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A 1999 NTT Docomo Browser Board

stingraze Page Icon Posted 2017-11-27 4:36 AM
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I've picked up a 1999 NTT Docomo Browser Board which is pretty rare even here in Japan.

Pretty interesting device, although it doesn't run the Microsoft Handheld PC (Windows CE) OS, it has the feel that is similar to one of the early ones made in the late 90's.

The device could connect to the internet via a cell phone / PHS at speed of 9600bps (cell phone) and 32Kbps / 64Kbps (PHS).
User memory: 6MB, and 3.4MB could be used.





(browserboard.jpg)



(browserboard2.jpg)



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Attachments browserboard2.jpg (85KB - 1 downloads)
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Jake Page Icon Posted 2017-11-27 2:39 PM
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What a find, stingraze! And what a waste of screen! Those hard icons take about 1/3 of the display.

What's available on it? WP? PIM?

Congrats, it's very cool,
Jake
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HPC:Fan Page Icon Posted 2017-11-27 3:09 PM
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That's very cool, I feel like Japan has the best toys when it comes to handhelds. So what can it do? Is it still usable?
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stingraze Page Icon Posted 2017-11-27 10:39 PM
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Well, I haven't really figured out what it can do right that is useful now, since the cell phone service probably is finished.

I was playing around with it a bit and figured out that there is a "keyboard game" which is a Katakana scrolling from right to left and you're supposed to type it. There is also a handwritten memo app, I think.

I've just found a technical journal from NTT DoCoMo for it online! (PDF)
https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/binary/pdf/corporate/technology/...

I wish there was a way to somehow convert the very old cell phone service to a landline modem or a 4G, then it will be really cool. haha
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stingraze Page Icon Posted 2017-11-27 10:41 PM
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Jake - 2017-11-27 11:39 PM

What a find, stingraze! And what a waste of screen! Those hard icons take about 1/3 of the display.

What's available on it? WP? PIM?

Congrats, it's very cool,
Jake


Thanks, I think the Sigmarion 3 has a similar setup, maybe NTT DoCoMo liked those icons.

Yes, I think there is a PIM, but I found a very simple "Keyboard game".

Edited by stingraze 2017-11-27 11:07 PM
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Jake Page Icon Posted 2017-11-27 11:19 PM
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What a strange little machine.

Re: old internet connections. I've recently inherited a Psion Series 7, which has made me start to rummage in my basement for my Nokia E90, the last of the communicators to come with infrared. I'm thinking of trying a GPRS connection to the Psion's IR port, but I'm wrestling w/ the dilemma of the time this will entail

Your keyboard reminds a bit of the Sharp Zaurus, the original, one of my all-time favorite devices. When Sharp gave up Synergy, I came to WinCE.

Jake
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stingraze Page Icon Posted 2017-11-28 5:56 AM
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I was looking at the specs of the Browser Board from the NTT DoCoMo technical journal, and it too has ASK & IrDA as Infra Red communication. I wonder if it will work...

Yes, the Sharp Zaurus (non-Japanese model) seems to have a similar form factor etc.

My collection of PDAs are quite liquid in its size it goes up and down in count once in a while. I'm recently interested in the rarer mobile handhelds that are sometimes available at ridiculously cheap prices in a store called HARD OFF.
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Jake Page Icon Posted 2017-11-28 6:36 PM
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Geez, ASK. I haven't thought of that protocol in a long time. I think the Sharp Mobilons had an ASK feature so you could beam from Zaurus to CE.

The Z had an IR port but you couldn't use it to get on-line, only for PIM stuff. You had to use an attachable dial-up modem called a Sidecar.

And thanks for the Hard Off tip

Jake
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