AU Toshiba LISMO W43T with 3D GPS

You'll never get lost in Japan if you have the LISMO (for Listen Mobile Terminal, whatevs) W43T from AU. The phone, in addition to offering a choice of 3 colors (what, only three?), a 3 megapixel camera and external music controls, also has a built-in 3D GPS program called 3D Navi. The GPS tool is designed for pedestrians, something sure to be a boon in Japan's densely packed cities. The 3D graphics  include an icon of a person walking down the sidewalk, and includes graphical indicators of crosswalks and other pedestrian-friendly landmarks. It also has voice prompts, which is a relief, since if it didn't we could easily envision swarms of walkers hunched over their screens, careening madly into each other on the sidewalks of Tokyo.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 27th 2006 5:37PM]

" since if it didn't we could easily envision swarms of walkers hunched over their screens, careening madly into each other on the sidewalks of Tokyo."

you don't have to imagine it -- that's the way it really is here... except most of them are riding bicycles.

[shinbunboi Posted Mar 27th 2006 6:02PM]

^^^couldn't have said it better!
i don't know why ppl think gps on this phone will make it such a hit...i mean yes there is deman for gps, but i don't think as the primary feature on a phone in Japan. could be wrong about this tho

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 28th 2006 6:28AM]

i'd like to know what the coverage is for this program. They've actually got buildings in that shot. So do they update the program every time a building get's demolished? And what about when you're outside a main urban area? AND what are they doing about urban canyons? Is the combination of cell positioning and GPS really accurate enough to pinpoint somebody accurately enough to give them a useful 3D view???