Kyodo News, 31 March 2006
The Tobacco Institute of Japan said Thursday it will start switching cigarette vending machines nationwide to new machines featuring an age-verification system from March 2008 to prevent minors from buying cigarettes. The institute announced that a total of 620,000 tobacco vending machines nationwide will be switched during 2008 to types that can read “tobacco cards” with integrated circuit chips bought by adult smokers.

Not surpised, we’ve seen the same age verification function on “Sake Pass” machines [.jpg image] for sometime already — Eds.

Good news - you can win a Motorola RAZR V3 (locked to T-Mobile) if you take part in our contest. All you have to do is to invest about 3 minutes of your time and answer our 15-question survey….

Good news - you can win a Motorola RAZR V3 (locked to T-Mobile) if you take part in our contest. All you have to do is to invest about 3 minutes of your time and answer our 15-question survey….

A week on and darned if we haven't recovered from the hangover of making it into the Carnival of the Mobilists last week. But the groupies are still camped on the front lawn. And while my colleagues at the best…

RFID presents a conundrum. On the one hand, for it to be useful it has to be easy to read by a variety of readers across different organizations. On the other hand, when tags are easy to read, then…

The S60.com guys did a great job (thanks Jukka) making some studies to know how well S60’s current applications cope with popular Internet streaming video sites.

Here are some issues we have identified so far, and some thoughts on how service providers could help out mobile users already today.

Today is the day! We will start our April contest and survey in the category “Wireless” with the prize being a great book “RFID for Dummies”! Discover how RFID can save your business money. See what goes into an…

MEX published an interesting post about mobile segmentation titled :

Segmentation is a step, individualism is the goal

“The MB86276 is a streamlined version of the 3D graphics display controller (GDC), the MB86296 which was designed for high-end vehicles in Japan and Europe. The new two-dimensional (2D) GDC MB86276 is suitable for mid-range navigation and entertainment market. The chip includes special features offered in the high-end 3D device, including dual-display support, video capture, […]

“The InterNavi Floating Car System transmits traveling time data of an area, where an InterNavi Premium Club member vehicle has driven, to the center, so the members can mutually utilize the accumulated information at the center. According to the company, the “InterNavi VICS (vehicle information and communication system),” which delivers Floating Car data along with […]

“The trial uses current police survey equipment, modified with a hand held PC, on to which is downloaded existing Highways Agency high-resolution aerial image technology. The equipment uses highly accurate GPS data from Ordnance Survey that enables the exact position of the accident, as well as other information about the location to be collected quickly […]

“Researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University studied the effect on driving performance and mental effort when a driver has to absorb information from other sources as well as concentrating on the road ahead. They found that drivers in a rally simulator had to put in significantly more effort when given verbal information about the direction and […]

“Telmap Inc. today announced a next-generation technology for mobile navigation that delivers more useful, timely and reliable navigation data to cellphones, BlackBerrys and other handhelds, including clear and easy-to-read sliding and rotating maps that move with the user’s vehicle. The company’s patented Mobile Optimized Navigation Data (MOND) technology conquers the technical and usability challenges associated […]

Are you of a forgetful nature? Are you in the habit of misplacing things then and now? Have you ever lost your keys? If the answer to all these questions above is yes, then you certainly need RFID. Canadian…

The Motorola RAZR V3c updates the original RAZR V3, adding brand new features and bringing the RAZR up to the mobile phone standard we’ve come to expect. The original RAZR had relatively few features, but Motorola saw the light and endowed the RAZR V3C with 3G and a better camera over the original RAZR V3. See the complete RAZR spec here, read reviews, see pics, and find out the best place to buy the Motorola RAZR V3c.