There will also be the need to keep up with the fads of Japanese adolescents. Despite their spunk and style, Japanese handset-makers have long been losers internationally. Most of the world's leading phone makers are working on 3G handsets of their own, of course. Even Fujitsu, a relatively minor player in Japan and virtually a non-player abroad, has its eyes on the foreign market. It was a pioneer with Matsushita in producing cell phones that can store Java language-based programs for games, stock listings and alarm clocks.
Skeptics consider the wireless Web boom a fad unique to Japan.
But boosters argue that the rich content and instant information that made the Internet such a hit on computers in the United States will eventually do the same there on cell phones. But you may want to download the latest melody or see what's happening in the movie theater. Copyright 2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.