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For those who feel a bit lonely just talking on the
phone, a Japanese company is offering a cellphone that turns into a
robot buddy ready to chat Softbank Mobile Corp.'s new
mobile line looks like a small humanoid with attachable arms and
legs, with the screen showing various faces.
The PhoneBraver will be released
in April after a character in an upcoming television drama series
entitled "Cellphone Investigator 7."
The telephone comes with enough
artificial intelligence to learn the user's habits.
If the user calls a particular
person many times, a text phrase such as "You're calling her
often these days, aren't you?" might appear coming out of the
face's mouth, according to Softbank Mobile spokesman Katsuhide
Furuya.
The user could carry on
conversations with the phone by responding "yes" or
"no" or with other simple replies.
"We haven't decided on
specifics yet on the communication between the user and mobile, but
your mobile would grow into a buddy different from others that is
unique in the world," he said.
The PhoneBraver does not move by
itself but can strike a pose with movable joints. The price is not
disclosed yet.
Japan is known for its fondness
for humanoids, which have been put to use as security guards,
receptionists and for other functions in a country with a declining
birth rate.
Japan also has cutthroat
competition in mobile telephones, with three main companies
constantly trying to find new incentives to snare users.
The number of cellphone
subscriptions topped 100 million in Japan at the end of December
against the nation's total population of 127 million, according to
industry data.
 --AFP
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