Newest buy

In the department stores you can find fashion shows (!) only for mobile phones and each of the leading phone companies throw 10 new models on the market in every collection.
This one we picked from Au's spring collection. It has a 800x480 high resolution display with a 170-degree viewing angle and can be used for television, web surfing (it comes with an email address), playing the preinstalled Final Fantasy or even for advanced navigating via GPS.
More odd is the barcode-reading functionality. Via the camera, the phone can scan barcodes on posters and in magazines and reveal or transfer web addresses, email addresses or phone numbers directly to the phone. Or, what about this one: By holding up the phone to a speaker – the phone is able via databases to identify the song and tell whatever album we need to buy... probably over the phone.
Of cause it also substitutes a credit card at some convenience stores and vending machines.
Unfortunately many of these applications are in Japanese, so it might take a while before we get around them all.
The beauty of the beast is the draw back. Phones on steroids, strong and heavy enough to carry all the newest revolutionary-technology-rocket-science-gimmicks have replaced the tiny elegant designs in Europe.