Reuters is reporting that Toyota is about to jump into the cell phone business with KDDI Corp., Japan's No. 2 wireless carrier of which 11 percent is owned by the Japanese auto giant. The company's ultimate goal is to close the gap between its cars and telecom networks, so the new phone will be compatible with Toyota navigation systems via Bluetooth. The pair of companies has also developed some type of battery charger that Reuters reports will attach to the armrest of a car and offer music and games downloads. Not sure how that's going to work until we see it. The new phone will also have emergency services on its speed dial in case a motorist gets into trouble on the road.
The Toyota phone will be called "TiMo" and go on sale at the end of October, right before Japan's cell phone users will be allowed to switch services and keep their current telephone number.
(BTW - the above picture is of a Motorola RAZR, as no one's seen the TiMo yet)
[Source: Reuters]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Rob @ Aug 30th 2006 2:31PM
let the recall/import hating comments begin (even though this post is about cell phones).
please remember Chrysler had the most recalls this year (16) which covered more cars than any other automaker...but you wouldn't know that from reading autoblog
See below..
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/business/15363223.htm
Juan @ Aug 30th 2006 2:45PM
Toyota needs to start selling Celicas or Supras again, not cell phones.
glacia00 @ Aug 30th 2006 2:50PM
Ok, thankfully I read to the bottom and didn't post that the picture is just a RAZR.
Hopefully this will all be standardized at some point when the auto industry figures out proprietary just isn't best for consumers. This and the IPod docks are really just auto industry business as usual. They're so far behind technology curves that they're flailing at various new technology without thinking about it or understanding it.
If car companies are going to continue thrash at adding new technology to their cars they need to think about having 'new technology integration/standardization' group. Otherwise they will just produce stuff like this.
Patricia @ Aug 30th 2006 3:03PM
Rob (#1): you are an idiot. American-hater idiot. By the way, TIMO in Spanish means "FRAUD". That's you, Rob, a fraud.
Ryan @ Aug 30th 2006 3:09PM
Patricia,
Do you have something you could prove otherwise to Rob's statement about the Chrysler recalls? Until then, I will remain netural.
Whydrive @ Aug 30th 2006 3:12PM
Oh yeah can't wait until TRD comes out with the aftermarket parts for the phones. A full-blown body kit and coffee can mikes would make the phone the coolest around. Oh yeah!
Ryan @ Aug 30th 2006 3:15PM
#4
Also Patricia,
Chrysler is not American owned, *mabye* managed, so I'm not sure where you are coming from.
Peter @ Aug 30th 2006 3:22PM
Wonder if we'll get a Lexus version that comes in a leather case?
Rob @ Aug 30th 2006 3:23PM
patricia, sweetie, don't get all mad just because i said the truth. plus...isn't DCX owned by germans? so why would i be an American-hater?
also, don't know if you're being sarcastic or just stupid, but TIMO doesn't mean anything in spanish. "fraud" in spanish is fraude, or embuste, not TIMO. now go on back to the little ignorant hole you came out of, honey.
Japanese Car Exporter @ Aug 30th 2006 3:27PM
Well, in Japan the mobile phones are based on a different technology and not on GSM which is used worldwide. So these mobile phones can not be internationally compatible. Besides, Japanese mobile phones is very competitive market which mostly targets the young girls who change their mobile phones every 6 months. Toyota can not do much in that market.
2007 Boss Mustang @ Aug 30th 2006 3:31PM
The problem with a Toyota branded phone is that I don't think many non Toyota car owners will want one. Just like i couldn't see many Toyota owners wanting to buy a Ford cell phone.
Chela @ Aug 30th 2006 3:46PM
"patricia, sweetie.."
WRONG. Patricia is a dude.
Rob @ Aug 30th 2006 4:00PM
12. "patricia, sweetie.."
WRONG. Patricia is a dude.
Posted at 3:45PM on Aug 30th 2006 by Chela
....
i'm gay, so does it really matter?
Richard Warren @ Aug 30th 2006 4:14PM
Hey, GM, Ford, AMC, Chrysler used to sell appliances, GM sells home mortgages, so, nothing new here.
M. Rod Von Hugenstein @ Aug 30th 2006 5:08PM
Patricia, you and you hot headed ignorant attitude are why men go gay.
Now, why can't you all appreciate this for what it is? One of the largest automakers in the world is trying hard to integrate communication and data into their cars. This is huge, especially if it works. I can't tell you how many times I would love to be able to get traffic info while I am on the road. Maybe some gps directions around it. I know that these systems already exist, but to have low cost(hopefully), integrated system seems to be the wave of the future.
mavkato @ Aug 30th 2006 5:22PM
I just wonder how T-mobile (T-Mo) is going to feel about this.
glacia00 @ Aug 30th 2006 5:53PM
"Now, why can't you all appreciate this for what it is?"
What it is a narrow-use proprietary system that will simply make universal integration take even longer because each automaker will implement different protocols and systems none of which will interoperate and some may even interfere with one another.
If car makers actually understood the potential of the technology they could do what almost every other industry does except the automotive industry which is work toward standardization.
Believe it or not competing companies in other industries collaborate every day so that in the end they don't each end up with isolated incompatible systems. So lets say you have 2 cars with nav systems and you have to switch phones when you switch cars. Is that really good for the consumer?
For some reason the auto industry behaves much more like the fashion industry. The more I see of the auto industry the more it seems they just don't get technology.
Zo @ Aug 30th 2006 6:54PM
On topic -- is anyone peeved at the proprietary nature of these devices? Is it just another way for these companies to lock you and spend money on their products -- that you may not want or like?
For example, if I don't want a TIMO phone, is the only way for me to get the feature is to spend $600 to buy their phone which I don't want? For the iPod in car integration, is it not just nuts that some companies are charging $300 for the cable and $300 for the install just to have iPod integration? Why can't I plug in any DAP into a slot like a casset? Some cars don't even have an AUX plug to use a third party DAP. Also, if Bluetooth is a standard, why do only certain bluetooth phones work with certain cars? There are some cars where only Motorola phones will work, other only have Sony/Ericson that work others only Nokia.
Given the R&D work involved and the auto industry being so cost aware, you would believe they would be developing the standards to save themselve grief and money.
Patricia @ Aug 30th 2006 10:52PM
Well, I need to answer all these idiots:
#12: Chela, I am a woman, with two beautiful little boys produced by my beautiful female hormones and body.
#13: Oh, Rob, how happy I am: you finally came out of the closet. By the way, get a Spanish dictionary (gay or straight version): TIMO means fraud.
#15: Really, with a name like yours, well... I will spare you any negative comments, Baron M. Rod Von Hugenstein. I thought that this was a blue-collar type of site... I guess blue bloods are welcome as well.
borgie @ Aug 30th 2006 11:08PM
Yeah, like anyone in Japan would be caught dead using a Razr. Only Americans would buy such an ancient phone. You guys should talk to your Engadget buddies about getting better pictures of the phones Japanese really use.