Tech Shout!

A while ago, a mobile phone that screams when reported as stolen by its owner was launched. Now Japan’s top mobile telephone operator, NTT DoCoMo, has announced plans to launch a handset that automatically locks itself when it is stolen, lost or left behind. The new P903i handset, made by the Panasonic brand, comes with an electronic card that fits in a wallet or handbag and allows the phone to detect when its owner moves away beyond a certain distance.

“Once the signal between the two objects stops transmitting, because they are too far apart, the telephone blocks itself,” a Panasonic spokeman said.

NTT DoCoMo, which is preparing to soon launch 14 new handsets, also plans a feature allowing customers for a monthly fee after a free trial period to find lost handsets through a satellite-based navigation system.

The phones are also equipped with a mobile wallet and credit card function and a biometric identification system, even though theft is rare in Japan and lost items are often handed in at the local police station.

The use of mobile pin codes is not common in Japan. DoCoMo plans to unveil a total of more than 20 handsets by the end of March 2007.