Bone phones get heads rattling

Bone phones get heads rattling


By Ryann Connell
Staff Writer

January 19, 2004



Dem bones gonna let you hear de word o' da Lord...Well, maybe not the Lord, but at least whoever calls on the mobile, according to Shukan Gendai (1/31).

Tu-Ka Cellular Tokyo Inc. has recently released the TS41, the world's first cellular phone equipped with bone conductive speakers.

This phone doesn't even need to be near the ears to hear what a caller is saying. Simply having the phone touch anywhere on the head will allow for clear listening.

"Sounds can be heard in two ways - through the vibration of the eardrum or passed along the bones. 'Bone conductors' work because vibrations of the skull travel directly to the cochlear canal in the depths of the ear, transmitting sound," Yasushi Tamura, a technology analyst tells Shukan Gendai. "Bone conduction was originally developed in the United States to allow for communication in jet fighters. It's used a lot nowadays in listening devices. It's by no means a new technology, but the idea to put it into a mobile phone is an interesting one."

Most other Japanese mobile phone companies have concentrated on filling their products with gadgets like cameras or TVs, but Tu-Ka has aimed at improving sound quality.

"Research we carried out showed that about half the people who had cameras in their mobile phones weren't using them on a daily basis," Tu-Ka President Hideaki Matsushita tells Shukan Gendai. "That's why we decided we wouldn't include a camera function in the TS41 and instead equipped it with bone conduction technology to improve sound quality."

Tests by the weekly's reporter showed that the phone worked no better than its average competitor in a noisy situation -- until a finger was used to plug the ears and suddenly the sound was perfectly clear.

TS41 lost points for two reasons.

Although the phone permits perfect listening clarity in even the noisiest of situations, speakers still have to shout down the line to hear themselves and make sure whoever is on the other end of the line can hear them.

And, of purely cosmetic concern, phone screens quickly became grimy after the device was left touching the cheeks for a long period of time as it absorbed the skin's oils.

Tu-Ka started selling the bone phones in the Kansai and Tokai regions late last year and in Tokyo from Jan. 9. Reaction has been reasonably good.

"It's selling well enough so far to suggest the TS41 will battle it out for top spot with our existing models. We're getting loads of people coming in to try it out," an employee of a Tu-Ka retail outlet tells Shukan Gendai. "Sales are booming less among young people, than among middle-aged and older customers complaining about being unable to hear clearly through their mobile phones."

source:http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/waiwai/index.html

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