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Japan`s KDDI Releases New Cell Phones

A new range of cell phones, from KDDI Corp., Japan`s second-largest mobile operator, will be hitting the stores soon. These new phones have the ability to watch short segments of digital television programs and communicate with a group via text or voice. This is the newest innovation coming from KDDI.

KDDI says the autumn/winter range of phones for its main mobile phone service is intended to impress customers by offering more choices at reasonable prices. The latest lineup will include three new models with a service that will allow users to send text messages with photos to up to four people.

The service will look like instant messaging chats on personal computers. The service, called `Hello Messenger`, also lets users communicate using technology known as `push-to-talk`. U.S. operator Nextel Communications, Inc., has made the technology extremely popular. Takashi Shigeno, director of the mobile planning department says, `Push-to-talk became popular in the U.S. among business users, but here in Japan, we`re trying to increase our share by grabbing as many people as possible, which means targeting consumers.`