cell phone ring is a great embarrassment. Some trains even have signs advising you to power down your cell phones in crowded areas or when seated next to elderly patients, as the radio waves may interfere with their pacemakers. Texting, browsing the web and emailing, however, is fair game. And as far as trending goes, it looks like the Western ways may win out – more and more Japanese mobile users are transgressing decorum. But then again, the outlawing of talking on cell phones while driving was made national law in Japan before individual states began following suit in the U.S., so we’ll just have to wait and see which way the pendulum swings.
Related posts:
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- Mobile Projectors: Not Just for the LG eXpo
- LG eXpo: Serious Projector Phone with a Seriously Unfunny Unboxing Video
- Top 5 Windows Mobile Smartphones
- Concept Cell Phone Features a Tangible User Interface
- 16 Megapixel Cameras Coming Soon to a Phone Near You!
- CES 2010 Smartphone Highlights
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