Cell phone technology taking off in Japan
Japan's top mobile carrier has begun marketing a cell phone that can make Internet calls over Wi-Fi wireless networks in addition to regular ones.
The dual-network N900iL phone from NTT DoCoMo can switch back and forth as needed.
It uses third-generation, or 3G, technology, which relays data at faster speeds than most cell phones in use today. When users are inside their office building and within reach of a corporate Wi-Fi system, the phone also runs Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP.
Such combined-network phones are rare. Nokia Corp., the world's largest mobile phone maker, has said it would introduce such a handset next year.
NTT DoCoMo's 3G phones, called Foma, got off to a slow start in 2001, but have since gained popularity in Japan -- a gadget-loving nation where people generally buy new handsets every few years to keep up with new features.
Study
Workplace e-mails can send wrong message
E-mail is the greatest business innovation in decades, right? Actually, it might be spelling the end of effective communication within many organizations, according to a new study of workplace e-mail.
A major problem is the sheer volume -- three-quarters of business e-mails aren't necessary, and only 25 percent help people do their jobs better, said Bob Williams, director of the communication consulting practice at Novations Group, a performance-improvement consultancy based in Boston.
"E-mail has a linear structure and is unable to convey facial expression, body language or vocal nuance," Williams said. "With e-mail, one can't even interrupt with a question for clarification, so the potential for misunderstanding is major. Interruptions, after all, can have a purpose."
And because e-mail is impersonal, the sender feels safer or bolder and a random message may become uncharacteristically demanding, impertinent or accusatory, breeding defensiveness, Williams warned.
So, the next time you're pointing your mouse toward the "compose" or "forward" icon, consider grabbing the phone or walking down the hall.
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