Full-Internet Phones Reach Japan

The keys to success for a "wireless Internet" have been inspiring debate for years. Although consumers used the limited version of the mobile Internet, they didn't adopt it in droves. Many concluded that the consumer population was "spoiled" by its access to the full desktop Internet. In response, Kyocera (www.kyocera.com) and Opera Software ASA (www.opera.com) began working on bringing the true World Wide Web to cell phones.

Last month, the companies launched the AH-K3001V handset in Japan. Its release marks the first time that Japanese handset users can get access to all of the content that is available worldwide on the Internet. The AH-K3001V is only the first handset in the upcoming generation of browser-centric phones. All of these phones boast the same key feature: access to the full Internet.

These devices are designed from the ground up to include a high-quality screen and an Opera-branded softkey. The latter feature promises to easily bring users online for Web surfing. Thanks to Opera's Small-Screen Rendering (SSR) technology, AH-K3001V users can enjoy full surfing. This technology works by reformatting Web pages to fit on small handheld screens. Because Opera also supports cHTML and XHTML, Japanese mobile users will still be able to access their old favorite mobile sites.