We previously reported that the largest wireless operator in Japan has been in talks with Apple to bring the coveted iPhone to the island-nation’s NTT DoCoMo network. Well, today we get confirmation straight from NTT DoCoMo that Apple is indeed working with the Japanese network to bring those edgy-Japs a bit of minimalist-style. “It is true that Mr. Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. and our president (Masao) Nakamura held a meeting,” an NTT DoCoMo spokesman said in a statement to the Agence France-Presse ,. Unfortunately, NTT DoCoMo wasn’t all that forthcoming with information regarding the timing of the iPhone’s Japanese debut or even what Apple and NTT DoCoMo were talking about. Now, we are also hearing that Apple is in talks with another Japanese network operator, presumably to hedge their bets and make sure the iPhone makes it to Japan one way or another. Softbank Corp., Japans No. 3 carrier, has been rumored to have made business trips to Cupertino to discuss the iPhone exclusivity deals. Apple could be working both sides of the Japanese market to make sure they can land the revenue-sharing deal that’s turned the whole manufacturer-carrier model on its head. We’re not going to expect a Japanese iPhone launch before the middle of next year, perhaps in line with the Asian launch that we’re looking for in China. Ears to the ground, folks. Ears to the ground. [Via: Yahoo ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:NTT DoCoMo to carry iPhone in Japan?NTT DoCoMo to enter the fashion phone marketDoCoMo predicts the future; Preps to push video telephony, hologramsBlackberry 8707h now understands JapaneseChina Mobile negotiating with Apple to carry iPhone

What’s with HTC pushing all these unexpected handsets through the FCC’s testing labs ? We’re feeling a bit left out of the loop here. The latest HTC handset to hit the FCC’s website is the HTC “Neon.” Actually, the FCC label identifies the device as the “NEON100,” and by the looks of the image in the label, we’re going to go ahead and say that the HTC Neon is another HTC Touch variant. Word on the street also points to a possible Japanese launch on NTT DoCoMo’s network - made even more likely by the fact that this little baby just cleared Japan’s cellphone certification process. On the flip-side, we could see the HTC Neon launch Stateside with its WCDMA Band V, which is otherwise known as the 850Mhz frequency that US 3G networks are so fond of. But, we’ll wait for more info before we declare an imminent launch of an HSDPA-toting HTC Touch in the US. FCC source ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Orange UK dumbing down HTC Touch Dual - numeric-only keypad variant of HTC Touch DualT-Mobile prepping HTC Touch Dual to launch as the MDA Touch PlusO2 germany picks up the HTC Touch Dual as O2 Xda StarHTC Libra approved by the FCCTelus launches HTC Touch, S640 in Canada

When we talk about bone conduction technology , we’re usually referring to the microphone-end of the conversation ( Aliph Jawbone , anyone?)- bone conduction helps eliminate background chatter and noise to give your listener a clearer sound. Well, this Bluetooth headset (in the loosest of terms, since you can’t actually wear this thing on your ear) from NTT DoCoMo rocks bone conduction technology on the receiver-end of the device - that means you’ll be able to hear the person on the other end clearly, even in the noisiest of environments. The NTT DoCoMo Sound Leaf + bone conducting headset connects to your phone via Bluetooth and delivers sound-vibrations directly to your inner ear. There’s no need for a speaker, since the convo is vibrated right into your ear, but there are two microphones on the little flip - one of the directional variety and one regular microphone. The dual-microphone setup should help isolate your voice and cut down on background chatter, which you’ll probably need if you’re in an environment that’s so loud that you need bone conduction technology to hear the conversation. Oh, and bone conduction should give the hard-of-hearing a pretty cool (if geeky-looking) way to keep in touch with friends and family. Anyway, the NTT DoCoMo Sound Leaf isn’t likely to hit our Yankee shores without some clever importing, so keep on drooling over yet another cool Japanese-only gadget that you’ll never get your hands on. [Via: Slashphone ] ---Related Articles at IntoMobile:Pantech A1407PT - bone conduction in a mobile phoneBone conduction headphonesNTT DoCoMo releases Portable Battery ChargerSound ID launches unique Bluetooth headsetNTT DoCoMo D904i Rocks Motion Sensors