IP: see me sometime

[David Farber <farber@central.cis.upenn.edu>]

Osaka-based Matsushita Electric has unveiled a new handset for Japan's
PHS (Personal Handyphone System) that includes a 2.5-inch LCD (liquid
crystal display) monitor and a mini-camera that makes the unit a portable
video phone system. Although just developed, Matsushita hopes to put the
unit on the market from next year. PHS telephones can cope with data rates
three times the speed of conventional mobile telephones and link into
antennas stationed in metropolitan areas and city centers that are often
stationed at NTT's ISDN (integrated services digital network) telephone
boxes. The PHS system, introduced this summer, offers a cheaper alternative
to conventional mobile telephones and is currently available in Tokyo and
Sapporo although service will expand next month to other areas